She's in a wheelchair and has severe balance issues and spasticity in one leg. I have a good shower chair, but she is exhausted and stressed when we try to shower her. I am too. Can I bathe her using sponge baths? I appreciate the support and encouragement I get on this site. Thank you.
There are products in the pharmaceutical sections of your store that can be used on a wet cloth with no rinsing also. One my neighbor got for me left me feeling clean and lotioned. It was a foam product and I loved it.
Some aides are much better at this than others. I help them with her baths most days unless I am out of the home.
I have disposable pads under her fitted sheet to keep the foam mattress topper dry. She cannot stand the mattress covers that are waterproof.
I have washable chucks under her at all times. I have extra large bath towels that cover her during bathing so she doesn't get cold.
She is thoroughly most days. I have "no rinse" shampoo caps and "no rinse shampoo. Sometimes one of the aides will use water and regular shampoo to wash her hair while in her reclining wheel chair.
Since she is incontinent Xs 2 and cannot transfer to a potty chair or commode and is in diapers, cleaning her private areas after every change is the most important part of her hygiene routine IMO. This also helps reduce the number of UTIs and rashes in that area.
As I raise the chair up at end of bath, I rinse her off with shower nozzle and wash her hair. Bring the chair all the way up and out of the tub to dry her, the hair (get it fixes), and then take her to the bedroom to dress.
Look up Pro Bath Chair Lift to see a picture of it. I installed it myself with very little assistance from others. If you're interested you can call Ms Beckel 509-630-9571. I have been one happy customer with my purchase.
Focusing on the sponge baths is certainly the safest and easiest way. For good tips, lists of supplies, and methods to make it easy for you and safe and protective of your mom, see here on our Aging Care forum, a topic of "Bathing Older Adults". There are MANY threads that should help you.
https://www.agingcare.com/topics/93/bathing
You can also check YouTube for "giving sponge baths" or check out the library for CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) manuals.
You could put all the needed equipment in her shower(bars, benches, etc.)but that won't make her feel secure at this stage, I don't believe.
You can also buy the waterless shampoo and conditioner caps, so you can wash her hair as needed. You can buy them at Walmart.com or Amazon. They also make extra large body wipes, that you can use in between her sponge baths.
Just make sure if you're bathing her in her bed, that you're putting towels down around her as to not get the bedding wet.
I think in the long run, sponge baths will make you both feel much more comfortable and less stressed. Best wishes.
If it's the former, try the latter.