Investigation into the Actual Conditions of Night Bathing for the Elderly in Nursing Homes

Abstract

Background and aim: In recent years, individual care designed for the needs of the elderly has progressed in long-term care facilities in Japan, but the bathing care, especialy its frequency and time, is yet to be satisfactory. In the previous study by the author into the bathing care time in such facilities, however, there were some facilites that carried out bathing care before bedtime (“night bathing”), while most facilities provided bathing care only during daytime. The purpose of this study was to examine how such facilites (“nursing homes”), which seem to have a high awareness for the individual care for the elderly, have managed to offer night bathing and what changes had occurred because of that.
Method: We conducted an interview-style survey with three administrators of nursing homes where night bathing was done. We recorded the interviews and transcribed them. We sorted out the answers regarding bathing care from the three nursing homes into six categories. We examined the preparations for night bathing and changes the administrators observed among the elderly and the caregivers after they started night bathing, and grouped the similar items.
Results: In order to provide night bathing to the elderly, the surveyed nursing homes modified not only the bathing care system but also the overall care system and the caregivers’ working hours. Night bathing care was carried out with bath lifts or as ordinary bathing, with one caregiver bathing one elderly. Administrators believed that providing night bathing helped to meet the bathing care needs of the elderly and improved their sleeping conditions and quality of life. They also thought that the caregivers improved the quality of their care and raised their awareness toward understanding the importance of individual care.
Discussion and Conclusion: The results suggested that night bathing at nursing homes leads to a wider range of bathing time choices to the elderly which leads to respecting their lifestyles and their individual needs.