my mom doesn't like to bathe?

Question

only takes showers like once every two weeks, she is 63. When she lived with me she embarressed me by not being the most " hygenic" person to live with- she just says I'm being mean, but it is true. Any ideas on how to get her to shower more, especially if I have a man in my life they tend to notice that kind of stuff. By the way I buy her expensive soaps to get her to want to bathe more but she doesn't. I have a baby on the way I want her to be extra clean around him

Answer 1

First of all, is she in good health? Maybe talk to her doctor and see what they say. Second of all, when you get older; your skin gets alot dryer--so maybe get her the soap that has alot of moisturizer in it IE: Dove. Does she like scents? After shower or bath lotions might be nice for her as well. It sounds like she might have something physically wrong with her by what you wrote. Talk to her Dr.
Hope this helps.
Cathy
ps. make sure she washes her hands real well before holding him!

Answer 2

Here's the thing. Back in the day, it wasn't uncommon for people to bathe once a week. Elders consider it a waste of water, especially if they haven't done anything to get themselves "dirty". But, as we all know, it's not the case in this day and age. Telling mom this is not being mean. And you should continue to tell her. If she claims that you are being mean, tell her that you are trying to protect her from the comments being made about her offensive body odor. Not to mention the health benefits of bathing. Show her some disturbing images from the internet about skin mites and how they feed off of the millions of skin cells we lose each day. If they aren't washed off, they can cause infections. Or the oils on her skin, if they build up too much, they clog pores and cause the skin to look aged way more than it is. There are a ton of angles you could use hon. Just remember one thing. She is your mother, and she does love you. Things could be worse.

Answer 3

I would make an appointment with her doctor and have him do a check up on her. Tell the doctor beforehand what the problem is and perhaps he can help you with it.
When my father-in-law was living with us he did not take a bath or shower all of the time. He had a physical handicap with one leg being a bit shorter than the other. Never did really talk to him about it though.
Good luck with your mother and keep trying.

Answer 4

Is this new? Or has she always been this way? If this is new, she needs to be seen by the doctor to rule out medical problems.

There are special wipes available that they use on hospital patients that clean very well with no rinsing. You can warm them in the microwave and are quick to use.
Maybe she'd use those.

Answer 5

does she at least wear deodorant? or spray perfume on?

I agree that it is disgusting for people to be like that...she should at least scrub her face, wash under armpits. If she starts to smell bad she should take a shower, but if she isn't physically exerting herself then maybe just a quick scrub could do fine.

Try some of those things if she doesn't like to bathe...but bathing is the best idea. I bathe at least once a day.

Answer 6

It really depends on how you approach her about it. It could even be your tone of voice when you tell or try to talk to her about it. Could it be that she has physical problem that you are not aware of? Check through all this, and maybe take her to the doctor or something.

Answer 7

That is very unhealthy. You need to have a sit down talk with your mother and tell her how uncomfortable and how it embarrasses you. Best wishes and good luck!

Answer 8

leave articles around about people not bathing and the consequences.

Answer 9

medically she needs to practice good hygiene because she can get infections. Talk to her.

Answer 10

theres no excuse for going without bathing every day....demand it!!!!!!!!!!!! its just plain disgusting to smell someone's body odor due to bad hygiene.