How do you help someone with urinary incontinence?
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Urinary incontinence is a common, often embarrassing, condition. Although not life-threatening, it can significantly affect every aspect of a person's life — from social and family relationships, work, finances, psychological health and sexual health. Show
Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. This condition can affect both men and women and can occur at all ages, although the risk does increase with age. About 25% to 45% of adults experience incontinence at some point in their lives. Managing involuntary leakage of urine can be frustrating and time-consuming. These tips can reduce the burden of symptoms and help your bladder train for better behavior moving forward:1. Follow a fluid schedule.Try to keep your fluid intake on a schedule to help retrain your bladder when to fill and when to empty. Also, limit fluid intake after 6 p.m. to reduce night-time voiding and incontinence. Target total fluid intake to 40–60 ounces per day. Consuming too little fluid during the day can concentrate the urine and irritate the lining of the bladder, whereas too much fluid can increase frequency, leakage and night-time trips. 2. Limit common bladder irritants.Some fluids are more difficult for your bladder to process than others. We call these bladder irritants. Caffeine, alcohol and high-citrus content can make symptoms worse. Many people can reduce or even eliminate symptoms by avoiding common irritants most days. Tobacco is also very irritating to the bladder lining, in addition to increasing bladder cancer risk. 3. Plan a toileting schedule.Plan toileting attempts at least every two to three hours during the day. Normal bladder behavior is to urinate six to eight times per day, along with emptying your bladder before changing activities, leaving home or going to bed. A schedule helps prevent your bladder from becoming too full, resulting in a rush to find a restroom. 4. Do pelvic floor exercises.Strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor can reduce urinary incontinence by as much as 90%. Kegel exercises can help. 5. Manage constipation.Infrequent or difficult-to-pass stools will increase pressure in the pelvis and the bladder. Eat a diet rich in fiber, drink adequate amounts of water and maintain a healthy elimination pattern to help the bladder fill and empty more effectively. 6. Keep a bladder diary.Record your fluid intake and toileting pattern over the course of three to seven days in a bladder diary. Important components to the diary include the time of day, amount of fluid intake, how many times you went to the bathroom, how many times you leaked urine throughout the day, if you felt an urge to urinate before leaking and what type of activity you were engaged in at the time. Bring the diary with you to appointments with your health care provider. Some people may have urinary retention, which is the inability to fully empty the bladder with each trip to the restroom. This can cause overflow incontinence episodes. Urinary retention is a less common cause of leakage, but it can be a sign of a neurological problem and, in sudden or severe cases, cause bladder injury. It's important to have a conversation with your health care professional about new or persistent urinary changes you are noticing Incontinence treatments are available and can be explored by your health care team. Watch this video to learn more about urinary incontinence treatments including sacral neuromodulation therapy:Becky DeLuca is an OB-GYN nurse practitioner in New Prague, Minnesota. Skip to content
Keeping a lid on Urinary IncontinenceAuthor: Dr Chin Chong Min Urinary incontinence is common in older people, affecting at least one out of 10 people age 65 or older. It can be an embarrassing situation and if left untreated, can cause rashes and skin infections, as well as anxiety and depression. Find out how to deal with it. Suffering from urinary incontinence can be a very embarrassing experience. However, coming to terms with it and understanding it fully can put a stop to your shame and let you get on to enjoying life again. Urinary incontinence ranging from a mild leakage to uncontrollable and embarrassing wetting is the inability to hold your urine. Even though both men and women suffer form urinary incontinence, women suffer form urinary incontinence, women experience this two times more than men and this is because of pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and the structure of the female urinary tract. Furthermore, urinary incontinence is common in older people, affecting at least one out of 10 people age 65 or older, according to the National Institute of Aging, US. However, urinary incontinence is not a natural part of aging, according to the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCIPR) in the US, and if left untreated, can cause rashes and skin infections, as well as anxiety and depression. Causes of urinary incontinenceMany causes of urinary incontinence are temporary. These include urinary tract infection, vaginal infection, constipation and side effects of certain medications. Other causes, according to the Health A to Z website, include too much caffeine and bladder-stimulating foods and beverages such as milk or milk products, sugar, chocolate, tomatoes, spices, citrus juice and fruits, and carbonated beverages. Urinary incontinence can also be caused by medical conditions such as weakness of the pelvic muscles, weakness of the bladder itself, weakness of the urethral sphincter muscles (the group of muscles that tightens to hold urine in and loosens to let it out), overactive bladder, blocked urethra from prostate enlargement in men, prostate enlargement in men, hormone deficiency in women, neurological disorders, restricted mobility, stroke, multiple sclerosis and dementia state. Types of urinary incontinenceThere are many type of urinary incontinence. However, the most common ones are: Stress incontinence Urge incontinence Overflow incontinence Functional
incontinence Mixed incontinence Once you mention to your doctor about this problem, he will then try to find the cause. He will discuss your medical history, and you may be asked to keep a record of your usual urinary habits. He will also perform a physical examination, urine tests and/or other tests to help determine the exact cause of the problem. These additional tests may include cystoscopy (looks at abnormalities in bladder and urethra) and urodynamics (determines bladder and urethral sphincter function). Treating urinary incontinenceUrinary incontinence can be treated in one or more of these ways: Behavioural
techniques Pelvic muscle rehabilitation Medication Surgery In cases of a small, contracted bladder, surgery can be done to enlarge it to enable it to hold more urine. The type of surgery will depend on the type and cause of your urinary incontinence. Other measures Urinary incontinence is treatable and you can get help for it. In addition to seeing your doctor, the Society of Continence (Singapore) has trained nurses and counselors to provide free advice. You can reach them here. Preventing incontinenceAccording to The Simon Foundation for Continence in the US (published on the Health A to Z website), you may be able to prevent incontinence by following these recommendations:
And lastly, the best form of prevention is as always to lead a healthy life with plenty of exercise and avoid becoming obese. Questions to ask your doctorWhen you see your doctor about your problem, ask the following questions:
Share This Article, Choose Your Platform!What is the most effective treatment for incontinence?The best treatment for urge incontinence is behavior therapy in the form of pelvic floor muscle exercises. Medications, used as an adjunct to behavior therapy, can provide additional benefit.
What are three 3 things to consider when caring for a person with functional urinary incontinence?Provide education about bladder and bowel function. Discourage the use of known bladder irritants (such as coffee, alcohol and soft drinks). Provide education on continence products if required and: check and assist the older person to change their disposable pads after each episode of incontinence if necessary.
What are home remedies for urinary incontinence?Top home remedies to deal with urinary incontinence:. Dietary changes: Simple diet changes can solve half of your medical conditions. ... . Manage your weight: If you are overweight, losing weight should be an essential step to reduce incontinence. ... . Kegel exercises: ... . Train your bladder: ... . Vitamin D: ... . Magnesium:. What is the main cause of incontinence?Incontinence can happen for many reasons, including urinary tract infections, vaginal infection or irritation, or constipation. Some medications can cause bladder control problems that last a short time. When incontinence lasts longer, it may be due to: Weak bladder or pelvic floor muscles.
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