What to do when bathroom becomes source of anxiety

CateM

Hi I have a question. My gram and I mentioned is in an advanced state of Vascular Dementia. She has boughts of combativeness/anxiety in the morning and late aft/evening.  We are trying to isolate the triggers. The aft/evening is sundowning -we know she suffers from this as she has for a while but the mornings are new. It seems to relate to the bathroom.  We think she associates her bathroom now with what she hates - showering and even sponge baths now.   So even her entering and exiting the bathroom particularly in the mornings and evenings she becomes aggressive. We normally just walk away and let her be until she's ready to come out, but we'd like to know if there is a way to work with the situation to alleviate it more.  I was hoping somebodies here might have encountered similar situations and am looking for advice. We can't very well keep her out of the bathroom totally. But on the other hand the only time she tends to be there is when she needs to use the toilet or to get a now sponge bath.

Any advice would be appreciated.

MimiMinder

I am wondering if your gram is very modest. Maybe she doesn't like being 'exposed' during a shower or sponge bath. Is she maybe sensitive to the water temperature (too hot/cold) or the air temperature when she is not fully dressed? Have you tried using adult wipes? While not as environmentally friendly as a wash cloth and water, it might be worth trying. Maybe you could back off on how often she has a shower or sponge bath to see if that helps. Hopefully others will chime in with their tried and true suggestions of what worked for them. Good luck!

MimiMinder

Oops - sorry - the last thing I wanted to suggest was changing up the location of a sponge bath. Could it be in a chair in her room, for example, so it is not always in the bathroom? Just a thought!

abc123

Cate, I’m having similar problems with my mother. I will be following this thread for advice! My mom will get in the tub and stay for hours. Just lying in the tub, sometimes fully clothed. She gets furious if someone wants to offer help. When she’s at my house I put duct tape over the tub in a big X. That helps sometimes. Her biggest issues are all bathroom related at this time. Hopefully this phase will pass quickly. I wish you the best.