Percentage of long-stay low-risk residents who lose control of their bowels or bladder

   Percentage of long-stay low-risk residents who lose control of their bowels or bladder

Loss of bowel or bladder control  can often be successfully treated. Loss of bowel and bladder control can be caused by:

• Physical problems (like constipation, muscle weakness, or a bladder infection)
• Location problems (like the bathroom is too far away)
• Reaction to medication
• Limited ability to walk or move around
• Diet and fluid intake
• Toilet routine (timing trips to the bathroom)
• Whether someone can provide assistance when needed
• Certain medical conditions such as diabetes, dementia, spinal cord injury, or neurological disease may put a resident at higher risk of losing bowel and bladder control.

Finding the cause and treating a problem with bowel or bladder control is important for many reasons. Physically, it can help prevent infections and pressure ulcers. Mentally, treatment can help the well being of the resident by restoring dignity and social interaction.

• Quality Measure Specifications

RESEARCH

• Try This series: Urinary Incontinence
• Guide to Assessing Bladder Function_and-urinary-incontinence-in-older-people
• Vanderbilt Incontinence Management Module-IPRO
• Urinary Incontinence Manual-Qualidigm
• Urinary Incontinence Training for Nurses-Qualidigm
• Urinary Incontinence Training for CNAs-Qualidigm

TOOLS

• Toileting-Preference
• Prompted Voiding Trail
• Incontinence Medical Record Review

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• RAI Manual Ch.3 Section H: Bowel and Bladder
• Incontinence Care Area Assessment (CAA)
• Critical Elements for Urinary Incontinence
• F315 # 483.25(d) Urinary Incontinence
• Incontinence Resources