Incontinence brings unique challenges that test your patience and resilience. But with the right tips, it can not only be managed, but you or your loved one can live totally normal lives without worrying about nighttime leaks. And remember, incontinence is nothing to be ashamed of. It affects 25% of Australian adults.
At Ontex Healthcare, we understand these challenges. We provide incontinence solutions designed specifically for home care situations.
In this guide, we’ll explore practical incontinence strategies for maintaining comfort and well-being through the use of proper products. We’ll also cover how to deal with it emotionally at home.
Ready to learn more about improving your incontinence caregiving approach? Keep reading.
Practical Daily Incontinence Management
Remember that famous saying, “Prevention is better than cure”? The same applies here. And the three areas that deserve your full attention to prevent incontinence complications in your loved ones are: protecting skin integrity, managing nutrition, and exercising pelvic floor muscles.
These simple practices will increase both you and your dear ones’ confidence in managing incontinence.
Carer Tips for Aged Care Hygiene
The truth is, skin health protection is the most important part of any daily incontinence care. Without it, the skin condition can lead to painful infections and serious complications that will affect your care recipient’s comfort and mobility.
The important steps below will keep their skin healthy and comfortable throughout the day:
- Gentle Cleansing: You should use specialised cleansers to maintain skin balance between 4 and 7 pH levels. It’s because standard soap removes natural oils from the skin and causes extra dryness.
- Thorough Drying: Pat your loved one’s skin completely dry rather than rubbing to avoid tissue damage. If you don’t dry the skin enough, trapped moisture in their skin folds will create breeding grounds for bacteria and fungal infections.
- Applying Barrier Creams: Quality barrier creams protect people from contacting moisture. The best options here are zinc oxide, lanolin, or petroleum-based products since they create a waterproof layer to prevent urine and stool from irritating the skin.
Making Everyday Life Easier with Diet
While proper hygiene helps protect the outside of the ones you’re taking care of, they’ll still need a proper nutrition plan to reduce symptoms from the inside.
Focus on these three dietary areas to see meaningful improvements within weeks:
- Balancing Fluids: If your loved one consumes six to eight glasses of water daily, it’ll be enough to maintain balance in fluid intake (it does for most people). However, don’t forget to reduce their evening fluid intake 2-3 hours before bedtime to prevent nighttime accidents.
- Avoiding Irritants: Caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks irritate your care recipient’s bladder and increase the urgency as well as the frequency of peeing. Why? Because coffee contains compounds that stimulate bladder contractions. Meanwhile, fizzy drinks add pressure that triggers sudden urges.
- Promoting Regularity: When the person you support consumes high-fibre foods, it prevents constipation that puts extra pressure on their bladder muscles. Foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are rich in fibre and aid in healthy digestion.
The Role of Pelvic Floor Muscles in Handling Incontinence
Pelvic floor muscles support your dear one’s bladder, bowel, and other pelvic organs. For certain types of incontinence, particularly stress incontinence, targeted pelvic exercises can strengthen these muscles.
But we strongly recommend consulting a doctor or physiotherapist before starting this exercise. They can evaluate your recipient’s pelvic floor function and recommend beneficial as well as appropriate exercise programs.
A Guide to Continence Care Products and Tools
At Ontex, we are your trusted partner in managing incontinence with confidence and dignity. We have a wide range of continence products for situations such as nighttime leaks, rashes, and daily usage out of the home.
But here’s the thing… We’ve seen people struggling with picking the right product for their loved ones. Honestly, it isn’t that hard if you know where to look based on different circumstances. And for that, we’ve got your back.
We’ll give you a breakdown on these products and circumstances now.
Choosing Disposable Ontex Products
Our disposable products deliver convenience alongside multiple absorbency levels for various daily situations. They offer safety and comfort, all at the same time. However, your right product choice depends on mobility, activity level, and the degree of protection your loved one needs.
So, here’s more information on our disposable products to help you with the decision.
For Light to Moderate Needs
Discreet pads from our brands like iD and Lille give your dear ones reliable protection. These anatomically shaped products have good absorbency levels.
Users who have to move around a lot appreciate the slim design of our products. This is because our discrete pads ensure comfort during their daily activities.
For Heavy or Overnight Security
With all-in-one slips and protective pants, your care recipient gets the maximum absorbency for extended wear periods. We’ve specifically designed this range of products for heavy incontinence.
Based on our experience, these solutions work perfectly for individuals with limited mobility or those requiring reliable overnight protection.
Adopting a Sustainability Approach
If you’re looking for eco-friendly options, we have that too! Our high-quality washable items from brands like KYLIE deliver months or years of service. Not only that, but our reusable products often cause less skin irritation than disposable alternatives.
Now, as opposed to standard incontinence products, washable selections are good for home use and bed protection. However, they require regular washing and longer drying times than single-use options.
Essential Resources for Planning and Advice
In Australia, we have professional resources like the National Public Toilet Map and the National Continence Helpline. They focus on dealing with anyone’s incontinence condition.
Let’s find out more about these two wonderful services.
Use the National Public Toilet Map
The National Public Toilet Map lists over 22,000 accessible facilities across Australia. This free app and website show the locations, opening hours, disability access, and baby changing facilities of the public toilets.
Call the National Continence Helpline
The National Continence Helpline (1800 33 00 66) connects you directly with qualified continence nurse specialists. The service is free and operates 8 am-8 pm, Monday to Friday.
The best thing is, this helpline maintains confidentiality and provides personalised advice on incontinence product selection, management techniques, and local services.
Support in Aged Care for You and a Loved One
Most people forget one important thing: as a carer, your well-being directly impacts the quality of the care you can provide. When you recognise that both your emotional and physical aspects require attention, you bring balance to the job you do and your comfort.
Here’s how you can handle your emotional side as a carer.
Managing the Emotional Demands of Care
Over half of carers experience increased stress, worry, and anxiety from their caregiving responsibilities. These responses are totally normal, since you constantly remain in tough situations while taking care of your loved ones. Don’t consider them as signs of weakness, please.
What can you do to overcome these feelings, then? Well, you can connect with your friends, family, or local carer support groups. That’s how you’ll gain important outlets for managing stress and preventing burnout.
Your Journey to Confident Care Starts Today
Incontinence affects millions of families every year, yet many people struggle in silence. However, with proper knowledge and support, you can help these people handle their challenging moments and create manageable routines that’ll preserve their dignity and comfort.
In this article, we’ve explored daily practices that prevent complications in your loved ones suffering from incontinence problems. We also examined different product options for various needs and identified valuable support resources.
Visit our website at Ontex Healthcare today to browse our wide range of continence products. They’ll help you take care of your loved ones and ensure their comfort.
