Caring for seniors with incontinence can be a difficult and stressful experience. It can be difficult to know how to help a loved one struggling with incontinence.
Let’s look at 11 tips that offer practical advice and resources for home care for seniors with incontinence.
1. Manage your own emotions
Caregivers can sometimes be so focused on the emotions and symptoms of the person they care for that they forget to check in with themselves too.
It is perfectly normal to feel stressed or uncomfortable talking about or dealing with incontinence.
It is important to acknowledge your own feelings, so you can learn to regulate your emotions and keep your cool when dealing with your loved one.
Consider journaling, meditation, relaxation breathing, or seeing a therapist.
2. Give them as much control and dignity as possible
It can be embarrassing for seniors to admit to struggling with incontinence and difficult for them to ask for (or accept) help.
It is important to talk to them and try to give them as much control and dignity about the situation as possible.
Some tips for talking to loved ones about accepting help include:
- addressing the issues early
- assuring them you want to help (and they are not burdening you)
- being empathetic and patient
- listening to their concerns and feelings
- communicating respectfully
- recognizing their autonomy (as long as they are of sound mind, they get to make the decisions about their body and life)
Try to make it clear that they have nothing to be ashamed of. If they are reluctant to get medical help, tell them there could be a medical condition causing this that they need to address.
Frame all treatment or lifestyle adjustments as facilitating their independence (which is true)!
When helping them go to the bathroom or cleaning up (either themselves or their environment), try to give them as much privacy as possible.
3. Help them regulate their emotions
Part of talking to them includes talking about their emotions. Offer them emotional support. Validate their feelings. Try to stay calm, respectful, and patient.
When dealing with incontinence be matter of fact (just state the situation and help them deal with it). Don’t make a big deal out of it.
4. Encourage medical assessment and treatment
Encouraging seniors to talk to their doctor about their incontinence is an important first step in their management of the condition.
It is important for seniors with incontinence to see a medical professional, so they can assess, diagnose, and offer treatment plans.
Broadly speaking, there is urinary incontinence (uncontrollable urine leaks) and fecal incontinence (uncontrollable stool leaks).
There are also different kinds of incontinence, such as urge incontinence (where the person feels a sudden urge to go to the bathroom) or stress incontinence (where leaks are caused by stress on the abdomen, such as laughing or coughing).
There are also many different reasons why a person may be dealing with incontinence, such as constipation, urinary tract infections (UTIs), mobility issues or arthritis that make it difficult to get to the bathroom in time, certain medications, pelvic floor disorders, some neurological conditions, or an enlarged prostate.
The cause of the condition will impact what treatment plan their doctor suggests. There are different treatment options, including medications, creams, patches, medical devices (like a urethra insert or catheter), nerve stimulation, pelvic floor muscle exercises, biofeedback, or surgery.
5. Decide on a plan to treat/manage incontinence
They need to work with the doctors to create a treatment plan, but it will often include a lot of lifestyle management implementation that is important when caring for seniors with incontinence.
These could include:
- Diet: A high-fiber diet and limiting/eliminating alcohol or caffeine are often suggested
- Pelvic muscle exercises
- Loosing weight (if being overweight is thought to be contributing)
- Limiting drinks before bedtime
- Making their bathroom accessible: This could include getting a raised toilet or grab bar
- Creating a bathroom routine (such as taking their time and playing music or running water to help them relax)
- Adapting their clothing: Using clothing with velcro or elastic waistbands (so it is easier to remove) and making sure it is all machine washable (easier to clean in case of accidents)
- Tracking bathroom usage (to find patterns, triggers, and suggested times for a schedule)
Creating a time voiding schedule is one method of bathroom training. With urge incontinence, this could also include delaying urination by gradually increasing the time between bathroom usage or urgency suppression (where you use distraction or relaxation to deal with a frequent urge to use the bathroom).
If the person you are caring for has cognitive challenges, reminding them when to use the restroom may be part of how you manage the condition.
6. Buy incontinence products
There are many types of incontinence products that can help seniors manage incontinence issues, some of these include:
- Portable commodes
- Underpads or bed pads
- Mattress covers
- Liners or pads
- Disposable protective underwear (there are also washable and reusable briefs and underwear)
- Disposable urinal bags (for if the person can’t reach the bathroom in time)
7. Prioritize tips for hygiene
There are also different hygiene products to help people with incontinence maintain good hygiene. These include wipes and skin care products for seniors to prevent irritation. Even with wipes, it is also important to frequently wash their skin.
There are also disposable gloves for caregivers to use when cleaning up. It is also important for caregivers to dispose of all waste and pads/other incontinence products safely and wash their hands.
8. Recognize that accidents will still happen
Even with the best treatment plan and lifestyle changes, accidents can still happen.
Talk about this and come up with a plan for what to do if this happens.
Be prepared for this by keeping pads, wipes, and a change of clothes available.
9. Be intentional about social activity
Incontinence can cause seniors to withdraw and stay home which can lead to social isolation (a lack of social connections). It is important for seniors’ mental, emotional, and physical well-being that they remain socially active.
As their caregiver, you can help seniors be intentional about planning and engaging in social activities. Encourage family and friends to visit and make sure safe transportation is available.
You can also help them find hobbies they enjoy and sign up for classes or volunteering.
10. Accept help when needed
It is important for both you and them to recognize when additional help is needed. Ask other family and friends for help or consider professional help with home care for seniors with incontinence.
Home care services provide trained caregivers who are available as much as needed and tailor their services to each individual’s needs.
They offer services such as:
- Safe transportation: take them to medical appointments or social activities
- Personal care: helping people with their activities of daily living (moving around, bathing, grooming, and going to the bathroom) and ensuring seniors have good hygiene
- Meal prep: they can monitor their diet for triggers and make meals high in fiber
- Housekeeping: cleaning up the house after any accidents (including doing laundry)
- Encouragement: encouraging seniors to create and stick to a bathroom schedule or their other lifestyle changes
- Reminders: reminding seniors (especially those with cognitive challenges) to go to the bathroom or take their medicine
- Advice: how to make their environment more accessible, finding easy to remove clothing, and which incontinence products to use
- Companionship care: providing social interaction and emotional support
- Respite care: temporary care for when a caregiver is unable or needs a break
Home care providers are trained to deal with incontinence in a patient and kind manner that normalizes it and reduces embarrassment.
11. Look after yourself
Accepting help and regulating your emotions are huge parts of looking after yourself, but it is also important to make sure you are:
- taking care of your own health
- managing your other responsibilities
- practicing self-care
- getting support (whether from friends, family, a therapist, or a support group for caregivers)
- having some fun
Hire Pacific Angels Home Care for seniors with incontinence
Pacific Angels Home Care can help seniors with incontinence in Monterey, Santa Cruz, Aptos, and the surrounding area.
Our kind caregivers offer safe transportation, personal care (moving around, bathing, grooming, and going to the bathroom), meal prep, housekeeping, companionship care, and respite care.
We can remind seniors to use the bathroom and offer advice on how to deal with incontinence.
We tailor our services to each individual’s needs, are available as needed, and can be a great resource to manage incontinence.
Call us today at (831) 708-2876 or reach us online to learn more.
