People who live with Dementia may often struggle with incontinence. This may be due to their inability to communicate their needs or neglecting their personal hygiene due to being forgetful.
It is important, therefore, to understand what incontinence is, how it affects people living with Dementia and how we can better support them during a sensitive and vulnerable time of their life.
What is incontinence?
Firstly, we need to understand what incontinence is. It is described to be the lack of control over urination or defecation.
Often people who suffer with incontinence may only suffer with urinary incontinence, so it is important to recognise that each individual is different. It may happen to individuals more frequently than others and is managed in different ways.
Risks of incontinence in people living with Dementia.
Individuals living with Dementia are at a higher risk of incontinence due to a decline in their cognitive function.
There are several reasons why they may not be able to use the bathroom appropriately, such as forgetting where it is located, an inability to recognise the sensation of needing to use the toilet and a reduced ability to concentrate on daily tasks.
It also may be a side effect of certain medications, such as some sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication that may relax the muscles of the bladder.
It is important to recognise that people who are incontinent may feel extremely vulnerable and embarrassed.
People with Dementia who experience incontinence may not understand why they are unable to carry out the simple daily tasks they once used to do, and in turn grow frustrated and irritated at themselves.
As healthcare professionals and loved ones, it is vital to show patience and empathy with these individuals, as they are undergoing an enormous change in their independence.
We must always treat these people with dignity and give them privacy, by ensuring they are covered with a towel and the curtains are shut when using the toilet or assisting them with changing as they do not have the capacity to do this themselves.
How to reduce the risks of incontinence in people living with Dementia?
After understanding how people living with Dementia may be affected by incontinence, we can now have a better understanding on how to help them.
Communication with people living with Dementia should always be in a calm and understanding tone. This will help us establish their needs and preferences.
It is important to ensure that the toilet is visible and accessible for them, scheduling trips to the toilet every couple of hours or after meals and drinks to prompt them to use it if they need to.
Despite the risks of being incontinent, individuals living with Dementia should be prompted to drink plenty of fluids, due to the increased risk of Urinary Tract Infections also known as UTIs.
It is also important to ensure that the individual is wearing appropriate clothing. Pull up incontinence pants are ideal so that the individual isn’t tempted to take them off, unlike incontinence pads.
Having some spare clothes of theirs and pull up incontinence pants just in case an accident does happen is vital to avoid the individual feeling uncomfortable and in the long-term, avoiding the development of moisture lesions, skin breakages and skin ulcers.
To summarise, it is important to note that accidents will still occur when managing incontinence in people living with Dementia.
Families and healthcare professionals need to be supportive and encouraging of their growing and changing needs, so that they feel they are in a safe environment regardless of their condition.
Ensure that they receive the right level of dementia care supporting them to use the toilet as much as they can and wear appropriate clothing to prevent the individual feeling uncomfortable but be reassuring when the occasional accidents do happen.