EXPANDING CAREGIVER ABILITY TO USE ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS FOR PROBLEMS OF BATHING AND INCONTINENCE IN THE ELDERLY WITH DEMENTIA

This article describes the use of the home environment by 17 spouse caregivers to manage problems associated with bathing and incontinence. A model of the environment developed by Barris and colleagues,1 is used to describe the range of environmental solutions developed by caregivers and offered by an occupational therapist during five visits in the home. Results indicate that caregivers on their own developed effective solutions using the environment and accepted suggestions by the occupational therapist for bathing more so than for incontinence. Caregivers were also able to eliminate from their management routine those strategies which were not effective. The findings have two important implications. First, the introduction of environmental modifications from a formal provider working collaboratively with a caregiver may expand caregiver abilities to manage problematic behaviors for individuals with dementia. Second, developing effective strategies to assist caregivers with managing incontinence deserves greater attention since this problem area has been identified as particularly stressful to family members.