Shower Only Twice A Week?! They Have GOT To Be Kidding!

[OneEyedDiva]

A while back, I watched a segment on the Smart Senior App (via Roku) that advised showering only twice a week. The reasons were so as not to continually remove good bacteria and not dry out the skin (they do make lotion people). I had to watch it again before posting about it to make sure I didn't miss the part about taking "bird baths" or as some call it..sponge baths. I din't miss it; it wasn't mentioned. I remember when my mother was in the nursing home, they took the residents for showers only twice a week but they got sponge baths in between. I cannot imagine showering or taking a bath only twice a week! Maybe they should have called that segment "Stinky Senior".

 

[Aunt Marg]

There's no way, it's not even realistic to think about.

Anyone who has skin like my husband and I, bedding would be stained, it would smell, and the level of discomfort one would have to endure being covered in a thick layer of oil and grease for days, skin sweaty, sticky, tacky, and clammy, I just cannot imagine.

Once every fall my husband goes on a hunting trip with a couple of his hunting buddies, he is gone for the better part of a week sometimes, there are no showers or bathtubs in the wilderness, the water in streams and rivers is frigid by then, he goes the entire time without shaving, without bathing, and by the time he gets home he's fit for a rubber-room.

He packs extra t-shirts, undies and socks, but in his own words, nothing outside that of a hot shave along with a hot bath or shower gets him feeling clean again.

I handle his hunting clothes afterwards to launder, they're disgusting. They smell, they're oily inside from his skin, I can smell the dried sweat in the fabric, ewww.

 

[Marie5656]

Yuck. The only time I have gone more than a couple days is if I have been sick with a cold or something. And then I would at least sponge bathe. A friend told me she learned the three P's when she was young. Pits, palms and privates.

 

[PamfromTx]

My husband would divorce me if I didn't bathe.

 

[Jules]

If I couldn’t shower and wash my hair every day, I’d go nuts. Sometimes when we’re in the camper it’s a light shower for one day. It just doesn’t do it for me.

They say we teach our bodies what they want and then we do need to shower every day. Probably true.

 

[win231]

I have heard some people talk about soap "Drying out the skin," but I think they're just trying to justify not bathing.
I've also heard some Hispanic people say, "Hot water is bad for the skin & makes you look old." If that was true, I wouldn't have any skin & people wouldn't constantly say to me, "I can't believe you're that old."
2 showers/day in summer, 1/day in winter. I only like HOT water.

 

[Keesha]

Twice a week?
It’s usually twice a day for me.
Just one more reason for not going into a nursing home.

 

[horseless carriage]

Hygiene is important, I always have a bath once a month whether I need it or not.

 

[timoc]

Showers every morning, and showers/baths alternately of an evening.

Soaking in the bath is my favourite.
I love to lay there for ages listening to music and watching the huge, powerful bubbles that erupt to the surface that cause mini tidal waves up and down the bath, and the aroma is soon taken away by having the windows open, the neighbour sitting in his garden usually has a peg handy for his nose.

 

[Keesha]

Sigh! A nice big bathtub would be heavenly.

 

[horseless carriage]

Sigh! A nice big bathtub would be heavenly.View attachment 172188

I've got just thing!


You might have to share it with a few fish.

 

[hollydolly]

I shower every day as everyone else does, but when I'm at my Spanish house, I can sometimes shower 3 times a day...

Shower in the morning , then into the pool... shower after the pool to get the chlorine off.. then shower again at night...

 

[Keesha]

I've got just thing!

View attachment 172194
You might have to share it with a few fish.

Thanks but I have that here too. I’m referring more to the idea of soaking in heavily scented ‘hot’ water and not having to move my arms or legs or have fish nibble at my toes but thank you all the same. I hope that didn’t sound too cheeky. Lol. I miss my tub. We have two awesome showers here but no tub. There IS room for one though.

 

[Ronni]

I can’t imagine not showering every morning! Often in the summer it’s a second time in the evening too, especially on the weekends when I’ve been out in the yard and it’s hot.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I'm thankful that I live in a time and a place where I can bathe whenever I feel the need.

My parents were the last generation to grow up with a Saturday night bath in a tub in the kitchen.

 

[Aunt Marg]

I can’t imagine not showering every morning! Often in the summer it’s a second time in the evening too, especially on the weekends when I’ve been out in the yard and it’s hot.

Depending on what my day holds, I may shower in the morning, but if I know that I'm going outside to garden, a shower is pointless, because I'm going out to get sweaty and dirty, and as soon as I come in from outside I shower, so that would be three baths/showers a day.

 

[GAlady]

Shower every morning unless sick. Then a sponge bath.

 

[JustBonee]

the very best part of my day ...

 

[Giantsfan1954]

Most nursing home residents only get bathed once a week,not including bed baths.

 

[oldiebutgoody]

I occasionally shower twice a day - need that extra hot water on my arthritic back to relieve pain.

 

[squatting dog]

Sigh! A nice big bathtub would be heavenly.View attachment 172188

You bet. I'm taking a little heat from the wife because there was no way to take her heated, Jacuzzi, deep corner tub from Arkansas and fit it into the small bathrooms in Florida.

 

[PamfromTx]

Yuck. The only time I have gone more than a couple days is if I have been sick with a cold or something. And then I would at least sponge bathe. A friend told me she learned the three P's when she was young. Pits, palms and privates.

One of my bosses called that a PTO bath.

 

[hollydolly]

One of my bosses called that a PTO bath.

what did that mean ?

 

[Llynn]

Navy story: I was serving on a destroyer when the ship's evaporators (used to make fresh water out of sea water) completely broke down. An emergency repair got them working enough to provide drinking water but fresh water showers were out of the question. We spent three weeks on assignment with only salt water for showers and head (Navy speak for toilet) flushing. Saltwater showers have downsides so the majority of us just took one salty wash down a week and lived with our smell the rest of the week.

 

[PamfromTx]

what did that mean ?

To scrub only the armpits and privates, I guess. <Getting grossed out.> She was the director of nursing and she'd tell her staff that when she got called in to work, she'd take a PTO bath.