Tailoring Continence Management to Individual Needs in Residential Care

This observational study investigated the benefits of adopting a person-centred approach to the management of urinary incontinence and associated hygiene care. A trial was carried out in 12 residential care homes in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. Toileting, containment product selection, frequency and timing of changes, and personal hygiene routines were tailored to the needs of individual residents. Skin redness improved, there was less leakage and residents’ wellbeing improved. Containment product changes were easier to carry out, fewer containment products were used, and product costs were reduced. The adoption of person-centred care initiatives was seen to benefit all stakeholders – namely, residents, caregivers and the administration of the residential care facility. Read more.

Source: Nursing Times, March 7, 2022

New App Supports Nurses to Provide Bladder and Bowel Continence Care

A free app that could boost nurses’ success in managing patients with bladder or bowel incontinence was launched on Monday, marking the beginning of World Continence Week. Those behind the new app said it was a result of a “genuine desire to help people with bladder and bowel symptoms access information and advice that can help”. The CONfidence app offers information, self-care tips and links to local health and support services for the estimated 14 million people in the UK with bladder control problems, and the 6.5 million who have bowel control problems. Read more.

Source: Nursing Times, June 22, 2021

Common Problems Still Challenge Caregivers When It Comes to Incontinence Treatment

Skilled nursing educators worth their mettle today will strongly warn bedside caregivers to throw out any preconceived notions they may have about incontinence. A big one is the widely disproved notion that incontinence is an “old person’s disease.” Another one is that “incontinence cannot be cured.” In a recent study, in fact, significant numbers of professional nurses and a vast majority of nurse assistants told Indiana University researchers they believed bladder disorders are a normal part of aging. Time and again, researchers have refuted incontinence mythology. Along the way, their efforts all too often show how frail elderly individuals can quickly tumble down a path of declining health, endless indignities and painful bed sores. That is, if open minds and a thorough assessment had not prevailed before a resident’s head hit the pillow for the first time. Read more.

Source: McKnight’s Long-term Care News, March 7, 2019