How Rifton’s Hygiene and Toileting System (HTS) Improves Quality of Life

Transcript

Toilet training can be a transformative step for children with disabilities and their caregivers. Imagine the freedom that comes with greater independence. When children are toilet trained, they’re not just more comfortable. They can explore new places and engage more fully with their communities. No longer restricted to locations with diaper changing stations, they can join in activities and travel with ease.

But the benefits extend beyond convenience. Toilet training offers valuable opportunities for learning and motor development. Children get to practice important skills like sit-to-stand transfers, which are essential for their growth. Plus, caregivers often notice that communication improves. Using systems like the HTS for toilet training encourages simple yes or no questions, helping children express their needs more clearly.

There’s also a positive impact on physical health. Regular toileting routines can help prevent constipation and the anxiety or discomfort that sometimes accompanies it. By avoiding accidents, children and caregivers alike can reduce stress and embarrassment. Independent toileting also eases the burden on caregivers. Fewer transfers mean less lifting and safer, more comfortable care.

But all these benefits pale in comparison to the greatest of all: the gift of dignity. Only those of us who have worked with an incontinent child will truly understand the psychosocial benefit that accompanies this critical development – when we can give someone the skills and the necessary equipment to achieve privacy. As clinicians, we need to do all we can to tell our clients, “We respect you; we want to treat you with the dignity you deserve.”