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Bathing Sparky
By Gwendolyn deGeest, RN,BSN,MA
Interview with Peter’s caregiver
follows:
What seems to be the main obstacles in
giving Peter his bath?
Just about everything. Peter doesn’t
like taking his clothes off. He doesn’t like having his
hair washed, and he doesn’t like getting wet. Then when
the bath is finished, Peter wants to put the same
clothes right back on. He gets really angry with us if
we try to persuade him.
What have you tried so far?
We no longer wash Peter’s hair on bath
day. Rather, his hair is shampooed in the salon where
the hair cuts are done. Also, the girls on the last
shift lay out fresh clothing for Peter in the morning,
so the clothes Peter insists on putting on following the
bath are clean.
How is this working?
Good. Peter is far less agitated.
I understand Peter has a dog, Sparky.
Does Peter ever talk about his dog?
To be honest, I didn’t know that Peter
even had a dog. That is really good information for us.
Maybe we can ask the family to bring the dog in for a
visit.
That’s a great idea; Peter would love
that. Also, does Peter ever speak of the days he worked
in the lumber camps?
Yes, now that you mention it, Peter
loves to reminisce about those days. He’s told me he
feels lucky that he didn’t lose a finger when he was
working in the lumber camps. And he says, “Those were
the best days of my life.”
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