Ten tips to help you choose the correct incontinence product for your residents

[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”2/3″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]If you are looking to get an effective care plan together for your care home residents, there are a number of things that you can do to make sure they always have the best incontinence products for their needs.

Below are just 10 tips to help you do just that!

1. Look at how much your resident drinks during the day to help you work out the size of the incontinence pad they should be using. The average bladder holds a similar amount of liquid to a can of pop, so if you take a look at how often and how much they drink and match that to the working absorbency of the pad, you should be able to ensure that your resident remains dry and comfortable between changes.

2. Remember to take into account how any medication that your resident takes may affect the amount of urine they pass during the day and night, as this might cause peak times of heavier urination. If this is the case, you will need to fit a pad with greater absorbency for those times.

3. Choose an incontinence pad with a wetness indicator so that you can easily see how long it takes before the pad needs changing.

4. Never use an incontinence pad with too high a level of absorbency, as this will strip the skin of moisture, causing it to become dry and irritated.

5. Always try to use an incontinence pad with a breathable back, as plastic backing can raise the temperature inside the pad to 55°C and lead to moisture legions.

6. Always fit an incontinence pad from front to back to prevent cross infection. The only exception is if you are using an incontinence pad that is specifically designed to be fitted from back to front, such as the Abri-Wing, which can be an easier product to use for the disabled and wheelchair users.

7. Smaller incontinence pads can be used with the resident’s own underwear. However, larger incontinence pads will need better fixation, so if you find that normal underwear isn’t holding the pad secure, start fitting it with proper fixation pants instead.

8. Sometimes when you have chosen the correct level of pad absorbency, you can still find that urine is leaking from the sides of the pad. If this is the case, make sure you haven’t flattened any designed-in leakage barriers during fitting, as this is a common cause of this problem.

9. Pull-up incontinence pants can be an easier option for some residents. However, you should only use them on fully mobile residents and even then, only on those with light to medium incontinence. Also, you should never use pull-ups at night as they tend to leak when the resident moves around in bed, so make sure you use an appropriate incontinence pad instead.

10. Make sure you review each resident’s incontinence care plan once a year to ensure that you meet any changing requirements. Of course, if you notice that a different sized pad is needed in between reviews then make that change immediately.

Need more advice on incontinence products?

Cairn Care can arrange for a dedicated Nurse Advisor to visit your care home for free to train your staff in choosing the right products and using them correctly.

What’s more, if you haven’t used Abena incontinence products before, the Nurse Adviser can help you conduct a free 3-week trial to help you compare the performance of Abena products with your existing incontinence range.

At the end of the trial, your staff will be asked to complete a questionnaire to tell us what they think about our products. After this, we will put together a report for you based on staff feedback and the data collected on pad usage during the trial.

As a free, no-obligation service, it is definitely worth signing up to, as in some trials care homes have seen a reduction in pad usage of up to 60%.

By using the correct incontinence product in the right way, you can rest assured that you are getting the best solution for your residents, whilst also benefitting from ‘cost in use savings’ by using fewer pads.

To request a free training visit or product trial with a Nurse Adviser just call us on 0845 226 0185. You can also view our range of incontinence products and access more advice and training at www.cairncare.co.uk
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