How can you deal with a person refusing to take a shower?

I found that a CNA was the answer my mom refused showers every time always with an excuse, she might fall she was afraid the CNA would go into labor while she was in the shower, she had a headache, panic attack ext. We just pushed for sponge baths instead it seemed the only way to get her to bath. She stayed comfortable and in her space rather then pushing her to shower. Depending on your dad's insurance you could look into a CNA to help. They get a lot of fighting in their line of work and they know what to say and how to handle a "smelly" situation :)

Thank you for all the comments.....

Love, in addition to the issues Sunnygirl raises, there could also be the fact that older people get cold easier, especially when they've disrobed for a full shower. And there's the modesty issue. Another could be that the individual isn't ready to accept that he or she can't bathe himself or herself w/o assistance. That's a major loss of self reliance and independence.

If you don't have an appropriate transfer bench, method of keeping the person warm ALL the time before, during and after the shower, try something less traumatic. Use no rinse soaps and shampoos. Complete disrobing isn't necessary; the person can be washed up while sitting in a chair, comfortable and warm, and revealing only a limited portion of skin at a time.

Hospitals and care facilities have addressed these issues for year.

And make it a pleasant event with music, perhaps a treat afterwards...something to look forward to and remember instead of something traumatic to be dreaded and resisted.

There have been a lot of questions on this subject. Some of the posts from these searches might be of help:

https://www.agingcare.com/search.aspx?searchterm=alternatives+to+showers

https://www.agingcare.com/search.aspx?searchterm=no+shower+alternatives

Whatever the reason for the refusal, you can't change that; you can only change the circumstances of keeping clean, while respecting this person's feelings, comfort and privacy.

What is the person's ailment? Are they restricted with their mobility? Depressed or suffer from cognitive decline? I think the approach may depend on the reason for their resistance. Resistance to care is not unusual for people who have dementia. Often, the caretakers go through various methods to see what works. Sometimes, it's making the bath time more calm, warm, and pleasant. Other times, having a bath aid come in works. I'm sure you'll get some more suggestions here too.

When I had this issue with my Dad...I just told him that he smelled really bad, and I would not be taking him out anywhere if he didn't shower and change clothes.

I am sure he didn't believe he smelled bad (sense of smell was gone for the last years of his life), but he really wanted to go out to Walmart...so he had no choice.

Interesting study was done about 10 years ago. They found that the loss of the sense of smell is nearly a 100% predictor of death within 5 years. Regardless of age, medical condition, ethnicity.   That study was being expanded to include larger population groups and long terms.   The original study was a random selection of 100 people ... when they went to do the follow up 5 years later...they found all of their study group had passed away.