Incontinence & Overactive Bladder Health Center
Related to Incontinence & Overactive Bladder (OAB)
For Caregivers
Treatments for Incontinence & Overactive Bladder (OAB)
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Tips for Caregivers
Incontinence care requires patience and tener love and care. Even if incontinence cannot be cured, it can certainly be managed to a point that a person's quality of life will be improved and activities of daily living will be sustained. Appropriate managment of incontinence will prevent a person from have to use catheters or sheaths on a chronic basis, which can often cause infection.
There are many different product solutions that really work. Absorbency and capacity can vary widely. Some product manufacturers make wide-ranges of claims about their product, which are not always accurate. If youre in doubt over the effectiveness of a product or need consultation about incontinence products and supplies contact a Continence Care Consultant or Continence Nurse Specialist for personalized and confidential assistance.
Here are some tips that will help you care for your incontinent loved one:
Give the patient a choice.
Allowing a person to make their own choice when selecting incontinence products is important to a person's dignity. Provide them several options and let them try samples. Woodbury Health Products provides all of their clients FREE SAMPLES. Offer several options that your loved one can try. This process may be embarasing so honor their privacy and talk quietly one on one with them.
Recognize the sensitivity of the topic of incontinence.
Many patients try to avoid resorting to wearing protective undergarments becuase they don't want to wear a "diaper," or they believe the undergarment may be noticed or heard by others when they move around. An adult diaper is only one of many possible choices of incontinence protection. Take care in how you talk to your loved one about this. Perhaps use names like "brief," instead of diaper or "protective underwear," instead of pull-ups.
Understand the types of products available for your loved one's personal situation.
- Disposable protective underwear are made well today. They pull on and off like regular underpants and are made with a cloth-like outer layer for comfort. In general protective underwear is for mild to moderate incontinence.
- Disposable adult diapers are designed for moderate to heavy incontinence. They come in varying levels of fit, absorbency and capacity and with a plastic backing or cloth-like backing. This is a patience best choice for handlling heavy incontinence. One of the best adult diapers on the market is the Abena X-Plus. The absorbency is outstanding and patients with heavy incontinence can wear an Abena X-Plus to get through and entire night of sleep without leaking.
- Adult disposable pads come in a variety of sizes and absorbencies. There are pads designed for men and women. Pads attach to underwear with adhesive strips. Most pads are used for mild to moderate incontinence. Booster pads and fitted liners however, can handle heavier incontinence without leakage of urine.
Understand how to fit undergarments to your loved one.
Once you and your loved one determine what type of incontinence protective product will be appropriate for your situation, a correct fit is essential to prevent leakage and maximize comfort.
The undergarment should fit snugly, but not so tightly that it causes discomfort around the wait or legs. A loose fitting adult diaper or protective underwear will cause urine leakage. A product that is too tight won't allow the product to breath and lead to skin irritation. When applying an adult diaper or using adhesive disposable pads, try to handle the adhesive as little as possible: Natural oils from your hands, hand lotions and deodorants can cause the adhesives to lose their ability to stick.
Check out Minding Our Elders for more caregiver support.
Author, Carol Bradley, shines a light on the isolation often felt by caregivers and seniors and gives them a voice in her book.
