What our Incontinence & Toileting Guide covers

Our Carewell Guide to Incontinence and Toileting is designed to answer the most common questions and challenges faced by family caregivers. Drawing on insights from our Care Team’s frequent counseling on these topics, we address key pain points, including:

• How to measure for incontinence products and choose the right size incontinence underwear.

• Understanding the differences between pull-on underwear and disposable briefs with tabs.

• Tips for achieving the right fit for adult diapers and protective underwear.

• Strategies for preventing leaks based on symptom severity (moderate, heavy, overnight, and bowel incontinence).

• Essential advice on skin protection and preventing infection related to incontinence.

• Guidance on using bladder pads, booster pads, and underpads.

• Solutions for addressing accidents and smells, including tips for deodorizing your home.

• How to spot urinary tract infections (UTIs) in older adults.

• A detailed incontinence product guide with recommendations for incontinence underwear, absorbent pads, and skin creams.

• A step-by-step, illustrated guide on how to change disposable underwear with tabs for your loved one.

Who our Incontinence & Toileting Guide is for

This incontinence care guide is an invaluable resource for anyone living with incontinence or caring for someone who does. You can download your free copy below—no purchase necessary. Simply click the download button or contact our Care Team for assistance.

Finding the right size underwear or brief

Finding the right fit is the key to comfort and confidence. A well fitting adult diaper provides:

• Leak protection

• All-day or overnight comfort

• More discreet fits

• Rash and skin protection

How find your size of adult diapers

Using a tape measure measure the following:

Waist: Measure all the way around your waist just below the belly button* Hips: Measure the widest part of your hips Legs: Measure your upper thigh, a few inches below your pelvis Weight: Stand on a scale. It’s OK if you need to ballpark a weight range * Most brands provide a size range based on waist, like 34-38”. Use the highest number you measured to choose the right size.

How to choose the right style adult diaper

Pull-on underwear offers a discreet and slimmer fit, making it a great choice for managing light to moderate urinary incontinence. Designed for convenience, most styles feature tear-away sides, which allows for easy removal. This type of underwear provides a comfortable and secure option for those seeking a less bulky solution.

Adjustable tab briefs are an excellent choice for managing more significant incontinence, offering greater absorbency than pull-on styles. Their customizable waist fit is particularly beneficial for individuals with varying body shapes, such as those with a smaller waist and larger hips or rear, ensuring a snug and comfortable fit. Furthermore, these briefs provide superior coverage, making them a more effective option for bowel incontinence.

How to manage incontinence leaks

To effectively prevent leaks when managing incontinence, consider a multi-pronged approach. For enhanced absorbency, a bladder pad can be worn inside absorbent underwear, offering an extra layer of protection.Alternatively, for heavier leakage or peace of mind, opt for a higher absorbency product like an adjustable tab brief, which is designed to handle more fluid. To safeguard furniture and bedding, especially overnight, always use bed pads or underpads. Finally, ensuring the correct fit and protection level is paramount; this includes considering bariatric sizes for larger body types to guarantee optimal coverage and prevent gaps that can lead to leaks.

Choosing the right incontinence pad

Bladder pads are an excellent solution for managing light to moderate urinary incontinence, offering discreet and effective protection. Designed to be worn inside your regular, non-absorbent underwear, these pads feature a waterproof backing that prevents leaks, making them ideal for daily use or as needed depending on your symptoms. They’re a comfortable and convenient option for those experiencing mild to moderate bladder leakage, providing peace of mind throughout the day.

For individuals managing heavy urinary or bowel incontinence, booster pads are an invaluable tool for significantly increasing the absorbency and protection of existing incontinence underwear. Unlike bladder pads, which have a waterproof backing and are worn in regular underwear, booster pads feature a unique “flow-through” backing. This design allows them to be placed inside absorbent underwear (like pull-ons or tab briefs), where they absorb initial leaks and, once saturated, permit additional fluid to pass through to the main garment. This synergistic approach effectively boosts the overall capacity, making them ideal for daily use, extended wear at nighttime, or when traveling and needing extra security between changes.

For comprehensive protection against heavy urinary or bowel incontinence, underpads (also known as bed pads or chux) are an indispensable solution, providing an additional layer of defense for furniture and surfaces. Unlike body-worn absorbent products, underpads are designed to be placed on top of various surfaces such as mattresses, car seats, wheelchairs, or other furniture, effectively safeguarding them from leaks. They are ideal for travel and we recommend keeping a few spares in the car.

How to identify a UTI in seniors

Recognizing a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in older adults can be challenging due to the frequent absence of classic symptoms seen in younger individuals. Instead of typical signs like painful or frequent urination, older adults often present with vague and atypical symptoms such as sudden confusion, disorientation, increased agitation, lethargy, or even falls. This altered mental status can easily be mistaken for other age-related conditions like dementia, delaying proper diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, older adults may have a blunted immune response, leading to a lack of fever, which is a common indicator of infection in younger populations. These subtle and non-specific symptoms make it crucial for caregivers and healthcare providers to be vigilant for any sudden changes in an older adult’s behavior or functional status, as these could be the primary indicators of an underlying UTI.

Common mental UTI warning signs 
in seniors

Sudden change in 
cognitive function

• Confusion

• Hallucinations

• Lethargy

• Difficulty concentrating

• Memory loss

• Delusions

• Agitation

• Aggressive behavior

• Decreased appetite

• Frequent falls