What Is Adult Incontinence? How Can Incontinence Products Help?
Incontinence or enuresis is the involuntary leakage of urine from the bladder. This can take place in various ways, and have varying degrees of seriousness. Use of incontinence pads or products is common, both for individuals, and for the carehome and health industry.
It is thought that approximately 2% of the adult population have some degree of bladder control issues in their sleep (nocturnal enuresis). Incontinence and methods of dealing with it have been documented as long ago as 1550 BC in Ancient Egypt.
There are a number of causes of incontinence, for example, some women suffer from stress incontinence. This is often a consequence of pregnancy, which can surface once the child has been born due to stress on the body. There is also urge urinary incontinence, which can have a number of causes, and is due to insufficient warnings being given and urine leakage occurring before reaching the toilet.
This can be the result of a number of things:
– Excessive Urine Production (Polyuria) often caused by various types of diabetes or excessive fluid consumption, (this can lead to urinary urgency/frequency but not always incontinence).
– Caffeine and other fizzy drinks can over stimulate the bladder.
– In men who are 40 or older, an enlarged prostate can result in the onset of incontinence. Moreover it has been suggested it is one of the effects of prostate cancer or as a side-effect of the radiation treatment or drugs used to combat this.
– Conditions such as spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease and strokes, have a potential side effect of incontinence as they affect the nerves that relate to the need to urinate.
There are a number of ways to deal incontinence. The first step, if you are worried or develop a recurring issue, is to visit a doctor, as they are experienced in dealing with common problems such as this. Once a diagnosis has been made, there are a number of options. Firstly, it is possible to undertake a series of exercises or biofeedback techniques to get better control over the muscles and understand when the bladder is ready to empty. Surgery is another option in various guises but a last resort measure.
A common form of handling the problem is to make use of incontinence products. These have varying forms and are a non-invasive way to help deal with incontinence. Those operating care homes and other such facilities may want to consider bedding or chair coverings that are waterproof if they have clients that suffer from the condition. These can either be reusable and washable or disposable.
For individuals, who may be concerned about the situation but don’t wish to raise attention to it for one reason or another could consider incontinence pads. This can fit underneath the wearer’s clothes, in order to give them peace of mind when it comes to their bladder function, so for example someone with stress incontinence can do more strenuous activities safe in the knowledge, no accidents will occur.
Incontinence pads have the added bonus of comfort and hygiene at night time, as the wearer will not suffer any inconvenient leakages and as such will have a more settled nights seep as there is no worry of an unpleasant surprise the following morning.
