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Advice About Incontinence
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Question
About six months ago, my husband and I moved my mother, a widower, into our home so we could better care for her. It was an adjustment, but up until now everything has been just fine. The thing is, it is obvious my mother is developing urinary incontinence. She absolutely refuses to wear adult diapers. This is a problem because she is having "accidents" more and more frequently, which is difficult for the children, and the smell is noticeable. Any suggestions on how we might approach this problem would be helpful.
Answer
Incontinence
can be caused by many factors including medications, stress, a physical
condition, the environment, restrictive clothing or constipation. As
your mother’s incontinence appears to be new problem, I suggest you to
consult a doctor to rule out potential medical causes.
Monitor
your mother's incontinence and develop a routine. If possible, take her
to the bathroom every two hours. Don’t ask if she needs to use the
bathroom, but say "let's go to the bathroom".
You might also
consider plastic outer pants, and/or getting rid of all her normal
underwear. There are also large pads that can be used instead of
diapers. If you shop around you will find some undergarments that may
be less bulky than traditional adult diapers, and have the feel and
look of normal underwear.
Listen for trigger words and observe
behavior that may indicate her need to use the restroom, such as
fidgeting, restlessness, facial expressions, etc.
If you can start on a regular routine of visiting the bathroom every two hours, this may be extremely helpful.