in the next month or so, a hospital bed will be arriving at my house for my mother to use, she's obese and has severe large swollen legs from lymphedema. so the doctor has ordered an extra large electric hospital bed. But my mother has incontinence, we use underpads and depends pull up diapers, and she has a commode she uses because the walk to the bathroom is to hard for her now. I'm worried about when she's in the hospital bed that the pee is just going to drip all over off the sides or something, is it ridiculous that it stresses me out just thinking about it? I know it's not her fault and she cant control it anymore, I've been trying to think about what i can do? buy lots and lots of blankets and sheets to put under her with the underpad? but then i think about how much laundry im going to have to clean and oh god i get stressed again. I've heard there's such things as waterproof protectors for a hopsital bed? do those things work? and I'm terrified that she's going to have pressure sores. I've heard so many horror stories of seniors suffering in their hospital bed. and I'm so worried that even though my mother wants this bed so bad. i worry it's not gonna work out and she's going to get terrible bed sores. I need advice! what can i do in the fight against the pee? and to prevent or keep ahead of possible bed sores?
And hand gel in a pump dispenser.
And wet wipes for you, not just your mother.
Oh boy it's all coming back to me...
I won't say delighted, but you will be astonished at the variety and quality of incontinence products on the market. So many shapes, sizes and capacities - the manufacturers really do seem to have thought of everything. And remember, while it always feels worse when it's your loved one who you have to keep clean and dry, the chances are that she's nothing out of the ordinary compared to other patients.
I'm in the UK so my favourite online supplies companies probably won't be much help to you. But if you Google "continence care" and spend a morning browsing, you'll find not only all the product ranges but probably also quite a lot of helpful guides about what to look for and techniques to try.
Shopping list, if you're starting from scratch:
• A big pedal bin, and plastic bin liners to fit it, for used disposables.
• Another big pedal bin for laundry.
• You can get plastic disposable laundry bags that go straight in the washing machine. They have a soluble strip on them that dissolves in water, so you don't have to handle the soiled bedlinen again - you just put the whole bag in the machine.
• Bed pads. You can get disposable ones. They come in bulk packs, like diapers. Some tuck under the edges of the bed, if you're worried about them creasing under your mother. As well as the area of the pad, look for how much liquid it will hold. Some of them can cope with a couple of litres - and nobody pees more than that in one go, or not outside a urology ward anyway.
• Plenty of sheets. I used to use a fitted one as an under blanket, then a flat one on top of that. You can't have too many. Get pure cotton so that they can be boil-washed. I found good quality ones online at reasonable prices; and in America they'll be even better priced - so don't skimp. If your mother's hospital bed comes with an air mattress, you need to be careful about the fitted sheets though because if they're not purpose-designed they'll interfere with the pressure-adjusting action: check before you buy.
• Dry patient wipes. These come in packets like big tissues, but they're made of a non-tear synthetic fabric and are softer.
• Skin cleanser. I used Senset foam because that was what we got used to in the rehab centre, but I expect there are plenty to choose from. Tena and Johnson & Johnson will no doubt have their own brands. It's important to use a product designed for elders' skin, which is fragile in a different way from babies' skin.
wish I could offer a specific solution..
Grace + Peace,
Bob