Incontinence Product Care Advice

Whether you work in a care home, as a private nurse, in hospital, in a hospice, or in a specialist school, understanding incontinence care is crucial. When quality incontinence care is provided, residents, patients and students are able to enjoy a better quality of care and support and are able to live in a more dignified way, which is what makes adequate incontinence care so essential in care environments.
 

The issue is, of course, that not everyone is trained to the same standards, which is why some care staff provide much higher levels of care, whereas others struggle to offer an adequate level of care. The good news is that there are steps that can be taken to ensure that adequate incontinence care is put in place - the below guide should help you to do that.

 

Make training a priority
 

The key to success in any area of care is training. When the appropriate amount of training is given to team members, the way that they manage caring for people is vastly improved. A mistake that is commonly made is offering training once when new team members join and not refreshing it. The best way to ensure that the incontinence care being offered is of a high-quality it to offer your team members regular training. The more training you can offer your team members, the higher the chance that the incontinence care provided will be of a high-quality. Aim to offer core training twice a year, in addition to extra training for new products or care plans that come into place.

 

Know your products
 

Another vital step that needs to be taken when it comes incontinence care is knowing your products. Every product is unique, so it is essential that you encourage your team members to take their time learning about each individual product that is available. You need to be aware of what each incontinence care product is designed for, who it can work well for, and how to use it effectively. For this, the use of online, in-depth product guide technology can be highly beneficial.

 

Put specialist plans in place for each person
 

For each new resident, patient or student that comes through the door, it’s essential that you put a specialist, personalised incontinence care plan in place. This plan needs to look at factors like whether a person is able to communicate the fact that they need the bathroom, how much fluid they drink each day while in your care, and what medication is being taken, as some medication can make incontinence issues worse.
 

When choosing a certain incontinence product, whether it’s an incontinence pad or a urinal or bedpan, it’s vital that you take the person’s specific needs into account. Consider how much liquid they have drunk, to help you choose the right level of pad or urinal absorbency and size. Personalisation is key when it comes to incontinence care plans, and it’s vital that you understand that. 

 

Make product cleaning a key task
 

When using reusable products, the key is to ensure that cleaning and infection control is taken seriously. For instance, say you are using reusable bedpans, then you will probably be using a specialist bedpan washer to ensure that your bedpans are being hygienically cleaned. Of course, in order to do this, the machine itself requires cleaning. From internal cleaning to external wiping of surfaces, it’s essential that this machine and any other cleaning items used for cleaning incontinence products are cleaned themselves thoroughly.
 

It’s far too easy to clean the items used but forget to clean the items cleaning them, which is an essential part of keeping conditions clean and sterile. Ensure that each team member is properly trained in the entire cleaning process of all incontinence products and cleaning equipment to prevent the spread of bacteria or infection.

 

Invest in approved cleaning chemicals
 

One of the most essential steps, when it comes to incontinence care, is having the right cleaning chemicals and equipment in place to keep things sanitary. Continence care is an area that requires specialist care, knowledge and understanding, as there is a lot that needs to be thought about regarding cleanliness and infection control.
 

At CLH, we offer a wide range of specialist cleaning chemicals that can be used to keep incontinence care items (and various other care items) clean and safe to use. We also offer a wide range of disposable incontinence care items, to make caring for people with incontinence easier and simpler.
 

There you have it, everything that you need to know about incontinence product care and the best ways to provide high-quality levels of care.