What are subacute laws on giving patients a shower?

If it isn't done today, ask further up the command structure. Talking to the base level carers is being useless, and it may not be their decision anyway. And not their problem if the policy rules aren't being followed. Kick it upstairs.

I don't know if it's a law in that someone will get a ticket or a fine if your mom is not assisted with a shower but your mom, like all residents, has a right to humane treatment. She has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and that means being clean and being assisted with hygiene. My suggestion is to contact the Ombudsman which is a person appointed to investigate complaints. Every facility should have one. It doesn't sound like the shower is a priority to the staff. Go above the staff.

Who are you talking to, the aides? You need to talk to the DON, Director of Nursing, and find out what is going on. Two times a week is the norm. Personally, if I was "with it" this wouldn't be enough for me. I shower every day. What is Mom getting PT for? If just for a hospital stay, then I would tell them to discharge her to home and write an order for PT for homecare.

By the way, I am from NJ and even at the AL it was 2 days anymore I had to pay for. So two days must be the norm.

In my state, the person has to be showered(and weighed) within 24 hours of admission, unless they refuse. I believe that this is mandatory in most states. The weight is usually gotten by the bath aide during the shower and this is necessary to determine if the patient is losing weight. I would speak to the DON and tell her that you really don't want to file a complaint with the state, but......

YOU NEED NO LAW POSTED OR OTHERWISE TO MAKE SURE MOTHER IS BATHED AND PROPERLY CARED FOR.

CONTACT THESE SO CALLED "CARE" FACILITY PERSONNEL AND LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE COMING TO BATH YOUR MOTHER ALONG WITH A CAMERA CREW TO DOCUMENT WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO. LET THEM ALSO KNOW THAT IF YOU SEE, HEAR OR AM TOLD OF ANY BACKLASH REGARDING MOTHER THAT THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!

DR COPPERTINO

in other words, it is a nursing home. go figure.

Llteubner, what did you find out when you spoke to the DON?

Go to the director of the facility and let her know! I would threaten a complaint.
I don't know what is wrong with society that these places are so neglectful. My mom got a stage 4 wound in one of these places and a UTI so bad that she had to be rushed to ER. I never sent her back there. What is wrong that NH and rehab places treat residents worse than prisoners in a prison in our society? And get paid heavily for it. People seem to be punished in these places for living too long and that is just wrong.

There's no state law requiring that a resident be "given a shower" every so many days. However, every facility has policies in place about bathing the residents, and there are state regulations about hygiene and cleanliness for the residents.

It is not necessary for anyone to take a shower everyday. It's only recently that people have become so germ phobic and are bathing all the time. Most people in the world did not have hot and cold running water in their homes until well into the 20th century. Many people in the world still do not have it.

A daily wash up at the sink would be sufficient for most residents of a nursing home, with an occasional full shower. It depends on how much the resident perspires in the bed, and whether they are incontinent or not.

I'm at RN, by the way.

I was surprised when my Husband was in rehab that the state law here in Illinois is twice a week for shower or bath. (I thought it was more but that was my naive thinking)
Talk to the Director and file a complaint with the State Health Department. There are inspectors that come in on routine basis for inspections and they will follow up on complaints. Most states also have an Ombudsman that you can contact.

Now it is possible that when the aids come in to shower her she says no she does not want a shower. If that is the case they can not force her. And keep in mind that the shower could be at any time of day. Me, I prefer a shower in the morning and if someone came to me at 1:00 in the afternoon and said it is time for your shower I would probably tell them it is not time and I did not want a shower. So you might want to ask at what time is her shower scheduled and if you can arrange a visit at about that time of day it might be helpful, you could encourage her if she seems reluctant.

I would think that a minimum would be weekly, every 7 days. Personally, I prefer every 3rd day. More often if incontinence is involved.

I don't know about NJ law, but wouldn't be surprised if there is no law regarding showering. It's not necessary for maintaining adequate hygiene which, I imagine, IS governed by code if not law.

Washing is sufficient and many older people strongly resist showering or bathing. I know people who haven't taken a full body bath or shower in YEARS. Their families have no idea. They either wash up themselves or consent to being washed by aides.

However, if your mom wants a shower, she certainly should be able to get one. I agree with another poster that it may be they are coming for her at an undesirable time, but that, too can be worked out. If you haven't already, talk to the nursing director and ask exactly when mom's bath/shower will take place. If you've already done that to no avail, talk to the executive director. If that doesn't work it's time to report the facility.
Your goal is for mom to get her shower, dealing first with the people who can give it to her is your best bet.

My fiancee is in long term care for a stroke. He is given a shower twice weekly but sometimes only once from being short staffed. (Not his problem)I have even given him a shower because of this and they let me. I would rather do it myself instead of going round and round with these people. I also am a CNA but not at his facility so I do much of his care if not it would not be done. If you have concerns about her care contact the Ombudsman in your area. I have had the Ombudsman at the facility twice now because of inadequate care. I am his advocate while he is in there if not who knows what would happen. Its very sad.

Who are you asking? Obviously they have not checked into it bc she hasnt had one. Go to the charge nurse.

Is she is there for rehab, maybe the OT can do it if she gets OT. Yes they do showers & bedside baths with the little tubs/washcloth.

If you want to you can also get/use the moisturizing wipes. Heat in microwave a few seconds(usually says on the back of packaging) to warm up. I have used this method when travelling in the heat. Very refreshing. You feel like you had a shower.
Go to the charge nurse and ask whats going on. Make sure your mom is not refusing. They are allowed to refuse, but too often is not good. They have to shower, so they can look for sores and skin integrity. A few refusals gets you a shower anyway.
Good luck.

My mother was unable to have a shower. She couldn't sit up long enough to safely do so. So sponge baths were the answer and sponge baths can be just fine. Sometimes showers aren't allowed due to the patient's condition (wound healing, etc) However, they neglected to wash her hair. I was angered by the charge nurse's flippant attitude when she recommended the salon or dry shampoo. When I brought up the issue at mom's care plan meeting, I made it clear that if mom could, she would go to the facility's salon, but she couldn't as sitting up was painful and would precipitate the loss of consciousness, and that after several weeks, dry shampoo doesn't cut it. A person's hair can be washed in bed with shampoo and water. That is what Mom needed. Mom was placed on hospice and from that point forward, for her last three months, her hair was clean and presentable due to the kind due diligence of her beloved hospice nurse. Her skin was well cared for and therefore no bedsores. It isn't just a matter of health, it is a matter of dignity.

I would contact their corporate office and report it. If nothing has been done.
If it is their policy for twice weekly and she wants a shower I would demand they give her one NOW. Advise them you will be reporting them if they don’t comply. They are getting paid for her being there. It makes me wonder if she is really receiving the PT she’s there for. Wow.

If you look at the Federal Law governing Long-term Care the answer to your question is found in F-Tag 242 & 248 it says:

F242 (Rev. 48; Issued: 06-12-09; Effective/Implementation Date: 06-12-09) §483.15(b) - Self-Determination and Participation The resident has the right to-- (1) Choose activities, schedules, and health care consistent with his or her interests, assessments, and plans of care; (2) Interact with members of the community both inside and outside the facility; and (3) Make choices about aspects of his or her life in the facility that are significant to the resident.

To further understand that I am also sending the the "Interpretive Guidelines" which is what surveyors use to understand and judge a situation, that says;

§483.15(b) Many types of choices are mentioned in this regulatory requirement. The first of these is choice over “activities.” It is an important right for a resident to have choices to participate in preferred activities, whether they are part of the formal activities program or self-directed. However, the regulation at §483.15(f) Activities, F248 covers both formal and self-directed activities.

For issues concerning choices over activities, use Tag F248. The second listed choice is “schedules.” Residents have the right to have a choice over their schedules, consistent with their interests, assessments and plans of care. Choice over “schedules” includes (but is not limited to) choices over the schedules that are important to the resident, such as daily waking, eating, bathing, and the time for going to bed at night. Residents have the right to choose health care schedules consistent with their interests and preferences, and the facility should gather this information in order to be proactive in assisting residents to fulfill their choices. For example, if a resident mentions that her therapy is scheduled at the time of her favorite television program, the facility should accommodate the resident to the extent that it can.

If the resident refuses a bath because he or she prefers a shower or a different bathing method such as in-bed bathing, prefers it at a different time of day or on a different day, does not feel well that day, is uneasy about the aide assigned to help or is worried about falling, the staff member should make the necessary adjustments realizing the resident is not refusing to be clean but refusing the bath under the circumstance provided. The facility staff should meet with the resident to make adjustments in the care plan to accommodate his or her preferences. 

I live and work in Missouri, here is what our State Law says concerning bathing of residents:

"Each resident shall be clean, dry and free of body and mouth odor that is offensive to others."

As an advocate I love this regulation! Many times facilities would tell me that they were only required to give two baths a week. I would tell them that if they could keep my client "clean, dry and free of body and mouth odor" with two baths a week that was fine. However, if they could not they would have to give them as many baths a week as it took to meet that goal." Some of my clients got baths 7 days a week!

Knowledge is power, you need to know the laws governing long-term care. If you know them, you can become a powerful advocate for your loved one! I don't know where you live, but I would look into the laws of your State and see what they say. If you need help finding them, contact your local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, they are experts in the law and can give you that information.

I hope this has helped answer your question!

One of the Best ways to get Organiztions to get their Act Straight....is to Bring in the News Media!! It Works!

As I've said on this forum before, Coppertino is not yelling, but no doubt has low vision such as Macular Degeneration.

Rico2015, News Media is exactly what some of these SNF need. Sad but true.

cj wilson, I couldn't have said it better myself! Learn the laws governing long-term care in your state! I had to so that I could be that powerful, knowledgeable advocate that my loved one needs.

I don't know whether there are actually laws in most states, or whether guidelines for care are set by DHS (Dept. of Human Services, or Senior services) mandates, but suggestions that showering (or thorough bathing) is not necessary, and just "sponge baths" suffice might have been acceptable 150 years ago, but not in today's world... There might be a few people for whom this is an only option, but... For one thing, even if someone isn't incontinent, in a NH environment if that person isn't very mobile, the outcome might not be any different... The time it takes for help to arrive when called for someone needing assistance with toileting results in "unavoidable" accidents and self-soiling! Then - thorough cleaning by CNA's after that mess isn't often the reality. One sobering fact, though? "Showering" isn't something that should be casually handled or rushed? My Mom was killed a year ago from a fall when being transferred by a CNA from a wheelchair to a shower chair... (I have an idea there were safeguards in place that weren't followed, but I just didn't have the heart to pursue the "why's" afterwards...) Mom said her foot was slipping, but the CNA couldn't stop her and she fell and broke her left fibula and tibia (both bones below her left knee), and after 10 days of excruciating pain she died...

Ours was in a NH for 20 days following a medical emergency. I noticed that he wasn't getting showers. I asked the social worker their shower schedule, it was every 3 days. I asked the charge nurse why our family member didn't get his? She informed me that the patient refused. I don't think he did, he loves his showers. I told them take him anyway next time and to call if he tries to refuse again. Funny, he got every shower on his schedule after that.
They were most likely running behind on showering patients, and just marking the ones they didn't get to as non-compliant. It helps to be very vocal!

Try the office manager or the administrator. They DO not like complaints filed against the facility and will get to the bottom of the issue. Make them aware of it because if you don't they will be kept in the dark about the situation. You will find that they can be very helpful in correcting your concerns. All facilities are different and some management is just there for the paycheck but many are there because they care and actually consider their residents as an extended family.

Great question! I was in a hospital for 12 days and didn’t know or have the wherewithal to even ask to have my bedding changed daily. I know my doctor said no shower until incisions healed. From a personal experience of having horrific opioid induced night sweats, by the time I was released from the hospital, I wanted to crawl out of my own skin and hair. The “wipe” bathing didn’t do anything for me and not being able to feel clean was horrible. I don’t know what laws there are, but there has to be a solution out there for patients stuck in places such as hospitals, nursing homes and rehab places.