TITLE:
Nursing Staff’s Experiences of Providing Toilet Assistance to Elderly Nursing Home Residents with Urinary Incontinence
AUTHORS:
Doris Hägglund, Emma Momats, Tiffany Mooney
KEYWORDS:
Focus Groups, Nursing Staff, Nursing Home Residents, Toilet Assistance, Urinary Incontinence
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.7 No.2,
February
7,
2017
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Urinary incontinence is a common condition among elderly. It affects their daily life and quality of life. Toilet assistance may decrease urinary incontinence episodes among elderly. Many nursing home residents do not receive the available evidence-based toilet assistance they need. Aim: The aim of the present study was to describe nursing staff members’ experiences of providing toilet assistance to elderly nursing home residents with urinary incontinence. Design: A descriptive design with a qualitative content analysis method was used. Method: Four nurses and seven auxiliary nurses were interviewed in three homogenous focus groups. Data were collected during spring 2015. Results: The most essential opportunity factor for good toilet assistance was the nursing staff’s attitude and behavior regarding the elderly’s need to visit the lavatory. This resulted in individual toilet assistance in which the elderly’s integrity and needs were cared for. Functioning routines and sufficient staff availability were crucial in determining whether the elderly could visit the lavatory. Other enabling factors for good toilet assistance were information and education of staff. The main obstructing factors for good toilet assistance were the elderly’s decreased cognitive ability, negative attitudes toward receiving toilet assistance and lack of communication and co-operation between professionals with regard to prescribing and fastening individual incontinence aids. Conclusion: Providing toilet assistance is a considerable nursing intervention for elderly to help them regain continence or contain incontinence, whenever possible. Person-centered incontinence care is important for developing and adjusting toilet assistance based on each older person’s individual needs.