The Most Problematic Part Of The Body…

Check your bowels… Sigh…..it’s gonna be one of those blog weeks…

Nobody likes to talk about when they check their bowels and bladder habits. Unfortunately, “the risk of something going wrong in the digestive system continues to rise [in the elderly], due to the culmination of years of effects”. It’s an important topic for us as caregivers, so let’s get in there and dig! 

Be Prepared!

I wasn’t prepared.

Mom hid her light bladder leakage from me for, I believe, years. It wasn’t until she was hospitalized and unable to move when she broke the hip that she needed to wear something temporarily. Well, temporarily turned into daily, and “just in case” turned into “all the time”. Now, sometimes, she wears more than one at once…but I think that’s the dementia taking over. 

Anyway, don’t be me. Be prepared literally and emotionally for the digestive system to start to fail. It wasn’t built to last forever any more than any other part of the body was. CHECK YOUR BOWELS

Urinary Issues

Incontinence

Whether it starts as a slight leak when sneezing, or that sudden urge to go so strong that you can’t make it to the bathroom, incontinence is a very frustrating thing to deal with. While this can start quite young (I’m looking at you post-partum!!) it is significantly more common as the muscles in that area start to weaken with age. Combining that with it taking longer to get from the couch to the bathroom, and it’s a recipe for disaster. 

UTI problems

More sneaky and sinister than the bladder leakage is the Urinary Tract Infections. This bacterial infection begins with a feeling of having to urinate urgently, but soon leads to pain and burning while urinating, and left untreated, can have long-ranging effects and problems. Diagnosed through a simple urine test, jump on this one quickly if you think it is behind the light leakage.

Kidney disease

While I went through kidney cancer and surgery with Pop, that wasn’t a gastro problem like the failure of the kidney to function. This will absolutely require significant medical intervention to slow the progression. The leading causes of kidney failure are rooted in diabetes, so if your loved one is a sufferer, be on the lookout for this insidious disease.  

Bowel Incontinence

IBS

You don’t have to be elderly to deal with this mess, let me tell you! A chronic intestinal problem, dealing with Irritable Bowel Syndrome can become a full-time job as you navigate what foods and what stresses cause the bowel to react negatively. 

Constipation

Pop had such trouble with constipation near the end, and it was all because of the medications that he was taking. If your loved one is suffering from the inability to go (or painful bowel movements), there are a wide variety of products and home remedies you can rely on to make things more comfortable for them. Of everything on this list, this is the easiest to manage in my experience (giving IBS the evil eye). 

Tools That Might Help With Safety And Comfort

The overarching purpose of my eldercare blogs is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I’m here, and you have your own team of assistants who will help you. Fortunately, in our free enterprise economy, lots of companies want to help you, too! SO CHECK YOUR BOWELS!

“Squatty Potty”

This brand name is relatively new on the market. We’ve been using a stepstool or a big book for generations! This simple solution lifts the legs to make voiding easier when your loved one is struggling to have a bowel movement. Only about $25 online, this is worth the investment for your entire family! We all struggle sometimes!

Toilet seat riser

Decades ago, Pop installed a taller toilet in their bathroom to make it easier for them to get up and down. This made things much more comfortable for them when they didn’t need that little lift, and was invaluable when things started to get worse for them with their mobility. After Mom broke the hip, we installed a toilet seat riser on top of the taller toilet, so Mom didn’t need to have as much leverage to get off of the toilet. This thing was $20 at our local Walgreens, and was so much help to her the last few years. Definitely worth the investment. 

Grab bars

This one might require a handyman to put in, but it is absolutely worth it for the peace of mind. Pop installed these himself decades ago in the shower area as well as the wall near the toilet. The grab bars have very little to do with gastroenterology distress and are just plain good for safety. Put these in before you need them…little pro tip for you. 

In The Medicine Cabinet

Remember at the top of the blog when I was unprepared? Yeah…don’t be me…

Vaseline

This is a miracle product. Miracle, I say. Does anybody even know what it was originally invented for? No, me either, but I’ve got tons of uses for this baby. Back to this week’s topic and the need for Vaseline. Without getting too graphic, there are two times when you will be very, very happy that you have a nice big jar of Vaseline on hand: When things don’t want to come out, and when things are coming out too often. Under both circumstances, a generous dab of the miracle product will bring sighs of relief from your loved one.  

Wet wipes

No matter how much you spend on toilet paper, the overuse of it on those sensitive areas will result in discomfort and distress. Get yourself some flushable wet wipes and keep them handy. Whether it is just more gentle on the bottom, or cleaning up an unexpected mess, you’ll be thrilled to toss them in the toilet bowl and flush them away when you are done. 

Pills of both types

We’ve got both extremes covered in our medicine cabinet: Anti-diarrheals and laxatives. Both of these wonder drugs make appearances at our house more than we’d like to admit, and there is nothing worse than needing relief of one type or another and not having any in the house. Keep yourself stocked. 

Minimizing Gastric Upset

It is so much easier to do your best to ensure that gastric distress is not something that plagues your loved one. While we can find tricks and tips for minimizing the discomfort and embarrassment of some of those problems, it is much easier on everyone involved if we minimize how often we have these situations.

By staying as healthy as possible, avoiding undercooked foods and ingesting enough fibrous foods will help, it’s important to know what to do as soon as a problem starts to develop. Immediately changing your loved one’s diet to include more clear liquids, sports drinks, ginger ale or decaffeinated tea, you will start to see improvement as soon as possible. (https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/medical/upset-stomach/) 

Monitor Weight Loss

One other thing I feel needs to be brought into this discussion is monitoring your loved one’s weight. As Mom slows down her eating habits in addition to having challenging digestive issues, I’m seeing more weight loss on her that I need to keep an eye on. Make sure that if your loved one is eating less that they are eating the best possible things for them. They need things that are packed with vitamins and minerals, and that will remain in their system to provide as much good as possible. (https://www.gastroconsa.com/5-ways-older-adults-can-prevent-digestive-problems/)  

Reminder

This was, definitely, the hardest thing for my parents. They were modest, dignified people, and the concept of me having to help them with toileting and personal hygiene was absolutely mortifying for them. Be sensitive to that as you navigate this extremely difficult part of The Job. For both of my parents, they fought very hard against me being a part of their personal cleanliness routine, and it was extremely important that I approach it quite clinically and not from an emotional or personal level. 

Most importantly, please remember this: It isn’t on purpose! This is absolutely the last piece of independence your parent has, and they don’t want to let you into these situations, believe me. Make sure that your facial expressions and body language convey to them that you have no problem taking care of this for them. Make sure they know you don’t find it uncomfortable or disgusting, and that it is simply a natural part of life. 

Don’t make it harder on them. 

They did these things for you years ago, too, you know.

SO CHECK YOUR BOWELS

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR

Wow! You made it! Thank you for reading about when to check your bowels!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out why we keep extra mayonnaise, here, or see the power of media, here! Or, check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

Please leave a COMMENT about any tips you may have!! Or comment with YOUR story! Any dementia stories? Let me know!

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