If your elderly family member is starting to deal with incontinence more and more frequently, she might have been hesitant to mention it to you. Finding a way to deal with the situation in the least embarrassing way possible can keep your senior’s morale high and even potentially fix something that is a temporary issue if you find that there’s a reversible cause.

It’s Way More Common Than You Think.

Over 13 million people are also managing incontinence, so your elderly family member is not alone. The problem is that incontinence is an embarrassing problem, so people don’t really like talking about it. That makes the problem seem far less common than it really is.

Talk to Her Doctor.

The first step is to talk to your loved one’s doctor. There may be a reason that she’s experiencing incontinence right now. Your elderly family member’s doctor can run some tests to determine what, if anything, is the cause for the issues that she’s having. There also may be treatments that your senior’s doctor can recommend that would fit her specific health concerns.

Manage Any Underlying Issues.

Some of the potential causes of incontinence are manageable. Some medications might contribute to leaks, for example, or underlying health conditions, such as a urinary tract infection, can cause problems. Quite often, managing the underlying health issues is exactly what is necessary in order to get rid of the incontinence. Even if the incontinence is here to stay, keep an eye on any of the underlying issues that your elderly family member’s doctor points out so that you can help keep the situation from worsening.

Get Help When You Need It.

Managing incontinence is not always easy on you or your aging adult. Occasionally you might find that having help is what keeps you from giving up. Home care providers have dealt with these issues for other caregivers and aging adults, so they know just what to do in order to help you both the most.

Just because your elderly family member is dealing with incontinence right now, that doesn’t mean that she’ll be dealing with it constantly from now on. Situations change and this may not be something that she’s facing every day.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring home care in Hamilton, NJ or the surrounding areas, please call Independence Home Care today at 609-208-1111 for more information.