Urinary incontinence, or UI, is extremely common in the elderly, and if your elderly family member is suffering from the same, maybe it is time to know more about the adult diaper.
Using an adult diaper is also a good way of helping the home care giver take better care of the elderly patient, while making sure that there is enough dignity and privacy for the person. While an adult diaper, or an absorbent product, is not the treatment for urinary incontinence, it is definitely a better way to manage the condition.
How To Select The Right Adult Diaper For Your Elderly Loved One
There are various things that you will have to keep in mind while choosing the right product for your loved one. Not every brand or type of adult diaper will be suitable for your loved one. Here are a few things that you need to take into consideration when you search and select for different types of products:
Cloth Or Disposable
- Adult diapers are available in cloth or disposable variants, and you can take a pick depending on what you feel will work best in your home. As the name suggests, the disposable diapers are the ones that are use and throw, where the diaper has to be thrown after each use.
- On the other hand, you can clean the cloth diaper each time it gets soiled and use it again. Depending on how often you will be able to clean the cloth diaper, whether you will have to do it or someone, such as the care giver can do it for you, and such factors can help you decide which one you want to go for.
- Also, do remember that unlike popular belief, a cloth diaper can lead to diaper rash and skin allergies in the elderly. Disposable adult diapers come with a built in technology that seals away moisture and keeps it away from the skin, thus preventing rashes and allergies.
- If you want to still try the cloth one, take an assessment of how often your elderly member needs a change in terms of the number of times he or she passes urine, and it will give you a better idea.
Style Of Diaper
- There are mainly two types of adult diapers available, the ones that come as a pull-up option and can be worn like underwear and the ones that are more like a diaper.
- For those adults who do not have an issue with mobility and can move around independently, or with some help, it is a better option to go with the pull-up diaper at first. This is more convenient as the person will be able to get in and out of these easily, without having to lie down and ask someone else to put it on for them.
- It is also a good option for those who do not have too much incontinence, and can pull off the diaper while using the washroom, and then pull it on again, and use it more as an emergency management tool.
- For those adults who have a problem with mobility and are mostly on bed rest, using the regular adult diaper will make more sense, as it can be put on the patient even while he or she is lying down. As a result, you will not have to inconvenience the patient each time they require a diaper change.
Absorbency Issues
- Different adult diapers will come with different absorbent levels and you need to choose the one that will work best for your loved one, depending on their overall condition. The main factor that will help you make a better assessment is to understand how many times a day and night the person passes urine.
- The adult diapers that are the most absorbent are also the most expensive, so you may want to first use a few other types that are less absorbent and see how it goes. A good way to manage the condition as well as the budget is to use a lesser absorbent diaper through the day and use the most absorbent one at night.
- Again, not using a diaper that has a good absorbing capacity can lead to various problems, such as leakage, skin rashes, diaper rash and so on. If you are not able to make a decision immediately, try using an absorbent lining or under-pad for some time till you figure out which type of diaper will work the best.
It is very important to make sure that whichever type of diaper you choose for your loved one, it should have the perfect fit. Diapers that don’t fit properly will almost always have a little amount of leakage, which can lead to skin issues and beats the purpose of using the adult diaper in the first place. Take into consideration things such as body type, size, gender and so on.
Your home care giver can assist you in choosing the right type of adult diaper for your loved one by understanding the person’s specific needs and also help them in using the same.
