Many of us will have experienced stress and anxiety when needing the toilet and being unable to locate one. In people with dementia, these feelings are multiplied, but a toilet strategy can help to alleviate the problem, says Catherine Ingleby, marketing executive, Find Memory Care
Elderly people with dementia are 50 per cent more likely than other elderly people to be incontinent.1The reasons why people with the condition experience these difficulties include medical conditions such as urinary tract infection, constipation caused by a poor diet or dehydration or the side effects of medication. However, it could be that they are simply unable to find, recognise or use the toilet.
A toilet strategy is all about using highly visible, high contrast colour to establish a clear route to the toilet and once there, to use the same principles to ‘decipher’ that environment by making the important things, such as grab rails and the toilet itself, easier to see. This boosts confidence and independence as well as helping to maintain or restore dignity.
To follow are some of the main points to consider when looking at how to reduce the number of toileting accidents in your care facility.
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