Incontinence and Nursing Home Abuse

How Is Incontinence a Form of Nursing Home Abuse?

There are two types of incontinence: fecal and urinary incontinence. Medline Plus defines bowel incontinence as “the loss of bowel control, leading to an involuntary passage of stool. The degree of this illness can range from leakage and passing to gas to complete loss of control over excretion. This condition is most common among women over the age of 65 and is believed to affect 13 out of every 1,000 female nursing home residents. Aging in itself does not cause fecal incontinence.

In order for a person to have regular bowel movements she must have “normal function of the rectum, anus, pelvic muscles and nervous system.” In addition, the nursing home resident must have the physical and mental ability to recognize and respond to the natural urge.

FamilyDoctor.org defines urinary incontinence as the loss of bladder control. This condition is common among female elderly seniors, as well as men, and often affects the age group of 50 and over. There are five different types of incontinence: stress incontinence (caused by pressure on your lower stomach muscles), urge incontinence (the need comes very suddenly), overflow incontinence (uncontrollable leakage of small amounts), functional incontinence (physical limitations due to arthritis or similar diseases) and mixed incontinence (a combination of these other four factors).

Just as with fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence is not a normal part of growing older. It is true that age can reduce a person’s ability to hold bladder, and the urge to urinate can increase past a certain age. However, this is a condition that can be improved with medical treatment.

It is important to realize that some nursing home patients may be embarrassed by the condition and so may try to hide the problem. This is not a good idea because hiding incontinence can cause skin rashes, sores, skin infections and urinary tract infections. It also robs a person of his dignity and he may start to avoid friends and family because of embarrassment.

It is the nursing home’s job to handle incontinence in elderly residents. The Journal of the American Medical Association says that “urinary incontinence is a prevalent and costly condition. In seven nursing homes studied, 419 (50 percent) of the elderly patients were incontinent of urine…Complications such as urinary tract infection and skin breakdown occurred in almost 45 percent. Physicians recorded incontinence as a problem in the nursing home records of less than 15 percent of these patients.”

This unfortunately proves what many family members fear: that the majority of nursing homes are falling short of a minimum quality of standard. Nursing home neglect is prevalent and often patients that should be receiving help for incontinence are getting none.

If your relative has been suffering because of nursing home neglect then you are not powerless. Whether the relative is housed in a state-funded nursing home or private institution, your relative has basic human rights and they are enforceable. Contact the Rasansky Law Firm to find out your legal options and recieve the elder abuse help that you need to ensure your loved ones are safe and comfortable.

RASANSKY LAW FIRM
2525 McKinnon Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
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1-877-405-4313