Going to the bathroom is the second activity of daily living (“ADL”).
How well do you use the toilet?
Toileting and Continence Management measures your mental and physical ability to:
Maintain control of your bowel and bladder functions,
Get on and off the toilet safely,
Clean genital area,
Perform critical hygiene including care for catheter or colostomy bag, and
Use a bedpan or commode.
Activities of daily living indices and long-term care insurance criteria often separate one’s ability to maintain control of bodily functions from the actual use of a toilet. Because these are highly related, we have combined the two.
Signs you may need additional help going to the bathroom include:
Difficulty sitting on or getting up from the toilet, a task that may be more difficult if using a cane, walker, or wheelchair,
Soiled and smelly clothing,
Urine or poop on the toilet seat or the bathroom floor, and
One or more bladder infections.