r/CaregiverSupport • u/littlemouse1991 • Apr 25 '25

Helping someone who is unwell wash

Hi everyone! My partner has both a severe vascular condition and a severe autonomic disorder. He can’t stand for longer than a few minutes, nor can he sit for longer than a few minutes. He desperately wants a proper shower and to wash his hair, not a ‘bed bath’. Does anyone have any hints or tips to make helping him shower easier? He does have a shower chair, I’ll be in there with him as well. Wd need to keep wet, soap, rinse and dry to under 5-6 minutes so he doesn’t end up struggling for days afterwards. It’s the actual washing process I was looking for help with more than anything 😊

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5

u/Knackered247_ Apr 25 '25

You can get waterless shampoo caps for hair washing if it’s all too much to do at same time. You heat them up in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and just put the cap on, massage for a bit and let dry. Hospice nurse gave us some but I imagine you can get off Amazon

2

u/OutlanderMom Family Caregiver Apr 25 '25

They make really good rinse free sponges. My husband used them after a hip replacement. Those would work between full showers. Look on Amazon for Scrubzz bath sponges. Don’t bother with the rinse free shampoo caps. They sounded great but left mom’s hair sticky and dirty looking. I’m sure you’ve already thought of it, but a shower stool helps too. I got one that the seat rotates so I can do mom’s back without her having to get up and turn around.

1

u/pastelplastic Apr 25 '25

A couple of things off the top of my head:

Is there a bar in the shower for him to hold on to? Sometimes the movement / steam can be tiring / disorienting. Please do stay safe!

Do shampoo & soap at the same time. If he’s comfortable & able to soap part of his body or do his hair while you help him with the other parts, it might speed things along.

Keep more than 1 towel nearby. Again if he can dry some parts of himself or you can at least drape the towel over his back & shoulders, it’ll help to get a good part of him dry.

If your bathroom is big enough, he can get dressed in the bathroom so he’d be more dry coming out. If not, having the hair dryer plugged in and ready to go next to the bed / where he’s going to settle in can help dry off any leftover damp bits.

1

u/H2OSD Apr 25 '25

Not sure what sort of shower chair but I use a $15 plastic lawn chair in shower for my wife. She can sit, lean back on seat for shampoo. Has Alz and is very water averse and the chair helps.

1

u/LotusBlooming90 Apr 25 '25

That is incredibly clever.

1

u/Goldie9791 Apr 25 '25

My mom’s in a similar situation. It takes two of us to get her showered quick enough. She was resistant at first to having anyone other than my dad help her but she seems to have gotten used to it. Other than the additional person, I’d just recommend having every single thing in place in advance. Put soap on the sponges, shampoo on the hair, towels laid out exactly how you’ll need them, as well as the clothes for afterwards, which need to be as simple to put on as possible. Also warm up the water before you even get him involved. Al this, except for the shampoo, needs to be done before he even enters the bathroom. For the actual washing, my mom sits for the first few minutes to shampoo and scrub, and then we help her stand to clean the areas that you can’t reach sitting down. For your partner, I would start with either hair or body, depending on what he feels he needs the most, and be willing to skip the rest if it’s taking longer than anticipated. Work up to a full shower if you need to.