Long-Term Care Survey Alert
5 WAYS TO REDUCE PAIN DURING THE BATH
Nurse researcher JoAnne Rader discovered that the bathing time uncovers a lot of unrecognized or under-treated pain and discomfort. She suggests the following strategies:
1. Keep the patient warm and covered and position her so she’s comfortable.
2. Don’t try to provide too much hygiene care at once to residents with dementia.
3. Be aware of sensitive areas and be careful with movement that hurts. “The feet, face, breasts and genitals are usually sensitive, so warn the resident before you touch or move these areas,” Rader advises.
4. Use distractors such as candy or conversation or give residents interesting objects to hold during the bath. Music works for some.
5. Give residents who are hurting a pain medication about an hour before bathing them.
Source: Innovations in the Quality of Life- Pioneer Network Broadcast.
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