Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Vol. 30 No. 9 September 2004
By Wilaipun Somboontanont, PhD, RN; Philip D. Sloane, MD, MPH; Frank J. Floyd, PhD; Diane Holditch-Davis, PhD, RN; Carol C. Hogue, PhD, RN; C. Madeline Mitchell, MURP
ABSTRACT
To identify immediate antecedents of bathing-related physical assaults against caregivers by nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, videotapes of nursing home residents who physically assaulted nursing assistants during baths were analyzed. Caregiver behaviors that occurred significantly (p < .01) more often during the 5 seconds preceding an assault included: calling the resident by name, confrontational communication, invalidation of the resident’s feelings, failure to prepare the resident for a task, disrespectful speech, any touch, absence of physical restraint, and hurried pace of bath. Assaults were significantly more likely when caregivers sprayed water without a verbal prompt; the resident’s feet, axilla, or perineum were touched; residents exhibited signs of temperature discomfort; and multiple caregivers were present. Improved caregiver training and individualized, gentler bathing methods should be investigated as methods of reducing assaults.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Somboontanont is Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Community Health Nursing, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Sloane is Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Floyd is Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Holditch-Davis is Professor, School of Nursing, Dr. Hogue is Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Institute on Aging, and Ms. Mitchell is Research Fellow, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
This study was funded by National Institute for Nursing Research grants #R01-NR05016 and #R01-NR04188.
Address correspondence to Philip D. Sloane, MD, MPH, Professor, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, 725 Airport Road, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590.
