Helping Those Struggling with Incontinence to Find Their Voice
August 23, 2024
By Janet Firestone
We all know the good and bad of social media. I love seeing happy posts about birthdays, weddings and graduations. However, some posts are sad, especially those from people with everyday challenges who are struggling to be heard.
Sometimes, these posts become an opportunity to lend a helping hand.
I recently came across a lengthy post from a mother who was absolutely fed up with the low quality and lack of proper sizing options for the incontinence products worn by her 13-year-old son with complex healthcare needs.
Now, I have been helping parents like this woman for over 25 years, and her seven-paragraph message, written in the form of an open letter to “All Adult Diaper & Pull-Up Manufacturers,” listed practically every single absorbent product issue I’ve heard on the phone, in emails and texts, and even in paper letters (back in the olden days).
Concerns such as:
- Urine-soaked laundry (she posted a picture of the mound of clothes and bedding in her hallway)
- Stained, stinky and moldy mattress covers
- Countless middle-of-the-night changes
- Low-absorbency diapers “that look and feel like paper”
The mom detailed a typical nighttime experience: “As I was rushing my son to the bathroom, frantically grabbing clearance shorts off the rack and washing his pee-filled sandals in the bathroom sink, I wondered to myself, do these products even get tested for active, special-needs teens like my kid?”
“I’m begging you to improve your products,” she continued. “Can you do better for this population of people – and the caregivers who have to deal with this – so they’re dry, comfortable and their incontinence is discreet?”
The post received over 25,000 Likes within 48 hours. The vast majority of the more than 4,000 comments echoed their understanding.
“We need people who are good at making diapers to make them bigger for our kids and forever young adults,” one person wrote.
“The pull-ons we have used do not hold a full bladder of pee from an 11-year-old – they’re only designed for a little bit of pee from a toddler,” another reader replied.
“I have two incontinent kids, and I dread for when they’re teens,” chimed in a third. “Nothing is made for them!”
At the end of the post, the mom signed off, “Sincerely – a tired mom who has been trying to potty train her kid for 11 years … and her washing machine.”
I wanted to tell this mom – and the countless mothers I’ve spoken with – to not give up, because there are better product options available, such as Tranquility®. So, I reached out to her through the Comments section of the post and also sent her a direct message.
I did not promise her that Tranquility would be the immediate solution to all her problems, but I did let her know a few things that make us different, which might help with some of her particular issues:
- Tranquility offers a variety of youth-sized pull-ons, tape-tab briefs and more
- Our youth products start at size 4 (28 lbs) to bridge the gap between baby/toddler and adult-sized products
- We offer a variety of booster pads that can be inserted into any brand of absorbent undergarment to add fluid capacity
- Our superabsorbent core technology is designed to lock in fluid, so it can’t escape when pressure is applied
I also offered to help her navigate her state’s Medicaid guidelines to find the best product (either our brand or another) to help her and her family get back to a little normalcy.
Are you or someone you know in a situation like this passionate mom? Let your voice be heard!
- Call Tranquility Customer Service at 1-866-865-6101, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST
- Email customerservice@pbenet.com, anytime
If you have found success with Tranquility, please share your story with us, to help others experience greater freedom and confidence, as you have.
Janet Firestone
Tranquility Medicaid Incontinence Specialist
For over 25 years, Janet has worked directly with Medicaid recipients and their care coordinators, navigating the Medicaid process to determine their coverage and connecting them with an authorized supplier to help them get the incontinence products they need.
For more information or questions about this article, please call 1-419-352-1551 or email CustomerService@pbenet.com.
Related Posts
More Tranquility Blogs
- 5 Best Overnight Adult Diapers to Keep You Dry While You Sleep
- Helping Those Struggling with Incontinence to Find Their Voice
- 6 Signs You Should Consult a Doctor for a Bladder Issue
- Choosing the Right Bariatric Adult Diaper: How to Buy Plus-Sized Adult Diapers
- Veterans and Incontinence
- Are Incontinence Pads the Right Product for Fecal Incontinence?
- How to Buy Adult Diapers: 4 Things to Consider
- 5 Tips for Discreetly Wearing Diapers in Public
- Why Double Diapering Is Not the Best Solution for You
- How to Choose the Best Bowel Incontinence Products and Diapers