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Bladder Training 101
A Guide for Caregivers
By Melinda Copp
The fear of leaks or not making it to a bathroom in time can cause some people with incontinence to feel like staying housebound. Using absorbent products to help manage the condition can help your loved one get back to enjoying life. In addition, some people may find relief from bladder training, a series of exercises and techniques. A good bladder training program usually involves a combination of the following behavioral changes. Before trying any of the following techniques, be sure to discuss them with your loved one's physician or other health care provider.
The first step in a bladder training program is to look at the amount of fluid the person takes in during the day. Many times, people either drink too much without realizing it, or they don't drink enough. The key is to find the right balance.
"For normal body function, a person only needs about 50 fluid ounces every 24 hours," says Dr. Roger Dmochowski, a urologist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "More than that amount can have adverse effects on a person with urinary incontinence issues."
Another part of monitoring fluid intake is to plan when the person has drinks. This may make urination more predictable, allowing the person to participate in activities outside the home with more confidence.
"Incontinence is very limiting because people are afraid of being far from a restroom, but timing when they drink liquids helps people know when they'll go to the bathroom," says Anna Doyle, the nurse administrator at Island Health Care on Hilton Head Island, S.C.
When a person struggles with incontinence, they may try to cope with the condition by urinating more frequently. Naturally, they think that if they go more often they won't have any urine in their bladder to leak. However, experts say this strategy is often counterproductive.
"Some people go every 30 minutes when once every three to four hours is considered normal," says Dr. Dmochowski. Bladder or voiding retraining means gradually increasing the length of time between trips to the bathroom and training the bladder to hold urine for longer amounts of time. You can use a timer to keep track of how often your loved one voids and gradually increase the length of time by five or 10 minutes, week by week.
