Elderly Care in West Windsor NJ

If your elderly loved one complains of frequent urination, waking during the night to urinate, and incontinence, it could be overactive bladder.  The risk for overactive bladder increases with age and elderly adults who suffer from diabetes, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia can be at an even higher risk.  Incontinence isn’t always a comfortable topic to talk about, but it is an important thing to address at a doctor’s appointment.  Assure your loved ones that overactive bladder can be managed and that they can still do the things they enjoy every day.  If your elderly loved ones suffer from incontinence due to overactive bladder, here are a few simple tips you can use to help them have quality of life and freedom from worry over incontinence.

Discuss Symptoms with a Doctor

Overactive bladder causes frequent urges to urinate and sometimes those urges cannot be controlled, leading to incontinence.  If your elderly loved ones are experiencing the unpleasant symptoms of overactive bladder, such as waking frequently to urinate and incontinence, encourage them to bring this up at their next doctor’s appointment.  When overactive bladder is not managed or treated, it can cause elderly adults to have poor sleep, withdraw from social situations, and it can even increase their risk for depression.   When their doctor is aware of their symptoms, they can work with you and your loved one to find treatments and solutions.

Follow Through with Natural Treatments

Many treatments for overactive bladder are completely natural and can be done at home.  The key to success for these remedies, however, is consistency.  Encourage your loved one to stay on track with behavioral changes such as scheduled restroom breaks, scheduled fluid intake, maintaining a healthy weight, and practicing pelvic floor muscle exercises.  While these lifestyle changes may be difficult at first, they can certainly pay off in the long run and help your loved ones to get back to the activities that they enjoy.

Assist Them with Medication Management

Many times, a doctor will choose to treat overactive bladder with medications, especially when natural treatments have proven to be ineffective.  As a caregiver, it is important for you to help your elderly loved ones to remember to take their medications when needed and manage side-effects.  These medications commonly cause thirst and dry mouth which may compel your loved one to drink more and, thus, make overactive bladder symptoms worse.  For this reason, caregivers can encourage their loved ones to try over the counter dry mouth remedies and stick to their fluid intake schedule.

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

Source:  http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/overactive-bladder/basics/definition/con-20027632