An incontinence pad is a small, impermeable multi-layered sheet with high absorbency that is used in the incontinence and health-care industries as a precaution against fecal or urinary incontinence. [1] It is generally made of cotton if washable, or nonwoven fabric paper if disposable. Incontinence diapers (or incontinence nappies) are a common incontinence pad. Incontinence pads are usually placed in an undergarment or on a bed or chair under a person. Incontinence pads are manufactured in light and heavy grades which offer a range of absorbencies, often referred to as a 'working capacity', which refers to the true absorbency an incontinence pad offers when in use. These sorts of pads can come as panty-liners, inserts, pads or even available as replacement underwear.
In the UK, chair or bed-based protective pads, known as chair pads or bed pads, are commonly used in healthcare settings where incontinence may be an issue. They are usually constructed in layers of quilted absorbent fabric and alternating liquid impermeable plastic or polyurethane. Products containing polyurethane are generally considered better as they provide a waterproof backing, whilst still allowing air to circulate reducing the risk of rashes and sores.
Incontinence pads are often overused in people with dementia. Guidelines suggest that treatment should always be preferred to containment as pads can be uncomfortable and negatively affect the person's dignity. A balanced diet, exercise, hand hygiene, and prompts to go to the toilet should be preferred over using pads. [2] An ethnographic study in the UK pointed out the existence of "pad culture" which means that the main care strategy was the use of continence pads even in cases where people were continent. The main reasons for this strategy were fears about safety and falls which kept people in their beds and did not support independence. This mode of caring often leads to undignified situations and the use of demeaning language. [3]
A diaper or a nappy is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or containing waste products to prevent soiling of outer clothing or the external environment. When diapers become wet or soiled, they require changing, generally by a second person such as a parent or caregiver. Failure to change a diaper on a sufficiently regular basis can result in skin problems around the area covered by the diaper.
Urinary incontinence (UI), also known as involuntary urination, is any uncontrolled leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a large impact on quality of life. It has been identified as an important issue in geriatric health care. The term enuresis is often used to refer to urinary incontinence primarily in children, such as nocturnal enuresis. UI is an example of a stigmatized medical condition, which creates barriers to successful management and makes the problem worse. People may be too embarrassed to seek medical help, and attempt to self-manage the symptom in secrecy from others.
Fecal incontinence (FI), or in some forms, encopresis, is a lack of control over defecation, leading to involuntary loss of bowel contents, both liquid stool elements and mucus, or solid feces. When this loss includes flatus (gas), it is referred to as anal incontinence. FI is a sign or a symptom, not a diagnosis. Incontinence can result from different causes and might occur with either constipation or diarrhea. Continence is maintained by several interrelated factors, including the anal sampling mechanism, and incontinence usually results from a deficiency of multiple mechanisms. The most common causes are thought to be immediate or delayed damage from childbirth, complications from prior anorectal surgery, altered bowel habits. An estimated 2.2% of community-dwelling adults are affected. However, reported prevalence figures vary. A prevalence of 8.39% among non-institutionalized U.S adults between 2005 and 2010 has been reported, and among institutionalized elders figures come close to 50%.
Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials, such as plastic. A laminate is a layered object or material assembled using heat, pressure, welding, or adhesives. Various coating machines, machine presses and calendering equipment are used.
A menstrual pad, or simply a pad, is an absorbent item worn in the underwear when menstruating, bleeding after giving birth, recovering from gynecologic surgery, experiencing a miscarriage or abortion, or in any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from the vagina. A menstrual pad is a type of menstrual hygiene product that is worn externally, unlike tampons and menstrual cups, which are worn inside the vagina. Pads are generally changed by being stripped off the pants and panties, taking out the old pad, sticking the new one on the inside of the panties and pulling them back on. Pads are recommended to be changed every 3–4 hours to avoid certain bacteria that can fester in blood; this time also may differ depending on the kind worn, flow, and the time it is worn.
A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a lying person. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, containing materials such as hair, straw, cotton, foam rubber, or a framework of metal springs. Mattresses may also be filled with air or water.
Plastic pants are garments worn over a diaper to prevent liquid or solid waste from leaking through the fabric. They are waterproof with a plastic texture, rather than a soft napkin texture. Plastic pants are usually made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyurethane (PU).
A bedpan or bed pan is a device used as a receptacle for the urine and/or feces of a person who is confined to a bed and therefore not able to use a toilet or chamber pot.
A cloth diaper or a cloth nappy, also known as reusable diaper or reusable nappy, is a diaper made from textiles such as natural fibers, human-made materials, or a combination of both. Cloth diapers are in contrast to disposable diapers, made from synthetic fibers and plastics. They are often made from industrial cotton which may be bleached white or left the fiber's natural color. Other natural fiber cloth materials include wool, bamboo, and unbleached hemp. Human-made materials such as an internal absorbent layer of microfiber toweling or an external waterproof layer of polyurethane laminate (PUL) may be used. Polyester fabrics microfleece or suedecloth are often used inside cloth diapers as a "stay-dry" wicking liner because of the non-absorbent properties of those synthetic fibers.
Stress incontinence, also known as stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or effort incontinence is a form of urinary incontinence. It is due to inadequate closure of the bladder outlet by the urethral sphincter.
Cloth menstrual pads are cloth pads worn in the underwear to collect menstrual fluid. They are a type of reusable menstrual hygiene product, and are an alternative to sanitary napkins or to menstrual cups. Because they can be reused, they are generally less expensive than disposable pads over time, and reduce the amount of waste produced.
Polyurethane laminate is a compound fabric made by laminating a cloth fabric to one or both sides of a thin film of polyurethane. Polyurethane laminated fabrics have a wide range of applications in medical, automotive and garment uses.
A mattress protector is an item of removable bedding that sits on top of, or encases, a mattress to protect it. Some mattress protectors also provide protection to the person sleeping on the mattress from allergens and irritants such as dust mites, bed bugs, mold, and dead skin.
Omorashi, sometimes abbreviated as simply "omo", is a form of fetish subculture first categorized and predominately recognized in Japan, in which a person experiences arousal from the idea or feeling of having a full bladder and potentially wetting themselves, or from witnessing another person in that situation.
An adult diaper is a diaper made to be worn by a person with a body larger than that of an infant or toddler. Diapers can be necessary for adults with various conditions, such as incontinence, mobility impairment, severe diarrhea or dementia. Adult diapers are made in various forms, including those resembling traditional child diapers, underpants, and pads resembling sanitary napkins. Superabsorbent polymer is primarily used to absorb bodily wastes and liquids.
As populations age, caring for people with dementia has become more common. Elderly caregiving may consist of formal care and informal care. Formal care involves the services of community and medical partners, while informal care involves the support of family, friends, and local communities. In most mild-to-medium cases of dementia, the caregiver is a spouse or an adult child. Over a period of time, more professional care in the form of nursing and other supportive care may be required medically, whether at home or in a long-term care facility. There is evidence to show that case management can improve care for individuals with dementia and the experience of their caregivers. Furthermore, case management may reduce overall costs and institutional care in the medium term. Millions of people living in the United States take care of a friend or family member with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.
Diaper fetishism, nappy fetishism, or diaperism is a type of garment fetish in which a person derives pleasure from wearing or using a diaper. Though separate and distinct, diaper fetishism can also be used as a component of various other kinks, such as ageplay or paraphilic infantilism, which together form a spectrum of practices colloquially referred to as "adult baby/diaper lover" or "AB/DL".
The Rothwell scale, or Rothwell system, or Rothwell method, applied to incontinence care products, is a scale that shows how absorbent a particular incontinence pad or adult diaper is, and how much liquid it can absorb and hold before it is likely to leak due to overfill.
Depend is a brand of absorbent, disposable underwear and undergarments for people with urinary or fecal incontinence. It is a Kimberly-Clark brand, and positions its products as an alternative to typical adult diapers. Depend is the dominant brand of disposable incontinence garments in the United States with a 49.4 share of the market.
Incontinence underwear is a type of reusable undergarment designed to absorb urine. It provides an alternative to traditional disposable incontinence products, which are often bulky and plastic-based. Due to concerns about the environmental impact of disposable products, incontinence underwear is becoming an alternative to pads. Only recently has the textile technology existed to enable the design and manufacture of reusable products with comparable functionality to a disposable pad or diaper.