Associated Problems

[Peter1]

Hi There,

My mother (58) was diagnosed with Alzheimers two years ago, recently she has started to wet herself, sometimes at night, sometimes during the day. It seems to come and go but often occurs when she is in unfamilir surroundings (day trips etc).

I am keen to try to find a way of managing the problem because my brother and I live quite a distance away from home and mum really enjoys visiting.

When speaking to the consultant, we were advised that the problem is not likley to be a result of Alzheimers however I wondered if anyone else has had similar problems and pahaps found ways to manage them?

Many thanks

 

[catm]

Hi Peter,
My mother's incontinence started similar to your mum's, and is related to her AD. There are services you can get from the District Nursing service for specialist continence advice, but one way I found of managing it while my mom was still mobile was to ask and prompt her to go to the toilet regularly and also to carry a spare pair of clothes and Tena incontinence pads/ disposable pants around when taking her out. Not ideal I know, but easier than being caught out. Trying to find a shop to sell something to wear if you find yourself in the position of them being caught short and wetting themselves only contributes to everyone's stress, so being prepared just in case making is simpler. On journeys, stopping regularly at service stations etc. can help too. Just a few ideas, I hope they help.

Oh, forgot to say, plastic mattress protectors really help too!

Cat

 

[Peter1]

Thank you both for your posts, I feel that I am always asking for advice, but never giving any on this forum. Reading about others and there experiences really does make me understand AD a lot better.

Thanks again.

 

[zed]

I don't know if it can be used for adults, but there is a nasal spray that can be prescribed for older children who wet the bed. If I remember correctly, it can't be used long term, but can be used for special ocassions. It might be worth asking your GP.

That doctor was wrong, AD CAN cause incontinence.

 

[Lila13]

There are still mattress covers and incontinence pads, unused, in boxes, which my mother had ordered in anticipation. She obviously wanted to be able to cope with "all that" herself without telling us.

Lila