Impact of the stage of dementia on the time required for bathing-related care: a pilot study in a Japanese nursing home.

Time required for bathing-related care for nursing home residents with various stages of severe dementia were observed. Time required for each resident, including guiding to the bathroom, undressing, and dressing were plotted in graphs in order to make comparisons. The situations and conversations observed for the instances when additional time was needed were analyzed. Stage of dementia affected the amount of time required for the task of guiding to the bathroom, but did not appear to affect time required for dressing or undressing. For dressing and undressing, additional time was required when caregivers failed to keep to a specific routine.