Does Your Loved One Have Incontinence?

A look at the signs of incontinence

Although incontinence impacts millions of adult Americans every year, it is a condition that is often kept hidden, even from physicians. Why? Because it is embarrassing. Loss of bowel or bladder control is not something people like to talk about, so how can you know if your loved one, or the individual you are caring for has incontinence? 

The following is a look at the signs of incontinence and what you can do as a caregiver to help a loved one with this condition.

The first signs are going to be emotional. Individuals with urinary or fecal incontinence will often give off signals through their behavior. For example, a decline in social activities is a big red flag. Often the loss of control makes them anxious about spending time socially. Another emotional cue is unexplainable anger. Another is a desire for attention, often negative attention. Watch for the emotional cues that tell you, the caregiver, there is a problem.

The second are the sensory signs. These are things like the odor of urine or feces in the room. If it smells like an accident occurred, it probably did. Soiled bedding and underclothing is another sign. These are the more obvious signs. However, other signs include irritated skin in the perineal area. Prolonged exposure to urine or feces will cause skin breakdown. If the skin is red, has a rash, or sores, there is a good chance the individual suffers from incontinence. Other sensory cues is leakage when they laugh, cough, sneeze, or engage in physical activity.

Learn to recognize the signs so that you can take steps for dealing with bladder or bowel control conditions. If your loved one is not willing to talk about incontinence, do not push them. Most women wait an average of 6 years before they speak to their physician about incontinence. However, do not let it go on too long. There are treatment options, management tools and absorbent products, and some lifestyle changes that can be made to help reduce symptoms and manage leaks so that the individual can enjoy a healthy social life.
Learn more or call 800-985-1353 M-F 9-4 CST to talk to one of our product specialists. This is an all-female team who have each been a caregiver to a loved one. Since this is their only business, they know incontinence products inside and out, and want to help you. They can offer expert advice on which products to try, how to best help your loved one, and how to increase comfort and discretion while providing adequate protection. 

Help support this ad free blog by answering several questions about caregiving here. It will take just two minutes.

Call us. We're here to help. 

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. Visithttp://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.

Tweet