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A Sponge Bath For Mom

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Giving my 95 year old Mom a sponge bath - Some products to make our lives a bit easier

My 95 year old Mom, Gertie, is confined to bed rest these days so it's become necessary for me to hone my sponge bath skills. I didn't, thankfully, have to learn how to give Mom a bath in bed by myself - I had some wonderful hospice workers guiding me. In fact, the hospice workers do most of the work - I only help them at the moment.

To learn more about our experience with hospice, read my squidoo article Choosing Hospice - Is It The Right Choice?"

There are a lot of new skills though to be learned and tackled when giving a sponge bath for mom. And, at every minute, Mom's dignity must be preserved. It's a difficult task to say the least.

That's Mom in the picture right after her sponge bath and shampoo (in bed!). Not only does she smell better, but she feels much better after her sponge bath also.

You'll want thin washclothes instead of fluffy ones

I went out and bought the best wash cloths I could find before realizing that the thicker washcloths are much harder to handle when sponge bathing Mom. You can pick up a set of 10 washcloths like those below. These type of washcloths work very well. And, you'll need at least two for each sponge bath so make sure you have plenty on hand.
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#1: Bathing basins must be available for sponge baths

Buy two plastic basins. You'll use on for warm clean water (for rinsing) and one for soapy water with which to wash. Don't get hung up if the type you buy is a dishpan type - it doesn't matter. You're just looking for plastic wash basins that will hold at least a gallon or so of water.


1 Foot Tub 5 Quart Rusty Rose Disposable


Round Plastic Wash Basin


Rubbermaid 11.5QT Bisque Dish Pan

#2: Rinse free shampoo and conditioner

Get rinse free shampoo and conditioner. I like to use special shampoo for Mom's white hair but it is a bright purple color so it's too hard to rinse out. Instead, hospice suggested we use rinse free shampoo to freshen Mom up between actual shampooings which she gets once a week. For the actual shampooing, we just use regular shampoo. Mom and I both favor Moroccan Hair Oil products and that's what we use. Read more about this product in my article: Moroccan Hail Oil products.

I also bought some rinse free shower caps which you just microwave, place on the head, and massage for 5 minutes. Hair comes out fresh and clean and wet so you'll have to blow it dry.

Any of the rinse free shampoos, conditioners or the rinse free shower caps have many great uses if you ask me. I wish I'd had some of these products after swimming in the Chesapeake bay this past summer or while camping during days of my youth.


No Rinse Shampoo


No Rinse Hair Conditioner


No Rinse Shampoo Cap

Have you ever given a sponge bath?

sponge bath for the elderly

I keep doing things that I thought I'd never be able to do. But, I've found some internal strength the last few weeks that Mom has been bed bound. It came from her. I know it did.

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#3: You'll need 2 large fluffy bath towels

Don't scrimp when buying very good quality bath towels with which to dry your elderly loved one. I'd suggest dark colors and the thickest, fluffiest towels you can find. Make sure that you buy large bath towels as you'll use them to cover your loved one and thus preserve their dignity during the sponge bath.

The below are excellent buys on Amazon.com:


Calcot Growers Collection 100-Percent Cotton 4-Piece Bath Towel Set


Pinzon Luxury 820-Gram Cotton Bath Towel, Marine


1888 Mills 100-Percent Organic Cotton Oversized Bath Towel Set of 2, Water Blue

My Mom and I make a pretty good team 

#4: Buy the best body wash available

We use rinse free body wash for my Mom but you don't have to. Select any body wash with a neutral odor as you really don't want a strong scent after the bath (you'll use body lotion later for that). I prefer Bed, Bath and Beyond scents which are light and clean, but, that's just me. I also like to bathe Mom in aromatherapy body washes which have a relaxing them, such as lavender and vanilla.
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I like to change the sheets and bed pad each day after Mom's sponge bath

I used the Hospice bed chucks (bed liners) but didn't like them. For one thing, they're hot and with Mom lying in bed all day, hot is the last thing we need. So, I bought 6 reusable bed pads from Amazon which we love. I just throw the used ones right into the washer each day and replace it with a new, fresh bed pad. I also use one of these reusable bed pads to put under the wash basins while we're giving Mom a sponge bath - it keeps my wood tables from getting wet.

I also bought Mom the best sheets I could find. Cheap sheets can contribute to the development of bed sores so get cotton sheets that will not pill. For more about the prevention of bed sores, read my article: Preventing bedsores in the elderly.
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#5: Moisturizing body lotions will keep your bed bound senior citizen friend fresh

As mentioned above, Mom and I both like very lightly scented body lotions - we both hate strong scents. So, we've searched pretty high and low and have found the below great scents. I promise you that these are very light and non-objectionable to even those who hate perfumes.
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Are you a caregiver or a lover of a senior citizen?

I don't really know what I would have done the past 5 years without my Mom living with me. We've had a wonderful run and I'll be forever grateful for this time with her.

I like to read her the comments I get from my online writing so please drop me a line below and let me know you stopped by.

  • Ladymermaid May 19, 2012 @ 7:41 pm | delete
    My sister was the caregiver in our family and I can never thank her enough for all the kindness she showed my parents, my siblings, and myself. She truly is an angel.
  • Pat Mar 3, 2012 @ 12:57 am | delete
    I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN!
  • MiddleSister Feb 16, 2012 @ 8:10 pm | delete
    It's true that being clean feels really good. Thanks for this.
  • peppypatricia Feb 5, 2012 @ 11:17 pm | delete
    thanks for this lens. I love elders and have great respect for them.
    don't mean to use this as a plug for my lens but here's one I made that you might enjoying looking at.
    http://www.squidoo.com/respect-your-elders
  • Winter52 Feb 5, 2012 @ 4:24 pm | delete
    I learned a lot today... thanks for a great lens!! Your mom is one lucky lady to have you!!
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I am a caregiver - short and sweet

Well, I'm not really all that short and most people wouldn't say I was "sweet" but what do they know!?

I spend the majority of my time tending to 95 year old Gert's needs. I also manage to care for 6 dogs, a cat, a bird, and a very significant other, John. With the help of the best friends in the world, we're able to keep Mom with me at home. I'm so grateful to have this time to spend with her.

A sponge bath for Mom is my 137th Squidoo article I've built from scratch. To see my other senior citizen articles, check out this link: GottaLoveIt's Senior Citizen Caregiving Articles.
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gottaloveit

I used to spend most of my days caring for my adorable 95 year old Mom, Gertie; she died peacefully in my arms Feb 15, 2012.

During down times (which... more »

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