Wash and brush up?
| Published date | 25 May 2012 |
| Pages | 97-102 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/20428301211232522 |
| Date | 25 May 2012 |
| Author | Peter Bates |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Wash and brush up?
Peter Bates
Abstract
Purpose – The aim of this article is to highlight the consequences of poor hygiene on employability,
inclusion and quality of life and suggest possible ways of making sense of this phenomenon and working
positively with the person concerned.
Design/methodology/approach – The article takes the form of an introduction to some of the main
themes that could shape the research agenda and improve practice.
Findings – This is an under-theorised topic in which little is known from the perspective of people who
neglect their personal hygiene.
Practical implications – Preventative work may be effective and small investments have a substantial
impact on quality of life.
Originality/value – Such individuals may well be subject to the negative judgements of others and their
difficulties should be taken seriously.
Keywords Self-neglect, Hygiene, Exclusion, Research, Multidisciplinary, Quality of life,
Personal hygiene
Paper type Conceptual paper
As a society,we have never spent more money and time on our personal hygiene than we do
these days – applying cosmetics, washing and replacing our clothes, refitting our
bathrooms and watching TV adverts on how to look good and smell even better. Perhaps
grooming is one way to ‘‘put on a brave face’’ and confront the consequences of global
recession, but despite all this effort, a number of citizens remain unaffected, seemingly
unaware that their greasy hair, malodorous breath and dirty fingernails are hazardous to
health, status, relationships and access to services.
It seems that almost everyone knows someone who troubles the eye or the nose in this way –
perhaps a neighbour, a work colleague, a customer or a family member. It seems to affect a
small minority of people at every age, often mediated through cruel stereotypes such as the
snot-nosed, friendless child, the hormonal teenager and the unkempt pensioner. Its impact
on life opportunities can hardly be overstated, as potential friends choose to sit somewhere
else, lovers withdraw, relatives stop visiting, professionals shorten the appointment and
employers choose someone else. Is this a neglected face of exclusion, a hidden cause of
isolation, inequality and misery?
Some of these excluded individuals use mental health services where many staff feel baffled
and helpless, unsure how to act and what to say in response. Sometimes we hear defensive
talk about poor hygiene as a lifestyle choice, a consequence of personalisation, but this
misses the point that our society is fiercely critical of those who do not wash and consigns
them to an isolated existence with few opportunities and many risks. This results in a loss of
the person’s contribution to economic and social capital and, in the long term, an increase
in the cost to the exchequer. Even more important is the danger of being treated unfairly
and the corresponding delay in recovery.
DOI 10.1108/20428301211232522 VOL. 16 NO. 2 2012, pp. 97-102, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308
j
MENTAL HEALTHAND SOCIAL INCLUSION
j
PAGE 97
Peter Bates is based at the
National Development
Team for Inclusion,
Bath, UK.
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