How do I prepare myself and my mother for the day I have to start cleaning and bathing her? The difficulty is that I'm her son.

All answers were helpful. Windyridge, I'm 59 soon to be 60. I've started looking in to some sort of home assistant that would be able to come in for baths and the like. pamstegma, I'm sure she feels the same way. Heck, I feel the same way. But I live out in the country and while the thought of bathing my mom brings tears to my eyes, I can just let her be dirty. And I'm sure things will happen between between baths. I never expected to be my mother's primary care giver, but here I am. tacy022, we have a local council on aging I'll check with them to see what they offer. Thanks to all

No, don't do it. Hire someone. Good god I would NOT want my son doing that.

I'm a 61 year old man and I've had to help my mom bath and toilet a few times. It is very awkward for both of us. In our case it was necessitated due to the time it took to set up in home care after surgery and illnesses.

I may be pressed in to duty again at some point but only on a temporary basis. There are some simple tricks to preserve modesty. It's just common sense stuff. Use easy to remove gowns and leave it on until she is ready to get in the shower. If she is capable of washing herself just make sure she has what she needs. Stand just outside the slightly opened bathroom door, listen and supervise from there.

Personally, I would hire a CNA bath aid for about $20 per hour.