Many older adults have difficulty bathing. According to one estimate, 23% of adults 72 and older have at least some difficulty washing and drying their entire bodies (the definition of "bathing.")

Bathing is important for various reasons. People need to bathe regularly to meet society's standards of cleanliness. Bathing washes away dirt and other things that can contribute to skin irritation, rashes and infections. People who can't bathe on their own often need home care services and are more likely to be admitted to nursing homes than those who can bathe without help.

Making changes in the home-adding non-skid strips and "grab bars" in and around the shower and bath, and using bath and shower chairs or low benches that can help people get in and out of the tub-can make bathing easier. These bathing safety aids can also cut the risk of falls in the bathroom. At least one study has found that the lack of bath safety aids such as grab bars contributes to falls and injuries.

New Research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

To see how many older adults make use of such bathing aids, researchers from Yale University School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine conducted a recent study. They worked with a team of nurses who visited the homes of nearly 600 Connecticut residents, aged 73 and older, who volunteered for the study. All of the adults lived in the community, rather than in nursing homes or similar facilities.

The nurses checked to see whether the volunteers had any health problems, such as poor grip strength or movement problems, that could make bathing difficult. They asked the volunteers if they had trouble taking any of the steps involved in bathing, such as getting in or out of the tub or shower. They checked for such bathing aids as no-skid strips, grab bars, and stools. When they found these in a home, they asked the older adult living there whether he or she used them.

Many of the older adults who volunteered for the study had few or no bathing safety aids or modifications in their homes, the researchers found. Some who had the aids and needed them didn't use them.

More should be done to ensure that the homes of community-living older adults are designed and equipped with aids that make bathing easier and safer, and to ensure that older adults know how to use these aids, the researchers conclude. This could cut down on the amount of home health aid and home nursing assistance older adults need. It could also lower the likelihood that older adults will fall or need to move to nursing homes.

What Should I Do?

If you have any difficulty bathing, talk to your doctor. He or she can help determine why you're having trouble and recommend solutions. These might include getting and learning to use bath aids such as grab bars, no-skid bath strips, shower and bath stools and benches.

The summary above is from the full report titled, "Underutilization of Environmental Adaptations for Bathing in Community-Living Older Persons." It is in the September 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Volume 53, Issue 9, pages 1497-1503). The report is authored by Aanand D. Naik, MD, and Thomas M. Gill, MD.