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I work in a group home with elderly adults that also have intelectual disabilities.


One man is telling everyone to put a lock on his door so I won't.

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Have you not had any training in this kind of care? Are you working on your own, or with another caregiver?

If your client says "leave me alone, don't take my clothes off" then you leave him alone and you don't touch his clothing. If you persist you will make him feel even more threatened, and he will become afraid of you and hostile.

You don't, either, just go away and leave him in soiled clothing. First reassure him "ok, it's fine, I won't, see? - I've stopped" and give him a few moments. If you're in his room, with his permission you could look for the clean clothes you hope to get him to change into and lay them out ready - ask him to choose, if he's speaking to you by now. If he needs to wash, too, you could help him to get the soap, water and towels ready for that. Keep talking to him about how he normally likes to wash, what he likes to wear, and encourage him to *want* to change out of his dirty clothes.

Put yourself in his shoes just for a moment - if you weren't ready to get changed, or you didn't know the person helping you very well, how happy would you be if s/he started stripping off your clothes? First you have to build trust and confidence, then you'll get co-operation. It can be a slow and frustrating process, but it's the only way.
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Is he aware they are soiled? During my father's vascular dementia, he wanted to avoid bathing and wear the same clothes for days or weeks. He was also so afraid he was going to get cold he ran the bathroom heater all night so the bathroom would be warm when he used the toilet. So I would accidentally spill some iced tea on his lower pant leg and he would agree to a bath in a 90+ degree bathroom and clean clothes. This started when he was still fully capable of bathing and changing his clothes without assistance.
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Is it possible he'd be more comfortable with a male worker changing his clothing?
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I am sorry that you have this challenge. I don’t have a clue as to how you can encourage someone to change clothing when soiled. I’m sure others who have dealt with this situation can help you. Just wanted to tell you that I can empathize. That has to be frustrating. Hugs. You have a tough job. Thanks for caring for the elderly. There seems to be a shortage of workers in some facilities. So I am sure that your job can be quite demanding at times.
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