Bidet: Yea or Ney?

We have been trying to take advantage of technology around us to better care for my mom who lives with us and is living with Alzheimer's disease. Really, we are all living with it. This disease affects all of us.

We have used high tech and low tech to help care for mom. There is the pill box most everyone has to organize all her meds and vitamins for the week. I have one, too. It is easy for me to forget my own meds when I am caught up in her care, so this low tech is also for me.

The Roomba helps take one chore off of our plate. We have meal kit delivery now, trying it out for a couple of weeks, to help cut down on shopping and meal planning and prep. Carpet tape secures rugs in the living room, and we limit rugs in other rooms. We use straws or spill proof cups for mom. Toddler bed pads for mom's bed and chair keep soils from adding more chores.

All of these are high tech and low tech to help us get along. Our newest and highest tech item is the fancy bidet we got for our bathroom we share with my mom. We tried a more basic one, but it didn't do much for us, no pun intended.

The hardest things for me

Toileting is the hardest thing for me with my mom. It really gets to me. I struggle. Mom has forgotten how toilet paper is used and what to do with it once I talk her through using it.

She will throw in on the floor, put it in her pull-up, or carry it to the living room and set it on her side table. Sometimes she waves it around or waves it at me, or just hands it to me and tells me to do it! I keep thinking with dread of a monkey house at the zoo. Is she going to start throwing things? I am not ready for any of it.

How a bidet enhanced my caregiving

It was my son who started the bidet campaign. He didn't want me to have to wipe my mom's butt, although I know that day is coming. It seems inevitable. Maybe I will miss the days when she would at least use the toilet at all. It is all about perspective, isn't it?

We used points on Amazon and bought a fancy bidet. It has a remote control, so no more putting my hand between my mom's booty and the control knob. The seat heats up, which will be a nice feature in the winter months here in the northeast. The best part is the water heats up and there is a blowdryer down there! No more cold shots of water to the undercarriage!

Mom is still surprised at the washing going on down there, but doesn't complain about cold water. There is also an oscillating function to carpet bomb the bum and lady parts, not just a direct spray.

Mom recently had a diarrhea episode. I was debating whether to put her in the shower. It took 2 rounds of tushy wash, but she came out clean! I'm not ready to cancel my bulk order of toilet paper from Sam's Club, but we are using less of it and those giant disposable wash cloths.

Bidets to simplify personal care routines

The bidet is a practical device to help us with a practical need, but it also helps meet an emotional one. It alleviates some of the stress of the bathroom, and it makes my son really, really happy! His grandma had gotten really sick suddenly and the bidet helped keep it from being a complete disaster and helped me, his mom, care for her. It was his idea. He ordered it and helped me install it. With this disease, we need a win, together. It's a yea! Bidet, yay!