It is time for adult diapers for my aging Mom. She has dementia and depression, plus other medical conditions. Little more than a year ago I bought her underwear with an absorbent pad inserted. These took forever to get used too and not without arguments on top of it all. Finally got the most comfortable, but now they are just saturated overnight, she trys to rinse them out in her sink or the toilet, so now it's disgusting in the bathroom, can't get the smell out of her clothes. So can any of you know the most comfortable adult diapers and how I can approached this change? Even my new washer and dryer will smell too.
Please help,
Jan
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My aunt wears the depends with an overnight poise pad inserted. We put the poise pad into the pull-up so it’s ready to go ahead of time. Put a couple of extra pull-ups out so she can easily find them for when she needs to change.
Also remove her regular underwear to keep her from going back to them.
I get the depends from Costco or the Sams brand when it’s more convenient. She likes them both.
My mom did not like the depends fit. It’s a snugger fit I think. She preferred SAMs brand. I haven’t tried the other brands mentioned.
Also for whatever reason, watch for your mom trying to add paper towels to her underwear or toilet paper. We finally had to put the paper towels out of reach.
With both my mom and aunt I stressed that better to wear the pull-ups than falling while rushing to the bathroom. No one wants to fall.
Also try to set a routine for going to the bathroom. Usually when they stand they realize they can’t hold it so don’t ask if she needs to go. She will probably say no. Then when she stands it’s too late. Just try taking her every couple of hours and then adjust.
If you go to the bathroom with her ask her to lean forward to help empty her bladder when on the pot.
Avoid calling the pull ups diapers.
Wash hands, lotion, offer water.
Good luck.
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I also purchased flushable wipes for use while mom still could use the toilet. Once that ability was gone, I used baby wipes. Keeping the skin clean and dry will help prevent UTIs and pressure ulcers. I used a Peri bottle to spray warm water to further clean when needed. Using a barrier ointment helps too.
A note on the washing machine- is it a front loader? If so, they make tablets that you throw into the machine and run on the “clean” cycle. Front loaders always have a bit of standing water in them - not that you can see, but beneath the drum. The cleaning tablets were originally designed to clean the machine and help with the mildew smell that the standing water creates. If my machine gets smelly, I run a tablet along with a dose of bleach. Also - Lysol has a fairly new product they call Laundry Sanitizer. It’s suspose to kill 99% of bacteria in the laundry load. Bacteria is a big culprit when it comes to odor. Plus - if I’m putting a pair of pants through the laundry that’s been through an accident- having the sanitizer just makes me fell a lot better. The standing water thing and all...
Thanks again to all of you,
Jan
On day four, out of sheer desperation, my DH picked up a bag of Depends. I had never worn any disposable sanitary panty before but I had to wear something protective as I was up every few hours all night and all day TRYING to clean myself up!
These are an apparent new product from Depends, women’s padded underwear, pull up or down at the toilet, maximum absorption and I thought, wore comfortablely. The materials were soft enough and stretchy. I had no problem pulling these Depends up or down.
This influenza has been terrible. Finally, DH got the idea for me to take probiotics and I’ve been able to eat bland foods once my tummy settled a bit. But the Depends? I’d give them B+, they are comfortable and absorbent and fit well. A large size was perfect, 38 inches around and good coverage around legs and seat.
As for her trying to wash the wet/soiled products - well, at least she's trying to help (lol). You may need to start supervising her in the bathroom.