Incontinence diaries are a great way to ensure you’ve got all the information you need to get help from your senior’s doctor. It’s not as difficult as it might sound to track your senior’s incontinence issues, but there can be a lot of data to manage.
Date and Time of Occurrences
Keeping track of when your senior is having issues can help you to spot patterns that you might not have noticed any other way. There might be something about the time of day that makes your senior more susceptible to an incident. Having the date gives you a chance to track everything more accurately over time.
Fluid In and Fluid Out
Fluid in and fluid out can be an important bit of information for your senior’s doctor. It’s relatively easy to keep up with how much liquid your senior is eating and drinking throughout the day, but fluid out can be more interesting. There are measuring tools that fit over your senior’s toilet that allow you to measure this important bit of data. Make sure to record it in the incontinence diary.
Anything That’s Worrying Her
If your elderly family member is experiencing any symptoms or concerns that are bothering her, it’s important to jot those down. Including them in the incontinence diary ensures that you’ve got a record of them and that you’re able to bring it up with her doctor. It’s especially important to make note of any pain or unusual symptoms.
What She’s Eating and Drinking
Some foods and drinks can actually exacerbate incontinence. When you’re tracking what your senior is eating and drinking, that can help you to spot foods that tend to make things a little worse or a little better for her. This can help your senior to spot which foods she really does need to start avoiding.
Activities and Times
What your senior does can make a difference, too. If your elderly family member was exercising and experienced a leak, it might be a good idea to track that information. Include the type of exercise and the time of day, too. There may be other activities that warrant tracking, too.
Keeping up with this level of information can be intimidating at first. Your senior may have your help, of course, but it may be a good idea to bring in home care providers, too. They can help you to notice other possible contributing factors.
