Worldwide, more than 50 million people live with dementia. This number is expected to increase to 131 million by 2050. More people with dementia are being taken care of at home for a longer time, placing an increased burden on relatives and growing pressure on the quality and efficiency of home health care.
More than half of the people with dementia live at home, often with the help of a family member as a caregiver. Relatives taking care of loved ones are generally overloaded, overworked, and stressed, especially by the burden of continence care.
Because we believe that caregivers and people with dementia are entitled to the best help, we have collected 40 years of advice and information about incontinence, personal care, hygiene, and dementia. So that you can continue to provide human dignity for patients with dementia.
The family caregiver
Taking care of a loved one with dementia takes a toll on the family caregiver. Over 50% of family carers say their health has suffered as a result of their caring responsibility, and 75% are often stressed between living up to both caring and other responsibilities, even as their role becomes increasingly important.
Family caregivers often show signs of anxiety and depression, and their physical health is negatively affected. They take on a great number of care and nursing tasks, often without the knowledge of dementia and incontinence of professional care staff. And without the practical help and aids available to professional care staff. In addition, incontinence and personal care for a loved one with dementia can be stigmatized and difficult to talk about.
Incontinence and dementia
Incontinence is not a natural consequence of dementia, but is a frequent problem experienced by people living with dementia.
Incontinence can be a difficult subject for family caregivers and health care professionals to approach. All too often, family caregivers are expected to provide continence care for relatives with dementia, even without adequate training and tools, often while still having additional family and professional responsibilities.
Most people don’t like to talk about incontinence. They may hide it and speak of 'accidents'. Or, they may no longer have the cognitive abilities or language to be able to communicate about their incontinence.
There are many ways to make incontinence and dementia more manageable. Together, we can make incontinence and dementia a little less stressful.
Personal hygiene and dementia
It’s not uncommon for people with dementia to forget to take a shower, to have accidents in the bathroom, or to forget how to take care of essential personal hygiene. As dementia progresses, maintaining personal hygiene becomes a growing burden on the support system.
Here are a few tips from our in-house nurses:
- Do not try to take over the personal care immediately, but provide the best possible guidance.
- Gentle washing is often less stressful than a full shower or bath.
- Implement routines and rituals for showering and washing.
- Make incontinence and hygiene products easy to find and easily accessible.
Skin Care and Dementia
The most common skin problems associated with dementia and incontinence are blemishes, bedsores, and skin conditions related to incontinence (Incontinence-associated dermatitis, IAD). Not getting the right treatment or products can lead to skin irritation.
In many cases, prevention is better than cure. Here are a few tips from our in-house nurses:
- Always use the correct incontinence product – and change it in time.
- Practice good hygiene and skin care, but remember that a full bath may not be necessary every day. Products for bed bathing or washing without water can be a less stressful experience, while still maintaining good hygiene.
- Maintain good posture and get enough exercise and movement.
Incontinence and dementia
Suddenly panic strikes on the way to the toilet. Where is the bathroom? How do I get my clothes off and on again?
These are just a few examples of problems a person with dementia may face.
