Any advice on briefs for men that give severe incontinence enough support?

Normandy, you are so correct! Around here, the same people work both in nursing homes and in-home care. They tend to work in this field because they really want to sit around using their cell phones, that is when they are not sleeping on the job. Yes, day or night they sleep. Have caught them on camera--no one cares.. They provide as little care as possible, and are skilled in how to not work. There has to be a special reward in heaven for the one in fifteen who care and enjoy helping.

Guess those things must help some people, but for really severe incontience, they do not absorb more than one pee. Cost wise, they are definitely not worth it. I, for one am sick of all the hyped up ads.I ordered a sample, it didn't work. Then with all the hype, we ordered a case, following the advice of the "professional", in a smaller size. Even less coverage!

You can give a try to wellness briefs.

The question is always are nursing homes training staff and is their salary sufficient for them to offer professional care. Underpaid personnel perform matter of fact service. Staff if they do not understand their role should not be employed. Caregiving is a labor of love in addition to being a livelihood.

A brand called ATN ( All through the Night ) is good--says they hold 34 ounces.---- Nobody should EVER get " kicked out" for peeing! Absolutely " fight" to keep him there for now --- but then find another place to take him immediately by visiting and asking residents AND THEIR VISITORS-- especially people who have loved ones in a similar condition as your dad-- is it possible, perhaps, to have him at home with some daily help? And yes, also go to the website and send a complaint about this to the state licensing agency-- and fill out the " complaint/ concerns" form at the place where he is living now-- keep a copy for yourself always-- there must be a paper trail-- yet even then it is nearly impossible for nursing homes to be sited for wrong- doing because licensing people say they have to actually see the neglect/ issue-- and of course they will most likely have meticulous records which state that your dad has had perfect care. About diapers again---more frequent changes are necessary-- every two hours if he has been peeing through whatever brand you have been using while wearing the same diaper longer than that. It seems like someone where he living now should be helping him more. "Fight" for it--- everyone living there deserves sincere caregivers who treat people the way they want someone to treat them.
--KDH in Maryland

Danabear, our caregiver was thrilled to see your suggestion. So, I gave her a copy of your post. (And made one for me, too)

So, Tena seems to be the best for absorbency?

Danabear, that tip sounds ingenious!! I can't wait to try it out, the constant dressing and undressing is one of my bigger irritations :)

Ladylee mentioned the suggestion I was going to make. I'll elaborate.
A condom catheter is a slightly thicker condom with an opening at the tip that is connected to a drainage tube which is connected to a drainage bag. The drainage bag can be emptied. The condom part is usually secured with either tape at the base of the penis or with a special Velcro closure. When the man starts to urinate, the urine flows into the bag, keeping everything dry. I had many patients use these and they are more reliable than diapers that don't hug the crotch. The thing to remember is that the bag needs to be below the bladder for gravity to drain the urine. You can tape the drainage tube to the inner thigh to secure it so the condom doesn't pull off.
You can also use a skin protectant so the urine won't excoriate the skin, (make it raw from the ammonia). Most pharmacies carry these. Desitin is one we use on babies. I would also use a bed pad (Chux) under him. Some are washable and some are disposable.
Restricting fluids (unless the doctor specifically orders this for a condition where they have fluid buildup) is NOT a good idea for an elderly person. As we age our "thirst meter" doesn't work so well. Older folks tend to drink less anyway and frequently become dehydrated. Withholding liquids could result in many problems, worse than a wet bed!
IMO, having an "Indwelling" catheter should be a last resort. These can be a portal for infection if the c/g doesn't know sterile technique. You also have to have them changed every 2-3 weeks. I have seen patients with their urethra worn down the shaft of the penis 1-1/2"! For long term need of an Indwelling catheter, usually a supra public catheter is inserted (a hole made from the abdomen to the bladder). These also have to be changed every 2 weeks but they don't wear out the urethra.
Give the condom catheter a try. You could try a diaper on top as long as you thread the tube through the diaper first.

Danabear.that IS a cool trick, and it also works with winter coats and wheelchair dressing (slightly modified). Just wanted to add to all of the above to check out ",the pilot store"...there are tons of alternative equipment that may or may not work in your situation....lately my favorite thing is a portable urinal with a long tube which can be peed into while laying down or seated, and the container sits on the floor...looks like a gas can, no smell...less than fforty bucks. Sorta star wars esque. With female afapters even. We also used to get newborn baby size diapers, tape them into a cup (use masking tape on the outside if needed) put those over the mans penis, THEN put the adult diaper. Sometimes the urine would leak onto the adult diaper. But not as much. Also get the doctor to order a three day voiding diary which records when the fluids are consumed how much and at what time and how much the urine is.....one it make the staff pay more attention to both things and 2 you will have a better sense of what size diapers he needs and when to anticipate changing. Thosse tests are usually ordered for urinary problems so if he is being kicked oit of his housing over a urinary problem, I would get in touch with the ombudsmen and his urologist and push for that. Good luck.

I buy my husband the Tena brand, for men. I order them through Walgreens. I order down a size, so that they are a snug fit. In addition, I put a pad in them, for extra absorption, and easy change; this way I don't have to undress him completely. As others have said, the position of the penis is important; it needs to be down.

Also, I have my husband on the medicine Ditropan XL. This gives him the control, somewhat, to get to toilet. Without it, he has no control, and leaks while changing his clothes.

Lastly, A home that would tell you that he must leave, because of incontinence, doesn't sound like a reputable, caring facility. I would consider another home.

Just to add for anyone who is in late stages of any disease and if they are cared at home, be sure you have a protective huge pad where your loved one sleeps. When one is about to die, all muscles relax, and of course any liquids and feces will come out onto the bed. (The extra pad seemed to reassure my hubby about leaking, so thanks again!).

YES to the condom catheter!!! My hubby had them when the VA put his stent in and removed some cancer spots on his back. So easy and no pain. It's a condom with a tube in it that leads to a bag that holds urine. Closed system. Just empty the bag when it's mostly full. So when they gotta pee, they just go!
Also, for Mkcweb- who's changing her MIL by undressing her--NOT NECESSARY! I learned the neatest trick from a CNA. Let me see if I can explain it well. Wish I could video it....OK. Drop her pants and underwear to ankles. Let her sit down. Cut or rip off underwear (wear gloves). Throw them away. Take a CLEAN brief, get down on the floor (sorry) and put her right foot into the underwear as if her pants weren't around her ankles. LEAVE PANTS ON!!!! SHOES TOO! Now, reach down inside her pants from the waist down the right leg (inside the pants leg). Grab the underwear and pull them up INSIDE the pants leg and on up her leg. OK. Now the cool part. Make sure you have them on correctly(front towards the front) Take your hand and go UP INSIDE her LEFT pants leg FROM THE BOTTOM of the leg!!! Your hand should come out from the leg at the waist of her pants. Grab the outside portion of the LEFT leg opening of the brief, stretch and pull it down INSIDE the pants leg and slide over the HEEL TO TOE of her foot. It's now around her LEFT ankle. Then reach thru that leg opening from the waist DOWN the leg and pull the brief UP THRU THE PANTS LEG! Make sure you keep it straight. Front to front as you grab the side and pull it. IT'S ON!!! NO UNDRESSING! I do this on my dad and he thinks it's so cool everytime.

First of all, if you don't have the waterproof pads on his bed, they are essential. Before I found the really large ones, I sewed several smaller ones together to cover a large enough area. And you need extras so whoever is changing his bedding, doesn't have to wait for laundry. I found these at North Shore Care Supply.

My husband has severe bowel and bladder incontinence, and is a large man, not heavy, just large, so even the largest briefs never quite fit. We are trying to keep him at home, but cleaning walls, furniture, carpet etc was getting to be too much.

So, 1st, I got him several pairs of what I'd call rubber pants to go over the briefs, and what a difference they made. I found 2 kinds, again at North Shore. One is Salk Sani-pant Cover-up, and the other is GaryWear Active Brief Diaper Cover. Both are more than adequate to fit his large body.

Then, we added Simply Right Guards from Sams to his briefs. These are an added on pad that sticks to the brief and gives extra coverage/absorbancy.

I also ordered some briefs which gave extra coverage, but he doesn’t like the fit, but perhaps they will fit your Dad OK. First were Tranquility Premium Overnight Underwear from HDIS.com. The other was a free ($3.98 shipping) sample from Unique Wellness. This was the kind used for the astronauts called Wellness Brief Superio Series.

I didn’t even know these items existed and it took me a long time to research all the common sites and find/settle on these items, so I hope this helps. Good luck.

My husband uses FitRight. As he is a large man, he uses size XXL. His brief is changed four times a day. To alleviate potential UTIs (my husband's bladder retains urine), I also straight cath him when he wakes up and before he goes to sleep.

The Foley cath mentioned by ferris1 may make the most sense for you though. Do keep in mind that any cath increases the risk of UTIs, which must be weighed against your Dad's health issues.

Please look at Abena products from Denmark. Several companies sell them on-line. While the price is higher, the savings from cleaning up leakage and extra hours of protection make them worthwhile. It is difficult to understand their products. They have protection levels 1 through 4, with sizes S through XL. They have regular and "premium". The premium has a cloth-like breathable covering and the non premium is plastic. I've purchased the 3 and 4 level products. Both have an inner elastic feature that prevents fecal leakage. My husband uses Abena Abri-flex M3 pull-ons during the day and Abena Abri-form M4 tabbed "briefs" at night (the tabs can be re-positioned several times) . If your patient is cooperative, you can put the 4 level product on while the person is standing up, but you have to study the instructions on the Abena website or package.

you say your dad is in a "facility".....what does that mean? is it assisted living, nursing home? if a nursing home, how can they kick him out, apparently they are not using the right kind. sounds like they are way understaffed to handle the patients they have. and I understand where my father is they check them every 2 hours (depending if they are short handed, it might go a little longer), but so far I don't think my father has had an issues. Thank God. I wish you luck.

Mkcweb, I used depends pull ups on my mom and a Tena overnight pad. These pads were wider in the back then front. I would just change the pads throughout the day and then put fresh pants and pad for the night. Worked well for us. I also swear by the washable bed pads

Ferris thank you and in my experience if the patient can be lifted out of the bed 10/2/4 or whatever we will notice some reawakening of memory when he begins to urinate in the commode. We must be patient and attempt to solve the problem. Just like music therapy give it a chance.

I'm glad this question appeared today in my email. Since two days ago, I've noticed Hubby going in his incontinent underwear. I've just been getting the cheapest brand at the local drug store.
Being that it'll happen at night also, I'll get that extra pad to put inside.
You've given me thought to add a blue pad under his bottom sheet. I do have a "plastic" mattress cover; but this pad will be a good addition.
Thank you.

The problem with a bedside commode is (perhaps) someone with dementia doesn't know what it is for...I have no idea, but I had one (from our lending agency) and took it back. I'll try the extra pad inside the brief next! Thanks. I might also add cleaning a floor with Method and/or Simple Green is both non-toxic and won't damage your flooring. Tight pants are definitely NOT recommended. It will constrict the blood vessels and you could get a clot.

Tight pants leave a an uncomfortable mark and the patient who cannot communicative will suffer. Maybe the answer is a bedside commode if he can get out of bed on a schedule would help. The catheter after a while is the best answer but you still have the bowel problem which might work with the commode idea.

Try Depends or other pull-up briefs and place a thick, extra absorbent pad for men in it. The pad can be changed every time he wets it. Saves a lot of extra work and keeps him comfortable.

We have tried everything--external condoms, tons of brands of briefs, even a condom which fits on penis (certainly not for one with delicate skin), by far the best absorbancy is Abena. Abri-Dry. Will keep him dry 7-8 hours. It might take a time or two to get the brief on correctly, but we find them to be great. They are available several places on the internet.

(I meant to say AND, not Any).

Any yes Mkcweb, there is tape on each side for unisex, but unless she is lying down, this is very difficult.

With men this is an issue because they carry all their weight outside the body (penis). I'm having the same problem, and it is a constant mopping of floors and changing. I should buy stock in Kimberly-Clark! Talk to dad's doctor about putting in a catheter. The nursing home should have already thought of this and recommended it to the doctor, so there might be more to the story about the "kick-out" than just incontinence. Tell your state's licensing board about this practice at the nursing home. They could get a surprise inspection from investigators (which would be great).

I have a second part to this question. Do they make them with repositionable fasteners like diapers. Hate having to undress mother in law to change for lite soiling.

What about monitoring fluid intake or a condom type catheter?
Just throwing out some ideas.

We also use the arena product. Just a quick question if you don't mind, how often do they change him? My BIL (lives with us) is on Lasix for water retention and takes another Med for his seizures both which cause incontinence and if changed regularly, his briefs do great, miss one and forget it. If its happening more when he wakes up its best to double brief him. Been doing this awhile and none have enough absorbent to handle one of his "excessive nights." I hope those helps. Please keep us informed of your findings as to what your thoughts are on the products you try.

Good Luck,
Richard K.
PickYourPain

I don't know if this will be helpful but thought I would mention. Try going down a size, maybe a snugger fit would help