Home Care in Mt. Gilead OH
Millions of aging American adults, more than half of the overall elderly population according to recent studies, cope with some degree of urinary incontinence. This can range from the occasional leak or dribble during certain activities to total loss of control over the bladder. Despite its commonness, however, most seniors coping with this problem face serious emotional consequences, including embarrassment, depression, and loss of dignity. By taking special care to ease these difficult emotions while helping your aging loved ones manage their urinary incontinence, your aging parents’ home care provider can dramatically improve their quality of life and emotional health.
Maintaining dignity while dealing with urinary incontinence in a senior care plan is about both finding ways to manage the condition itself while also supporting the privacy and emotional needs of the senior. This is a delicate balance, but home care offers the individualized attention and compassionate care that can let your senior parents experience fewer “accidents”, improved physical health, and boosted emotional and mental health.
Some of the ways an in home care provider can help your elderly loved ones maintain their dignity while also coping with the effects of mild to severe urinary incontinence include:
• Make a routine. Most people use the bathroom whenever the urge strikes, but for seniors who are no longer capable of interpreting that urge, or who are not able to get to the restroom quickly enough after the urge strikes, creating a routine can greatly reduce the number of accidents. Create a schedule in which you bring your parents to the bathroom first thing in the morning, at 2-hour intervals throughout the day, and right before bed. Depending on the severity of the incontinence, you may also need to add trips closer to meals
• Foster independence. For some seniors, incontinence is about having difficulty holding the urine long enough to get to the restroom and undress. Make this process easier and foster toileting independence with careful wardrobe choices. Elastic-waist pants or pants with Velcro closures make undressing faster so seniors have a better chance of “making it” when they feel the need
• Make the restroom accessible. For seniors with mobility problems and dementia, actually getting to the bathroom can be a major obstacle in successful toileting. Ensure the path through the home to the bathroom is clear and large enough for them to get through using their mobility aids if necessary. Leave the door open when the bathroom is not occupied and add a sign that shows potentially confused seniors that that is the bathroom. Consider removing mirrors as these could confuse seniors with advanced dementia, making them think that there is already someone in the room
• Use discreet supplies. No adult wants to wear diapers, but if urinary incontinence is a serious problem it may become necessary to wear bladder control undergarments. Choose options that are streamlined for a closer, more comfortable, and less obvious fit under clothing. Be sure your elderly parents or their home care provider changes these garments regularly to prevent odors and skin irritation. Pack a day bag for the home care provider that contains an extra change of clothing, bladder control supplies, and skin cleansing products so she can take care of your elderly parents if there is an accident while out of the home
• Speak with compassion. How your elderly parents’ home care provider speaks to them and to others about the incontinence makes a dramatic impact on how they feel about the issue. Nurturing care providers speak with positivity, encouragement, and even humor, never blaming or scolding the seniors, and even deflecting the issue with language such as “your clothes got wet” rather than “you had an accident”.
If your aging loved ones are coping with urinary incontinence and you want to help them maintain their emotional wellbeing while keeping them healthy and managing their incontinence needs, get in touch with the elder care agency in your area to discuss hiring a home care provider who has experience offering care for seniors with this type of issue.
If you are considering hiring home care services near Mt. Gilead, Ohio, call the caring staff at Central Star Home Health at (419) 610-2161. Providing services for families in Mansfield, Lexington, Ashland, Bellville, Crestline, Galion, Loudonville, Mt. Gilead, Shelby, Wooster and the surrounding areas.
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