I have to share that I'm just so thankful for the modern conveniences of adult diapers and plastic-lined bed pads when dealing with incontinence. My mom takes advantage of both of these luxuries. But, she was telling me that when her grandma lived with them when she was a child, she was incontinent, and her mom got so frustrated trying to clean up after grandma (I can only imagine). Also, I read the book "Heidi" to my daughter, and I couldn't help but wonder how the old bed-bound grandma dealt with bathroom issues? She slept on a bed of straw...how in the world did people deal with incontinence back then? Can you imagine the smell? I truly am thankful for the modern conveniences when dealing with aging parents and grandparents. I just can't imagine how difficult it must have been.
Veronica. I second your comment regarding being thankful for today's modernity's.
Surprise. Yuppers, I remember. All 6 of my children were diapered the old-fashioned way with rubber pants over safety pinned cloth diapers.
I would still use cloth diapers if I had a baby now, probably make them myself
My babies all used cloth diapers covered with plastic pants
And my grandmother did her laundry with a wringer washer and hung the clothes on the line.
She was so grateful when they moved to town!
And imagine doing all that personal care without the benefit of disposable gloves (shudder), although I guess she might have used the kind available for doing dishes?
I have granchildren, so we have watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory many times (the one with Gene Wilder - the Johnny Depp one is just disturbing), and every time they show the boy’s poor mother taking care of all four of his bedbound grandparents, I get distracted from the movie while wondering how she kept them all clean!
Even back then women didn't even have Kotex type products, they had to use rags, and washed them out. Thus an old insult that some men use to use regarding women being "on the rag".