Hi all, first time poster here and have registered to share some. Of particular tips I’ve learned through trial and error looking after mum who is now doubly incontinent. She’s not cognitive enough to know what the poo is and often find it in drawers, on tables, furniture etc.
On a practical level we have bought some water washable chair pads for every chair. Buy more than you need so you’ve some clean ones to quickly put on if any get messed up. I’ve recently had to sew some elastic on to them as mum has started to remove them. So far it’s working but I have I doubt she will work out how to remove them in time. I have a similar (but bigger) pad on the bed on top of the normal bed sheet, waterproof mattress protector and electric blanket.
The brand of pad can make quite a difference. For light incontinence the ones from Home Bargains are much cheaper but just as good as brand leaders like Tena (although I did notice a drop in quality about a year ago) but now I only purchase ones From the Paul Hartmann website and can’t fault them at all from the design to stop leakage and the sheer volume they can hold (for urine at least). I put used pads in a nappy bag and try squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible as they take up A LOT of volume in the bin!).
When it’s been a messy movement I’ll clean up with a wet wipe (which I’ll put in the nappy bag with the pad to stop blocking the toilet and sewers). Trial, error and personal preference with those. I used to use Asda own brand as I found them very strong, good size, decent amount of wetness to help with cleaning and a nice scent. Sadly they have changed recently so was using various baby wipes but they can be pricey and have now settled on skin therapy ones from Wilco. At 50p a pack they are tremendous value, contain aloe vera and chamomile extract but don’t contain plastic.
I’ve become expert at recognising the signs that she needs to have a bowl movement; sudden agitation, especially after eating, pacing, squirming and irritability (above the normal irritability!) and try get her to the toilet as soon as possible.
Constipation is an issue but try to give her a healthy diet with plenty of fruit, veg and porridge. Luckily she likes all those. A stool softener helps when she’s bunged up and use lactolose. The sheer size of the stools also adds to the constipation as they can be painful to pass for her (when I say it’s like giving birth I’m not exaggerating!) . The lactolose helps with this. I also sit with her and stroke her hand to distract and calm her. I’ll do deep breathing like when giving birth and give her encouraging words like “come on, nearly there” and “push!” Although she doesn’t really understand how to do that I think it engages with her enough to distract her from giving up and standing up before she’s finished. It doesn’t always work though but I’ve learned not to beat myself up when it fails.
For cleaning clothes Vanish Oxy Wash is a miracle liquid. The liquid gel spot cleaner can tackle even fairly large patches and doesn’t bleach coloured items. I’ll also put a scoop of powder in the washer as it helps with stain and odour removal. Similar oxygen based carpet spot cleaners are also good for small stains on carpets. Failing that I would happily recommend a Bissell carpet spot cleaner. I use a mixed solution of a low foaming carpet shampoo and quaternium based disinfectant in hot water, applied from the machine, scrubbed with the brush head then extracted. It will leave the carpet slightly damp but will dry on its own in about 12 hrs depending on conditions.
Finally keep an eye on sores and rashes. I’d recommend a cream called Cavilon from 3M which was specifically designed as a barrier cream for incontinence and is superb at stopping skin damage.
Sorry I’ve rambled on a lot but wanted to share as much as I could think of in the hope that just a little bit of it is of some use.
Good luck!
Son-turned-carer