Bed bathing - a gentle conversation can be reveal hidden worries and minimise embarressment

I know it sounds obvious but, as a visitor to hospital during the most critical stage of my mother's illness, I think some nurses/care assistants could learn from the following thoughts from my colleague, Nicola, who often works as a Staff Nurse on stroke units and rehabilitation wards.

She writes....

'If you are lucky enough to have two staff to give a bedbath to a patient, there is not necessarily anything wrong with 'discussing last night's party' with the nurse on the other side of the bed as long as the patient is included in the conversation. It can be a great starter for gathering background information and it can be a useful distraction for the patient who could otherwise feel quite uncomfortable about being washed by someone else. Easy conversation also gives the nurses the opportunity to check the condition of the patient's skin and pressure areas, mouth, eyes and extremities without it seeming too intrusive. Often it is also an opportunity to pick up all sorts of things that might be worrying a patient that they wouldn't otherwise dream of bothering the nurse about.'