People with dementia may face a number of difficulties with using the toilet, particularly as the illness progresses. This guide looks at four common situations for people with dementia and suggests ideas to offer support.

These can include:

• Memory: Forgetting to go to the toilet, where it is, or how to use it.
• Sequencing: Struggling to perform the different physical steps in the right order.
• Communication: Not being able to say when they need to go, or when, how and why they are experiencing problems.
• Recognition: Not recognising the body’s physical messages that they need to go, or not realising what the toilet is and going elsewhere instead.
• Environment: Finding the toilet may be difficult. Colours, mirrors and surfaces may cause confusion.

This guide looks at these situations and suggests ideas to offer support.