Week 11 - Bowel Incontinence Flashcards
What is bowel incontinence? (3)
- involuntary passage of stool
- ranges from an occasional leakage of stool while passing gas (flatus) to a complete loss os bowel control
- lasting for over a month
When can bowel incontinence be associated with diarrhea?
- When associated with forceful intestinal peristalsis
What percentage of older adults experience bowel incontinence?
50-70%
What is normal bowel elimination?
- Passage of feces with no undue straining or feeling of incomplete evacuation or defecation
What do clinicians identify with impaired bowel elimination?
frequency
What do older adults identify with impaired bowel elimination? (3)
- straining
- sense of incomplete or ineffective defacation
- hard or lumpy stool
What percentage of olde adults living in the community take laxatives?
30-50%
Is constipation an age related change?
no
Why can constipation lead to fecal impaction? (2)
- fecal impaction is associated with fecal incontinence
- need to prevent and treat constipation to prevent fecal impaction
What are the risk factors for constipation and fecal impaction? (4)
- older adults with hypotonic colon function
- immobility
- cognitive impairment
- constipation is a symptom
Why is constipation a symptom? (2)
- Condition of many physiological and psychological conditions
- common side effect of many medications
What are symptoms of constipation? (5)
- incontinence
- increased temp
- poor appetite
- unexplained falls
- altered cognitive status may be the only symptoms in cognitively impaired or frail older adult
How can we recognize constipation?
- frequency is not as common a complaint as straining and a feeling of incomplete evacuation
What are the symptoms of fecal impaction? (6)
- Malaise
- Urinary retention
- Elevated temp
- Incontinence of bowel or bladder or both
- altered cognition
- leakage of stool
What can straining cause?
Valsalva manoeuvre
- Transient ischemic attack or syncope
