My 85-year-old mom has Alzheimer's dementia and urinates a lot overnight. I generally like to wake her up every 2-3 hours to use the bedside container and I change her. She's wearing Depends overnight. They aren't the greatest. Sometimes I have to change the sheet. We use a washable bed pad under the sheet. Over the sheet and it bunches up when she get in and out of the bed. I wake her up to prevent UTI, Skin breakdown. Water is usually allowed until 5-6pm. Sometimes she can get up in during in the night. But, that is few ans far in between as her disease progresses. She I think is having trouble with the sequence. Cause many times I find her laying in bed and she is holding herself either wide awake or sleeping. I will gently wake her to help to get up and urinate relieve the pressure and clean and change her. I need some suggestions on overnight high absorbent brief that wicks away moisture. ALSO, When applying a barrier cream is it just onto the buttocks? Currently I apply Vaseline to one smaller area where she has had issue with skin integrity and has seen wound doctor about it. Otherwise, I do not apply vaseline or Desitin onto the buttocks. I do apply topical estradiol cream a few times a week. Help! Thanks!
save rashes - all the time
Vaseline is doing nothing for the skin integrity issue. I use an anti-bacterial first aid ointment, with lidocaine for pain relief, along with a good barrier cream. That will help heal up any sore spots.
Depends are not effective for overnight use. Try a tabbed brief (adult diaper) for overnights. I like the McKesson Ultra Briefs. And I like Vitality Medical.com for ordering incontinence supplies.
And, of course the sheet is going to get wet, if there is no barrier between the patient and the sheet.
Try buying larger size quilted washable bed pads. I like to double up on them; one on top of the other, so you can remove the wet one, and still have a dry pad underneath. The heavy duty bed pads are not so thin and light-weight, and less likely to bunch up or move around under the patient. https://www.vitalitymedical.com/reusable-underpad-plaidbex-bed-pad-by-beck.html
You are going to wear yourself out getting up every couple of hours. And, I'm sure it's not easy for mom either. With a heavy duty absorbency diaper, she may be able to sleep through the night, or get up only once to change the diaper.
If you are having any questions about how to treat her skin conditions, please ask her doctor or see if you can get a home visit from a nurse.
My husband is bedridden, and we've had a nurse practitioner come, a wound-care nurse, dermatologist, even lab techs for blood draws and x-ray technicians for imaging come to the home.
My wife can no longer go to the bathroom on her own and she has a very heavy flow of urine at night.
NorthShore GoSupreme Overnight Pull-On Underwear, 8-Hour Leak Protection, combined with Tranquility Essential Booster Pads, Heavy Absorbency Flow-Through Incontinence Pads are THE BEST. She has never leaked and stays so dry, the only way I know she needs a change is by how heavy the brief feels. When I do change her (she's able to stand up long enough), I use 3M Cavillon barrier cream all over her perineal area. It is highly resistant to moisture.
Now, that said, these products are not cheap, but so is the water and electric bill from washing sheets and night shirts 4 or 5 times a week.
I also use McKesson Perineal Skin Cleanser with Aloe on adult wipes each time I clean her up rather than just plain wipes. It's great for getting clean and odor free.
Once in awhile, she will have a fecal blowout even with the best of products and then it's laundry day!