![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Pat-using-Pobroll-5551-e1779544783139.jpg\")
\n\t\tPat has 31 years\u2019 experience as a physiotherapist working with people with dementia (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tPat has 31 years\u2019 experience as a physiotherapist working with people with dementia (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n
Pat O\u2019Brien has worked with hundreds of patients with dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n She\u2019s been smacked, punched and abused, and she\u2019s comforted\u00a0tearful<\/a> and distressed elderly people<\/a> as they struggle to accept the basic but vital support they need.\u00a0<\/p>\n She\u2019s also witnessed firsthand the heartbreaking reality of children providing their parents\u2019 personal care<\/a> for the first time.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018There are people who have had a long day at work, and they are dreading going home, because they know they have to wash the intimate areas of a parent, something they never imagined they would have to do in their wildest dreams.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It is demanding, challenging and very upsetting,\u2019 says Pat, from Cambourne in Cornwall<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n With 31 years\u2019 experience as a physiotherapist working with people with dementia and other neurological conditions<\/a>, she knows how difficult something as simple as bathing can be. The experience can leave patients frightened, humiliated or cold, despite carers\u2019 best efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018If you don\u2019t wash somebody properly, they\u2019re going to start to smell, and you can get skin breakdown and painful infections,\u2019 Pat explains. \u2018Keeping on top of somebody else\u2019s hygiene needs is really important for their dignity and respect \u2013 it\u2019s a basic human right.\u2019<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the act of undressing someone can often trigger their fight or flight system. And for bed-bound adults, carers often struggle to keep patients comfortable, dignified and warm using only towels and soapy water \u2013 or worse, a quick wet wipe wash \u2013 triggering distress and aggressive behaviour, says Pat, 66.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018With dementia, it\u2019s about keeping people in a calm emotional space, rather than agitating them by trying to remove their clothes to give them a wash. It\u2019s about being sensitive to the person and working out why they are resisting.\u2019<\/p>\n Pat recalls one gentleman who refused care until she realised the wardrobe door was open. He had been in the army, and the lack of order unsettled him. Another wandered the corridors saying he \u2018didn\u2019t know where to put it\u2019 \u2013 until Pat realised he was searching for the toilet.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Understanding these small idiosyncrasies allows you to build a genuine connection<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018They are often faced with having their intimate areas washed by people they perceive as strangers, and before long they are labelled as \u2018difficult\u2019, when actually their behaviour is understandable.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018There\u2019s very little you can do to preserve the dignity of a large 80-year-old man who needs to be washed in bed using nothing more than a towel. How are carers meant to keep that person warm and dignified with just that?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It drove me to despair. I used to think \u2013 how is it that in the 21st century we can put a man on the moon, but not solve this problem?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n Creating a solution<\/p>\n So, in 2018, Pat developed her own solution and created a rectangular, sleeping bag-like towel the size of a single bed. A patient could be rolled onto it, staying warm and covered while carers wash one part of the body at a time, and it is totally waterproof, to keep the sheets and mattress dry. <\/p>\n Calling it the Pobroll, after her own name, the idea was for it to help patients feel contained, whether at home or in care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It creates a warm environment which helps prevent distress. It also reduces embarrassment,\u2019 says Pat, who was a member of the first-ever women\u2019s rugby squad to play a club match at Twickenham. \u2018It\u2019s simple, but it allows carers to engage more calmly.<\/p>\n \u2018If behaviour is triggered by embarrassment, cold or the experience of undressing, then it\u2019s about reducing that. The idea is that they are swaddled like a baby and feel safely held.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t A friend of hers, whom she calls \u2018Debbie\u2019 to protect her family\u2019s privacy, asked Pat for her new creation when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n Debbie and her sister had promised to keep their mother at home, but found bathing increasingly difficult, as their mum would resist, pulling her clothes back on.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018The situation became overwhelming. Both sisters were extremely distressed, and worst of all, it was damaging their relationship with their mother. All three of them would end up in tears, and their mum began to see them as a threat,\u2019 remembers Pat.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018They were close to deciding they would need to move her into a care home to preserve their relationship \u2013 then they remembered the Pobroll I\u2019d given them.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n It proved transformative \u2013 their mother remained calmer, and the sisters felt more in control, says Pat.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Debbie later told me she was able to care for her mum at home until she died three months later. They were incredibly grateful.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t Pat began introducing her creation to private homes and care providers in 2020 after delays caused by the pandemic. <\/p>\n She saw its potential early on while caring for a challenging patient with complex needs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018He was very vulnerable, and attempts to carry out personal care would trigger panic,\u2019 Pat remembers. \u2018He could become physically aggressive and so distressed that he would vomit. It was extremely challenging for everyone involved.\u00a0 <\/p>\n \u2018Some carers were reluctant to work with him because they felt unsafe. He was often being physically held during care, which is distressing for everyone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018So one day, I decided to try the Pobroll. We wrapped him in it, and although he reacted at first, very quickly he calmed down and lay still. A nurse said to me she felt safe for the first time and that he wasn\u2019t hurting himself. It was a turning point.\u2019 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Now Pat is working with the Alzheimer\u2019s Society\u2019s Accelerator Programme<\/a>, which supports people in developing innovative products to help those with dementia, to introduce her creation to as many people who need it as possible.<\/p>\n \t\t Knowing that dementia is a cruel and unrelenting disease, she offers simple but important advice for those supporting a loved one with the condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It is very hard for families. Often, there is a tendency to correct or challenge \u2013 for example, if someone doesn\u2019t recognise a person in a photograph.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018But that can increase anxiety<\/a> and remind them of what they are losing. Instead, distract, reassure and be gentle. People can sense genuine kindness,\u2019 she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s about meeting the person where they are \u2013 not where you want them to be. Letting go of Mum or Dad 10 or 20 years ago is incredibly difficult, but essential.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018If you treat people with kindness, gentleness and respect, you won\u2019t go far wrong. It will still be painful, but it will be better.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018In the face of a disease that only moves in one direction, acceptance is key. Focus on how the person is today, and try to create the calmest, most comfortable space you can for them.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n You can find out more about Alzheimer\u2019s Societ\u2019s Accelerator Programme here<\/a>, and the Pobroll here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/working-fef7.jpg\")
\n\t\tPat has worked in dementia care for more than three decades (Picture: Supplied)
\nAn essential task<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/landscape-photo-mic-dcb6.jpg\")
\n\t\tNow, Pat uses her years of experience to educate others (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sititing-on-hospital-bed-9f21.jpg\")
\n\t\tPat knew she needed to do something to help those living with dementia (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/lying-horizontal-5665.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Poboroll is all about maintaining dignity (Picture: Supplied)
\nA significant impact<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/group-of-women-151f.jpg\")
\n\t\tPat\u2019s daughters have supported her throughout the process (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: \u2018My husband aced the memory tests \u2013 but I knew it was dementia\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n