It is a myth that it is easier for nurses to bring someone to the restroom than it is for them to change messy diapers on grown adults. Most people figure that it would be less work for them and much easier to bring someone to the rest room than to clean up a person and change a diaper on a person.

Reality is this--nurses, cna, any person who is responsible for cleaning a person or bringing a person to the restroom has an EASIER time just changing that person's diaper. That is why there are some attendants or nurses aids' who prefer to have their patients in diapers even when the patient does not medically need to be in a diaper. The diaper is to save the staff time and work and effort. Here are the fact and the reasons why.

Staff Want Continent Patients To Wear Diapers When the Resident Does Not Medically Need to Wear Diapers Because:

1. When a person is wearing a diaper, they do not have to attend to that person immediately because the person is wearing a diaper. They know and tell the person to just "go in the diaper; that is what the diaper is for". So they tell people --who are not incontinent to begin just peeing and pooping in the diaper instead of calling them to bring that person to the restroom.
2. When a person in a diaper does call for the staff, they do NOT come right away because they know the person is wearing a diaper and they know that if the person can not hold it in, only the diaper will be messed, not the sheets and not the clothing. So staff is very comfortable letting diapered patients wait and wait and wait till they finally just give up and poop and pee in the diapers. Then they do not need to be taken to the restroom.
3. Patients can sit in wet diapers and dirty diapers for hours and the staff does not have to come to them immediately since -- resident is wearing a diaper.
4. So, a patient wearing a diaper might need only to be attended to once a day or twice a day, whereas a patient not wearing a diaper might ask to go to the restroom six or seven times a day or eight, depending on the person. (Sometimes a person thinks they need to go and then gets to the restroom and does not have to go to the restroom. So that makes a few extra trips sometimes).
5. Staff feels that when a patient wears diapers that lessons falls in the facility. This is not a good reason to have a person wear a diaper but staff convinces residents and families that this is a good reason. It is not a good reason and not a valid reason for someone to be in diapers when they are not medically needing diapers. Falls can be prevented OTHER ways besides keeping residents in diapers.

Reasons Why Staff Wants Healthy, Continent People Wear Diapers:

1. When the patient is not wearing a diaper, the staff must and should come immediately when the patient rings the bell for help. They must come immediately; they cannot tell the patient, wait a half-hour , or wait an hour , or wait four hours, like they do and have done when the patient is in diapers. They must attend and help that patient transport to the restroom.
2. They must wait there for some patients while they go. If the patient is not allowed to be left in the restroom by themselves, they must wait there for them until they are finished going. They must see that the patient washes their hands afterwards --to prevent infection. All of this takes time, lots of time out of the staff's schedule. And time, to any staff is very precious. If they do not wait with the patient, they have to come back immediately to get the patient out of the restroom. (Why must they go immediately? If they hesitate too much or make the patient wait, the patient might decide to help him or herself back and they might have a horrible fall that can cause injury or even death. That staff member will be responsible for that accident if they are not there with the patient.
3. They must spend time --and sometimes this takes lots of time-- helping the patient in and out of the bed just to get to the restroom. So when the patient is finally done,they must help them back.
4. After going to the restroom, any patient can ask to go again, maybe hour or so later or even sooner and the staff has to do this all over again. All of this takes up time. And the staff feels they do not have this kind of time. This is why staff sometimes puts people in diapers even though they are not incontinent and even though they do not need to medically be in diapers. Fully continent patients are kept in diapers when the staff wants this to happen.

Now after reading this you might thing it is good for a patient to be in diapers but that is the furthest thing from the truth. It is horrible for healthy, continent people to lay in diapers in nursing homes and in physical rehabilitation centers. It is a most horrible, horrible thing that affects their life in a very embarrassing, negative and life-changing way. I will write about all the downfalls of keeping patients in diapers --patients who are not medically needing diapers-- in another article.