When you have an older person you are taking care of that starts to have an incontinence problem you should immediately discuss the problem with the person’s doctor. Don’t wait until it’s so bad it cannot be controlled. Incontinence, especially urinary incontinence, is a common condition that often occurs among older people. It is so common that it may have nothing to do directly with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
There are many older people that have overactive bladders. This condition may lead to an urgent need to urinate. It often comes about very suddenly. This can cause frequent bladder leaking and consequent embarrassment. Some people have trouble getting every last bit from the bladder. As a result the bladder may overfill and produce a constant dribble of urine. Sometimes older women have weak pelvic muscles causing them to lose urine when they laugh, sneeze, or exert themselves.
A person with bowel incontinence may be suffering from an infection, diarrhea, constipation, or an accumulation of waste lodged in the intestine. We noticed that it came about so suddenly that Mr. Q had a problem with bowel incontinency, that the caretaker suspected there may be a problem with an infection. We took him to the doctor and sure enough that was the case. But now, some time after the infection has cleared, he has seemed to forget almost entirely that he needs to have, or how to do a bowel movement.
Mr. Q definitely has an incontinence problem and it is compounded by his inability to know how to do a bowel movement. Because he goes a long time without a normal bowl movement he needs to push to get it out and he doesn’t seem to know how to do that. It’s a big problem. There is the wetting problem also, but that can be somewhat controlled by regularly getting him to the bathroom before he wets himself.
Back to the problem of doing number two. Mr. Q doesn’t drink enough fluids to make it easy for him to do poo poo. He has been refusing to drink juices and we have been unsuccessful in getting him to drink water. Originally he thought not drinking water would keep him from going to the bathroom to take a leak, but he has since forgotten that and incontinency has taken over. We can get him to drink Ensure or similar products, but in very small amounts.
Many of these incontinence problems are reversible. In some cases a doctor can prescribe medications to improve bladder and bowel control. This is not always the case, however. Sometimes trying doctor prescribed medications does not do the job.
Brain damage done by Alzheimer’s will progress (usually slowly), and you may need to take some extra measures to prevent accidents. When a person is confused they can forget to go to the bathroom, forget where the bathroom is, or forget what to do once they get there.
If there is an incontinence problem make it a habit to take your loved one to the bathroom every few hours. If they are confused they might forget where the toilet is or what to do so you need to guide them if this is the case. There may be some overt clues of a potential bathroom problem that you may notice. Watch for restlessness, tugging or constantly adjusting or fiddling with clothes, or other out of place movements that might indicate they need to relieve themselves.
Sometimes when a loved one starts wetting or doing bowel movements in their clothes or other places, the most dedicated caregivers can sometimes feel defeated. It’s hard to imagine yourself constantly cleaning urine stains from clothes, rugs and other places or changing the sheets and blankets several times a night. These types of problems and accidents connected with incontinence drive some very dedicated caregivers to look for nursing homes or a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE in California).
So if incontinency is, or becomes a problem for your loved one who has dementia or Alzheimer’s be sure to see a doctor and have him at least try to control the situation by medicines, if possible. Try not to scold or reprimand a person for accidents. Your loved one isn’t trying to make your life difficult. I’m sure they dearly wish they could take care of themselves. It takes lots of patience and understanding to deal with these situations. You now know what to possibly expect and can better prepare yourself for this common dementia and Alzheimer’s problem.
By: Charles L Harmon
About the Author:
In a previous life Charles lived on the computer and was a programmer and
software developer. Now he is an involuntary caretaker of elderly persons, some of which have dementia and Alzheimer’s. He is exposing the problems of caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease from the perspective of someone who is suddenly in a position of caring for a loved one with those problems. Read about Mr. Q, who
has Alzheimer’s disease and is a resident in their RCFE (Residential Care Facility for the Elderly).
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