People with dementia often face difficulty with many aspects of their daily lives, and using the toilet is one of the more sensitive activities that needs to be addressed. Seniors living with dementia are more likely to experience serious falls or injuries in the restroom due to their symptoms. These dementia care strategies can help your senior loved one use the bathroom safely.
Choose Clothing that’s Easy to Pull Up and Down
Seniors with dementia sometimes have difficulty with common fasteners such as buttons and zippers, which could cause them to rush or even get tangled up in their clothing and fall down. Look for clothing with elastic waistbands or attire that’s designed for seniors with incontinence to make it easier for your loved one to manage getting clothing on and off in the bathroom.
Dementia can may it challenging to manage using the bathroom and other important everyday tasks. Aging adults who require assistance with the tasks of daily living can benefit from reliable home care. Arlington, VA, families trust Assisting Hands Home Care to provide the high-quality care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. Our caregivers are trained to help seniors prevent and manage serious illnesses and encourage them to make healthier decisions as they age.
Minimize the Risk of Mix-Ups
Your loved one may reach for the wrong hygiene products due to dementia symptoms such as confusion. For instance, your parent may substitute household cleaning wipes for toilet paper, which could lead to painful rashes or even chemical burns on sensitive skin. Keep anything your loved one doesn’t need stashed away from the main bathroom area.
Provide an Appropriate Amount of Supervision
There may come a time when your loved one needs more help in the restroom to prevent injuries. While your loved one may not need someone directly in the bathroom, he or she can benefit from having a caregiver stand outside the door to listen for signs of difficulty and offer assistance. Your loved one may also need a caregiver to help with getting to the bathroom during the night if his or her confusion increases with grogginess.
If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with a serious condition and needs help with tasks like meal prep, transportation, bathing, and grooming, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a leading provider of homecare families can trust. We also offer comprehensive care for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Label the Restroom Door
Some restroom-related accidents don’t involve falls or burns from hot water. Instead, your loved one might accidentally wander off if he or she gets lost on the way to the bathroom. To prevent wandering, try to make the bathroom door as obvious as possible. Some families choose to paint the door an eye-catching color that’s different from the other doors in the house. You can also print out a picture of a toilet to make a sign for the door.
Make the Toilet Easy to Spot
Dementia symptoms could also cause your loved one to mistake other bathroom features, such as the floor or the bathtub, for the toilet. In addition to sprucing up the bathroom door, consider adding some color to the toilet to bring it to your loved one’s attention. For instance, a new toilet seat in a color or pattern that’s different from the flooring may make it easier for seniors with dementia to see where they need to sit and resolve issues with depth perception that could cause them to sit down too hard.
Dementia is just one of several serious issues that can affect a senior’s independence while aging in place. There are a variety of age-related health conditions that can make it more challenging for seniors to live independently. However, many of the challenges they face can be easier to manage if their families opt for professional in-home care. Arlington families can rely on expertly trained caregivers to keep their loved ones safe and comfortable while aging in place. Call Assisting Hands Home Care at 703-997-5657 to learn more about our flexible and customizable senior care plans.
