Making home ‘continence-friendly’

A home should be a person’s refuge – the place that is safest and most comfortable for us. Queensland continence company, Lille Healthcare, shares its advice on helping to make our homes more ‘continence-friendly’.

Lille Healthcare clinical nurse advisor, Michelle Kalms, tells DPS News “supportive features at home increase the ability to move freely and safely”.

According to Ms Kalms, making “slight modifications” to the home can make you, or the person you are caring for, more “independent and self-sufficient”.

Below are some of the tips Lille Healthcare says the elderly and their family members should consider:

• Remove all clutter and electrical cords around the home and plan a day or two just to go through the accumulated debris that we usually do not notice in the home.
• Arrange furniture in the bedroom and lounge to allow free access to the toilet.
• Check the toilet to decide if installing grab rails would make it easier to ‘get on and off’ the toilet.
• Improve the lighting to and from the toilet.
• Protect bedding and chairs with either absorbent or waterproof continence products.
• Ensure clothing is appropriate for you and your family member to remove or adjust when toileting.

By carrying out these “relatively simple” things, Ms Kalms says a person’s “quality of life” will dramatically increase.

Click here to find out more about how to make your home more ‘continence-friendly’.