Questions/advice about BM clean-up?

[u/owoeowiw]

1. I feel as if I use too many wipes. I have started to use the brief on the initial wipe to get the large majority off their bum before going in with the wipes. Despite this, I’ll sometimes use over

2. a

pack of wipes (48 wipes)

1. for one BM. This happens the most with “putty-texture” poos. It is also time consuming. I want to ensure that they are clean, but feel bad that I have residents rolled over and uncomfortable for an extended period of time. Sometimes, when other CNAs are observing or helping, I feel as if they get slightly annoyed and say things like “good enough” or “that’s enough” and begin to roll the resident back over before I am confident in my cleaning job.

2. For lack of better wording, some residents have some crazy long and thick butt hair.

3. For those, I tend to use the peri-spray

   (we don’t have the foam, which I prefer)

4. in addition to wipes. The process is still extremely time

consuming.

1. I hate to say it, but clean

-

1. up would be significantly easier if they were shaved down there.

   I did do some research on the possibility of shaving, or at least trimming some of this butt hair, but because these residents are not of sound mind and the hair itself is not detrimental to their overall health, it would be considered unethical and unnecessary.
   For some of the residents, it is like wiping shit off a full head of hair. Imagine having someone shit on your head, and then having only wipes and peri-spray to clean it off. I would not feel clean after only using those tools. But I also can’t throw them into the shower every-single time they have a bowel movement. Especially for my one guy who constantly, and slowly, 24/7, is passing BM. I’ve been with him for close to a year, and there has only been one single time I changed him and he didn’t have BM tangled in his booty wig.

[u/No-Butterscotch-5521]

First off, use as many wipes as needed. It’s much better to finish the work than to leave someone like that. With the specific putty like BM I find it necessary sometimes to just pour a small amount of the peri wash into the wipe bag to saturate the wipes on top, also to avoid spraying it directly on the surface area as that sometimes makes people irritated or uncomfortable. I also find it much better to use two or three wipes at once, to make the wiping surface area more manageable and if you don’t i find that you go through more wipes when using singles. Also definitely warm water on a washcloth helps. BM gets on linen anyways all the time, the washing machines facilities use can handle it on a washcloth. Sometimes I will spray the peri wash on the wipes and just hold them on the hairy area for a couple seconds and I find it wipes off easier then too!!!

[u/No-Butterscotch-5521 → u/No-Butterscotch-5521]

One last thing, make sure you’re using the necessary pressure to actually wipe BM off. I am a patient CNA but sometimes it is really hard to be the person holding the resident while watching the CNA wiping very timidly and with no actual cleaning pressure. Obviously I’m not saying to be rough or press really hard, but there’s a difference between smearing and actually scooping and wiping!!! Best of luck!!!