Is incontinence a symptom of Alzheimer's disease?

Didn't we just do a thread on pooping and peeing. After being with Mom for four days int he hospital, I saw how the CNA's handled peeing and pooping issues, and duplicated all the STUFF at home:

Some washable pads (30x36) layered over the mattress. Then a sheet blanket thing, Then one of those washable pads taped to the blanket with packing tape. Then a 30x36 disposable over that, held with packing tape. Have portapotty right next to bed. I cut her out of her Depends (with poise pad inside). She can go through two of those per night. Roll them into the disposable sheet and put those into plastic bag.

Get foaming cleaner and use with paper towels. Get bacterial cleansing foam...plastic gloves.

Mom sometimes remembers to wake me in the middle of the night,b ut I think she now senses that warm and wet is comforting and "real." I've given up chiding her about wetting herself.

Poop is more dangerous health wise. See "Sunshine Cleaning" for more tips on handling biotoxic waste. ha ha.

Bob DeMarco, editor of the Alzheimers Reading Room, said he "solved" incontinence by discovering the exact schedule needed to get his mother to the bathroom. He couldn't SOLVE incontinence, just manage less incidents.

Yes, incontinence is part of the process. My dad has both types. Sad! :( Just hate seeing him decline in all aspects = continual grieving.

Hey Amazing Grace, when I had my first son in 1988, and he threw up, I called my mom and asked her how to clean his clothes, she told me to take them off him, and take them outside and hose them off and that's what I did hahaha. Aint that something! And no it doesn't sound creul especially when you've just finished changing them and they go all over again. It's OK like you say you've got to keep a sense of humor about it.

That's so true. What would we do without a sense of humor??!!

Mom always insists that she doesn't need to go to the bathroom, but if I can manage to get her there she always 'goes.' The trick is to get her there every few hours. She developed a sore on her bottom before she came to live with me, and I had to treat it for weeks before it healed. I can usually get her to come with me to the bathroom by telling her that I have to check the sore on her bottom. Once there, she willingly sits on the toilet. It is well worth the extra effort it takes to get her to the bathroom often. It sure beats dealing with soiled depends, which she calls her panties. She is always surprised if she has soiled her 'panties', so I am sure they don't realize what they are doing. Sometimes she even insists that she didn't do it; that someone else did it in her panties. Oh, yes, a sense of humor helps. Laugh when you can because you surely will cry.

My mother always says that somebody else did it when she pees on herself. I always just tell her that she must have spilled something on herself.

I would definitely check for any infections. My mom has Alzheimer's an usually can go to the bathroom, but then there are times that she completely forgets how, where, what, and every other detail regarding bathrooms. Her "undergarment" which is what we call her throw away underwear really help with messes.

You have to pop her on the pot every hour or so. Pain in the butt I know.

These days I just lead Mom into the bathroom and put her on the pot and tell her, take your time, relax, etc.

It has worked and her accidents have almost stopped for the time being. I know that as the disease progresses it will become bad again but for now I am happy for the respite of pee and poop.

When someone does not know if they have pooped or peed they have dementia...whether it's AD or any of the other dementias our there.

Try to maintain a sense of humor with it because it's gross!

Bobbie

Thanks Everyone. Yes, urinary tract infection has been ruled out but that was awhile ago. It seems like whenever I have her go to the bathroom she doesn't have to go much but her Depends is full. Bad timing I guess. I'll have to do it more often. The mornings are bad because I can't get her up to go during the night and this morning, for example, she was sopping wet. I got a pad to put over her sheets and that is helping. I don't have to wash her bedding so often now. I think it's her dementia. You're right, Bobbie. It IS gross!! I didn't have any kids so I never had to deal with poopy diapers before now. :)

Maybe try and limit liquids before bedtime also would help. My aunt has dementia and by the time she gets the signal to go, she doesn't always have time to make it to the bathroom. It's all just part of it, I guess.....