According to the Bladder and Bowel Foundation, up to 70 percent of Alzheimer's patients will develop urinary incontinence. Sometimes it is a side effect of the disease itself, and sometimes there is an outside cause, such as an infection. If Alzheimer's disease is behind the problem, caretakers can take certain steps to prevent accidents and deal with them more easily if they do happen.
Instructions
1. Rule out other causes for the patient's urinary incontinence. Although it may be directly related to his Alzheimer's disease, it could also be caused by a physical issue like a urinary-tract infection. If the patient was able to use the bathroom regular before and is suddenly exhibiting urinary incontinence, have him examined by a doctor to make sure there is no other cause that needs to be treated.
2. Take the patient to the bathroom on a regular basis. According to the Bladder and Bowel Foundation, many Alzheimer's patients simply forget where the bathroom facilities are located, or don't recognize the physical signals and feelings that mean they need to go--until they have an accident. You can prevent this by giving them frequent opportunities to urinate in the toilet or a portable toilet chair.
3. Dress the patient in clothing that can be easily removed in case of an urgent need to visit the restroom, or an accident. If she suddenly indicates a need to go, being able to get her to the toilet and to get her clothes out of the way quickly may prevent an accident. Even if you are taking her to the bathroom frequently, there may still be wetting incidents. Being able to undress the patient quickly and efficiently will speed the clean-up and changing process.
4. Stop giving liquids to the patient in the two hours prior to bedtime. Decreasing his liquid intake will also decrease the chance of overnight accidents. Make sure he gets enough to drink earlier in the day to prevent dehydration.
5. Use incontinence aids, such as waterproof covers for chairs and mattresses, or disposable bed and chair pads. As the problem gets worse and accidents become more frequent, you may need to put adult diapers on the patient.
Tags: According Bladder, According Bladder Bowel, Alzheimer disease, Alzheimer patients, bathroom regular