Patients with dementia need prompt help to go to the toilet

So mum was admitted with a waterwork infection. Yes. But she was able to use the bathroom herself. Yes. During the course of the hospital admission she wasn't, she lost the ability to go to the toilet on her own. Yes she couldn't walk, she was unstable on her feet, so she needed some help. But in terms of actually using the loo, she stopped using the loo. No they didn't take her. She would ask to go and then we'd go in a minute in a minute and by the time they got around there in a minute and I mean we were sat there sometimes it was 45 minutes later. She's gone you know in the bed? Yeah. So then she was you know she was given these pads, incontinence pads to wear? Yes. But doing that she lost her normal ability to regulate herself? Yes yeah because the brain I think her brain functioned was when when she caught I mean she used to hold it and hold it and I mean we you know if we were there we would take her to the toilet but one day I just wanted to find out how long it was going to take someone to come and get her and it was 45 minutes and she was holding it but they you know and then obviously that went down the hill and then too time-consuming putting nappy on her is easy and you can't retrain as much as you try you can't retrain that when you get home once you've lost that you know because she's got dementia once you lose it's like a child you you can't get it back it's very difficult you just can't you know so if there is a learning point it's that these things need to be you know help these people need to be helped if If they're not incontinent, don't stick a nappy on them. Take them to the toilet. And I know it's a staffing issue, and I know there's staffing problems, but you've got ward people up there that help out. I think in here they had like ward aids. Health care assistants, yeah, health care assistants. And they could do something like that, you know. I know it's not pleasant, but if somebody really wants to go, keep the encouragement. It's the impact, you see, the long-term impact. I think probably if we are more aware of that, then possibly our behaviors might be different. Yes. But then you also got the characteristic of who you're talking to, that they can be bothered. And dementia is a very, sorry. It's okay. Is, people, you've got to specialize. I think you've got to be a specialist in it. You've got to have the patience because they're difficult. I mean, mum could be so difficult. Okay, thank you.