Dignity in Toileting

Wicey

New member
Aug 16, 2018
3
0
It's been one week since I became the primary carer for my 84 year old mother with Alzheimer's and one of the most difficult aspects so far is the urine incontinence. I've had four children so know all about this most personal aspect of development but baby wee and 84 year old mother wee are two different ball games. Apparently there is no infection (thankfully) but, armed with rubber gloves, Zoflora, bleach, incense sticks and my elbow grease none of this is enough to shift the odour. Even more difficult, is poor Mom's distress at wetting her bed or wetting herself and at these times she begs me to put her in a home. Her Alzheimer's means that she's forgotten as soon as I've helped tidy her up, which is great but ....
 

karaokePete

Registered User
Jul 23, 2017
6,534
0
N Ireland
Hello @Wicey, you are welcome here.

This is a common issue and I’m sure members with experience will be along to advise. Indeed, just today we were discussing the use of pet products for the odour as they are effective.

It would be a good idea to see if your GP surgery has a continence service as that would be of great help.

Things like Kylie sheets for bed and furniture are often used, as are Tena Lady products.
 

Wicey

New member
Aug 16, 2018
3
0
Hello @Wicey, you are welcome here.

This is a common issue and I’m sure members with experience will be along to advise. Indeed, just today we were discussing the use of pet products for the odour as they are effective.

It would be a good idea to see if your GP surgery has a continence service as that would be of great help.

Things like Kylie sheets for bed and furniture are often used, as are Tena Lady products.
Thank you! It's early days for us and I am indeed waiting for an appointment with the local continence service as Tena Lady products (two at a time) AND plastic pants from a specialist shop are not enough. I will certainly look into the pet products. Many thanks again!
 

Bunpoots

Volunteer Host
Apr 1, 2016
7,342
0
Nottinghamshire
Hi @Wicey

The hardest thing I've had to deal with in my dad's dementia is definitely the incontinence. My dad doesn't think he ever wets himself and makes up all sorts of reasons why the bed, his trousers, his chair, the carpet, his slippers....are wet. We've had spilt tea, juice, man with a watering can (in the house??!!) and a hose pipe...

I've found adult pull-ups have been a godsend. At first we started with pads but dad quickly moved past that stage. At first he knew he was having accidents but now, as his dementia has worsened, he has no idea.
He now gets his pull-ups on prescription so ask for an appointment for your mum with the continence nurse if you haven't already.

It's a battle to keep him and his house smelling fresh and clean.
I use Kylie-type pads over his sheet in bed and a waterproof (rubber backed towelling) mattress cover. The cheapest I found were on Amazon.
I also use stick-on disposable pads by Abrena from Incontinence Choice on top of the kylie to save washing. If dad wet the bed he would just take off the kylie so having the disposable pad saved an extra load of washing!
If you use the washable bed pads never use fabric conditioner or combined wash and conditioning powders or liquids or the pads won't work and the wee will just run off.

I've found that using a carpet cleaning machine (I have a bissell) and a pet carpet cleaner shampoo helps to remove the smell. So does shake'n'vac.

For laundry- if things are left to dry I soak them in disinfectant to loosen the smell before washing. I add Napisan to the wash but some fabrics still seem to hold on the the smell :confused:
 

Tilly Mint

Registered User
Jun 14, 2011
21
0
Hi,
My mother is now bedbound but some of the items I use can be used on a chair. I call them bed protectors but nurses and others call them Kylie sheets. These come in varying degrees of absorbency and I place one on top of the bed sheet she lies on or it can go on a chair and I place one of two different pads on top of these for mum to be sat on top of.

These are either a Tena Flex pad which has a velcro belt with each one so that when the middle comes up through the legs at the front, the back belt fastens to it round at the front, or an Age UK Maxi Absorb pad. I use the Tena ones over night and the Age UK ones during the day.

You can get wash mousse which is great for softening hard poo on skin and also has a nice smell to it. These are made by Tena and Attends.

You might also like to try an aromatherapy diffuser which is something you add water and an oil of your choice and it continues to send the aroma out into the room for about four hours. It's like they have steam coming out but they aren't hot.

Many people have commented on the lovely scent in the room which is reassuring for me as I feared how the house might smell.