Incontinence is a common condition faced by people. It is a condition where you lose full or partial control of your bladder and bowel. This condition may occur due to some medical condition or the use of prescriptions.
Often people consider incontinence as a problem for people with age. However, the data says that incontinence affects more than 25 million people in the United States. Therefore, between the age of 30 and 70, one out of three people will experience a loss of bladder or bowel control. Women in their post-pregnancy phase do face incontinence due to weakened muscle that provides support to the bladder. No matter how common this condition is, people often get embarrassed speaking about it. Especially older people suffering from this issue tend to neglect it because they find it embarrassing. Avoiding this problem will only increase the heaviness of the situation. So, if you have a parent dealing with this situation, it is necessary to get them to talk about it to help them.
Once they are ready to address their incontinence issue, you can speak to them about the solutions like wearing adult diapers. Adult diapers are a great aid in taking care of restroom mishaps. Adult diapers are easy to use and can be easily changed and thrown away after use. They are great to prevent clothes from getting soiled and wet. Although adult diapers are very useful in incontinence, it can get pretty tricky to get your parents or older people in general comfortable wearing them. Initiating the conversation of wearing adult diapers is also very difficult but as necessary. Here are some tips that might help you in convincing your elderly parents to consider wearing a diaper.
- Understanding Your Parent’s Dilemma & Hesitation
Although incontinence can occur at any age, it usually happens in older people. Many older people act and pretend that they do not have any incontinence problems because they think it can hurt their dignity.
If you are an adult child, you must know how parents can sometimes be stubborn. Using a logical approach and directly asking them to use incontinence briefs or diapers might not be a great way.
Often it happens that no matter how logical your approach is, your parents cannot wrap their heads around it. In such a scenario, you need to be a little patient with your parents. Before jumping on to a conclusion and trying to help them by forcing your will upon them, you need to understand their dilemma and hesitation and the possible reason behind it. You might have to reason with them respectfully without hurting their sentiments. Sometimes their hesitation and dilemma are only a cause of a stigmatized thought process. Speaking to them with patience and listening to their views can help you understand their perspective. Afterwards, you can address their problems and issues to help them overcome their hesitation.
- Dealing With Denial
We already know that accepting the incontinence issue is hard for the parents. However, you must not make the mistake of beating around the bush. Talking about the issue and addressing it- is necessary to deal with denial. While maintaining respect, make sure that you communicate your concern clearly with your parents. Letting your parents live in denial is not the right thing to do. If your parents have any ageism guilt, you should help them build their confidence and promise your support to them. Make your parents understand that wearing adult diapers is not shameful.
- Taking Support From Trusted Individual’s & Experts
Some people find that their parents are not willing to open up with them. In such cases, you can bring someone else for your help. Perhaps a doctor or a trusted friend can discuss this issue with them. If you do not share a dynamic with your parents to talk about such an issue openly, taking help from an outsider is the best thing to do. Daughters can find it awkward to speak to their father about the incontinence issue. Taking help from another man might help in this sensitive topic. Another way is getting a counsellor or a doctor for your parents to get them comfortable around the subject of wearing adult diapers.
- Be Careful With Vocabulary
The diaper is a word which we relate with babies and toddlers. According to every sane adult, diapers are something for babies until they get potty trained. So, it is already difficult for your parents to accept that they need a diaper. It might seem absurd for you, but parents can get put off by the terminology, and they can completely shrug away the topic. It is a slippery slope, therefore be careful and refrain from using the word diaper. You can use terms like briefs disposable, underwear, liners, shields, or throw-away underwear.
- Samples To Try
One thing that you can do is order some samples for your parents to try. Once they see how comfortable adult diapers are nowadays, they might give in to the idea of wearing them. Keep the adult diapers in your home at accessible places, so your parents can easily spot them, and this might encourage your parents to use them.
Conclusion
We have to make sure that our loved ones live a comfortable and happy life. Have an open mind whenever you decide to initiate this conversation with your parents.