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Bladder Training 101
A Guide for Caregivers
By Melinda Copp
In some cases, your loved one's doctor may recommend physical therapy for advanced pelvic floor training.
Although most people associate beverages and liquids with urination, some foods also affect bladder function. Caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, acidic foods (citrus fruits, tomatoes, etc.) and chocolate have a strong relation to bladder function, according to Dr. Dmochowski. If you're starting your loved one on a bladder training program, avoid these foods to increase your chance of good results.
For those people who are very fragile or aren't capable of expressing their need to go to the bathroom, scheduled voiding is often an effective strategy. Donna White, a caregiver and a health care specialist for the Division of Aging and Adult Services in Raleigh, N.C., used scheduled voiding in combination with some of these other strategies to minimize her mother's leaks during the day.
"My mother has full stage vascular dementia, and she can't tell us when she needs to go to the bathroom," says White. She started by keeping a log of when and how much her mother voided. White made note of the times when her mother's absorbent product was most filled and then started taking her mother to the restroom about 15 minutes before that usually occurred.
White also monitored her mother's fluid intake, learned her behavioral queues and took her voiding habits from when she was healthy into account.
Bladder training techniques are behavioral changes, and sometimes behaviors are hard to break. Therefore, you and your care receiver or loved one should try bladder training for at least a month before expecting to see results. "It takes a while for the body to reset itself," says Dr. Dmochowski.
While bladder training techniques may not be effective for everyone, those experiencing bladder problems should at least try them. The results can make a dramatic improvement in your loved one's quality of life.