Do senior residents in government funded old age homes get one shower or bath/per week?

…Do the people who think it’s scandalous think so because they don’t know or they forget that they get a sponge bath every day?

Mrs Squeeky works in a Government funded care home and the residents there only get one bath or shower a week, but they have the staff so cut back that is all they can do,but if the resident has a family member that could give them a bath they encourage that.

@SQUEEKY2 It would be great to get it once a day. I guess they get a sponge bath every day right?

What is the absolute minimum bath/shower even if they get sponge bath every day?

There isn’t a minimum number. It depends on the resident. There are standards, but not specifics as to frequency:

From California Code of Regulations:
Each patient shall be provided care which shows evidence of good personal hygiene, including care of the skin, shampooing and grooming of hair, oral hygiene, shaving or beard trimming, cleaning and cutting of fingernails and toenails. The patient shall be free of offensive odors.

All I know is that my father was in a Texas non-Medicaid nursing home and complained he only could have one shower a week.

Government funding has nothing to do with it. My mother’s been in four private facilities, and each of them scheduled one shower per week. That’s a minimum, not a maximum, and it does depend on the individual resident.

Elderly people, often with very dry skin/hair and little-to-no physical exertion, might not need to bathe more frequently. Showering too much – all that warm water, soap, and towel drying – can damage fragile skin. The more frequent the cleaning, the less time the skin can repair itself through cellular and natural oil production.

My mother gets sponge baths regularly. She’s also fully incontinent, so she has her undergarments changed, and her body cleaned, several times each day. She always smells sweet, and she’s never had any bed sores or skin breakdown.

Good to know.
But should’t government funded mean that there’s a limited amount of dollars?

^^^ It’s mostly the same, but a matter of direct v. indirect.

My mother’s SNF costs $13K per month plus expenses (cable TV, telephone, laundry, supplies including toiletries). Her SNF isn’t especially luxurious; yes, it’s nice, but it’s not the Ritz-Carlton.

How many elderly people can afford such fees? Very few. What happens is that they deplete all assets and resources and then go on Medicaid. So, whether the facility is government or private, most of the residents are government-funded. This includes my Mom, a once-proud member of society. She’s not in a government facility, but she’s on the public dole.

Welcome to the U.S. non-system of eldercare, an inefficient and overpriced patchwork of services.

@Love_my_doggie I wasn’t arguing I was trying to understand.

@flo, I wasn’t trying to argue, I was trying to share some information that I’ve gained through the most difficult methods. Peace, sister!

If someone is bed ridden, it is likely they will be getting bed baths, not showers or regular baths. If they’re very heavy, it will be dangerous to the patient and the staff to lift them and put them in a tub, and if they’re senile it might be terrifying for them to be placed in a tub or shower.