The gentle stillness of early morning should be a time for rest, especially for older people whose sleep is already often fragmented. But in many aged care homes, the hours between 4 and 6am are far from peaceful – they’re marked by fluorescent lights, rushing trolleys, and the sound of someone being helped into a shower long before they’ve woken naturally.
Why? Because of an unspoken expectation passed between shifts: night duty will get a few showers done before morning staff arrive.
It’s a practice that’s sparked growing concern from carers, residents, and family members alike – not just for its impact on wellbeing, but for what it says about the priorities of aged care systems under pressure.
“We’re told to get a couple of showers done before handover, even if the resident is sound asleep,” one carer told HelloCare anonymously. “It’s not about the person. It’s about ticking it off the list so the morning shift isn’t overwhelmed. But it feels wrong to wake someone at 5am when they’ve finally settled after a restless night.”
Many carers describe the request as routine, and often driven by management’s desire to maintain ‘smooth workflow’. But smooth for who?
Older people may have documented preferences for sleeping in, or may simply be tired and wanting rest – not a warm wash under cold lighting. And while some residents do ask for early showers (often for personal or cultural reasons), the issue lies in applying this approach universally, without consent.
The push for ‘efficiency’ can override individualised care plans, turning residents into passive recipients of routine instead of active participants in their own day.
As one aged care nurse put it, “We shouldn’t confuse time management with good care. Waking someone up to clean them on schedule isn’t dignity – it’s damage control.”
The core issue isn’t lazy staff or difficult rosters – it’s the institutional culture that sometimes prizes process over personhood.
When management quietly bakes early-morning showers into shift expectations, it creates pressure down the line. Carers are left juggling duty lists and moral discomfort, while residents lose one of the few remaining things they have control over – how and when they start their day.
And in homes already facing workforce shortages and burnout, adding pressure to “get ahead” before handover only increases stress.
This isn’t about pointing fingers between shifts – it’s about stepping back and asking a more human question: What time would I want someone waking me to bathe?
Instead of asking night duty to clear the path for morning staff, we should be asking how our rosters, systems and expectations can flex to fit around the needs of those in our care — not the other way around.
Care is not a checkbox. And a shower should never come at the cost of a resident’s right to sleep in peace.
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For more on this issue, read: “Waking Residents for Showers is a Form of Abuse, Not Care”
If you’re a carer or nurse with a story to share, email us confidentially at share@hellocare.com.au.
I know many managers, including myself, in residential aged care, and we are not task-focused. We do tell our staff to assist residents with showers when they like, not when we like as its 24 hour care.
i wish people would stop seeing aged care providers as the problem and not the solution
Same in disability care houses. Get the incontinent residents into the shower before breakfast, and before s/o staff finish.
Yes, I have recently worked in a hospital as a lifestyle/activities person – so I am not a trained nurse. It was very interesting to be work ‘in the system’ and see how it works. At the end of the day, what I found, is that the system comes first – always. Patients second. No doubt. The nurses make the decisions and this is vetoed from the top. The training, protocols that tell you the residents must always be put first are all just lip-service.
You know what?
I reckon we need a Royal Commission into aged care, cos, you know, that would sort everything out….
This and other regimented activities like meal times etc., are some of the reasons I don’t want to go into aged care.
If this is truly happening, then it is a form of abuse of an older person and should be discontinued immediately. An awakening time is totally individual and can depend on illness, sleeplessness and many more reasons. Just think, we spend the majority of our lives responding to alarm clocks or other means of being awoken at a particular time. And off we go to work. One of the delights of my being retired is that I wake up only when I am no longer tired, and I am ready to enjoy the day. This lovely feeling should not be taken away from anyone. To regiment an awakening time/showering in order to make it easier for managers and staff is abysmal. Stop it… now!
Totally agree!
I would categorise this practice as elder abuse. When my friend was being cared for she sometimes wouldn’t get up or shower or socialise (she suffered from dementia). I asked why they didn’t insist that she try to do things and was informed that they couldn’t make her other than to suggest as this was elder abuse. They did ensure she was showered every couple of days if she went through a refusal stage. She was treated with kindness and dignity – I don’t think being dragged out of bed at 4.30 am is either kind or dignified.