PIP part 4

Washing and Bathing

The next question is about washing and bathing. This is a difficult one because it's not just when you're at home that this is an issue. We've adapted our bathroom so that home is manageable. Going away is really scary though.

I can't bath at all. I can't sit on any kind of hard surface. It hurts way too much, both at the time and afterwards. Showering is okay but I have to be quite quick as I can't stand for very long. Also, I need a selection of things to hold onto or I slip. I can't bend to pick things up, so I need shelving at standing height.

Question 4 - PIP form

I can't use a normal bath or shower. A walk-in shower or wet room with grab rails is best. At home, we have knocked the bathroom and toilet into one room and installed a walk-in shower. Even then, I can only really wash my top half and the bits where I can reach. We have a detachable shower head and I just give my legs a good swill.

Rain shower and removable head + grab rails

Walk-in shower - low level

Here are the points for this question:

Washing and bathing.
a. Can wash and bathe unaided.  0 points.
b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to wash or bathe.  2 points.
c. Needs supervision or prompting to be able to wash or bathe.  2 points.
d. Needs assistance to be able to wash either their hair or body below the waist.  2 points.
e. Needs assistance to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower.  3 points.
f. Needs assistance to be able to wash their body between the shoulders and waist.  4 points.
g. Cannot wash and bathe at all and needs another person to wash their entire body.  8 points.

Even though this was a major piece of work for us, it only counts as an aid or appliance. Therefore I get 2 points in this category. Even if they had allowed for the worst case scenario, which is when we are away and don't have good facilities (even in advertised accessible rooms), needing help to get in and out would only be worth 3 points.