The activity of bathing-dependent people with dementia who need assistance can be a challenge for their caregivers, as it is often accompanied by multiple behavioural symptoms that make washing and grooming difficult, generating a disruptive environment. This paper aims to analyse the problems arising from bathing people with dementia and to describe the techniques used to alleviate them.
A scoping review of studies located in the PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus databases was carried out, including a total of 20 studies. An analysis of the problems encountered in bathing activities and the different techniques used to alleviate them was carried out. This study used the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews reporting guidance.
The problem identified when bathing people with dementia lies in the appearance of behavioural symptoms, especially in hetero-aggressive behaviour. Regardless of the bathing technique or protocol, it is the caregiver’s training on behavioural management and on the disease itself that provides the most strategies for dealing with resistance to care.
No grey literature or reference lists were used for this work. Furthermore, no bias analysis of the different units of analysis was carried out.
This study points out the needs of people with dementia in the bathing experience, as well as the techniques described to improve this activity. It is worth highlighting the need to create more updated strategies to meet these needs.
