Rulings Pertaining to Woman Taking Care of Severely Mentally Challenged Man
Question

                As a recent revert to islam i am always trying to gain extra knowledge and guidance, inshallah.  My question relates to my current job.  I work as a home carer, taking care of the needs of a severely handicapped person, who suffered brain damage during birth.  This person is 42yrs old, although his brain activity and mental capabilities are that of a baby, he has no control what so ever over his body and is unable to do anything for himself i.e he can not wash dress or feed himself and wears pads for toileting, he is also unable to walk or talk at all and is confined to a wheel chair.  I've already been told i am able to work with this person but now i'm wondering whether being in close contact with this person will break my wudoo, as i have to touch him on a daily basis.  Inshallah you are able to answer my question.
Praise be to Allah.
    First:

    We ask Allah, the 
    Exalted, to keep you firm on His religion and we advise you to educate 
    yourself regarding religious matters and work righteous deeds as much as 
    possible as that will assist you in remaining steadfast and calling to 
    Allah. 

    Second:
    As for your work in taking care of the mentally challenged man, then it is 
    in principle allowed and it would be appropriate for us to mention some 
    rulings concerning it at this time.

    1.
    The basic principle concerning the ‘awrah (generally the 
    private regions which are not to be seen by others) of the handicapped is 
    that it is impermissible to look at it or touch it without a barrier. 
    Therefore, while cleaning his private parts, you should cover them and not 
    look at them and clean them using something like gloves. A further benefit 
    of the gloves would be that they protect the hands from becoming tainted 
    with impurities.

    The scholars of 
    the Permanent Committee were asked: My father was granted three sons who 
    were all handicapped and mentally challenged, and this is a favour Allah 
    bestows upon His select believing slaves, and all praise belongs to Allah, 
    Lord of the worlds. These three are my brothers and I as I mentioned to you 
    they are handicapped and incapable of taking care of themselves. Therefore, 
    their mother looks after them and cares for them with regard to their food, 
    drink and clothing. However, they have all matured, with the eldest being 25 
    years old, so is it permissible for my mother or myself to clean my elder 
    brother and bathe him as he does not know how to clean his own body due to 
    his handicap, keeping in mind that his ‘awrah may be exposed. They answered: 
    It is permissible for you to clean these disabled individuals by bathing 
    them and other means but while keeping the ‘awrah covered and cleaning it 
    from behind a barrier like a cloth or something like it and while wearing 
    something on the hand to avoid dirtying the hand with impurities. You should 
    do everything you can to look after these challenged boys, and Allah does 
    not allow the rewards of those who do well be squandered.” End quote

    Sh. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz 
    ibn Baz, Sh. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz aal ash-Sheikh, Sh. ‘Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan, Sh. 
    Salih al-Fauzan and Sh. Bakr Abu Zayd. Verdicts of the Permanent Committee 
    (4/425-426)

    2.
    The mentally challenged who feel no lust towards women are 
    included in the saying of Allah (which means): “or 
    those male attendants having no physical desire”. The woman may reveal 
    before them what she would normally reveal before her mahrams (close 
    relatives whom she may not marry), which is what would normally be exposed 
    such as the head, face, forearms and feet.

    Ibn Qudamah (may 
    Allah have mercy on him) said: “Men who have no physical desire due to old 
    age, impotence, a terminal illness, castration…or a hermaphrodite with no 
    desire for women: The ruling for them is the same as that of the mahram in 
    terms of looking due to the saying of Allah, the Exalted (in meaning): “or 
    those male attendants having no physical desire”. i.e. no desire for women. 
    Ibn ‘Abbas said: He is the one who women are not shy in front of. And from 
    him: He is the hermaphrodite who is incapable of an erection.” End quote 
    from al-Mughni (7/462)

    In al-Mawsoo’ah al 
    Fiqhiyyah it states (3/8): “The Malikis, Shafi’ees and Hanbalis said (and it 
    is one opinion of the Hanafis): The ruling of those men who has no desire 
    for women is that of the mahrams in regard to looking at women; they see the 
    places of beauty such as the hair and the forearms, and the rules for 
    entering upon them is also like that of the mahrams due to the saying of 
    Allah , the Exalted (in meaning): “or those male attendants having no 
    physical desire”. End quote.

    3.
    For your work, if you need to look at or touch his ‘awrah, 
    then it is permissible since it is a dire need or necessity as is the case 
    with a doctor if he needs to look at or touch the ‘awrah of a patient. In 
    al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah it states (14/19): “There is no difference among 
    the jurists that looking at the ‘awrah of another is impermissible with the 
    exception of a married couple each looking at the other, so it is not 
    permissible for anyone to look at another’s ‘awrah (besides them) as long as 
    there is no need for it such as a doctor looking at the patient and a 
    caregiver assisting a patient in wudhu (ablution), isntinjaa (cleansing 
    after answering the call of nature), and such things or a midwife for they 
    are permitted to look at that part of the ‘awrah which it is necessary to 
    look at. When necessary for the purposes of treatment or care, it is 
    permissible as necessity makes the warned against (forbidden) permissible 
    and (dire) need is treated as necessity.

    Looking is 
    restricted to what is necessary because what is allowed due to necessity 
    must be well assessed/evaluated.” End quote

    4.
    If it happens that you touch the man for the purpose of 
    cleaning and grooming him, then we differentiate between touching ‘awrah 
    (private part) directly and the rest of the body; touching his private part 
    directly (no barrier) nullifies the wudhu while touching the rest of his 
    body does not. With regard to touching his private part, the scholars of the 
    Permanent Committee said: “Touching the private part without a barrier 
    nullifies the wudhu whether the one touches is big or small due to what is 
    established from the saying of the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon 
    him): “Whoever touches his private part, let him take wudhu.” An-Nasai, Ibn 
    Majah and authenticated by al-Albani. Touching the private part of another 
    is like touching one’s own private part.

    Sh. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz 
    ibn Baz, Sh. ‘Abd ar-Razzaq ‘Afifi, Sh. ‘Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan, Sh. 
    ‘Abdullah ibn Qu’ood. Verdicts of the Permanent Committee (5/265).

    As for the issue 
    of a woman touching the body of a man and it not nullifying the wudhu, then 
    we have explained that in detail in the answer to question
    76115. 

    5.
    Finally, we see that the woman should look after those of her 
    gender and the man should look after men. Therefore, if you could find work 
    taking care of a woman, that would be best without doubt.

    And Allah knows best.