Design of a Prototype Garment Adapted to Demented Elderly Subjects With Disturbing Behavioral Problems in the Management of Sphincter Disorders

Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) are diseases whose frequency is increasing in elderly subjects. Their evolution is marked by the occurrence, in addition to cognitive disorders, of increasingly disruptive behavioral disorders that interfere with their management, as well as impairment of basic functions, including the occurrence of sphincter disorders responsible for daytime and nighttime urinary and fecal incontinence. These disorders are present in more than 80% of LAM patients and are of multifactorial origin.

It is difficult to get patients to accept wearing the necessary protection. They tend to remove or tear them off. This can frequently lead to stressful situations of agitation and inappropriate behavior for patients and uncomfortable continence management for caregivers.

In order not to be forced to use heavy physical restraints or therapeutics that promote drowsiness so that the patient cannot remove his or her protections, the only effective response today is to wear a garment. Unfortunately, the ones that exist today are strictly functional and are worn at night.

The use of such garments, during the day, in this indication, is therefore a common and usual practice today.

This results in an ethical problem for the caregivers. Indeed, worn during the day, rompers give the impression to the latter that they show a devaluing, infantilizing or even degrading image of the elderly person. This practice, although common and accepted because it is the only recourse to physical and chemical restraints to preserve the cleanliness and presentation of elderly patients, could lead to an impaired dignity which could be badly experienced by their close circle of friends and family as well as by the carers and could also have an impact on the overall effectiveness of the care .

This is the first time that a multi-professional team integrating doctors, caregivers, occupational therapists and engineers have reflected on the design of a garment that meets the expectations of caregivers, patients and their families. The romper thus designed must be able to retain the aesthetic characteristics of a garment that meets the tastes of the elderly while respecting their dignity.