Recliner covers for 70yo incontinent woman?
December 14, 2022 3:55 PM   Subscribe

My mom just spent more money than she can really spare to get a La-Z-Boy Pinnacle rocking recliner. She is incontinent. I am worried the recliner will be ruined and she will be unable to afford a replacement. Snowflakes inside.

She is about 5'3" and 225 pounds. She has scoliosis. She requires a walker. She is in assisted living.

She has already placed an incontinence pad (don't know what kind) on the chair seat, but is worried about sweating on the chair back during summer months.

I am in a different state and will not be able to help install anything, at least not immediately. It's okay if I have something shipped there and it sits a couple months before I can install it, though.
posted by commander_fancypants to Health & Fitness (4 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: This $31 "Full Chair Incontinence Pad" seems perfect.

I worry about her getting too hot, so maybe have something available that will cool the chair if needed.
posted by amtho at 4:05 PM on December 14, 2022 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Retired assisted living administrator checking in! The best way to protect soft furniture like this is a layered approach. This style (as linked by amtho) is exactly what I would have suggested for a base layer. You will want to get at least two of them (and want to check whether assisted living staff might be able to help her install a clean one if needed). This protects the whole chair, including the back, from sweat and incontinence. Then, in the seat of the chair, she should put down a regular washable incontinence pad like this. This protects the chair protector and is a really good chance at keeping the whole seat of the chair dry. You will want multiples of these as well, depending on how often they need to be replaced, but I would get at least 4. Depending on how often she experiences incontinence accidents that go through her clothes to the incontinence pad, she might want a disposable pad on top of that, since that's easiest to remove and replace.

In the end she should have a top layer that is quickly and easily removed and replaced, and can be replaced daily or multiple times a day, a middle layer that can be replaced relatively easily but shouldn't need to be replaced more than once a day, and a bottom layer that is replaced seldom to never, because the top two layers have kept it clean and dry.

Also may be worth checking in to see if her current personal incontinence products (pads, briefs, whatever) are sufficiently absorbent and the right size for her body. If they fit well and are the right absorbancy, that will go a long way to keeping her clothes from being soiled to start with, which will in turn protect the chair. And it's better for her skin integrity, as a bonus!
posted by assenav at 4:29 PM on December 14, 2022 [26 favorites]


You can get waterproof blankets that just feel like a throw rug, like seriously I have them on the foot of my bed for my dog and they wash up in the washing machine with no worries if the pad she puts down was to leak leaks. They absorb moisture, not gallons of it but would absorb a pee easily, but don't let it through
posted by wwax at 6:47 PM on December 14, 2022 [1 favorite]


I can't find the name of it, but nursing homes also have an odor eliminator substance (usually a spray) that they use, and you may want to treat the chair with that once in a while. Ask at the assisted living location to find out how to get it.
posted by TimHare at 9:52 PM on December 14, 2022 [1 favorite]


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