Another resident (in her early thirties) has very specific bathroom needs, particularly in the matter of "wipies" (baby wipes). Even when the supply is abundant, her hand ends up being substituted, and we have frequent sessions of removing the evidence from the soap dispenser, sink, towels, and so on. We talk a lot about germs, and about how ladies always use toilet paper (or wipies), and all the rest. She's usually interested in the cleaning procedure and proud of herself for doing it, so much so that I've wondered if there should be a slight punitive overtone to my manner. I don't want her to think that cleaning is evil, but it would be nice if she decided to avoid these sessions by avoiding the initial behavior.
One evening, just a couple hours after we had washed the towels and cleaned the bathroom, I overheard her in the bathroom admonishing herself in lively terms to "be a lady" and be careful of germs--but the evidence of the bathroom afterwards was the same as ever. Her explanation: "I lost my head!" It's really terribly cute (though I can't let her see that!), but I was still perplexed over how much of this was willful.
A couple nights ago I made a grocery store run, getting cleaning supplies (disinfectant spray and clorox wipes, both new to the upstairs bathroom, but necessary given how often it needs to be cleaned), general groceries, and wipies. I got the refills (far cheaper), and asked the resident to let me know when she needed new wipies, as I had gotten a new kind and needed to put them in the dispenser for her. She nodded and agreed, pleased to be provided for.
Now I should have seen it coming, but the next day when I found the old wipies box empty and the clorox cleaning wipes next to it, it was like a thunderbolt from a clear blue sky. Thank God they were the bleach-free kind! I got the resident, explained that I had refilled her wipies, and that the things in the round box were NOT for people but only for cleaning. Some of my distress must have been clear, because she looked sweetly at me and said, "I'm sorry! I lost my head!"
I think she wants very much to please us, but finds herself in a world of baffling rules, none of which make enough sense to be followed. For now I'm keeping the clorox in the very back of the cupboard!
