My mom is 88 and has had incontinence for a while…she lives with me in my walk out basement level. It smells often and it smells BAD. She often has UTIs and she can’t smell anything. I am finding that she’s now losing a lot of urine all over floor despite wearing a pad. I’m guessing it is shifting or maybe bunching up? She’s heavy of that makes a difference - about 60 inch waist, 245 pounds. Help! She doesn’t admit to any of this (in denial or embarrassed?) - it’s tough to live in these conditions and I don’t want to place her in AL.
ideas for tight fitting undies maybe? I wanna cry. I’ve washed so many waterproof pads, sheets, blankets
Then a protective pad under her where she sits or sleeps. We try to take her to the potty every few hours to hope she does something in there. She has no sensation when she has to go. She has a problem wiping well, so we try to do that for her.
1. We use Depends daily around the house and Tena when we have to go to any appointments. The Tena have better fitting leg openings for our purposes.
However,
2. I agree with the advice about AL or at least in-home care. And, to help you make that decision, you should check the Social Security Life Expectancy Calculator. You can get a generalized idea of how many more years that you may be dealing with your mom's declining health and increasing needs.
3. I'm not sure if this is true in every state, but you may be able to call in Hospice for some respite services. Your loved one doesn't have to be terminal. In my state, as long as they are not expected to improve, they qualify for assistance.
My mother was 97, already in a wheelchair, with dementia, limited hearing, Mac Deg and when she had a stroke that disabled her dominant side, the MC nurse called in hospice. We actually had to fight them, make them come back several times. They rejected her for hospice not once, but TWICE.
Beware telling others that hospice is easy and the condition doesn't have to be terminal. Medicare has specific criteria and any hospice working under Medicare has to abide by those rules.
Additionally, not every one has the funds to pay for a facility like AL or MC. NHs are even more expensive, and generally you have to NEED NH care, specialized nursing care. Dementia or incontinence are qualifiers. As for paying the high costs, Medicaid generally only covers NH AND has ridiculously low income limits.
You make everything sound so simple, but it isn't.
Good Luck!
Dianne
After posting this I read all the posts. Rather than referencing the brand depends I should have remembered all the other available brands of adult briefs.
Your demonstration for mom is not weird at all. It's brilliant.
Sometimes a person has to see for themselves why something doesn't work like they think it will.
I always suggested name-brand Depends, with a name-brand Poise pad lining it to all my clients who were incontinent or to their families. They cost a little bit more than an off brand does, but worth the extra money.
If you want absolutely no leakage at all, line that diaper with a trimmed down baby-diaper. This is what I used to do.
Get a pack of baby diapers. Trim the tabs and leg elastic off. Then line the Depend diaper with them. Infant diapers are made from different material than adult ones. You could pour a glass of water on one and that thing will not leak. Also the surface of it stays dry. They're also thin. Perfect for use as an adult diaper liner.
https://www.shethinx.com/pages/speax