If a loved one was recently diagnosed with incontinence, you might be uncertain about how to help them. It’s a delicate subject that involves a significant lifestyle change, but it can be enormously comforting to have family members who understand the condition, what it entails, and how the right incontinence products can make a difference.

What Is Incontinence?

Incontinence is a common condition that causes an involuntary loss of urine. People who are incontinent can’t control the bladder muscles that release and stop the flow. More than 33 million Americans experience this problem.

It can occur for a number of reasons, including particular medications, pregnancy, and hysterectomy. It can also accompany certain medical conditions, like diabetes, urinary tract infections, and Parkinson’s disease. Medications may help control or cure it, and using incontinence products can help patients feel more comfortable and manage the condition more effectively.

What Are the Symptoms?

Among the most common symptoms are an urgency to urinate and using the bathroom more often than usual. Patients may also develop nocturia, which causes them to wake up at night to urinate.

Different types of incontinence can cause varied symptoms. Stress incontinence, for example, causes urine to leak when laughing, sneezing, running, exercising, or coughing.

Urgency incontinence, or overactive bladder, forces a flow of urine that’s difficult to control. Mixed incontinence includes a combination of both of these.

Care Tips

Express your concern and compassion for your loved one. They may feel embarrassed, but your support can help them cope better. Understand that accidents might happen, and don’t make a big deal of such occurrences. They are a part of the condition, and the person likely already feels a sense of discomfort about them.

Learning about different incontinence products is also helpful. Protective underwear, pads, and wipes can help your loved one feel more comfortable and secure throughout the day and night.

For quality incontinence products in Flowood, MS, find everything you need at Hometown Medical. Serving the community since 2002, the company is committed to your loved one’s health, security, and satisfaction. They offer a number of medical aids and services, including mobility equipment and lift chairs. Visit them online for more information, or call (601) 933-4699 to speak with a representative.