The dementia has neither gotten better nor worse. She hardly talks. She loves to watch TV all the time. Hygiene is a huge problem. The only thing she does in the morning is brush her teeth. She does not wash her hands after using the toilet. When asked to do any of these things she gets very angry and refuses to do it.
The biggest problem is giving her a bath. I give her a bath once a week because she creates such a scene. The moment I tell her it is time for her to take a bath she first refuses and when I persist and tell her she hasn't had one for a week, she starts screaming and wishing that she could die, that I am torturing her etc. etc. I am worried about the neighbors because she screams very loudly and starts crying and beating her chest. I quietly move away and let her relax. I come back after 30 minutes or so to make another attempt to convince her to take a bath. This goes on for almost two to three hours before I can convince her. What can I do differently to make this easy. I dread Saturdays and the whole process frustrates me very much. Please help.
She has been with me for three years now and I have found going along with her ideas works for both of us.
I wouldn't worry about frequent baths that much. If she will allow herself to be cleaned with body wipes, I would think that would be enough. It doesn't sound like the convincing method you are using is working, so I wouldn't continue doing it that way. All of that drama is not good for anyone. And I don't think you are ever going to convince her to see the need for the baths.
Is she anxious, unhappy or resistant about anything other than bathing? IF so, then I would talk to her doctor about her anxiety. IF not, then I would back off the baths for awhile and perhaps try having another person do it next time or just use body wipes for awhile. As she progresses with this condition, her response to the bathing could change. She may later have no issue with it.
Why I bring that up is because I had an injury that made it almost impossible to use one arm to comb my hair or wash my face. Changing clothes sent lightening bolts through my shoulder. I hated to shower because of the pain and feeling unbalanced. Had to do everything with my other arm which made it very cumbersome.... I bet someone with dementia might not reason out that she could use her other arm to do all those things. Just a suggestion.