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Helping bed-wetters to help themselves
Research has shown that many cases of bed-wetting can be solved by reconditioning, awareness, and practice. For children, it's still a learning process because neural connections just haven't had time to get established. For incontinent adults, bed-wetting can result from a combination of factors, including age, physical or mental trauma, stress or anxiety, and lower-urinary-tract dysfunction. Physicians recommend trying behavior modification first, and here an alarm can help. Alarms work by emitting a sound or a vibration to let the sleeper and/or caregiver know when even less than a teaspoon of fluid has been emitted. With children, the success rate has been as high as 90% in ending bed-wetting. With adults, alarms allow a caregiver to change bedding quickly. And don't worry: the alarm tones are gentle and pleasant, and are not designed to punish anyone.
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Bedwetting Alarms Help Reduce Messes
Bed-wetting alarms can be of great use to parents with children who frequently wet the bed. Many young children cannot control nighttime urination, and not only do bedwetting alarms keep them from soiling their bedclothes, they also help them gain control over their bladders in about 90% of cases.
For those particularly concerned about skin infection, pressure sores, or irritation, bedwetting alarms can reduce the amount of time skin comes into contact with urine.
Choosing the Right Alarm
- Most pharmacies do not carry bed-wetting alarms and devices. Consult your doctor or pharmacist to find out where you might purchase them.
- The reliability of a bed-wetting alarm varies from brand to brand and even within the same brand. It may take a bit of experimenting before you find the one that is right for you. There are a good variety of products out there, so be choosy.
- Many devices are gender-specific, so be sure to make the distinction when purchasing.
- Choose an alarm device that works for you. For those who sleep through noises, vibrating alarms may be a better option.
- Bed-wetting alarms come in two basic forms: one is worn in the underpants and the other is a pad on which the person sleeps.
- Prices really do vary, so make sure to balance cost with your needs.
Many Features Are Available
- Alarms can be worn on the shoulder or wrist or placed by the bedside.
- Some devices use radio frequencies to alert people in other rooms that a bedwetting has occurred.
- Sensors are often machine washable and dryable.
- Does your device offer toll-free phone counseling? Some do, some don't. Take this into consideration.
- Some devices use wires while others do not. If you don't feel comfortable about wires in the bed area, opt for the more expensive wireless model.
- Most bed-wetting alarms require batteries. Make sure that the batteries your device requires are inexpensive and easy to obtain.
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Using a Bed-wetting Alarm
- Bed-wetting alarms are a safe, effective way of alerting either the wearer or the attending individual that bed-wetting has occurred. They are also a safe, non-drug-based way to train young children to control their night time urinary excretions.
- For individuals who prefer or require immediate removal of urine from the skin area, bed-wetting alarms are a good option.
- The device can be worn on the body or placed under the body in a pad.
What a Bed-wetting Alarm Does
- Bed-wetting devices depend upon sensors that can detect when urine has been excreted, even an amount as small as one teaspoon.
- When the device senses moisture, an alarm awakens the individual, the caregiver or both.
- Alarms range from audible beeping or warbling sounds to vibration. Some devices have both options.
How to Use
- Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for use.
- Clean the sensing device with alcohol and place it inside the individual's underwear or, if it is a pad, beneath the individual, securing it to the bed.
- Make sure the sensing device is connected to the monitor, and place the monitor in a place where it will be heard and responded to. Make sure the user knows how to turn off the alarm.
- Do not reuse soiled sensors. Most devices come with more than one sensor, so replace a dirty one with a clean, dry one.
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Things to Remember
- Bed-wetting alarms are not intended for use on very young children and infants. Devices with wires, even short wires, while generally safe, can entangle very young children.
- Make sure that the person wearing the bed-wetting alarm knows how to shut the alarm off.
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Websites, Organizations & Manufacturers
Sources & Further Reading
Books
- 1. Fauci, Anthony S. et al. Eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed. New York: MacGraw Hill 1998.
- 2. American Medical Association. The American Medical Association: Guide to your family's symptoms. Washington, D.C.: American Pharmaceutical Association 1992.
Find more books on health and wellness at  barnesandnoble.com.
Articles
- 1. Brink, Carol. "Trends in incontinence management". Nursing Homes; Vol. 47 2/1/1998.
- 2. Gallo, Mimi. Et al. "Urinary incontinence: steps to evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment". The Nurse Practitioner; Vol. 22 2/1/1997.
- 3. Reid, Robert. "Incontinence patients dissatisfied; treatment guidelines revised". Modern Medicine; Vol. 64 5/1/1996.
- 4. Weksler, Marc E. "Urinary Incontinence: taking acation against this 'silent epidemic'". Geriatrics; Vol. 51 4/1/1996.
- 5. Bruck, Laura. "Incontinence Products: trends in upgrading". Nursing Homes; Vol. 45 4/1/1996.
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