When was the last time you discussed incontinence with your family or friends? The majority of us avoid talking about it, even though incontinence affects more than half of seniors and many younger individuals as well. Ignoring the issue may have unintended implications, including depression, falls, social isolation, and other neglected health concerns.
Many parents won’t want to admit to their children that there is a problem. It can be uncomfortable for them to talk to their grown children about this, and who can blame them? If you think there may be a problem that your senior is not comfortable sharing with you, it’s time to think about alternative help like in-home care providers. There are many benefits of in-home care, including meal preparation, light housekeeping, mobility assistance, medication reminders and help with personal care tasks that can be embarrassing, like incontinence.
If you’re still unsure if incontinence is a problem, there are a few things you can do to try to help your senior parent. You may also have luck finding out what other caregivers have done in this situation. However, here is a good place to start.
Know Where To Start
Bringing up incontinence can be uncomfortable, so you should know how to bring up this topic. To begin, note that if your mother or father has incontinence unexpectedly, they should see their physician. Prostate difficulties, urinary tract infections, and weak pelvic floor muscles are all possible reasons. Certain kinds of incontinence may be treated medically or via physical therapy.
However, even cognitively fit seniors often conceal incontinence. To encourage your family members to speak up, you may attempt to normalize the situation by addressing your own troubles or bringing up others who have discussed incontinence.
How To Help Your Parent
There are tons of products that can help the elderly with incontinence, but you should be aware that using the term diaper is inappropriate and can make seniors feel worse. You can use the term briefs or undergarments to make your parent feel more comfortable. Additionally, you may assist your parent by modifying their attire, surroundings, and routine.
Make sure there is a very clear path to the bathroom and keep a regular eating and drinking routine. When a senior’s body is used to liquids at a certain time, they may also use the bathroom around the same time every day, which means you can stay prepared to help them go.
If you are going out, always be prepared with a small tote that has a change of clothes and other products your senior may need during the day. This will help them feel like they can continue to go around and do activities without having to worry about anything.
Help them make better outfit choices. Slacks with an elastic waistband may be easily pulled down, allowing your loved one to use the restroom more quickly and perhaps avoiding an accident. Additionally, if you are required to assist your loved one with housekeeping, easy-off clothing makes it easier to undress and redress them.
Lastly, try being empathetic about the situation. Loss of control of physiological functions is one of the most distressing health problems, so handle the situation with care and subtlety to help alleviate your loved one’s concern. You may also discover that it helps alleviate your own tension.
