Bladder incontinence refers to the inability of the bladder to hold urine, leading to involuntary leakage. It is a common condition among the elderly and may affect people who have dementia.
Bladder incontinence is uncontrollable and can be very uncomfortable for elderlies and tasking caregivers. However, you can adequately manage these conditions to allow for more comfort.
Here are some helpful ways to manage dementia and bladder incontinence among elderlies.
Medication
There are different medications formulated to help treat bladder incontinence. If the cause of incontinence is an overactive bladder, medication can help calm it down. But, the medicine may also interfere with other underlying conditions like dementia.
So, consulting with a doctor is essential to ensure that the medication prescribed helps with incontinence without affecting other conditions. The doctor will run tests to determine the actual cause of incontinence and treat it, providing more relief and comfort.
Improve Their Diet
Improving the diet of people with bladder incontinence helps manage the condition better and avoid further health complications. Ensuring they drink plenty of water and eat a fibre-rich diet will help keep the bladder healthy and prevent constipation.
In addition, avoiding caffeine, spicy foods, and carbonated drinks is essential to avoid irritating the urinary tract. So, restricting these food options to prevent further health damage is necessary.
Pay Attention to Their Hygiene
Proper hygiene helps keep the caregiver and the elderly comfortable. However, incontinence with dementia means that accidents may happen. For example, the elderly may forget to go to the bathroom, or the bladder may give in, leading to a mess.
Paying attention to hygiene will help keep such situations under control. The first thing is to ensure that the person you care for is wearing incontinence underwear, pads, or liners. These products will help avoid having a big mess, and you can easily change them.
When changing the underwear, ensure that your hands are clean to avoid infections. In addition, you should change this underwear regularly to prevent exposure to too much moisture, which may lead to inflammation and yeast infection.
Make it Easy For Elderlies to Use the Bathroom.
When using incontinence underwear, ensure that you or the person you care for can easily access the bathroom. So, avoid tight clothing that may be difficult to handle when trying to go to the bathroom.
In addition, remove any obstacles in the way and leave the bathroom door open, allowing easy access to it at any time. Finally, as a caregiver, you can check in on the elderly once in a while, reminding them to use the bathroom.
How Dementia and Bladder Incontinence Relate
People with dementia have a high chance of having bladder incontinence. However, this can result from other health issues besides dementia.
These issues may include an overactive bladder, weakened pelvic muscles, or nerve damage. Treating these health issues will help improve bladder function significantly.
That said, bladder incontinence in people with dementia may also be due to them not getting to the bathroom in time or forgetting where the bathroom is.
This is referred to as functional incontinence, where the bladder is healthy, but factors like forgetfulness lead to unwanted accidents.
Melissa Waltz has always been recognized for her health and wellness knowledge and gained her knack for sharing this knowledge when first asked to ghostwrite for a friend’s nutrition blog. That’s when she realized her love for writing and she began to create articles on holistic nutrition utilizing her educational background in Nutritional Science. While working in the health industry for over a decade, she has grown into an experienced writer who likes to simplify any science-based jargon into reader-friendly language.
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