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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
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I have been using one of the plastic bath sponge or whatever it is called with a long handle along with a moisturizing body washes. It seems to work on every part except the face. Bath wipes work for "touch up" washes. Such as after using the bathroom to help prevent irritations. Personally I would recommend that you experiment with different brands of body washes to see which works best for you. We are currently using Aveeno because of her itching so much. Others we have tried work but not as well.
I stuck with head to toe baby wash for showers and decided I like it for myself as well. For non shower days the No Rinse products were available at my local drug store and I thought they worked fairly well, with the benefit that I didn't have to be too concerned about getting all the soap residue off. There are good peri cleansers too (I used aloe vesta) for freshening up after diaper changes or toileting, ordinary baby wipes are a god send in that department.
Senset foam was the type used in the rehab centre so we stuck with that and it worked well. Spray it onto your hands or a dry wipe first because it comes out of the aerosol cold (!).
If you look online at "continence care" you'll see there's a huge range of brands for specific and general hygiene. Online is also useful for buying in bulk and having supplies delivered, of course.
Generally professionals will tell you not to use baby products. Babies' skin is sensitive, but elders' skin is fragile - they need different types of care. But plenty of people do use baby products, and they tend to be more easily available.
For general bathing, the best thing is warm water and very clean flannels and towels. For areas that, hem-hem how do we put this, clearly need actual dirt removed the key thing, whatever you use, is to rinse and dry gently but really thoroughly.
Unless you know your elder has developed the classic "tissue paper" skin, though, I wouldn't get too neurotic about it. There aren't many toilet soaps or bathing gels left on the market nowadays that are terribly damaging.
Also effective: Adult Premium Washcloth by Members Mark sold online through Amazon. The container is easy to open with one hand and the cloths do not drip. Ingredients include vitamin E, aloe and chamomile. I used them for my husband when he was a home hospice patient. I have no way to send a picture
While they have Adult Wipes, I found it was easier to use Baby Wipes - the size was easier for me to manage. I used Aloe Vesta Cleansing Foam (the no rinse perineal) with great success. You can even use as a shampoo and the instructions are on the bottle.
I purchased a Japanese soap with persimmon and green tea for mom. It helps with noneal (older person oder which comes from the loss of a enzyme as we age) not perfumey. It last a long time, I use with wash cloth and has helped dry skin too.
Because of my honey's IV and a diabetic ulcer on the heel of his foot, he is not able to shower right now. I went to the medical supply store and bought Nedline Ready Bath Lux (Bath Wipes) and then we also use the adult bathroom wipes (flushable) for after restroom). This helps to keep him fresh, smelling good and feeling good. The Nedline leaves him not only clean but moisturizes his skin and leaves it soft. When he was having a problem with incontinence due to the edema, I bought Attends Advanced Underwear (pull ups) which worked very well. Attends also makes a diaper style that does not have to be pulled up but has tabs like a child's diaper.
Aloe Vesta was used in the hospital for hubby--we got ours at a medical supply store, but I am pretty sure you can order it online. We also had BIG aloe vesta wipes for quick spot clean ups.
CeraVe is a VERY gentle, body wash--use it on a grandkid with super sensitive skin.
Keeping your LO really clean goes a long way to keeping the spirits up--and the smell down. Mother cannot deal with her cath bag correctly and leaves sopping wet depends in her bathroom for days. The smell (which she can no longer smell) clings to everything. No amount of aerosol sprays and "room fresheners" can cover up some smells---old urine being one. Keeping the trash out (I take the depends out DAILY) helps, but I am not primary CG.
Washing the hair is a real boost, too. You can only dry shampoo for so long and then you need a scrub. Used baby shampoo for that--just a dollop, as it was so hard to get him to move much. Altho, as RayLin said, the Aloe Vesta can be used as shampoo and it doesn't have to be rinsed, altho I always did.
HelpNeed--just google the product and you'll images of them. I don't know if we can post pics on this site.
Adult Premium Washcloth by Members Mark sold online through Amazon. The container is easy to open with one hand and the cloths do not drip. Ingredients include vitamin E, aloe and chamomile. They are a good size, soothing and I couldn't do the job without them. The Gigi
I’d just like to add that it’s almost more the process more than the products. Because of his urine output, I have to change Hubby 3 times a day or more. If I don’t he develops a ridge of blister-likes rashes. Rinsing is super important, even with the no-rinse products. I also use barrier creams (IMO Pinxav is the best) but not powder as that makes a slimy mess, harder to wash off.
I found an inflatable basin on Amazon for washing his hair. It has a drain hole with plastic tubing that kind-of works that I put into a bucket next to his bed.
When you dispose of used diapers and pads, tie them up in a plastic grocery bag. Our trash hauler refused to take the trash once before I started doing this. They left a note saying they weren’t allowed to collect “Medical waste”.
I think all of you did cover everything...great job. One thing, my mom did have that tissue paper skin...so after shower...l would pat her dry while still damp, l put Palmers Cream on her.. she always would stand still for me to do that, she said it felt great are her dry skin.
I second kerrilynn's Japanese persimmon and green tea soap suggestion. It gets Dad clean the first go-round, removes the film of greasy dead skin cells without harming his fragile skin -- and best of all, the only thing that cures "old man stink"! You can buy the sample size on Amazon to try. It is pricey, but lathers up really well, so a little goes a long way.
Microfiber wash cloths and towels are nice if your elder has fragile skin, too.
I like huggie baby wipes. They are big and thick. I also read that deoderant soaps/washes help with the "old person" smell. Mom had a redness in the crease of her upper leg. All I had available was Desitine. It gives a barrier that some ointments don't because they are water soluble. Just make sure the area is clean before putting on.
For shampoo, I was told that a two in one was best for time sake. And flushable wipes are used here. Dry shampoo for off days, with no shower, etc. Her skin is so tender so she has a special wash for showers and aveeno lotion, no scent for soap, wash, or lotion.
I've got to jump in about the flushable wipes - I know the manufacturers like to claim they are perfectly safe for your plumbing but the web is full of cautions that they can cause problems, especially if you are on a septic tank or you plumbing isn't new or in pristine condition. I would advise caution.
Backing up CW. Google "Fatberg Autopsy." For the purposes of public health and environmental responsibility, there is no such thing as a 'flushable' wipe.
My (79) year old wife has Alzheimer’s and recovering from rom a broken femur so about a year ago we had to go to “bed bathing “. Morning and evening she gets a good wash down, front, back and in between with Johnson’s Baby Wash and we recently switched to Walmart’s Equate brand “Night time Baby Bath-tear free. Works great and keeps her clean and fresh. We use the Sam’s Members Mark brand adult size disposable wipes for during the day potty cleanups. For the scrubbing. I found washcloths that are mede from bamboo on line. They are the softest things I’ve ever seen because we have to be very mindful of skin tears. The brand is Motherhood Ultra Soft on Amazon. A little pricey but they last forever and will not scratch the skin. The Sam’s Members Mark pull up diapers and tab type diapers are absolutely the best and least expensive to boot!
Flushable wipes really aren't. They will eventually clog a toilet and wreck havoc on a septic system if you have one. Sounds strange but for wash cloths I bought a bundle of Microfiber wash cloths at a Big Box Hardware store. They often put bundles of 8 on sale, with a cash back reward I could get a bundle of 8 for $1.00. They are soft, hold a lot of water and the soap lathers nicely. They are very absorbent as well so I used them for all sorts of things. The microfiber bath towels are great as well, absorbs a lot and they are soft all you have to do is pat the skin or just lay the towel on the skin and the towel will absorb the water. Also a biggie here..... Do not stress about showering daily. Keeping the "peri" area clean and dry is important but a full shower or bath is not usually needed. As we age and if we are not active odors from sweat are not a problem. The skin also thins and becomes more dry so showering or a bath will dry the skin more. I found out when my Husband went into rehab for a while that the state of Illinois requires that a resident be showered or bathed 2 times a week. The rest of the time a "bed bath" or routine cleaning after toileting is all that is required. (Shock to me)
Once home I used either a baby wash or a gentle body soap (think Dove or other balanced soap) He did love his shower though so many times it was a quick wash and then just letting the water run. And after he just loved the body lotion I or the CNA would use. (Actually who would not love a body rub with lotion every morning!) .
So many great answers here. You don't specify if she is able to get in a shower or bath on her own. My Mom was confined to her wheelchair and we used a 3 in one chair, getting into the tub was not possible. Getting ready for her bath was a job, with lots of preparation involved. 1st -- at least 2 towels, and 3 or 4 washcloths. 2nd her favorite was Baby shampoos (due to economy we used the store brands Equate from Walmart or the generics from HEB or CVS) . 3rd while she was in her chair, I would have her feet soaking in Epsom Salts and would sometimes add some alcohol. I also used baby powder, Densitin (or the generic brands) and baby oil.
Yes, immobility makes it SO much more difficult. I use tubs to hold all his supplies and it still takes me ten minutes to get it all together, plus I have to hide it all when someone comes over because he’s right in the middle of the family room. I’ve ised Desetin, calamine, Aquaphor, creams the Visiting Nurse provided, and right now I’m using Bag Balm and Boudreaux Butt Paste because CVS had the big tub half off. I bought a large bag of cleaning towels from Lowe’s. All my other towels are disintegrating from being washed and bleached so much. I’ve also mixed bleach and water in a spray bottle and I use that to disinfect his mattress during each change. I also use regular, flat bedsheets. I don’t spend the buck on the bona fide hospital bed sheets.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Personally I would recommend that you experiment with different brands of body washes to see which works best for you. We are currently using Aveeno because of her itching so much. Others we have tried work but not as well.
If you look online at "continence care" you'll see there's a huge range of brands for specific and general hygiene. Online is also useful for buying in bulk and having supplies delivered, of course.
Generally professionals will tell you not to use baby products. Babies' skin is sensitive, but elders' skin is fragile - they need different types of care. But plenty of people do use baby products, and they tend to be more easily available.
For general bathing, the best thing is warm water and very clean flannels and towels. For areas that, hem-hem how do we put this, clearly need actual dirt removed the key thing, whatever you use, is to rinse and dry gently but really thoroughly.
Unless you know your elder has developed the classic "tissue paper" skin, though, I wouldn't get too neurotic about it. There aren't many toilet soaps or bathing gels left on the market nowadays that are terribly damaging.
"Need Pictures of each"
what products?
I used Aloe Vesta Cleansing Foam (the no rinse perineal) with great success. You can even use as a shampoo and the instructions are on the bottle.
CeraVe is a VERY gentle, body wash--use it on a grandkid with super sensitive skin.
Keeping your LO really clean goes a long way to keeping the spirits up--and the smell down. Mother cannot deal with her cath bag correctly and leaves sopping wet depends in her bathroom for days. The smell (which she can no longer smell) clings to everything. No amount of aerosol sprays and "room fresheners" can cover up some smells---old urine being one. Keeping the trash out (I take the depends out DAILY) helps, but I am not primary CG.
Washing the hair is a real boost, too. You can only dry shampoo for so long and then you need a scrub. Used baby shampoo for that--just a dollop, as it was so hard to get him to move much. Altho, as RayLin said, the Aloe Vesta can be used as shampoo and it doesn't have to be rinsed, altho I always did.
HelpNeed--just google the product and you'll images of them. I don't know if we can post pics on this site.
The Gigi
I found an inflatable basin on Amazon for washing his hair. It has a drain hole with plastic tubing that kind-of works that I put into a bucket next to his bed.
When you dispose of used diapers and pads, tie them up in a plastic grocery bag. Our trash hauler refused to take the trash once before I started doing this. They left a note saying they weren’t allowed to collect “Medical waste”.
Microfiber wash cloths and towels are nice if your elder has fragile skin, too.
rom a broken femur so about a year ago we had to go to “bed bathing “. Morning and evening she gets a good wash down, front, back and in between with Johnson’s Baby Wash and we recently switched to Walmart’s Equate brand “Night time Baby Bath-tear free. Works great and keeps her clean and fresh. We use the Sam’s Members Mark brand adult size disposable wipes for during the day potty cleanups. For the scrubbing. I found washcloths that are mede from bamboo on line. They are the softest things I’ve ever seen because we have to be very mindful of skin tears. The brand is Motherhood Ultra Soft on Amazon. A little pricey but they last forever and will not scratch the skin. The Sam’s Members Mark pull up diapers and tab type diapers are absolutely the best and least expensive to boot!
Sounds strange but for wash cloths I bought a bundle of Microfiber wash cloths at a Big Box Hardware store. They often put bundles of 8 on sale, with a cash back reward I could get a bundle of 8 for $1.00. They are soft, hold a lot of water and the soap lathers nicely. They are very absorbent as well so I used them for all sorts of things.
The microfiber bath towels are great as well, absorbs a lot and they are soft all you have to do is pat the skin or just lay the towel on the skin and the towel will absorb the water.
Also a biggie here.....
Do not stress about showering daily.
Keeping the "peri" area clean and dry is important but a full shower or bath is not usually needed.
As we age and if we are not active odors from sweat are not a problem.
The skin also thins and becomes more dry so showering or a bath will dry the skin more.
I found out when my Husband went into rehab for a while that the state of Illinois requires that a resident be showered or bathed 2 times a week. The rest of the time a "bed bath" or routine cleaning after toileting is all that is required. (Shock to me)
Once home I used either a baby wash or a gentle body soap (think Dove or other balanced soap)
He did love his shower though so many times it was a quick wash and then just letting the water run. And after he just loved the body lotion I or the CNA would use. (Actually who would not love a body rub with lotion every morning!)
.