Toileting is one of the essential lessons learned from the time you first learn to take care of yourself. You are taught to be self-sufficient in using the toilet, cleaning yourself, and maintaining a sanitary environment. However, as you advance in age, it becomes difficult to maintain sanitary autonomy, a fact that can be quite embarrassing to admit.

That is why hiring professional home care services that specialize in toileting care is recommended when you feel that you cannot rely on your family members to help you. Mom’s Home Care has trained staff experienced in providing toileting and incontinence care services.

Professional toilet care services recognize that your loss of control is normal at your old age and that it is not intentional. Aging citizens need help maintaining their dignity, especially in embarrassing situations, without judgment or undue frustration over their lack of control.

For most people, the prospect of receiving or giving assistance with toileting is a source of embarrassment and frustration. Therefore, when it comes to toileting care, it is best to follow a matter-of-fact approach. This entails considering all the facts relevant to your loved one’s situation including:

  • The toileting environment
  • Toileting options available
  • Incontinence

The three points above will enable you and your toileting care provider figure out the unique situation of your loved one and what actions should be taken to help them.

  1. The Toileting Environment

The first thing to consider when deciding appropriate action to take is the toileting environment of your loved one. As they age, seniors continually lose physical agility and flexibility, which can be burdensome when they go to the toilet. Therefore, you need to inspect and provide the following:

  • Install grip rails that are within reach from the toilet bowl to help your loved one get on their feet after using the toilet.
  • Ensure that the toilet paper and rinsing water is within reach from the toilet bowl. This allows seniors to clean up after relieving themselves without the assistance of someone else.
  • Check the level of your loved one’s toilet seat and ask if it is convenient. If it is too low, find and install a special toilet seat that is commonly used to raise the level to a comfortable position. These seats fit onto regular toilets and are sold at stores that stock medical devices and aids.
  • Inspect the bathroom floor and ensure that it remains dry and non-slippery. A slippery floor is dangerous for seniors because they risk losing their balance or falling in the toilet.
  • Ensure that the bathroom has enough light both during the day and at night.
  • Make a clear path to the bathroom to prevent your loved one from tripping over before or after using the toilet, especially at night.

  1. Toileting Options

If a loved one is not able to physically move to the bathroom, either because they are bedridden or due to any other special circumstance, there are several other toileting options to explore including the following:

  1. Commodes

Commodes refer to chairs wheels that have a hole cut through the seat’s center. A collecting pan is then attached to the bottom part of the chair, which can be removed when you want to empty it. You can also place commodes over a toilet.

  1. Urinals

Urinals are collection bottles used by men to collect urine. These are useful when the loved one still has control over their toileting function but cannot physically move to a toilet.

 iii. Bedpans

These are pans made of plastic or metal that are placed under your loved one’s body while they are lying or sitting in bed. They come in different sizes. Often, many people have difficulties releasing their bladder or bowels while lying in bed. Therefore, your loved one needs some privacy and time to use their bedpan.

A toileting caregiver should be on hand to offer assistance whenever their client needs to use a bedpan. Such aid includes lifting your loved one’s head by inclining the bed or using pillows to make them more comfortable.

  1. Adult Incontinence Briefs

Incontinence briefs are sold at health supply stores. They need to be replaced immediately they are soiled or wet. Your loved one’s genital area should then be cleaned from front to back using soap and water.

  1. Catheters

A catheter is a tube inserted by health care professionals into your loved one’s bladder through their urethra. The tube is then attached to a free drainage bag that is either hung on their bedside or strapped to their leg.

To prevent infection, ensure that you wash your hands whenever you handle the catheter and any other related equipment. Moreover, your loved one’s genital area needs cleaning twice a day while the catheter should be cleaned daily using soap and water. The collection bag should also be cleaned using a vinegar-water solution.

  1. Adult Diapers

Adult-sized diapers are available in many supplies stores. They are useful when traveling with a senior or when toileting facilities are not available. Diapers should be replaced after soiling or wetting.

As you can see, toileting care options for seniors who cannot physically move to, or use, a toilet are quite tasking. If you cannot provide the appropriate toileting care required by your loved one, then hire professionally trained caregivers from Mom’s Home Care to provide these and more services.

  1. Incontinence

Incontinence is a medical condition that is characterized by the involuntary leakage of small amounts of urine or fecal matter between regular bathroom visits. It is a leading reason why many people put their loved ones in a care facility. Urgency and frequency are also common bladder control problems that do not necessarily lead to leakage.

Contrary to popular belief, incontinence is not just a problem reserved for older people or those with a disability. People suffering from memory problems, reduced mobility, or chronic health problems like dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease are at high risk of experiencing incontinence.

Incontinence is neither normal nor inevitable. There are various ways of preventing, managing, treating, and curing the condition. It is essential to seek professional help when you or your loved one experience the following symptoms:

  • Increased urgency to visit the toilet – with or without urine leakage or bowel motion
  • Increased toilet frequency. The average range is six times during the day and once at night
  • Leaking bowel motion or urine without being aware
  • Passing minimal volumes of urine
  • Dribbling urine after voiding
  • Straining or difficulty when passing bowel motions
  • Feeling your bowel or bladder is not empty after going to the toilet

Types of Incontinence

Urgency Incontinence: 

Happens when your bladder starts emptying itself suddenly, perhaps when you hear running water or think about urinating. Caused by damaged nerves or irritation from infection.

Stress Incontinence: 

Urine leaks from your ladder when you laugh, cough, exercise, or lift something heavy. It is prevalent in women and caused by physical changes in the pelvic floor muscles.

Overflow Incontinence:

Small urine amounts leak from a bladder because it does not empty completely. It results from scar tissue, nerve damage, enlarged prostate, or obstruction from constipation.

Functional Incontinence: 

Your mental or physical disabilities keep you from correctly using the toilet. It could result from mobility problems caused by stroke, arthritis, osteoporosis, or any other such conditions.

Incontinence Management Options

There are several options available for managing incontinence and helping people with the condition. Treatment is often dependent on the cause and type of incontinence. The right option to use is dependent on the degree of incontinence your loved one is experiencing as well as the outcome they hope to achieve. A caregiver’s incontinence management plan usually consists of the following:

  • Adequate fluid intake throughout the day
  • A fiber-rich and healthy diet to prevent constipation
  • Pelvic floor muscle exercise programs
  • Toileting programs
  • Medication
  • Surgery
  • Incontinence aid products

Incontinence aids used are dependent on the environment and situation as assessed by a toileting caregiver or your primary physician. These include:

  • Bed linen absorbent pads are used to soak feces or urine and need to be replaced immediately and regularly after wetting or soiling to prevent skin irritation.

  • Menstrual pads are attached to women’s undergarments and serve the purpose of soaking any leakage.

  • Adult incontinence pads are also useful because they soak up leaking urine and keep your loved one’s bedding or clothing dry for about three to six hours. These pads are stocked at various pharmacies and stores.

  • Condom catheters. These refer to latex sheaths placed over the penis. The sheaths have a tube that connects to a drainage bag, which can either be attached to your loved one’s leg if they are mobile or their bed if they are immobile. Condom catheters are preferably used during outings because they provide freedom. They can also be used as regular toileting options.

  • Barrier creams to protect the skin from urine and bowel leakage irritation.

Why Choose Mom’s Home Care?

  1. Experience You Can Trust

Your senior loved ones, from your parents to relatives, have always been there for you as you grew up. Now that they are aging, it is your turn to care for them in their twilight years. At Mom’s Home Care, we appreciate your busy lifestyle and the hectic schedules you follow. That is why we offer competent toilet care, incontinence, and other in-home care services for seniors assuring you that your loved ones are in excellent hands.

It is hard to watch your aging loved ones become dependent on others. Since you cannot do it all yourself, enlisting the help of the best in-home toilet care services in Los Angeles, California, should be your top priority. Leaving your elderly loved one alone while you are working or running errands can be quite worrying. Hiring the services of a trustworthy home care services company is the best way to look after your senior loved one’s toileting care needs.

  1. Fast and Easy Process

Whether you need someone urgently or are merely trying to acquaint your loved one with the idea of a toileting caregiver, Mom’s Home Care is ready to help. You get free assessments with no obligation whatsoever that can be done on the same day you ask if needed. Our flexible staff can meet your loved one at home, in a hospital, or a care facility.

Apart from discussing the specific toileting care plan and pricing for your senior loved one, you will also receive free advice on the pros of hiring employed caregivers over independent contractors.

  1. The Family Room Feature

The Family Room feature offered by Mom’s Home Care provides you, your family members, and any other associated care professionals with pertinent information on the caregiver team assigned to your loved one, medications, upcoming schedules, and task details during each shift. This allows you to keep track of your loved one’s toileting care.

  1. Emergency Service Available

Mom’s Home Care understands that accidents happen and that potential clients may need urgent assistance with their loved ones. We maintain a database of qualified, experienced caregivers in different fields including toileting care. What’s more, we offer 24/7 services.

  1. Discounts for New Customers

Mom’s Home Care offers discount services to its new customers. Therefore, you can receive up to 10 percent discounts on the first two weeks. However. To qualify, you must employ our caregiver services for over six hours a day, for at least three days a week. The discount is not yet available to customers who receive less than one month of service or those receiving hospice care.

  1. Certifications and Awards

Mom’s Home Care has received numerous awards and certifications for our in-home care services ranging from companionship to toileting care. This includes a Caring Star Agency top rating in 2018, a 2017 provider of choice award from Best of Homecare, and top reviews on Yelp. The company also has certifications from Home Care Pulse and California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) Home Care Aide Organization.

Mom’s Home Care is a first-class home care services company that provides excellent toileting and incontinence care within the Los Angeles, California, region. We have well trained, skilled, experienced, and professional staff that caters to all types of clients from senior citizens to the disabled. What’s more, our team is ready and able to handle different levels of toileting care from minor assistance to bed-bound clients who rely on diapers. Call us today at 323-244-4789 and schedule your appointment.