March 15, 2018
Caring for Elderly Parents Who Are Incontinent
Many children of elderly parents will do anything they can to keep their loved ones out of a long-term nursing home or care facility, including taking them in to provide care for them in their own homes. If you take on the responsibility of caring for an elderly loved one, you need to know what type of commitment this is going to take from you. It is a very stressful and tiring process. One of the things that you will likely deal with is incontinence. A loved one that is suffering from incontinence can make a stressful situation into a very frustrating one. Purchasing quality incontinence products is the best way to help you and your loved one to avoid the stress that comes with incontinence.
Losing control over the bladder is embarrassing to your loved one. If it is not managed properly it can lead to an infection. You need to make sure your loved one is still drinking plenty of water to continue flushing toxins from the body. Many elderly loved ones will end up reducing the amount of fluid they drink so they don’t have as many accidents throughout the day. The downside to this is how it causes infections in the bladder, leading to painful problems and even hospitalization. In addition to keeping your loved one hydrated you also need to work on helping them to clean their body.
Cleansing the genitals is important to reduce urinary tract infections and to also reduce skin rashes. The skin will get irritated if urine is allowed to stay on it for a long time. This is why you need to purchase wipes and other things that can help your loved one to keep the genitals clean. It is also important to talk to them about changing their adult diapers often so they do not allow urine to just sit against the skin. Your loved ones will be able to see how easy it is to manage incontinence when they do have the right products. This will help them to see which products fit comfortable and if they like the washable or disposable adult diapers or pads. Trying out different products is the only way to know what you like and what will actually work well for your situation.
As a caregiver you need to assess the state of your parents. Can they change the diapers on their own or will you need to step in and help them often? If you are needing to help, you may want to look for products with Velcro straps as they are easier for you to remove and replace for your loved ones.
Some additional tips to use when managing incontinence in elderly parents include the following:
· Schedule frequent visits to the restroom to help them try and keep their bowels empty.
· Remove any obstruction on the way to the bathroom to prevent falls.
· If they have issues getting to the bathroom before their bowels release you may consider a bedside toilet.
· Focus on exercises that help to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. This can improve bladder control and also helps to reduce the risk of falls.
· Reduce the intake of foods that irritate the bladder like caffeine and alcohol.
· Use quality incontinence products to make it easy for your loved ones to leave your home without worry that they will have an accident and feel embarrassed.