DEAR ABBY: I'm a middle-aged, single woman. My 76-year-old father lives with me. We get along well and the arrangement works fine, except for one problem. He never washes his hands after going to the bathroom. To make matters worse, he does most of the cooking, and he often goes right from the bathroom straight into the kitchen.
I know that if I comment on his lack of hygiene, he will get angry and defensive. How do I get him to be sanitary at his age? -- HUNGRY NO MORE
DEAR HUNGRY NO MORE: I don't blame you for having lost your appetite. After reading your letter, mine is gone, too.
You say your father lives with you and not the reverse. In your home, you get to make the rules. If this makes your father "defensive and angry," so be it.
There's a reason employees of restaurants are required to wash their hands after using the bathroom. It's to prevent the spread of disease. It may mean watching your father like a hawk, but you will have to enforce this. And if at all possible, do the cooking yourself.