Diapering Your Senior

Diapering your senior with a bit of dignity for them can be done. For some of us caring for our parents or loved ones in their last stages of life can be one last act of love. I once had an 80 year old client that confessed to me one day that she had now entered the stage in life where she had to wear undergarments because she was so crippled up from arthritis she was unable to make it to the bathroom in time. My reply, "Good for you, you took steps to help yourself with a challenge. I hope I live long enough to be in undergarments myself when need be".

Here's what you need to know. When your senior enters this stage extreme care must be executed because of the fragile state of their skin. Some seniors really do have paper thin skin that is more susceptible to tears, lesions, sores, and infections. They are at greater risk for skin rashes and sores. Therefore, great care must be taken in keeping the diaper area clean and sanitary.

Steps to changing undergarments

1. Assemble the following things all in one place for your convenience: a garbage bag, gloves, clean undergarments, baby wipes or a warm wash cloth, protective cream, an apron for you, a change of clothes for them, a pad to protect the bed, and a change of bed linens. It is, of course, just much easier to do this with everything in one convenient place.

2. Place protection pad on the bed. Then place your senior on the bed. Put on your apron to protect your clothing. Put on your disposable gloves. (A note: Only move your senior by the hips. Never by the arms or shoulders. And never slide them to move them. You could end up tearing their skin.)

3. To remove the soiled diaper roll your senior from side to side folding the undergarment in from the outside edge so that all the urine and feces is inside.

4. Carefully pull the diaper out as the senior is rolled to one side.

5. Use a baby wipe for sensitive skin or a warm wash cloth to clean the diaper area. Pat dry and apply cream for skin protection. Hold their knees up if needed.

6. Again roll your senior to one side or the other and tuck the undergarment under them as far as possible. You should have half of it bunched up against them.

7. Roll them back to the other side and pull the undergarment through. Fasten the tabs.

8. If they have soiled their clothing in the process now is the time to clean that too. And ditto for the bed linens.

9. Dispose of gloves and soiled diaper in garbage can immediately after. Linens and soiled clothing must go in the washing machine.

10. Wash your hands thoroughly.

Other tips

--Changes should be made as soon as the undergarment is soiled. Not on a schedule or when it is convenient for you.

--In the use of cream the point here is to create a barrier between the skin and undergarment so the skin does not become chaffed. A good moisturizer could also be used.

--When choosing adult undergarments be sure to choose the right size. They need to have room as this is more comfortable but not be too tight that they cut off circulation.

Our elderly population needs to be taken care of with dignity and respect at all times. I hope these tips will help you to do so.--Marcella

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