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| There are some lifestyle changes and home remedies that can make dealing with incontinence a little easier. |
Here are a few--
- Skin problems - If your elderly loved is having problems with urine leakage, they may need to take extra care, to prevent skin irritation. They may need to use a washcloth/wipes to clean and dry themselves. Products such as powders, moisturizers, and deodorizing tablets, can help them to feel clean, and eliminate urine odor. You might also consider using a barrier cream, to protect the skin from urine. However it is important not to overdo it since our body has natural defenses, against bladder infections. Washing too frequently, or douching, can defeat those defenses. It's better to aim for keeping the skin clean and dry. If your elderly loved one is not able to clean themselves, there are products that will help the caregiver take care of this. The CareGiver Partnership offers a wide variety of skin cleansing products that are made to be gentle for aging skin. Their helpful Product Specialists can help you determine what products will work best for your senior.
- Make the home safer - It is important to have a clear path to the bathroom. This way when the senior needs to get into the bathroom, they will not be impeded by any rugs or furniture, that they might trip over, or collide, with on the way to the toilet. In addition, proper lighting can help illuminate a path. There are several types of lighting, some with motion sensors that can turn on automatically as someone approaches. There are also changes that can be made to the bathroom. If you have functional incontinence, a home or bathroom renovation project may help. Possible changes can include: adding a bathroom in a more convenient location, widening an existing bathroom doorway, installing an elevated toilet seat, or simply adding a few well-placed grab bars. For the elderly with severely limited mobility, a bedside commode or bedpan can be used.
- Exercises for better control - There are also several different types of exercise that can be done, to help strengthen muscles, and improve incontinence. Kegels are the most well known. To perform Kegels, the person must squeeze their pelvic floor muscles, as if they are trying to stop a stream of urine. Physicians generally recommend that you do a set of these exercises, three or four times a day, to treat your bladder control problem. Kegels are especially effective for women with stress incontinence, but they can also help reduce, or eliminate urge incontinence. You may want to ask your senior’s doctor for help, or to refer you to a specialist who can teach the proper way to do these exercises, because many people unknowingly practice incorrectly. Another options for exercising, is the use of vaginal weights. These are cone-shaped weights that are used to help with Kegel exercises. A weight is placed in the vagina, and then the person must contract their pelvic floor muscles, to keep it from falling out. Many cones come in sets of varying weight levels, so that the patient can build up to heavier weights, as their pelvic floor muscles become stronger.
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| The Incontinence Product Finder tool allows you to easily find what you need from among 500 incontinence products |
About The CareGiver Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their loved ones with answers to their caregiving questions, including information about home health care products and supplies, from our Wisconsin-based team of Product Specialists who are all current or former caregivers. The company’s Web site provides the largest online library of resources on subjects most important to caregivers — from arthritis to assisted living, and Parkinson’s to prostate cancer — as well as access to more than 3,000 home care products for incontinence, skin care, mobility, home safety and daily living aids. The CareGiver Partnership was founded in 2004 by Lynn Wilson of Neenah, Wisc. Visit http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.
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