Judy 1, f.

8. Once finally out of bed, I sit on the flotation pad in a motorized wheelchair, which comes with its own battery charger - or - we have found a thick cushioned, outdoor type chaise lounge to be a comfortable alternative. This lends itself to being towed throughout the house or outdoors Incorporated in the lounge is a padded footboard to support my feet in an upright and flat position. Seated as usual on my flotation pad, I can relax snugly and work or read easily at a table which my father made to fit over the lounge. (When using this chaise, an additional wedge of foam rubber is abutted to the flotation pad to prevent shearing my skin.)
9. All of the preceding equipment, as well as any necessary supplies (extra pillows, sweaters, shoes, lingerie, shampoo, etc.) are contained within a combination laundry-storage room adjacent to my bedroom. We solved the problem of storage space by using shelves concealed behind white window shades, rather than expensive, cumbersome cabinets. My experience has been that a well organized storage space allows a new person to be introduced to our routine without undue confusion. This organization also extends to a file cabinet which contains most of my personal effects and projects, thus allowing me to direct someone else to locate any item easily.
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Judy: 1, e.

c. Another possible addition to the tub is a contoured plastic or fiber-glass chair with suction cups to hold it in place. Personally, I prefer to sit on a folded bath towel with a second one folded and place behind my back.
d. To prevent the room from becoming hopelessly wet as I transfer in the lift from the tub, we have devised a very successful routine.
1). While I am being bathed, the bed linen is changed and covered completely with a large, flannel-lined plastic table cloth - flannel side up.
2). This in turn is covered with a large terry cloth beach towel. We made our own from three yards of 36" terry toweling.
3.) When I am ready to transfer back to bed, we re-attach and raise the lift and, while I am suspended over the tub, wrap a second beach towel around my back and seat. With all excess water blotted dry by the time I reach bed, the remaining process of rolling off the protective covering is neat and easy.
e. Extra shower rods over the tub for hanging the wet towels and sling complete t he entire set-up and a folding screen painted to match the walls hides it all form view when not in use. This screen also gives privacy by covering the doorway when I am in the tub.
f. An alternative to the bath tub, especially for a hospital or nursing home patient, is a ledge-less hospital type stall shower used with a special shower chair or a blanket covered hospital stretcher. I used this latter method like a "car wash" - feet end wheeled in first, then reverse for upper end and shampoo. After four months of nothing but bed baths, the running water felt marvelous!

Judy: 1, d.

7. Every third or fourth morning includes a trip into my bath tub in lieu of the bed bath. My father installed a small tub i my bedroom on an elevated platform. (See Appendix I, drawing 1). This enables the legs of the Hoyer Lifter, which I use to transfer from the bed into the tub, to glide smoothly under the tub allowing me to be lowered safely into it. (For safety and security, this should be a two person operation.) For this trip, I use a second Moyer sling, which we keep separate just for splashing days. Included in the tub are several extra features for both safety and comfort:
a. A grab bar on the wall, well within the reach of my are - and no-skid strips on the bottom of the tub (mine are adhesive backed rubber flowers), I feel are very necessary.
b. In place of the standard shower head, we ordered from Sear's catalogue an adjustable, hand-held shower head with a five foot long metal hose. This turns and sitting bath and shampoo into a shower and works just beautifully.

Judy: I, c.

c. Top sheets folded in half, rather than cut, and used double also help to eliminate bulk.
d. A huck drawn sheet fashioned from a two and one-half yard length of the toweling folding in half and stitched securely, makes minor adjustments in my position easier for the nurse.
6. Most mornings include a sponge bath in bed and for this we have found:
a. A two-sided plastic water pail works very well with one side used for soaping and the other side for clear rinsing.
b. During the past five years we have amassed quite a supply of bath linen, which includes more than sixty wash cloths and about a dozen each hand and bath towels. This is really not as extravagant as it seems, because a bad day can wipe out the entire supply. (A soiled wash cloth is never returned to the pail, to prevent contaminating the bath water. Pursuing this topic of contamination, any linen which is dropped or touches the e floor, goes directly into that day's laundry - unused.) Pillow case, bottom sheet and nightgown are all laundered daily along with each morning's accumulation of bath linen. A bacteriostatic fabric softener is always used in the laundry rinse water. All of this may seem over scrupulous, but it has proven effective in maintaining healthy skin.
7. A metal tea cart can be a great help in the daily bath, by wheeling bath water, soap, linen, powder, cologne, Dermassage, etc. right up to the bedside, so everything is within reach. Ours includes an electrical outlet into which a razor or other appliance may be plugged.

Judy: I, b..

4. Also in use daily is a Hoyer Lifter (Ted Hoyer & Co., Oshkosh, Wisc.), which enables one person to transfer almost anyone from a bed into a wheelchair, chaise lounge or bath tub and back again. A one piece nylon sling serves as a seat and remains under the patient during the day.
5. From daily use we have found:
a. Extra long (39" x 80") contour bottom sheets fit a hospital mattress much better than the regular ones.
b. Blankets cut in half width-wise and bound, cause much less bulk than whole ones, especially when the side rails are raised. To prevent my feet from pronating and to allow excess body heat to escape, we do not tuck the blankets at the bottom, but leave them free and folded back with most of the weight on my shins.