Bathing and the politics of care

Though providing baths in the community for disabled and older people has long been an area of service dispute, it has received little academic or policy attention. This is partly because bathing and washing an assumed to be common-sense activities. This paper suggests instead that washing and bathing are far from straight forward or common-sense and that specific meanings attach to them in ways that affect how people experience the receiving of help in these areas. It explores the history of bathing and washing and the significance of touch and nakedness in service provision. It then turns to the service Providers who have traditionally undertaken such work-the community nursing and home can services-exploring the rationales that underlie such patterns and the implications of current changes in community can.