My MIL hasn’t bathed in God knows how long. We’re guessing more than a year. Now that she has moved in with us, we have hired PSW’s for her, but she still refuses. They cannot force her, and we don’t try to. That seems like a very dangerous situation - someone could get hurt, slip and fall, she could hit one of us, and never mind the fact that it is a huge intrusion on privacy…
Have her routinely checked for UTI’s if she continues to refuse. At the end of the day, it’s her personal right, even if it is disgusting.
Here is a link to an entire page of Teepa Snow videos on tips about bathing an elder with Alzheimer's/Dementia. She has a 'hand over hand' technique which helps the elder feel more secure in general and less frightened, which is also useful when caring for a demented elder on a day-to-day basis. Check out the videos and hopefully, learn some good tips. Don't force your mother to do anything she's upset about doing; instead, learn how to approach her in a positive manner. And Grandma's advice about hiring a bath aide is always a good idea, too.
Do you have a shower that she can easily get in and out of, and that has a shower chair, grab bars, and a secure bath mat in? If not, she probably doesn't feel safe in it, and is afraid she may fall. Your mother doesn't need to bathe every day, but perhaps just a couple times a week, and during the in-between, you can just use the extra large body wipes to wash her down with and the waterless shampoo caps to wash her hair. Both of those items are great for someone who doesn't get in the shower daily. Also it seems that a lot of folks have better luck hiring an aide to come in to bathe their loved one, as they find the aide can do it without much grief from the patient. You can give that a try as well. Good luck.
Have her routinely checked for UTI’s if she continues to refuse. At the end of the day, it’s her personal right, even if it is disgusting.
https://www.google.com/search?q=teepa+snow+hand+over+hand+bathing&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS896US896&oq=&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Best of luck!
Your mother doesn't need to bathe every day, but perhaps just a couple times a week, and during the in-between, you can just use the extra large body wipes to wash her down with and the waterless shampoo caps to wash her hair. Both of those items are great for someone who doesn't get in the shower daily.
Also it seems that a lot of folks have better luck hiring an aide to come in to bathe their loved one, as they find the aide can do it without much grief from the patient. You can give that a try as well. Good luck.