Excretory functions become that much more challenging as one ages. If you have a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or other relative who is struggling to use the bathroom, you should make them aware that it is nothing to be ashamed of. Mindfulness of toilet hygiene for the elderly and strategies to relieve oneself without pain or drama will make life that much easier for the elderly person in your life.
Our team of caregivers is here to help your loved one relieve him or herself in a dignified manner. Even if your parent or other relative is bedridden, we will make it that much easier to use a bedpan or commode. Alternatively, if your loved one needs assistance removing clothing to use the restroom or assistance in terms of mobility to reach the toilet, we are here to help. The end result is a higher quality of life and enhanced personal hygiene.
Keep in mind, elderly hygiene issues greatly affect one’s self-worth, confidence and quality of life. Our team is here to help with personal care including bathing and toileting, bathroom wipe assist and more.
The elderly individual in your life should not feel even the slightest bit of shame or embarrassment for a bodily function that is perfectly normal. Instead of assuming your parent or grandparent doesn’t need assistance going to the bathroom, be proactive by asking if he or she needs help. Your loved one might have difficulty getting up from toilet or another problem yet unwilling to talk about it until you raise the subject. Even slight toilet support for the elderly has the potential to make a significant improvement in quality of life. Toilet support for a senior citizen ranges from assistance reaching the bathroom in time to relieve oneself to assistance getting onto and off of the commode, wiping and other elements of personal hygiene. Do not assume your parent will be comfortable asking for assistance with such sensitive issues. Broach the subject in a subtle and careful manner, let your loved one know our professional caregivers are here to help and he or she might warm up to the idea of obtaining assistance. Even if your loved one does not agree to receiving assistance for using the toilet right away, he or she might be open to assistance in due time.
Adaptive Bathroom Equipment
Aside from in-person assistance provided by our team of caregivers, adaptive bathroom equipment can also help your parent or other aging relative use the bathroom in a dignified manner. As an example, the addition of a raised toilet seat might help a senior citizen who has arthritic knees as he or she won’t have to sit down on a toilet that is comparably low to the ground.
The raised seat is positioned below the normal toilet seat, providing about four additional inches of height. Raised toilet seats are available with or without handles. The version with handles makes it that much easier to stand after relieving oneself.
Toilet equipment for the elderly includes a bed toilet for elderly and bottom wiper for elderly. The wiper device is an extender that makes it that much easier to reach behind oneself for a proper cleaning after an excretory function is performed. It is also possible to add a padded toilet seat that ensures one’s backside does not become sore when sitting. In some cases, it makes sense for seniors to wear underwear of the wet absorbent variety, wear wet sleepwear and/or use specialized sheets for urinary incontinence.
Some senior citizens opt for a built-in bidet that cleans the backside to perfection, ultimately reducing the need for excessive and ergonomically challenging wiping. A bidet transmits a jet stream of water to one’s backside for a more thorough cleaning after using the toilet for elderly.
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Timed Toileting
Senior citizens with urinary incontinence often find timed toileting is an effective strategy. Commonly referred to with the acronym of UI, urinary incontinence is involuntary urine leakage. UI is an especially common problem among senior citizens. However, those who abide by a toileting schedule for elderly tend to have fewer leaks and accidents. Our team is here to provide your loved one with reminders to use the toilet at specific times and also help him or her use the toilet. The timed voiding of the excretory system through intervaled toileting makes it that much easier to manage urinary incontinence and maintain a decent quality of life.
The challenge lies in establishing the optimal fixed intervals between using the toilet and remembering to do so at those scheduled times. Most senior citizens cannot remember to use the toilet on a regimented schedule. Enter our private duty nursing team.
We will help develop a timed toileting schedule ideal for your unique loved one and provide essential reminders that make it that much easier to adhere to that schedule. Instead of attempting to motivate your loved one to resist the urge to use the bathroom or delay voiding, timed toileting trains the mind and body to get used to using the toilet at specific times in an effort to improve excretory system functionality and minimize the chances of accidents.
Safety Tips for Senior Toileting
Senior toileting has the potential to lead to a painful accident if not performed carefully and with the assistance of a care specialist. If you suspect or know your parent, grandparent or other relative is at risk of such an injury when toileting, be proactive by asking for assistance from our care specialists. We provide guidance for seniors struggling with the challenge of toileting. Our care providers also provide direct assistance to elderly individuals who find it difficult to use the toilet. The aim of our care providers is to prevent a painful fall or other mishap while toileting and also improve the senior’s activities of daily living, commonly referred to as ADL.
Aside from using a toilet wiping aid, it will also help to use additional toilet aids for seniors and install the adaptive equipment for toilet hygiene and detailed above. Be sure to add sufficient lighting for the bathroom so the senior citizen you love so much can see properly.
You can enhance the safety of your loved one’s bathroom all the more with the addition of reliable grab bars by the toilet and also inside and outside of the bathtub. Encourage the senior in your life to take short “baby steps” when backing toward the toilet for proper positioning instead of trying to approach the toilet as he or she did when younger.
Don’t forget to stock up on sanitary wipes for the elderly and other personal hygiene products for seniors to facilitate a thorough cleaning. Finally, the bathroom flooring should be slip-proof to minimize the chances of a slip and fall. Reach out to us today to find out more about our daily nursing care levels of assistance.