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Just when you
thought it couldn’t get any worse, your loved one with
Alzheimer’s develops incontinence. What do you do
now? The following letter and its answer may help
with this puzzling combination.
Q) My mother
has had Alzheimer's for probably 8 years. She has just
begun having accidents in her bed and clothes. My father
has briefs for her, but we are wondering about a simple
way to get her to wear them. Perhaps you have some
suggestions. Also if she wet them and changed clothes
she might to put the briefs in the toilet. Should we put
a diaper pail in the bathroom? Any ideas you have would
be very helpful and much appreciated. Mother is 78, as
is my father.
Elizabeth Smith-Boivin
of Mills View Adult Home in New York and Gladys Bunker
of the Alzheimer's Association of the Greater Palm Beach
Area in Florida, provided the following answer:
A) If it is
environmental incontinence, related to Alzheimer's
Disease she simply may be forgetting how to find the
bathroom in a timely way. In that case, you may want to
keep
the bathroom door
open and the light on, so the toilet is visible. Treat
the protective undergarments as
part of normal dressing and don't make a big deal over
it. The more you make an issue of it, the more it
becomes a battle. Your mother may be unwilling to wear
adult protective undergarments because she finds them
uncomfortable. There are a number of products available,
from simple, thin undergarment liners that enable a
person to continue wearing their own underpants to the
full, protective undergarments that feel like
underpants. There are disposable as well as reusable and
washable products on the market today. Find the most
comfortable and reasonable product for your mother and
your situation. Protective bed sheets are also
available. To the degree it is possible, involve your
mother in the decision of which product to use, showing
her all the available options. This will contribute to
her sense of independence, which is very important to an
individual with Alzheimer's Disease.
Using a diaper pail
in the bathroom is an excellent idea. But remember, it
will be difficult for your mother to
learn a new task. It would be a good idea for someone to
assist her so they can remind her not to throw the
undergarments in the toilet. You could
also try securing a plastic garbage bag around the
toilet bowl and dispose of it later.
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