The Spa Bathing Experience Bathing Without a Battle Karla Jackson Nexion Health

1. The Spa Bathing ExperienceBathing Without a BattleKarla JacksonNexion Health

2. We Have a ChoiceShouldn’t Our Residents? To Relax and Rejuvenate

3. Shaping The Environment • The decor needs to be home-like, pleasing and relaxing. • The goal is to promote choice and creativity. • To create a relationship between the resident and the Caregiver. • To develop a mutual respect.

4. CHALLENGES • TRAINING: Do you have a problem with workers who don’t like the idea of allowing the residents to bathe when they choose because it disrupts the flow of work? • CHANGE THEIR PERCEPTION: To do this you must get them INVOLVED in the process. • CHOOSE STAFF who bring joy to the resident’s to participate!

5. Obstacles: • There are always some types of employees resistant to change especially employees with long tenures. • If you recognize this early in the process you can plan accordingly. • HOW? You can conduct surveys within the company to find out the areas where you will have the most adversity and will require more management attention.

6. Obstacles continued: • You will need to develop collaborative relationships between management and employees to help define the upcoming changes. • Again taking key employees and putting them in key positions in the decision making process will help them to feel empowered. • Hold regular workshops with them on the process & design of what you are trying to accomplish and allow them to provide valuable input. • Develop an implementation and roll out strategy. Don’t just HIT them with it and expect results.

7. In Our Case! • We chose an Aide who delights in her work no matter the challenges and remains positive. She has been voted Employee of the Month several times and has the respect of her peers throughout the facility. She is a LEADER. Perfect for a Team Leader in the Culture Change!

8. Building Our Team When you have established who would be a great team leader – it’s time to recruit the rest of the team! Participants learn the essence of team building, each ones style and what they bring to the equation. Again, weekly meetings among them keep them informed with the actions and reactions to the change and staying abreast of them.

9. TIME TO DESIGN! • Okay! We have our team in place and everyone is excited to make it happen. • NOW, we have to get that “spa” ready to go. It is not as hard or costly as your think and you would be surprised how many volunteers we received to make this happen. • So, what did WE do??

10. It’s the Little Things That Count! • Once the “spa” area was repainted, we decided to add a few things to create that home-like atmosphere. • We have two “spa’s”, one for the Ladies and one for the Gentleman! • We felt it was important to separate them and let them have a sense of their own oneness. Contrary to popular belief, the guys don’t like frilly shower curtains or towels. 

11. Our Purchases 1.We purchased several kidney-shaped computer tables from Wal-Mart to be used as our “spa” tables. It worked out very nicely. We did not attach the keyboards and reversed the table for use. It looks very similar to the nail stations you see in your everyday salons at half the cost!

12. Vanity Table...

13. more... 2. We added beautiful mirrors over the “vanity table” (computer table we purchased)... 3. Also purchased several “Tulip” Lights to be placed just above the vanity tables to provide extra lighting and ambience. It gives it that home like feel to the area. • Don’t forget the designer hooks to hang their robes! The Light Fixtures & Mirrors were purchased at Home Depot.

14. The Supplies The following supplies were purchased for the Vanity Table: • Pump-top dispensers • Bath and Body Lotion from Bath & Body Works • Color coordinated Kleenex • Small white plastic 3-drawer unit to hold nail clippers, q-tips, cotton balls, and emory boards • Blow Dryers for each station to be hung by the table for easy access. • CD Player and soothing music

15. Special Touches • Pretty shower curtains for the ladies spa and more masculine curtains for the gentleman’s spa. • Coordinating Bath towels, washcloths and hand cloths. • Beautiful color coordinated rugs. • AND...special chenille robes for the residents! Their very own!

16. Ladies Shower Area

17. After the shower... • When our wonderful Aide completes the resident’s shower and gets them dried off, she places one of the warm robes onto them and has them sit at the vanity. • While there she combs and dries their hair, cleans & trims their nails, assists them with dental care and then provides them with a good rub-down massage with those wonderful lotions. • All the while listening to the soft soothing music

18. Helping Hands as We Begin

19. Spa Area

20. After the Shower -The Manicure & Relaxation-Don’t Forget the Music

21. Drying & Styling

22. Wonderful Scented Lotions

23. And finally.....we’re done 

24. Leaving with Dignity • The resident leaves the area wrapped warmly in their robe, hair dry, smelling and feeling like they have just had a “spa” treatment. • It makes them feel very special and the best part – they CHOSE when they wanted it to happen! No struggles-just ...Aaaah’s 