Hello: I am not having issues with my husband not bathing, but the stubbornness for sure is happening.
Since I am now the chief cook and bottle washer, making all the decisions for both of us, sometimes I just yell and holler to get my point across, and have to be insistent and stubborn, telling him no, this is the way things are going to be.
I did read some advice about the bathing from a dementia practitioner. She said sometimes there is pushback regarding bathing because the bathroom is not warm, and they get cold when prepping to bathe, so she put a space heater in the bathroom to warm it up, bundled her person in a robe for entering the bathroom, and tried to make it a warm, inviting spa-like experience. She also had to trick them to get them into the bathroom in the first place, saying she needed their help in the bathroom, and once they were in there started helping them undress with no further comment. If your loved one is cognitively more present, this strategy may not work.
Hopefully someone with experience with this situation will chime in for you.
Take care. 🌹