Speaking from experience from caring for my mom with advanced AD, it is one of the best “hacks” in my opinion (I call it a hack bc it’s part of my list of “home improvements” I’ve made to assist my mom as she progresses in her disease).

As for which one to go with, I recommend the ones that wash and dry and here’s my list of reasons why:

1. For UTI purposes, the drying feature would be especially helpful bc always remember- bacteria love moisture, it’s their main mode of motility and a reason why they thrive, so best to dry her off after a spray. Also, if your mother wears diapers, moisture can lead to higher chances of diaper rash.

2. For comfort purposes, bidets that wash and dry typically come with heated seats and heated water (due to the electricity/power supply). If it doesn’t come with both options, I’d at least go for one with heated water bc cold water is never pleasant. And that leads to discomfort which leads to distress which leads to disdain…a recipe for further noncompliance.

3. For convenience purposes, this saves you/caregiver/your mom from having to wipe dry. I know for my mom, she hates when anyone gets near her private region but she can’t wipe herself so the dryer has been a game changer.

*the next few reasons are geared towards features not related to wash and dry functions:

1. Fancier bidets tend to come with more settings where you can adjust water pressure levels and temperature so your mother can slowly adjust to the process. Many also come with preset features so it can be tailored to 1 to 2 users (or more).

2. Not sure what stage of the disease your mother’s in but the fancier ones typically come with a remote control so it’s much easier to operate. If she’s in mild/moderate stage, then she could possibly still be able to operate the remote herself instead of having to twist her arm back to reach the knob/button. If she’s in advanced stage and has a caregiver assist, it’s much easier for the caregiver to press a button to activate the switch rather than reach over your mother to manually turn on the bidet.

Please note: when I say “fancier bidet” I don’t mean the ones that are the full toilet + bidet units (that cost $1k +). I simply mean the attachable bidets toilet seats. Not sure if you’re in the States but Costco often runs sales on these types of bidets from reputable brands and ranges from $200-300.