Elder Care in LaVista NE
If your elderly loved one is just starting to deal with the issue of incontinence, you may not feel that you know how exactly to talk about the issue with your loved one’s doctor. You’ll need to be as straightforward as possible to get the best results and it helps to have as much information as possible when you first talk about the topic.
Begin by Monitoring the Issue
When you first notice that your loved one is having an issue with incontinence, it helps to have as much information as you can for the actual appointment. Start out by monitoring the situation. You’ll need to know how often it occurs and how much of a problem the issue is now for your elderly loved one. For example, how many times per day does incontinence affect your loved one’s life?
Gently Ask Your Loved One about the Issue
As part of the monitoring process, it’s important to get information from your elderly loved one’s perspective. Since this is an embarrassing topic, approach the issue delicately and allow your loved one her dignity. You can ask her the following types of questions:
- How long has this been an issue for her?
- Does she get any urge to urinate before there is a leak?
- Is she aware right away that she’s had a leak?
- When do leaks typically occur?
Having the answers to these questions can help your loved one’s doctor to pin down potential causes.
Set up an Appointment with Your Loved One’s Doctor
You can either set up an appointment specifically to talk about the problem your loved one is having with incontinence or you can work the issue into an existing appointment. The key, though, is to approach the topic head on without hedging or being euphemistic. Your loved one’s doctor needs to know the severity of the problem in order to help.
Do Any Follow up Monitoring Necessary
Your loved one’s doctor may give you some assignments for follow up monitoring of your loved one’s incontinence. Some of the types of information that you might need to monitor can include fluid intake, times of day when the incontinence occurs, and what events are going on when the incontinence occurs. This information can influence future recommendations from your loved one’s doctor.
Once you have a plan, you, your loved one, and your loved one’s home care providers can start to implement it for your loved one.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in LaVista, NE, please contact the caring staff at Seniors Helping Seniors of Greater Omaha at (402) 215-0308 today.