{"id":5964,"date":"2019-05-14T10:16:13","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T15:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/innovativehomecare.com\/?p=5964"},"modified":"2019-11-25T10:40:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-25T16:40:19","slug":"incontinence-alzheimers-caregiving-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/incontinence-alzheimers-caregiving-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Incontinence | Alzheimer\u2019s Caregiving Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"5964\" class=\"elementor elementor-5964\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c34577a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"44776\" data-id=\"c34577a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e055c52\" data-eae-slider=\"29263\" data-id=\"e055c52\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1bffcc5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1bffcc5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A person with Alzheimer\u2019s disease may have other medical problems over time. These problems can cause more confusion and behavior changes. The person may not be able to tell you what is wrong. <strong>Urinary incontinence means a person leaks urine by accident.<\/strong> While it may happen to anyone, urinary incontinence is more common in older people, especially women. Incontinence can often be cured or controlled.<\/p><p>One problem, incontinence, means a person can\u2019t control his or her bladder and\/or bowels. This may happen at any stage of <a href=\"http:\/\/innovativehomecare.com\/most-common-early-signs-of-alzheimer\/\">Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a>, but it is more often a problem in the later stages. <strong>Signs of this problem are leaking urine, problems emptying the bladder, and soiled underwear and bedsheets.<\/strong> Let the doctor know if you see any of these signs. He or she may be able to treat the cause of the problem.<\/p><h2><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Causes of Incontinence<\/span><\/strong><\/h2><p>Incontinence has several possible causes. Some can be treated:<\/p><ul><li>Urinary tract infection<\/li><li>Enlarged prostate gland<\/li><li>Too little fluid in the body (dehydration)<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/innovativehomecare.com\/what-to-do-when-early-signs-of-diabetes-appear\/\">Diabetes<\/a> that isn\u2019t being treated<\/li><li>Taking too many water pills<\/li><li>Drinking too much caffeine<\/li><li>Taking medicines that make it hard to hold urine<\/li><li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\u00a0<\/li><\/ul><p>When you talk to the doctor, be ready to answer\u00a0 the following questions:<\/p><ul><li>What medicines is the person with Alzheimer\u2019s taking?<\/li><li>Does the person leak urine when he or she laughs, coughs, or lifts something?<\/li><li>Does the person urinate often?<\/li><li>Can the person get to the bathroom in time?<\/li><li>Is the person urinating in places other than the bathroom?<\/li><li>Is the person soiling his or her clothes or bed sheets each night?<\/li><li>Do these problems happen each day or once in a while?<\/li><\/ul><h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">What To Do About Incontinence<\/span><\/strong><\/h4><p>Here are some ways you can deal with incontinence:<\/p><ul><li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><ul><li>Remind the person to go to the bathroom every 2 to 3 hours. Don\u2019t wait for him or her to ask.<\/li><li>Show the person the way to the bathroom, or take him or her.<\/li><li>Watch for signs that the person may have to go to the bathroom, such as restlessness or pulling at clothes.<\/li><li>Respond quickly.<\/li><li>Make sure that the person wears loose, comfortable clothing that is easy to remove.<\/li><li>Limit fluids after 6 p.m. if problems happen at night. Do not give the person fluids with caffeine, such as coffee or tea.<\/li><li>Give the person fresh fruit before bedtime<br \/>instead of fluids if he or she is thirsty.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Here are some other tips:<\/span><\/strong><\/p><ul><li>Mark the bathroom door with a big sign that reads \u201cToilet\u201d or \u201cBathroom.\u201d<\/li><li>Use a stable toilet seat that is at a good height. Using a colorful toilet seat may help<br \/>the person identify the toilet. You can buy raised toilet seats at medical supply stores.<\/li><li>Plan ahead if you are going out with the person. Know where restrooms are located.<br \/>Take an extra set of clothing in case of an accident.<\/li><li>Help the person when he or she needs to use a public bathroom. This may mean going into the stall with the person or using a family or private bathroom.<\/li><\/ul><h5><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Accidents Happen<\/span><\/strong><\/h5><p>Be understanding when bathroom accidents occur. Stay calm and reassure the person if he or she is upset.<\/p><p><strong>Incontinence supplies, such as adult disposable briefs or underwear, bed protectors, and waterproof mattress covers,<\/strong> may be helpful. You can buy these items at drugstores and medical supply stores. A drainable pouch may be useful for the person who can\u2019t control his or her bowel movements. Talk to a nurse about how to use this product.<\/p><p>Some people find it helpful to keep a record of how much food and fluid the person with Alzheimer\u2019s takes in and how often he or she goes to the bathroom. You can use this information to make a schedule for going to the bathroom.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9a4909e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"13353\" data-id=\"9a4909e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f42c29a\" data-eae-slider=\"40920\" data-id=\"f42c29a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Urinary incontinence is more common in older people, especially women. Urinary incontinence means a person leaks urine by accident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dementia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5964"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8935,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5964\/revisions\/8935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}