139. Replay: Hard Time Wiping? Talk A-Booty It with Maria Lindbergh

There are some topics that are awkward and uncomfortable as we discuss aging. With the right speakers, though, it can become lighthearted and fun!Occupational Therapist Maria Lindbergh is one of these people, and she specializes in helping people clean their bottoms after using the toilet. She created a course called, “Hard Time Wiping? Let’s Talk A-Booty It.” She shares toilet techniques and four options to clean your bottom easier – resulting in better health, hygiene, and self-esteem.In occupational therapy, specialists help people return to daily activities and anything you need to do at home to remain independent - such as going to the bathroom. Maria helps seniors with this each day, having witnessed firsthand how her grandparents with dementia needed this help to care for themselves and stay safe. With the creation of her course, she’s driven to help people who may be too embarrassed to bring up the subject with their doctors, as well as their caregivers.Maria discusses a few tips to help seniors with the bathroom. Bidets are common in other parts of the world and helps protect skin and clean yourself more thoroughly. Bathroom safety is also important, such as staying seated and using grab bars to help yourself up and down. Women should also take special care to wipe front to back to prevent the spread of bacteria and prevent UTIs, which can send people to the hospital and cause confusion and cognitive impairment.Topics discussed:Occupational therapyBathroom struggles in seniorsPerks of bidetsSenior hygieneUTI preventionToilet equipment for seniorsStaying independent at homeTakeaways from this episode:-Occupational therapists can help you stay independent while living your life to the fullest at home. In fact, they can help you be more independent wherever you are in the journey, whether in assisted living or a nursing home.-There are many benefits to using water instead of toilet tissue or wet wipes to clean your bottom: it’s environmentally friendly, better for your skin, and can prevent infections.-Bidets come in different price points, are often inexpensive and come with a range of features depending on your needs.-There are different types of bidets to use, such as handheld, electric, and ones you can install your existing toilet.-For toilet safety, consider adding grab bars. It’s also better to stay seated with both feet on the ground when you clean yourself so you’re balanced and stable.Resources mentioned in this episode:Maria Lindbergh's course: Hard Time Wiping? Let's Talk A-booty It!https://toilettalk.podia.com/hardtimewipingFollow Maria's videos on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/hardtimewiping/Watch Toilet Talk episodes on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfUa9YinfAi1vUVMAl5xAXQ/videosBidet King for all Bidet sizes:https://bidetking.com/To suggest a topic, be a guest or to support the podcast, please email [email protected] more senior resources and to sign up to the newsletter, please visit:https://www.facebook.com/LoriWilliamsSeniorServices/https://www.instagram.com/theloriwilliams/https://www.linkedin.com/in/theloriwilliams/https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/aging-in-style-podcast/