advice to help a parent

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I'm looking for some info to help my dad, and I appreciate all that you have shared in this forum. My dad lives in a skilled nursing facility, suffers from dementia, congestive heart failure and has a lot of knee pain from arthritis, so standing is often not an option for him anymore.Incontinence became an issue after surgery for colo-rectal cancer, and then the dementia also made it worse. (Up many times a night to use the bathroom.)

Incontinence has a great impact on Dad's quality of life because he becomes agitated when aides attempt personal cares on him. He also has "sundowning" behavior, where his night and day can become mixed up, so he doesn't sleep well at night.

One thing about living in a nursing home when you have complete incontinence, is that the night shift will wake you to check if you need a change before they go off shift, in the interest of protecting your skin from rashes.

My question (finally!)is: is there a diaper or product that is super-absorbent enough for overnight use, that would wick away the moisture from the skin so you can wear it a little longer (and not have to be wakened from a deep sleep, which triggers agitation?)

Also, are you aware of any easier product to use for overnight (from a changing standpoint) than the traditional side-tab diapers? Getting him to roll to the side when he's sleepy and agitated doesn't make for a good experience.

I would appreciate any suggestions anyone might have. Thanks so much for sharing.

 

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I think the tab style are the best bet for changing. I'm sorry to hear that everything is so complicated for him that is very sad. As for diapers the Abena Abriform M4 are pretty choice for long use!

 

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It might be helpful to make sure he urinates right before going to bed. Check the room temperature for either being too hot or too cold.

This issue is a challenge.

 

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Where I live, the regulations on the care of nursing home residents dictate that incontinent residents should be changed every two hours. For this reason, nursing homes here use the cheapest disposable diapers available. Disposable diapers with enough capacity to last all night are more expensive. If you are allowed to supply your own diapers for him, you might consider Dry 24/7, Molicare and Abena. Good luck.

 

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Regulations for Nursing Care and Incontinence Products vary from state to state. Generally, the NH will provide the diaper or pull on and have them on a schedule (especially with pts with dementia). The state pays for the products and provides the most appropriate product at the most cost effective pricing. This is not always the best, most absorbent product due to the pricing. Check with your facility and see if you are allowed to provide more absorbent products for your Dad. There are many better options out there for overnight and yes, a brief with tabs is a better option if nurses are going to be changing him themselves. TENA makes some very absorbent overnight briefs and pads which many of my customers have found effective. Again, this is just a general answer. Check with your area office on aging and facility for their exact policies. Good Luck

 

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Hi, I would appreciate advice on this issue. My mother is a 91 year-old resident in a long term care facility. She is not ambulatory. Although she usually knows when she has to urinate or defecate, it is not practical or easy to attend to her immediate needs. Therefore, diapers are used.

I was horrified last weekend to observe that the cleanser being used daily is the "liquid soap" that is found in the bathroom dispenser of the nursing home. Although my mother has never suffered from any kind of skin rashes before and has never had any skin blistering, this has been an ongoing concern at this particular facility.

My sense is that the "soap" that is being used to clean her is actually too strong for her skin and is causing dryness and itching.

I need advice on what kind of cleanser to purchase for her care so that the caregivers can clean her personal areas well without causing skin break-downs. I know that there are many products available at drug stores, etc. I just do not know which one may be best.

I hope that someone will be able to suggest something appropriate for her care. Thank you!

 

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Ask a dermatologist. There are many products advertised for incontinent cleansing. Good luck.

 

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Thanks to all who respond. I did end up buying Aloevestra to be used at the nursing home on my mother who is bedridden and also has incontinence.

Despite ongoing conversations with the CNAs, nurses, and even the nursing home administration, my mother is not being changed every two hours and probably not even every FOUR hours. This is shocking to me because everything I have read about residential care says that patients should be checked for wetness on a two hour rotation.

So my new question is: Is there an adult diaper for females that is more absorbent and will wick away the moisture from her skin to help prevent any skin breakdowns. We are currently using Aloevestra for cleansing and a barrier cream 3 times a day. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thanks.

 

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I would recomend the Abena M4 or Confidry 24/7 both are excellent and can take several wettings without skin problems

 

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Thanks, Benfrank. Appreciate your help.

 

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My mother has been living with me for over a year now...she has Alzheimer's, controlled diabetes, bad knees with slow mobility. Think she has nocturia? Doc said she doesn't have congestive heartfailure, but once she lays down at night she urinates almost constantly. She may not urinate much during day at daycare, and sometimes wakes up on her own and wants to go to the bathroom, but she is sleeping longer now, and I set alarms during the night wake her and take her to toilet and change pullups. We get pullups from a company that Medi-Cal uses to support low income seniors. I put two on her now at once in case it is heavy. they aren't real wide so when soaked they leak. I sometimes get Depends Overnight and they absorb well, but cannot afford to use only those...we go through so many. I will look into Peapods Mats, as we change the sheet 3-4 times a week from leakage. I have not had any problems with skin irritation. Maybe because a pull up is never on her more than 5 hours. I clean her up with no-rinse foam and baby wipes. Are the Abena M4 and Confidry expensive?

 

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For mom, I feel ya incontinence supplies can be expensive. Realize that the depend overnight are still really low quality so you'll need to change it a lot. It seems counter intuitive but premium diapers of strong quality will actually save you money. If you were to get Confidry 24/7s, Abena M4 or Seni Quattro you would need to change oft n and the bed will stay protected. I change my diaper 2-3 times in a 24 hour period because mine hold so well

 

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Thanks Benfrank. Where can I purchase the Confidry and Abena diapers?? I also use cornstarch powder in her groin and loose tummy folds, so that might help with the moisture from pull ups...for those of you with skin irritation

 

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I go through vitality medical dot come for abena and xpmedical.com for the dry24/7 the latter in my opinion are the best diapers on the market. I was told that cornstarch can exacerbate diaper rash. I use just petroleum based products or zinc oxide if there's irritation. If there's a rash I use nyamyc powder

 

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Cornstarch it edible. That includes bacteria and yeast.