Making toilet easy for the ill and elderly
Taking care of the ill is challenging. But being the patient is even more challenging, especially when you are bed-ridden and have to answer nature’s call.
By Thomas Pere
Taking care of the ill is challenging. But being the patient is even more challenging, especially when you are bed-ridden and have to answer nature’s call.
Hospitals have catheters to drain the urine, but at home, the attendant has to ensure that there is a container in which the patient can ease themselves. This is risky because it may expose the attendant to infections.
Lindsay Nzeyi, the managing director of Lifespan Medicare Products, says they are marketing the bedside commode to assist the bed-ridden patients.
A bedside commode is a movable toilet that does not use running water. It looks like a chair, but has a toilet seat and bowl underneath. Some commodes have wheels so that they can be rolled away after use.
Dr Ben Ayiko, a general practitioner at Mulago Hospital, says: “You may need a commode when you are very weak or unsteady. To avoid falling as you walk to the bathroom, a commode is safer.â€
Some elderly people in rural areas develop back problems, joint aches and muscle stiffness, which make squatting painful. Others may be obese such that they have difficulty when getting up from a squatting position. Ayiko says the commode can also be placed over a pit latrine with the bucket removed. It also has a provision for supporting the hands.
If a latrine is far from the main house, the commode can be used, especially at night.
Nzeyi says to use the commode; you need other items like disposable gloves, toilet paper and a container with warm water. “Put the items where they can be reached easily and the commode beside the patient’s bed,†she advises.
The container is placed under the seat. It is advisable to pour a small amount of water in the container before it is used.
“This makes it easier to clean after use,†Nzeyi says. The sick, elderly or disabled should not only be helped onto the commode, they must also be helped to stand and clean up and to wash their hands. She says after the container has been used, it should be emptied.
“Clean the container with a toilet brush, germ-killing cleanser and rinse with water. Put the container back under the commode and remove the gloves and dispose of them,†Nzeyi adds.
Commodes are available at medical shops in Kampala. Prices vary from sh200, 000 to 300,000.
Ends
Taking care of the ill is challenging. But being the patient is even more challenging, especially when you are bed-ridden and have to answer nature’s call.
Hospitals have catheters to drain the urine, but at home, the attendant has to ensure that there is a container in which the patient can ease themselves. This is risky because it may expose the attendant to infections.
Lindsay Nzeyi, the managing director of Lifespan Medicare Products, says they are marketing the bedside commode to assist the bed-ridden patients.
A bedside commode is a movable toilet that does not use running water. It looks like a chair, but has a toilet seat and bowl underneath. Some commodes have wheels so that they can be rolled away after use.
Dr Ben Ayiko, a general practitioner at Mulago Hospital, says: “You may need a commode when you are very weak or unsteady. To avoid falling as you walk to the bathroom, a commode is safer.â€
Some elderly people in rural areas develop back problems, joint aches and muscle stiffness, which make squatting painful. Others may be obese such that they have difficulty when getting up from a squatting position. Ayiko says the commode can also be placed over a pit latrine with the bucket removed. It also has a provision for supporting the hands.
If a latrine is far from the main house, the commode can be used, especially at night.
Nzeyi says to use the commode; you need other items like disposable gloves, toilet paper and a container with warm water. “Put the items where they can be reached easily and the commode beside the patient’s bed,†she advises.
The container is placed under the seat. It is advisable to pour a small amount of water in the container before it is used.
“This makes it easier to clean after use,†Nzeyi says. The sick, elderly or disabled should not only be helped onto the commode, they must also be helped to stand and clean up and to wash their hands. She says after the container has been used, it should be emptied.
“Clean the container with a toilet brush, germ-killing cleanser and rinse with water. Put the container back under the commode and remove the gloves and dispose of them,†Nzeyi adds.
Commodes are available at medical shops in Kampala. Prices vary from sh200, 000 to 300,000.
Ends