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Hospice if he is not already on Hospice.
A CNA will come 2 times a week to give him a shower or bath or a BED BATH.
You can give him a bed bath yourself. And honestly that is all he probably needs.
there are videos on You Tube on how to give a bed bath. Showing how to do a good job while maintaining dignity.
(It should be easy to secure the catheter tube and bag to his leg though.) the question is can you safely get him in and out of the shower?
Hospice would also provide you with the equipment that would allow you to safely move him.
Do not stress about giving him a shower several times a week. As long as he is cleaned after toileting, or a brief change he will be fine.

By the way the comment about him saying he is ready to go. listen to him, validate what he is saying. Tell him you understand and that you will be alright and he can go when he is ready.
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Reply to Grandma1954
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I like all of your answer, Alva, except when you say that YOU are now a drain on society. From this little a know of you here, you provide needed advice. You are there for your partner. I'm sure your daughter loves and needs you for as long as she gets to have you. Longevity is it's own state of being and I don't think we should insult our lives as simply a drain. But then you come back with wonderful ways for Catfish to engage in further conversation with Dad, which means some more stories will get told. And the stories need to be told, scary, depressive, happy, hopeful, whatever. One thing that comes up for me daily now that I move further into my old age is to remember how my mom handled it or how she sometimes didn't. I hope to be as brave as she was in accepting change. I hope I don't have Alzheimer's beginning in me too, but if I do, please please please I hope to be nice to those caring for me. I, personally, don't want an easy way out, but that's just me, and I have learned to understand those who do, like my dad who took his own life.
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Reply to ArtistDaughter
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I am 83 and ready to go myself now. I would hate for my daughter to negate how I feel and think about this. I would rather she would question how I feel about it. I have had a wonderful and lucky life. Not without failures; not without challenges, but I have lived and learned, traveled and been there and done that. And to me old age is loss upon loss upon loss. Many I am experiencing and many to come. Not only have I lived a full life, but I have contributed. I am now a drain on our society at large and will become a drain more and more to concerned family members. How is all of that attractive?

So the best thing when Dad says "I am ready to go" is to ask him how he feels. Is it tough for him now physically? Mentally? What is he afraid of should he be forced to live long? What losses does he fear? What concerns him.
Never negate what he says. Just tell him "Pop, I will never be ready to lose you, so don't ask that, but I would carry you with me every day I live; but tell me HOW YOU FEEL about all this aging stuff; it has to be hard".

I spent my life as an RN. Patients were OFTEN ready to go, more than that longed to go and lived now only in fear of pain and loss and their family standing forced witnesses to it all. They would tell me they tried to discuss this with family and family would not hear if, would just slide into that "Well, let's talk about GETTING BETTER, not about going". They negated their reality. How truly cruel.

So be honest. Say "It hurts to hear you say you want to leave me, but I understand how hard it is now for you. Can you tell me more".
If he says "I am only a burden now" then tell him that he is more to you than a burden, that yes, there are times it is hard for YOU as well, but it must have been hard for HIM when you were a tiny burden yourself. So it can be tough and full of joy and love all at the same time. One things doesn't cancel the other.

Best to your loving heart!
Know that with an indwelling catheter a patient can easily shower. If this is implanted suprapubic that's another thing and you will call the doc for more information.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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Get dad a hospice evaluation stat. They will have a CNA out to bathe him 2x per week and an RN out to see him once a week. They also have a chaplain to help with other issues either of you are having.

When my mother told me she wanted to die, I would tell her I understood and empathized with her. But that it was up to God as to when her time would come. Hospice gave her calming meds and or pain meds as needed.

Best of luck.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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AlvaDeer Apr 14, 2025
Much as I told my bro, like me an atheist, that we just didn't get to say when we got to go. Unless we wanted to go through that whole final exit thing (and I am way into that). So we had to learn to lean on one another and muster through; another hard time upon us, leaning on one another for support.
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