caretaker accompanying in public restrooms?

[gjnl]

Originally Posted by Eileen

If I was fined for everytime I dump urine I would be very broke. Urine is one of the least harmful substances on the planet in terms of being a biohazard. I know it carries a "yuck" factor for some people, but it's not like it stops dogs from using the great outdoors, and I am a lot more discreet than my canine friends, being careful to dump at the edges of parking lots, or over drains if obvious.

I understand and appreciate your point of view and reference to animals. However, we are human beings and can make provisions for and take responsibility for collecting our urine and disposing of it in a more conventional manner.

All the best,
GJ

PS: Sorry to wander off the subject of this thread. Didn't mean to hijack the topic/thread.

[47+years]

This is off the thread, but the other day I was waiting for my husband in the WalMart parking lot. We were parked quite a ways from the building. Two ladies came walking out with their groceries and put them in the car facing mine. Then the driver dropped her shorts and underwear, squatted and peed right in the parking lot. I'll admit my mouth was hanging open!

[gjnl]

Originally Posted by 47+years

This is off the thread, but the other day I was waiting for my husband in the WalMart parking lot. We were parked quite a ways from the building. Two ladies came walking out with their groceries and put them in the car facing mine. Then the driver dropped her shorts and underwear, squatted and peed right in the parking lot. I'll admit my mouth was hanging open!

Presumably both of them able bodied, having just left a store with large restroom facilities and somehow the parking lot of Walmart is a better toilet...go figure.

All the best,
GJ

[Patton57]

Originally Posted by gjnl

I understand and appreciate your point of view and reference to animals. However, we are human beings and can make provisions for and take responsibility for collecting our urine and disposing of it in a more conventional manner.

All the best,
GJ

PS: Sorry to wander off the subject of this thread. Didn't mean to hijack the topic/thread.

I disagree. If you live any kind of active life at all with a sci you're going to come up short often especially if you live alone and travel. I discretely dump urine all the time when I'm on a roadtrip. And if you do any kind of camping you're already lugging along enough crap without worrying about the proper disposal of 20 ounces of urine here and there.

If you're not discrete that does changes things though. The public perception of the disabled is a big enough barrier to overcome without making it harder on ourselves.

sorry to continue the highjacking

[orangejello]

Originally Posted by gjnl

Presumably both of them able bodied, having just left a store with large restroom facilities and somehow the parking lot of Walmart is a better toilet...go figure.

All the best,
GJ

The parking lot was likely a much more hygienic place to urinate. Some of the filthiest North American bathrooms I have ever been in have been inside Walmart stores. I would understand somebody choosing the parking lot.

[skippy13]

Originally Posted by 47+years

This is off the thread, but the other day I was waiting for my husband in the WalMart parking lot. We were parked quite a ways from the building. Two ladies came walking out with their groceries and put them in the car facing mine. Then the driver dropped her shorts and underwear, squatted and peed right in the parking lot. I'll admit my mouth was hanging open!

I have an evil streak and have to admit I would have laid on the horn just as she got going.

[elderlyexpert]

I think the law would allow a caregiver to accompany you into the restroom regardless of sex. Moreover, it is hard to imagine - law or not - anyone complaining that a caregiver is helping someone with a disability.
I might consider trying to let people know what you are doing i.e. knock and say something to people in the restroom, but maybe others here wold disagree with that.

[WC_Sage]

The title of this topic
"caretaker accompanying in public restrooms?"
is reminiscent of a humorous scene in a Joni Erickson movie.

[DesiWoo]

Originally Posted by gjnl

Because of legislation in California, we are seeing this sign more often on the outside of public restrooms. In California it is not illegal to have a caregiver of the opposite sex in a restroom, as for disrespectful...hmmm, why?

It might be useful to caregivers to have a laminated sign they can temporarily post (with tape) on the outside door of a restroom when they are using the restroom helping an opposite sex individual. The sign could read, MALE CAREGIVER CURRENTLY IN WOMEN'S RESTROOM or DISABLED MALE IN WOMEN'S RESTROOM ACCOMPANIED BY FEMALE CAREGIVER. Gives fair warning.

All the best,
GJ

Just joined this forum, and thanks for the frank discussion.

My son is disabled because of MS, and we've had the hardest time with this issue. He feels so embarrassed to go into a women's restroom, and I've always been hesitant to go into the men's. Family restrooms are almost non-existent, especially in restaurants. We haven't been out to eat for several years now, and travelling long distances has been such a nightmare, that we've pretty much stopped.

In addition, we have some friends who have the same issue, except that it's a man taking his wife into the restroom here in SC. They are both deaf. A lady threatened to call the police, and the store manager asked her husband to leave. She was left trying to get back into her wheelchair by herself, and they couldn't argue the situation since they were both deaf. Ever since then, I've been very reluctant about the whole issue, since having that type of confrontation would mortify my son.

However, I liked several of your ideas. I think that I'll use the suggestion about the sign. It gives people the "heads up" on walking in after you, or for even a single person bathroom when we are taking so long. I just wish that businesses would actually put in a family restroom (Other than Lowes, which does seem to have family restrooms).

Is there any site that lists family restrooms on travel routes or in restaurants? We would patronage any business or restaurant that was thoughtful enough accommodate for disabilities.

[SCI-Nurse]

My dad accompanied my mother into many public restrooms (always women's) with no problems as long as they always announced him entering, usually with something like this statement "Man entering restroom to assist disabled wife!". Fortunately in CA there is a law that allows this and he also carried a card with information about that law. Small businesses like restaurants or shops are very unlikely to have "family" restrooms. Airports often have them in our experience.

We often found McDonald's a reliable place to use accessible bathrooms, and since they are ubiquitous, also pretty easy to find. Denny's is generally also good. We always buy a coffee or something else small when using their restrooms if not giving them other business.

Here are some other resources:

http://thebathroomdiaries.com/

http://www.have2p.com/have2p

(KLD)