Understanding approaches to continence care for people living with dementia in acute hospital settings: an ethnographic study

Featherstone, Katie; Northcott, Andy; Boddington, Paula; Edwards, Deborah; Vougioukalou, Sofia; Bale, Sue; Harrison Dening, Karen; Logan, Karen; Tope, Rosie; Kelly, Daniel; Jones, Aled; Askey, Jackie; Harden, Jane

doi:10.3310/QUVV2680

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This study found continence care was often deprioritised to reduce interruptions to ward timetables, establishing 'pad cultures' negatively impacting individuals and reliant on placing incontinence pads on continent older people.

Katie Featherstone , Andy Northcott , Paula Boddington , Deborah Edwards , Sofia Vougioukalou , Sue Bale , Karen Harrison Dening , Karen Logan, Rosie Tope , Daniel Kelly , Aled Jones , Jackie Askey & Jane Harden .

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Katie Featherstone ^1,^*, Andy Northcott ¹, Paula Boddington ¹, Deborah Edwards ², Sofia Vougioukalou ², Sue Bale ³, Karen Harrison Dening ⁴, Karen Logan ⁵, Rosie Tope ⁶, Daniel Kelly ², Aled Jones ², Jackie Askey ⁶, Jane Harden ²

¹ The Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of West London, London, UK
² School of Healthcare Sciences, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
³ Research and Development, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Newport, UK
⁴ Dementia UK, London, UK
⁵ Continence Service, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Newport, UK
⁶ Independent service user researcher, Cardiff, UK
^* Corresponding author Email: Katie.Featherstone@uwl.ac.uk

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Response by Dr Katie Featherstone on 31 July 2024 at 1:11 PM
Author Repsonse to comment
Thank you for taking the time to read our work and for your thoughtful comment. We agree that dignity and respect must be at the forefront of care for all patients, including those living with dementia. We continue to develop our research programme in this area and have focussed on raising awareness of this practice and its consequences. We are currently working with ward staff and people with lived experience to develop interventions that will reduce the routine and systemic use of continence pads in the care of older people and people living with dementia.

Response by Angela Couzens on 15 August 2023 at 8:42 PM
Let's Make A Change
I have worked on a ward as a nursing assistant where I have heard patients told, " It's ok you have a pad on" so the patient is given permission to wet themselves. This must be awful. Many dementia patients are older and have been in the forces. They are living history and deserve dignity and respect. Sadly some dementia patients don't know where the toilet is, they are contained in a bed or chair and can't think or explain what they need. I think getting our patients into a continence routine as swiftly as they arrive on to the ward must help. Responding to incontinence needs to be done sensitively. It's still embarrassing no matter who you are. An incontinence nurse would be very affective in this kind of situation. I am totally supportive towards research of this nature and hope work like this study continues. Many thanks

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