How do we ask Dad to be more careful in the bathroom due to his bladder cancer chemotherapy?
You've made an important observation about safety here. Obviously, you want to protect your family, especially your grandson, and I commend you for wanting to impact your father's behavior.
There are a few things going on with your father, though, that may make your efforts to negotiate with him not as fruitful as you would like. First, remember that each day the chemo affects him more, not just in strength and muscle control, but also in memory and cognitive thinking. So he may have trouble controlling himself (i.e. dripping), and he may not remember that he's supposed to try (i.e. clean up the seat). Second, his main goal is to maintain some dignity while letting that fluid out of his system. And third, at his age stubborness may encourage him to do things as he likes and as he is able.
All that said, your problem will likely not be solved by talking to him. Is it possible for you to create a type of bathroom in his room, that is purchase a small portable toilet (like a chair with a holding container, available at most drugstores) and erect a drape or screen of some type for his privacy? (You would also need to a way to sanitize his hands, like Klorox wipes.)
If it is, you could persuade him to only use that until the chemo is out of his system. Only the person cleaning the toilet would be exposed, provided you keep others out of his room. If it isn't, you will have to take on the responsibility of regularly cleaning the bathroom, bedroom and hallway with a bleach-based product. This could be dangerous to your grandson as well, so be sure to consider his presence around your cleaning schedule. Make sure you keep yourself safe as well.
Hi - I certainly can understand where you are coming from ... but please ... if you never listened to anything before please listen to this. I have bladder cancer. I am fine. Mine is stage one. My older brother "HAD" bladder cancer. His was stage four when diagonosed. We buried my brother January 13, 2010. I wish that he were here to mess up the bathroom and/or any other room in the house. He had the bag attached ... which leaked all over ... he didn't want that. We didn't want that - but I rather he was still with us ... I would be more than happy to clean it up (with a smile on my face). What HE went through for over two years was in-human. PLEASE overlook the SMALL stuff that can be fixed and go on loving and living. DON'T waste your time on worrying about "cleaning up".
GOD BLESS! I Love You and Care For You. MnMpup2
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