It is recognised as a problem when providing care for chronically disabled individuals that many ablution functions, such as washing, require the individual to be presented to a carer for assistance in a state of complete undress. Whereas the carer may be a professional qualified to assist, to the individual, the situation may be undignified and uncomfortable to the point where both parties experience an embarrassment that inhibits any trust between them. In severe cases, the individual may feel the right to dignity as preserved in legislation is under threat and the individual and/or the assistant may limit or curtail ablution activities to the detriment of the individual's well-being in the long term.

It has been found that the discomfiture felt by individuals dependent on assistance from another person to perform ablutions on them is often less to do with that person actually washing them than appearing naked before them, although there are many individuals who are uncomfortable and frustrated by having to use such assistance per se.

The situation may, perversely, be less distressing for individuals who are profoundly incapacitated and rely heavily upon assistance than for people who are more mildly incapacitated, such as those having the limb movements necessary to reach parts of their bodies for ablution but incapacity to grip or manipulate cleaning cloths or the like to carry them out properly, being reliant upon assistance with possibly a greater sense of embarrassment and frustration at the forfeiture of modesty.

Clearly it is possible to arrange enclosures and the like to partition individuals or parts of their bodies from assistants during various ablutions, but in general, such ablution activities are required to be carried out frequently, quickly and without incurring a significant cost penally, whether in the individual's home or in a care institution.

Having regard to the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a garment to be worn by, and provide modesty for, an individual during ablutions which is both simple and cost- effective. It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a garment suited to, and method of, bulk storage in unfinished form and final finishing by a user. t In this specification the term"user"is reserved for a person, who may or may not be the wearer, having the capacity to manipulate the garment in preparation for, and during use by, the wearer.

According to a first aspect of the present invention an ablution modesty garment comprises a garment sheet of fabric having side edges and ends and, in a central region spaced from the side edges and ends, a through-aperture dimensioned for the passage of the head of a wearer as a head aperture, the parts of the sheet to each side of the head aperture being arranged to lie in use on said wearer's shoulders and support the sheet as a garment worn hanging from the wearer's shoulders draped over the front and rear of the wearer's torso, the fabric having a non-woven structure wettable by water and skin cleansing preparation and able to be rubbed against wearers skin to effect cleansing of the skin without disintegration of the fabric.

According to a second aspect of the present invention storage and dispensing arrangement for a modesty garment according to the preceding paragraph comprises an elongate web of said non-woven material of appropriate width demarcated at intervals along its length to define a plurality of conjoined garment sheets, said web being perforated from side-to side at the junction between adjacent sheets to permit a garment sheet to be torn manually from the web.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method of providing an ablution modesty garment in accordance with the preceding paragraph comprises providing a web of material corresponding in width to one said ablution modesty garment and in length to a plurality of said ablution modesty garments, coiling said web into a roll about an axis extending parallel to the width of the web, defining on or in the web the ends of, and head aperture of, each garment sheet, and subsequently dispensing from the roll a portion of the web, and removing therefrom a garment sheet at the defined end thereof.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method of effecting ablution modesty comprising disposing a first ablution modesty garment according to the preceding paragraphs on a wearer by passage of the wearers head through the head aperture and draping of the garment from the wearers shoulders, washing the wearer and thereafter removing the garment.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ablution modesty garment in accordance with a first embodiment the present invention formed from a sheet of non-woven fabric apertured to permit passage of a wearer's head and to be worn folded supported on the wearer's shoulders, Figure 2 is a plan view of the garment of Figure 1 as a flat garment sheet prior to folding to the worn garment shape, illustrating also optional attachment means and edge variations to provide garment shape, Figure 3 is a plan view of a segment of a second embodiment of garment sheet, similar to that of Figure 2 but in which the region defining the head aperture contains a pad of the sheet fabric as an integral vestigial flap removable therefrom, Figure 4 is a plan view of a segment of a third embodiment of garment sheet, similar to that of Figure 3 but in which the region defining the head aperture contains a pad of the sheet fabric attached to the remainder of the sheet at a plurality of positions to block the aperture until removed therefrom, Figure 5 is a plan view of a coiled web of conjoined garment sheets of Figure 4 from which individual sheets can be dispensed, Figure 6 is a plan view similar to Figure 2, but showing an ablution modesty garment according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7 is a plan view similar to Figure 2, but showing an ablution modesty garment according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 an ablution modesty garment 10 comprises a sheet 12 of non- woven fabric, discussed further below, having side edges 14 and 15 and ends 16 and 17 and, in a central region 18, a through-aperture 20.-The aperture is dimensioned to facilitate passage of the sheet over the head of an individual such that the parts of the sheet 21,22 to each side of the aperture lie on the individual's shoulders and support the sheet as garment worn hanging from the shoulders draped over the front and rear of the wearers torso.

Insofar as the garment comprises an essentially flat sheet prior to assuming a folded shape about the wearer as a garment, it is convenient to refer to it, particularly in the form shown in Figure 2, as garment sheet 12. Also, as the sheet is of substantially uniform thickness, it is convenient to refer to the plane of the sheet, being that in which the fabric of the sheet lies at any time, irrespective of whether it is in the flat or worn state.

Although there may be variations, the garment sheet in this embodiment has a length between ends 16 and 17 of the order of 2440 mm or twice an intended wearer's height from the shoulder to a level at or below the knee, so that for a wide variety of wearer heights, the garment extends down to around mid-calf and at least mid-thigh and covers those regions of the body for which modesty is to be preserved.

Likewise, in this embodiment the sheet 12 has a width at the central region 18 not less than the shoulder width of an intended wearer and substantially uniform width along its length.

Advantageously the sheet width of the order of 950 mm, exceeds the shoulder width of an intended wearer, or rather average shoulder width of intended class of wearer, to ensure that the draped regions adequately cover and screen the wearer's torso.

The head aperture 20 may be circular in outline but it may be any shape desired, having curved sides, such as an ellipse, or straight sides, such as rectangular or diamond-shaped.

Any of the shapes and dimensions given above in relation to the garment sheet 12 may also be varied if desired. For instance, the sheet 12 need not by of uniform width along its length from end to end. It may, for example reduce in width towards the parts 21 and 22 as shown by shaded regions 21'and 22'of the side edges so as to be supported on the wearers shoulders without overlying the arms and impeding movement thereof but permitting greater width towards the end regions and better coverage thereby. The loosely draped front and rear portions of the garment allow ready access to the wearer's body from the open sides without exposing the body to view. This is because the human form is such that the fabric at the sides of the garment naturally fall into an overlapped configuration when draped from the wearer's shoulders. If, as will become apparent, there is no requirement for such direct access, then the sides of the garment sheet may be provided with fastening means.

The fastening means comprises complementary parts 26 and 27 disposed one each on opposite sides of the central region at side edge regions 28 and 29 arranged to align in the draped garment when worn and, insofar as the side edges extend outwardly of the wearer's body, are capable of being brought together and pressure applied to the complementary parts to effect interengagement between them. The parts of the fastening means may be provided by strips of low-tack adhesive material secured to, or fused into, the fabric or complementary strips of hook and loop fastening material, such as that sold under the Registered Trade Mark VELCRO. Alternatively, one or both of the regions 28 and 29 may have the fabric of the sheet disturbed so as to provide in effect one or both of such complementary interengagement strips integrally with the fabric.

Such fastening means may be disposed in side edge regions at both sides of the garment to fasten the garment under the wearer's arms and/or at both ends of the garment and at end regions 28'and 29'to effect such fastening between the wearer's legs.

The garment provides, at the time of performing ablutions when the wearer would otherwise be undressed, a covering that permits washing to take place with at least the torso of the body hidden from view.

Notwithstanding the facility to access the wearer's body by way of open sides or ends of the garment to effect washing thereof, the non-woven garment material is chosen such that it is conductive of water and water-borne skin cleansing preparation applied as cleansing materials to the outside of the garment and the garment rubbed against the wearers skin to effect washing of the skin. That is, the material of the garment comprises at appropriately grasped regions, a wash cloth.

Clearly, for this to be effective, the material structure of the fabric must be suited to wetting by, and conducting, the cleansing materials without disintegration, at least in the short term of a single washing operation. However, insofar as the garment is for maintaining a wearer's hygiene, it is intended that it be disposed of after no more than a few repeated uses, and disintegration after a few uses would ensure this, but it is also able to be made cheaply enough to be discarded after a single use. To this end there are a number of proprietary fabrics available, often employed as cleaning cloths for domestic cleaning, based upon cellulosic and polymeric staples and filaments that provide the appropriate combination of wettability and wet-strength at low cost as well as the suitability to be worn, both when dry and wet, against the wearers skin without discomfort, and it is intended that the invention not be restricted to any particular fabric provided it is able to provide an ablution modesty garment meeting the appropriate criteria.

The ability of the garment to permit washing of the wearer's body through use of the garment itself as a washing cloth makes it suitable for washing to be effected by a person other than the wearer, an assistant, without direct contact with the wearer's body, or, by the wearer provided he or she is able to apply the relevant wetting and cleansing agents to the garment and then rub the garment against the skin manually or with the aid of a tool. Whereas such use by a partially incapacitated wearer, that is, one having impaired ability to grasp and/or manipulate a conventional washing cloth to effect self-washing, may be effected in privacy and without the need to preserve modesty in the normal sense; the fact that another person is not required to assist does mean that the wearer's modesty is in practice preserved by use of the garment.

Insofar as the garment sheet 12 is readily applied as a garment, it is believed that individuals considerably impeded in movement and dexterity should be able to don the garment in privacy prior to any involvement of an assistant. However, the method of wearing the garment over the head also means that in many cases the garment can be placed on the wearer prior to an attending assistant removing other items of clothing which wrap around the body and arms.

As indicated above, the primary or initial user of the garment sheet prior to it being worn may be the wearer or an assistant, depending upon the incapacity of the wearer. Accordingly, it is convenient to discuss features requiring some degree of manipulation with reference to the user.

Referring now to Figure 3, this shows a segment of a second embodiment of modesty garment 110 comprising garment sheet 112 in accordance with the present invention wherein in the central region 118, the head aperture 120 is defined with at least some of the sheet fabric in place and integrally joined to the remainder of the sheet at one point 121 so as to form a flap 130 displaceable out of the plane of the sheet to create the aperture when the sheet is applied as a garment to a wearer. The junction 121 of the flap of fabric may be disposed towards the front of the garment and the flap may remain attached so that it can cover the wearer's face and be employed as a protection screen for the face or wetted as a wash cloth therefor. The user may, however, detach the flap and use it as a discrete wash cloth or pad for parts of the body not covered by the garment, or by reaching under the garment by way of its edges.

In a third embodiment of modesty garment 20 comprising garment sheet 212 shown in part in Figure 4, the head aperture 220 may be defined with or as a periphery 222 about a pad region 230 of the sheet fabric attached to the remainder of the sheet at a plurality of positions about the periphery. The periphery forms a demarcation between the garment sheet and may be effected as a simple mark on the fabric of the sheet requiring the user to cut the pad and aperture junction with scissors or blade, but preferably is at least partially cut as perforations permitting the user to effect separation manually, to leave the pad attached at one part as a flap described above or to remove it completely. The pad 230 may be used as a separate wash pad.

Notwithstanding the form of attachment and detachment of the pad 230, it is joined to the remainder of the sheet 212 at points displaced about its periphery such that the aperture 220 is not formed, and the garment cannot be worn, until the user takes positive action to at least partially detach the pad. Thus it is immediately apparent to a potential user and/or wearer if the garment is new without possibility of previous use.

It is thus possible to provide garment sheets with various degrees of finish, depending upon the intended primary user as well as the intended wearer. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that a garment sheet with the least degree of finish, such as head aperture demarcated as only sheet perforations, may be the preferred form for some users.

It will be appreciated that in addition to, or as an alternative to, providing a user-removable pad of the sheet fabric displaced for the head aperture, it may also be practicable to provide such pads by having narrowed shoulder regions 21'and 22'as described above likewise provided by parts of the sheet fabric perforated or otherwise marked for optional removal prior to use to deliver wash pads or cloths known to be from the same garment.

As indicated above, from a hygiene point of view it is preferred that each garment is used once only. To facilitate the provision of new garments as garment sheets 12,112 or 212 from which they are made economically, it is convenient for any garment sheet to be made available joined at one of the ends to a further garment sheet and adapted to be separated from said further garment sheet prior to use, most conveniently by having the conjoined ends of said garment sheet and further garment sheet perforated from side to side to permit the sheet to be torn from the further sheet manually. Referring now to Figure 5, this illustrates for garment sheet 212, a web 300 of the non-woven material of the width desired of the garment sheets marked into lengths corresponding to individual garment sheets 212,, 2122, 2133,.... by transverse lines of perforations (or cutting lines) 316'and coiled into a roll 320; if appropriate, variations in width may be effected by trimming the side edges or perforating regions to be torn away as strips in use. Also, the central region of each garment sheet length is perforated at 222 to mark the position of the head aperture. Likewise, any side edge regions may be prepared as, or have affixed thereto, component parts of fastening means 25 as described above.

Having formed the roll, in use when a garment is required a sheet 212, etc. is torn or cut from the roll by a user, who also creates the head aperture by removing the central pad and any shoulder strips, whereupon the sheet is readily formed into a garment and disposed on a wearer. As discussed above, the central pad and/or shoulder strip, being of the same material of the sheet, may be employed as a separate wash cloth.

It will be appreciated that if in a busy environment where there are a number of individuals being provided with garments and undergoing ablutions contemporaneously, if the central or side pads removed from the garment sheets are to be used as wash cloths for or by the garment wearer, it may be important that such pads do not become mixed up between different garment wearers during use. It is possible to mark the individual garment sheets and their central regions with unique indicia as they are manufactured so that in use, as each garment sheet is prepared for use by removing the pad to define both head aperture and wash cloth, the pad may be kept for use by the individual wearing the appropriately marked garment.

Such an approach to providing hygiene is believed to facilitate reduced likelihood of cross- contaminations between vulnerable individuals.

Referring now to Figure 6, there is shown a simplified embodiment wherein the central aperture to allow the garment to be passed over the wearer's head is provided by perforation of the sheet along diverging lines, e. g. in a cruciform pattern as at 450. This may be so readily opened as to allow the head to penetrate the sheet as the garment is applied. Also, the fabric may be further torn beyond any of the lines of perforation to enlarge the aperture as required.

Referring now to Figure 7, there may be further provided one or more tear-off strips 500 along one or both sides of the sheet, which can be used in place of the fasteners 26,27, as a tie to close the garment around the waist, particularly when the wearer needs to walk from place to place. For this purpose, the fabric of the sheet will be perforated along the tear line or lines 501 by which the strip or strips 500 are detached.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments have in common the provision of a simple modesty garment suitable for conducting various ablution that involve washing, at minimum cost that permits maximum disposibility.

It will be appreciated that it is equally possible to provide garment sheets 12 and 112 conjoined such as in a roll from which individual sheets are torn or cut by a user. Also, it will be appreciated that garment sheets of the form 112 or 212 supplied in bulk ready cut to length may likewise be provided marked with indicia relating any user-removable parts to the sheet from which removed.

Furthermore, it is possible to impregnate some or all of the fabric of the sheet with a suitable cleansing agent, conveniently but not necessarily one which is dry but soluble in water, so that it is necessary only to wet the garment in use. It may be particularly practicable to impregnate a removable central region so that it provides a ready-soaped cleaning cloth.

It will be appreciated that there are a wide variety of body sizes that require to be covered for modesty, perhaps more than is average for the population as a whole because of the conditions often associated with ablution incapacity, ranging form individuals who are incapacitated in some way through extreme thinness and frailty to those who are incapacitated through obesity. However, it is believed that a relatively few standard garment sizes in terms of width, and even fewer in terms of length, will cater for most body sizes for the temporary use during ablutions. Of course, in terms of length a garment need not be of such length as to cover the whole torso and partially cover the legs. If desired a shortened version may be provided which covers, say, only the upper torso and is intended for use by an individual whose lower torso is exposed through other means.

For clarity and convenience of description, the above description has related solely to the provision of a wearable garment and effecting washing of the wearer, including washing by way of wetting the garment and rubbing it against the wearer's skin as a wash cloth. It will be appreciated that in any such washing ablutions there is a need also to dry the washed individual and in this respect the garment may be used and adapted to a lesser or greater extent.

At its simplest, the garment, wetted for or by washing the wearers skin, may be left in place whilst a user (who may be the wearer) dries the wearers skin by reaching beneath the garment with a towel and hereafter wraps the towel or like about the wearers torso as an"under- garment". The wet garment 10 may then be replaced by a different modesty garment, permitting the towel or like to be removed and the individual dressed in part, after which the different modesty garment is removed.

If desired, the modesty garment may be removed from the wearer after a said different modesty garment is placed over the wearers head and shoulders and on top of the first garment, by effecting enlargement of the head aperture of the first modesty garment and removing it other than by passage over the head of the wearer.

Such removal may be facilitated by cutting of the garment from the head aperture boundary to or towards one of the edges, although for practical purposes it is preferable that cutting tools be avoided in use. However, it is essential that the fabric of the modesty garment is not readily torn whereby accidental force applied by the wearer can result in removal and/or exposure.

Referring again to Figure 1 and 2, the garment sheet 12 may be provided with a slit 50 extending form the boundary of the head aperture 20 part way toward the end 16 of the garment sheet, and possibly the end 17. Although such slit may be formed during manufacture, most conveniently the slit 50 is defined by a perforated region 52 of the garment sheet, that is, as a closed slit which is arranged to be opened into a slit and the slit in turn opened by a user pulling apart the sides of the perforated region 52 and/or the side edges 14, 15 of the garment sheet in the region of the head aperture, thereby permitting and effecting enlargement of the head aperture so that the garment can be removed over the torso of the wearer rather than by passage of the head of the wearer. In Figure 6 and 7, this is provided by the ability to extend the perforations 450 by further tearing of the fabric.

Alternatively, if the head aperture of the different modesty garment that is applied over the wet, first garment is provided with an enlarged head aperture, it may be possible to remove the first garment by way of such enlarged head aperture and over the wearers head.

In any event, the dry, different modesty garment may be employed as a towel to effect drying of the wearers skin by rubbing against it as described above for washing but this time transmitting into the fabric moisture from the wearer's skin, after which the wearer may be dressed in part beneath it before its removal.

This further modesty garment may be formed of the same fabric as the first modesty garment or a different fabric having a water conductivity and retention more suited to drying.

It may also be possible, if a multi-ply garment sheet is employed as outlined above, for a user to reach herewith an outer ply to effect wetting and washing by way of an inner ply before removing it to leave an outer ply to be used for and/or after drying to preserve modesty whilst the wearer is partially dressed.

Although the garment is designed primarily for preserving modesty of a wearer in conducting ablution activities comprising washing and like bathing activities, and has properties appropriate thereto, it may also be used when performing other activities for which the preservation of the wearer's modesty is important.

As indicated above, it is the principal objective of this invention to provide an ablution modesty garment which is worn when the wearer requires assistance in performing ablutions to preserve the wearer's modesty in front of the assistant. However, it will be appreciated that such modesty garment may be employed by an individual with little or no incapacity that requires assistance but who is required to effect communal ablutions, and may be particularly suitable when supplied in a roll of garment sheets pre-impregnated with a cleansing agent.