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She is hard of sight but still mobile and has all her mental faculties. She insists now on using the portable in the living room where she spends most her time instead of walking the hall to the restroom.

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Well, why was the commode put in the living room in the first place if she can use the toilet independently? The simple solution is to remove the temptation.
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I stopped my mom from doing that. She had talked a nurse into putting it by her lift chair and tv.
I told my mother she needed the exercise of walking to her bathroom and she did. She was closing herself up into a small space more and more. I told her no need to keep a big house if she was only going to use that small space and that she could not maintain the bedside on her own.
Then when she said she couldn’t make it sometimes I reminded her that’s what the pull ups are for. Take your time. If you have an accident with the depends no problem. Besides getting up was when her bladder wanted to empty. She needed the depends no matter how close the potty was to her. She understood that and agreed. Never brought it up again.
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Ricky
I would not agree to it if she is able otherwise. It’s harder on the caretaker and she needs to be empathetic to that.
She might not be fully recovered from the flu but if she’s too sick to walk to the bathroom, she should be in bed. I would move the chair if I were the one doing the caretaking. Do others use the living room?
I’m not sure what your relationship is or whose house it is but sometimes you have to draw the line.
Maybe others will come through with a better idea. Mine is you just say No.
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She was sick with the flu and couldn’t make it for about a week
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I have the same issue with grandma. It started with an injury and she kept using the commode more and more and the bathroom less and less. Now she rarely goes to the bathroom. It's not a matter of ability but of preference. If she is sitting in the living room, she will walk to her room and use the commode. When I ask why she doesn't use the bathroom, she says it's too far. It's the exact same distance. If I take away the commode, she'll do it in the trashcan now. So the commode it is. It's not a matter of dementia. She'll argue with me at length about why she prefers the commode over the bathroom. When I point out that no one has to empty out the toilet. She says it's OK since I empty out the commode. If you find a magic solution please let me know.
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Commodes are quite comfortable to sit on, with handles either side that make it easier to sit down and get up again too. It would be worth checking that the toilet is equally secure-feeling.

Ricky what about accompanying your client to the bathroom when she needs to go? She probably does still feel pretty washed out and wobbly. Maybe an arm to lean on might encourage her to try.
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