Skilled Tips for Shower Assessments

shower assessments Oct 26, 2018

How do we assess bathing?

When I assess bathing, I mainly look at three different components: environmental, physical abilities, and cognition.

Environmental

Durable medical equipment
Shower stall vs shower tub
Grab bars in shower
Bathroom set up

Physical

Standing tolerance
Transfer ability
Strength (UB/LB, core)
Balance
Range of motion
Cardiovascular stamina

Cognition

Safety
Judgement
Body awareness
Sequencing

Skilled Care

Looking at the items within each component allows me to break down the actual occupation for each individual client. Part of documenting skilled care is individualizing care plans. All clients are unique in his/her abilities and may have different set up of his/her environment. You may devote a treatment session to educating the client or caregiver on using durable medical equipment (DME) or adaptive equipment (AE) in the shower. Another treatment session may focus on the getting in/out of shower or transferring on to shower seat.

Shower Equipment Recommendations

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can help clients work towards bathing independence by working on dynamic standing balance and safety with transfers. Although showers are typically OT territory, working with a PT can help improve carryover.

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And if you haven't yet make sure to download our FREE PDF with skilled care documentation tips HERE!