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.