Looking for suggestions for Catheter & Bag Challenges with Father

[Archives1]

My father lost control of his bladder 3 years ago. He uses a foley catheter. He also has Parkinson's and so has cognitive and physical challenges with changing, cleaning, caring for his bag changes. There are a lot of leaks, and we can't always identify where they are coming from.

My mother is trying to be a good care taker, but my father requires a lot of care, and the catheter/bags is a something my mom is not willing to help him with. We are unable to afford daily home visits for assistance.

I visited the urology nurse with him yesterday for a Foley catheter changes and she suggested a solution would be to wear a night bag throughout the day so that we avoid the changing of the bag (I believe the bag changes are where most of the room for error/leaking occurs...he does not seal the tube into the bag well enough). Does anyone have experience with this? My father does have the ability to walk so we would need to strap it to his leg.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks so much.

 

[Archives1]

My condition is not as extreme as your father's; however, when I had to use a Foley catheter I found it easier to use just a night bag simply so no one had to change from it to a leg bag. If he is able to empty the bag as needed, he and your mother may find this easier for them. Is there any chance the actual catheter is too small for his urethra? That was an issue that caused leaking in my situation. Wishing you and your parents the best.

 

[Archives1]

Most night bags are pretty big, and would be difficult to wear on a leg because of that.

When I was cathed for six weeks or so a few years back, I settled on a fairly large leg bag (1500ml, I think) that I could just leave attached overnight. As long as I emptied it right before bed and right when I got up, I didn't have to use a night bag at all, so I didn't have to break the catheter connection constantly. Breaking that connection is one of the sources of bacteria in a catheter system, so eliminating that seemed to be too help minimize my chances of infection (though I have no medical evidence to back that up).

 

[Archives1]

Hi
I recommend the URO bag pants. They have pockets on either side, very comfortable with no straps. They are 90% cotton. Easy to use. Hope this helps.

 

[Archives1]

If diapers and plastic pants are not an option, try calling a company called Men's liberty. They may be able to help. I don't know the phone number, but you should be able to google it. Hope this helps.

 

[Archives1]

Hello, My husband just had a prostatectomy and used a catheter for 8 days. So nothing compared to a chronic situation. But even in just that short time. I can say how stressful it was for us two very capable people to deal with. So I empathize with all of you. A few thoughts. Use of a night bag all day sounds like a good idea to minimize handling.

When your father does have to empty are you able to observe how he handles to see when/how spillage occurs? And maybe set things up for him in such a way to minimize?

For example, if he is seated can he open the bag valve over a basin, then close the valve and organize himself, and then later dump the urine from the basin into the toilet? That is easier than standing over the toilet to empty. It also takes away some concern about pulling on the penis while standing and trying to empty.

If he does wear night bag all day there may be devices to make carrying/wearing it less cumbersome.

Could you possibly afford someone to come once a week or so to check for infection, review process with Dad and see if there are any ways to manage better?

 

[Archives1]

I feel for what your family is going through. My father and family went through the same as you D14. As you know Parkinson’s is progressive and I encourage the family to talk and implement help for your mom now rather than later. Yes, I spoke correctly, not your dad.

Long-term care can impact the caregiver (spouse) both emotionally and physically. Providing support now will help prevent burn out and ultimately better support for your dad.

It sounds like catheter management is an issue. There are services that charge an hourly rate to help with daily living. This is less costly than an onsite caregiver. It might be good to establish routines and relationships now before mobility and bowel issues arise. Have you looked into these services?

Two alternative ideas is 1) to pay for light house keeping to unburden your mom and lower family stress, and 2) find adult daycare programs in your area. Possibly, if she is less stressed, mom may see cath care differently?

Lastly, you didn’t mention dementia. Dementia, incontinence, and muscle stiffness/mobility hit at the same time for my dad. How has this factored into your care plan?

 

[Archives1]

@daughter14,
I am catheterized with the Foley on a regular schedule. In your Father's case I would strongly suggest to stay constantly connected to the large bed bag. As mentioned by another member that will help prevent an uti and eliminates the work of cleaning the bags.
When using a 2000ml bed bag an 18" extension tubing should be connected to the original bag tubing. That allows more tubing length to hang on the side of the bed. And allows different ways to deal with the bag during the day. He could wear a belt around his waist over his underwear and then hang the bag on his side from that, all covered by his pants. The extra tubing would hang inside his pant leg.

 

[Archives1]

Thank you all for your suggestions and support!

We do have aides coming in twice a week - though that has been inconsistent and they seem to call out every couple of weeks. They help with light cleaning, laundry, showering and some catheter bag care & cleaning. I would love to get my dad into Adult Day programs to help give my mom some more respite, but they are still closed here due to Covid.

He does have some dementia - he can get very confused and fixates on things, there have been periods where it is better and sometimes it is worse - I do think that he gets UTIs often which can add to the confusion (another reason to limit his bag changes).

 

[Archives1]

D14,

Great to hear all the support they have. COVID has really impacted outside group support. Hopefully, they will resume shortly. Re. Catheter, regardless of bag size, it will need servicing. Thought: has someone teamed up with mom on the bag emptying and cleaning, could help with her hesitation.

Home support: Consider a separate cleaning service, e.g., Church, Maids XYZ, etc? There’s also meal preparation help out there as well.

You may have observed dementia is more likely in the evening or when away from home as was our case. Check into, if not already, sundowners and how to lessen effects. OT/PT with vocal, strength, and coordination exercises could help as well. Walking aids, we found a gait belt helpful, and avoid aids with wheels.