Cracking the Alz Code: Showering Felt Too Hard—Until We Tried This

March 25, 2025

Behavior Shift: Showering Felt Overwhelming

Lately, our mom has been feeling anxious during the shower routine. Even with one of us by her side, gently guiding her through each step, something wasn’t clicking. We could sense her discomfort, but we couldn’t quite figure out what was going wrong.

As we’ve shared before, Alzheimer’s isn’t just about memory loss—it’s also about how even the most familiar routines can suddenly feel complicated. And sometimes, the stress isn’t about the task itself, but how it’s presented.

This Instagram reel from Belight Care helped us see the shower through her eyes—and reminded us just how overwhelming it can feel for someone with cognitive changes.

Showering Tips by Belight Care

Is showering tasking forever by Belight Care

What Helped Us Understand

The tip? Use a dry-erase marker to write the shower steps right on the wall.

Simple. Visual. Effective.

Here’s another reel that shows how it works

Our mom can still read—eight years into her Alzheimer’s journey—and having the steps laid out gives her something she can follow at her own pace. Something she can see, do, and feel confident about. No guessing. No overwhelm.

What We Do Now (and Why It Works)

Before shower time, we lay out her clothes and write her four preferred steps on the shower wall with a bright dry-erase marker:

– Wash hair
– Wash arms
– Wash body
– Wash legs

That’s it. Simple. Familiar. Easy to follow.

Once she gets started, she often keeps going on her own—washing her face and feet without being prompted. This small change gave her back a sense of independence, and honestly, it’s brought so much peace to all of us.

Even better? She loves the feeling of accomplishment when we check off each step together.

If your loved one can still read, we highly recommend trying this. It’s a $2 fix that can make a big difference—for them and you.

Shower-Steps

Low Odor Dry Erase Markers

We use these bright-colored dry-erase markers because the colors are easy to see—and they allow her to pick which one she wants to use. It’s a small choice, but it goes a long way in helping her feel confident and included. To keep things simple (and not overwhelming), we give her two color options we know she likes. That way, she can still choose without feeling pressured.