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Tips on How to Handle Incontinence in Alzheimer's Patients With Dignity
from: Pat MoauroAlzheimer's disease is a much feared illness partly because it's still incurable, but also partly because it reduces once independent, active, healthy adults to becoming dependent on others. This dependence involves not only assistance with tasks as shopping and house cleaning, but even intimate aspects of living such as feeding and even toileting.
Incontinence: while sometimes a normal aspect of aging - may be a hugely embarrassing for someone whose faculties have gradually diminished; often it's perceived as adding insult to injury. Caregivers often have a hard time seeing their loved one gradually decline mentally and physically as the disease progresses.
A caregiver can follow a number of steps to help her or he and the loved one take this new hurdle of incontinence in a stride. A bit of preparation and know how can reduce the embarrassment and preserve a feeling of dignity for the patient. Here are five suggestions to make this process easier:
The urge to use the bathroom propels us to excuse ourselves from activities and search out these facilities. Unfortunately, when a loved one suffers from Alzheimer's disease, she or he will sometimes not recognize this urge. She or he may literally forget to use the bathroom before leaving the house or during activities. This results in embarrassing episodes of loss of bladder or even bowel control.
The caregiver who knows this is part of this disease should purchase adult incontinence products, such as adult briefs, that will help to reduce embarrassing public moments. Be certain that your loved ones has the products easily accessible and knows how to put them on. Similarly, it may be helpful to have a couple of spares in your purse when accompanying your loved one on shopping or on other errands.
While at home, make sure that your loved has easy access to the bathroom. This means that it's only a few short steps from her or his bedroom to the bathroom. It also means that you, as the caregiver, ensure that your loved one dresses in such a manner that clothes may be removed quickly and easily when visiting the bathroom. Many attractive clothing options are available for patients with Alzheimer's disease, and none of them include cumbersome buttons, snaps, drawstrings or zippers that make using the bathroom harder than necessary.
Remind your loved one to use the restroom. Good times for such reminders are before leaving the house, a restaurant, entering a movie theater and before leaving the theater. You may also wish to remind the patient during activities. Of course, to preserve her or his dignity don't make these reminders too obvious or loud enough for others to hear. Alternatively, you may indicate that you need to use the restroom, even if you don't, and ask your loved one to accompany you.
Set up your loved one for success. She or he will most likely have accidents during the night, but this shouldn't necessarily require a copious clean up in the morning. Ensure that she or he is wearing adult briefs; buy rubberized sheets and mattress under pads that will soak up any moisture, making clean up quick, easy, and discreet.
Last but not least, please be sure to preserve your loved one's dignity with actions as well as words. Make light of accidents, and be supportive and loving. In addition to the foregoing, don't discuss her or his incontinence with mutual friends, family members or acquaintances unless their discretion can be relied upon completely.
As you can see, incontinence is indeed a problem that needs to be dealt with when caring for an Alzheimer's patient; however, with a bit of finesse, you can provide maximum care for your loved one while at the same time not hurting her or his sense of dignity.
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