An author who acted as primary carer to his father for ten years has issued some advice on looking after a person with adult incontinence.

Gary Joseph LeBlanc learnt how to look after his father with compassion and respect after the older man's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia.

Writing in the Tampa Tribune, he described caring for a person with urinary incontinence as a "learning process".

He revealed: "One hundred per cent of Alzheimer's patients will arrive at a point where they lose control of their bladder or bowels, most likely both.

"At this stage of the disease most families are usually advised that the time has come to institutionalise their loved ones. Even so, countless families continue caring for them at home until their final days."

Mr LeBlanc told the news provider that he used to place his father's incontinence pants in his underwear drawer, gradually replacing his usual undergarments.

He noted that there are many different types of incontinence pads and pants, and advised: "I would first start them off with pull-ups, the ones designed with side tabs resemble children's diapers too much and may be very upsetting for your loved one at first."

Figures from the Alzheimer's Society suggest that around 465,000 people in the UK are affected by Alzheimer's disease, while many more have different types of dementia, such as vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies.