Incontinence Issues

Parentgiving Elder Care Resource Center

• Diapers: Adult Life Hacks

• Incontinence Information

• Survey Says: 50 Top Strategies for Managing Incontinence

  By: Julie Davis

  As part of the Parentgiving survey on incontinence, we asked what strategies you've used to control incontinence and whether they've helped. Our 197 respondents graciously shared what's worked.

• Incontinence in the Elderly: A New Perspective

  By: Julie Davis

  Seniors over 85 face more problems from urinary continence, yet doctors are still on the learning curve about treatment options for the elderly. Here’s how to be your best advocate.

• What is Incontinence?

  Incontinence is the loss of bladder or bowel control. Although it is a common and embarrassing problem, it is not a normal part of aging.

• A Permanent Solution To Urinary Incontinence

• New Treatments Can End the Misery of Incontinence

  By: Julie Davis

  New treatments can correct certain forms of incontinence. A urethral support sling can provide virtually immediate and permanent relief from stress UI. 

• Incontinence Briefs Perfect For Travel

  By: Julie Davis

  Holiday travel and stress seem to go hand-in-hand. However, for the 25 million Americans who are incontinent, holiday travel adds a whole new level of stress that others will never experience. Extended trips on airplanes, traffic jams, and overnight stays can turn an otherwise enjoyable time with family into an unbearable situation.

• Determining the Causes of Urinary Incontinence

  Also called "leaky bladder," urinary incontinence affects approximately 25 percent to 30 percent of older adults, and more women than men. One misnomer about incontinence is that it is a normal part of the aging process — It is not! If your parent is experiencing what you consider to be any form of incontinence, contact your parent's doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

• For Men Only: The Prostate And Incontinence Question

  While many think of urinary incontinence as a woman’s issue, over 2 million men wrestle with it.

• Smart Strategies for Incontinence: Nighttime Approaches To Maximize Protection

  If you’re experiencing incontinence, you might need protection full-time or just at night. Learn how to maximize your protection.

• Smart Strategies for Incontinence: A

  Learn how to develop strategies for a "full coverage" incontinence plan.

• How to Convince a Senior to Wear Adult Diapers

  Millions of individuals suffer from urinary incontinence each year, but the senior population is most directly hit. Sadly, this is an issue that is often ignored by the individual affected out of embarrassment or shame. Urinary incontinence is not an easy issue to tackle with anyone, and there are specific steps that must be taken in order to help maximize receptiveness to the idea of adult diapers. In the following piece, we will take a look at some of the steps you can take to convince a senior to wear adult diapers with dignity and respect.

• Our Survey Shows Incontinence Provokes Less Embarrassment But Many Needs Still Aren't Being Met

  By: Julie Davis

  Find out how views on incontinence are (slowly) changing and what you can do for better management of the condition.

• Incontinence Pads: Taking the Stress out of Stress Incontinence

  By: Julie Davis

  Advances in incontinence pads means that these thinner incontinence supplies may offer all the coverage and leakage protection you need.

• Choosing the Right Incontinence Product

  Each individual is different. Regardless of whether someone has light or heavy incontinence, he or she should have access to high quality products to manage their condition.

• Alzheimer’s and Incontinence: Strategies for Caregivers

  By: Julie Davis

  Caregiving for a loved one with one medical condition is stressful enough. When you’re helping someone manage both Alzheimer’s and incontinence, you need targeted strategies.

• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

• 5 Essential Tips for Buying and Using Incontinence Products

  These 5 tips from the Parentgiving Team on buying and using incontinence product are a great way to help you get started.

• Treating Urinary Incontinence

  It's important for caregivers and their parents to know that incontinence is not a normal part of aging and it can be treated. Often when incontinence becomes an issue, many caregivers decide to relinquish their role and place their parents in a facility.

• Incontinence Essentials for Family Caregivers

  Understanding the causes of incontinence and being aware of the wide range of products available that offer protection and can rebuild confidence are keys to improving quality of life.

• OAB: The Alphabet Soup of Incontinence

  Overactive bladder, or OAB, seems like a confusing term. Is it just another way of saying urge incontinence? There are similarities....

• Advanced Approaches to Managing Incontinence: RX Solutions

  There is medication available to treat some forms of incontinence, primarily overactive bladder and urge incontinence.

• An Unwanted Urge: What Urge Incontinence Means

  Another common type of incontinence is urge incontinence—the strong and sudden need to urinate because of bladder spasms or contractions, leading to frequent urination, day and night

• Overcoming The Stress Of Stress Incontinence

  Stress incontinence refers to physical stress put on the bladder by internal forces.

• Advanced Approaches in Managing Incontinence: Can Surgery Help Men?

  Surgical treatments can help men with certain types of incontinence, such as incontinence that results from nerve damage due to spinal cord injury or radical prostatectomy, for instance.

• Treatments For Incontinence: An Overview

  Your incontinence treatment plan will depend on how severe your symptoms are, which is tied directly to how much they interfere with your life.

• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Part 1

  By: Deborah Quilter

  You might know anything about your pelvic floor until something goes wrong. Learn how it works and the consequences of pelvic floor dysfunction.

• Everyday Actions To Ease Incontinence

  It's easy to let panic and fear overtake you when you're wrestling with incontinence, but staying calm and following a clear plan will help

• Speaking The Same Language: The Vocabulary Of Incontinence Terms To Know

  There are many types and causes of incontinence. Knowing the right terminology will make you a smarter patient.

• Men Are From Mars And Women Are From Venus But Incontinence Can Happen To Anybody

  Men and women often experience different health issues and changes as they age, but both sexes can have problems with incontinence.

• Why You're Experiencing Incontinence Matters

  It’s important to know that there are different types of incontinence as well as different causes. Making an accurate diagnosis—finding out the “why”—is the first step toward managing the condition.

• Incontinence and Aging: It's Not Just Part of the Territory

  Many people assume that incontinence is an inevitable part of aging and simply accept it for that reason but urinary incontinence is not part of the normal aging process.

• Smart Strategies: Stopping Odor, The Real Cause of Embarrassment

  When regular soap or a body wash are not enough, the answer might be a skin cleanser that also acts as an odor eliminator.

• Smart Strategies: Extra Protection To The Power of 2 (or 3!)

  Just as you choose incontinence briefs based on the amount of absorption you want, you can choose from liners with different degrees of protection.

• Smart Strategies for Incontinence: On The Go

  Incontinence can make travel difficult. But with a combination of products and careful planning you can make it a little easier to manage.

• Smart Strategies for Incontinence: On the Job

  Incontinence  at work can undermine your self-confidence and distract you from important tasks at hand.

• Understanding Urinary Tract Infections in the Elderly

  Certain individuals are more prone to UTIs than others. For example the anatomy of women makes them more susceptible to UTI’s because their urethra is shorter and closer to the anus. But as a group, the population most likely to experience UTIs is the elderly. Elderly people are more vulnerable to UTIs for many reasons, not the least of which is their overall susceptibility to all infections due to the suppressed immune system that comes with age and certain age-related conditions.

• Incontinence Comes Out Of The Closet…With Style

  By: Julie Davis

  It’s a medical condition that’s not life threatening the way cancer is, but it can threaten your way of life because of the social stigma involved—a stigma despite the fact that the number of Americans facing some form of incontinence is estimated to be at 25 million by the end of this year.

• Adult Swim Diapers: Get Back Into the Swim

  By: Julie Davis

  Incontinence doesn’t have to keep you from water sports and activities. Adult swim diapers offer the security you want.

• Diapers: An Unusual Alternative Energy Source

• Are Incontinence Supplies Covered by Medicare?

• Managing Incontinence in Assisted Living

  It can be challenging to manage your parent’s incontinence needs and keep them comfortable in Assisted Living facilities. Here are some recommendations to help.

• When is it time for Adult Diapers? Dealing with Incontinence

• The Top 5 Causes of Incontinence and 4 Tips to Make Your Caregiving Life Easier

  Time to get over the awkwardness and help your loved one by understanding incontinence—its causes and solutions.

• Bladder Control: The Problem Older Women Don't Talk About

  By: Chris Iliades

  Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss or leaking of urine. It may be the most frequent and most troubling symptom that women never talk about.

• Tips for Troubleshooting Overnight Leaks for the Incontinent and their Caregiver

• Advanced Approaches in Managing Incontinence: Can Surgery Help Women?

  According to the experts at the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, surgery can improve stress urinary incontinence symptoms in most women.

• Advanced Approaches for Managing Incontinence: Finding Support

  There are great organizations that offer resources and detailed information about incontinence and support, all just a few clicks away:

• When To Talk To Your Doctor About Incontinence

  There are many reasons to tell your doctor that you are experiencing incontinence. The most important one is that it can be a symptom of a serious health problem.

• Frequent Nighttime Urination Implications

  By: Aadil Palkhivala

• The Treatment of Urinary Incontinence: It’s Not “One Size Fits All”

  By: Julie Davis

• The Pelvic Floor, Part 2: Urinary Incontinence

  By: Deborah Quilter

  For some pelvic floor issues and types of incontinence, these lifestyle habits may help.