What is Continence?
Continence is the ability to have control over bladder and bowel function voluntarily. Most people establish continence in childhood. Some people are born wi...
Incontinence Statistics
Urinary incontinence Urinary incontinence affects up to 13% of Australian men and up to 37% of Australian women (Australian Institute of Health and Welfa...
Impact and Changes
According to the Continence Foundation of Australia, more than 6 million people suffer from one form of incontinence in Australia If incontinence is frequent...
Men - Types of Urinary Incontinence
Incontinence is classified by the symptoms or circumstances occurring at the time of urine leakage. There are many different types of incontinence. Stres...
Investigating urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence is a symptom resulting in loss of control of the bladder contents. It is a common problem that increases in prevalence with age and is...
Treatment of urinary incontinence
Your health care provider will ask questions about your symptoms and the situations in which you experience urine leakage. He or she will also ask you about...
Assessment of urinary incontinence
If you are experiencing any issues with continence it is important to have a full assessment by a qualified clinician. An assessment will enable the clinicia...
Screening of urinary incontinence
Continence is a sensitive issue. Clinicians need to actively listen to the patient and avoid making judgments It is essential to respect the patient’s right...
Urinary incontinence in men
The two most common forms of male incontinence are stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and overactive bladder (OAB) with concomitant urge urinary incontinence...
Treatment for men and urinary incontinence
Many treatment options are available including: Pelvic floor exercises. Beneficial in strengthing surrounding muscles and retraining the bladder. ...
What is the prostate?
What is the Prostate? The prostate is part of the male reproductive system. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the male bladder and the pen...
Prostate enlargement
The causes of prostate enlargement are not yet fully understood but are thought to be related to the male sex hormone (testosterone) which controls the growt...
Intermittent Catheterization
Intermittent catheterization (IC) is the insertion and removal of a catheter several times a day to empty the bladder. After the bladder empties, a small amo...
Other Therapies
Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS). Using an electric stimulator (similar to a pacemaker) under your skin, your doctor can zap your sacral nerve with electric...
Women's incontinence information
Incontinence is the accidental or involuntary leakage of urine, faeces or wind. It is a common condition; one in three women who have had a baby, and up to...
Women's incontinence prevention
Adequate Fluids: Once you have had your 6-8 cups or glasses of fluid, reducing your fluids after your evening meal will help you to stop getting up overnig...
Women - Types of incontinence
Stress Incontinence Weakness in the urinary sphincter and/ or pelvic floor muscles Urine loss is triggered by activities that cause a rise in intra-abd...
What is the Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor muscles: Stretch like a muscular trampoline from the tailbone (coccyx) to the pubic bone (front to back) and from one sitting bone to th...
Medication and incontinence
Medications aim to reduce the spasms of the bladder that cause urge incontinence. Most commonly the drugs used are : Anticholinergics. The largest class...
Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome
Persistent bladder pain affects the quality of life considerably. Why it occurs is not exactly known, and there may be more than one cause. The diagnosis i...
Funding for Continence
When you have Urinary incontinence it can be very expensive to buy products to support you in managing this. This can range from washable and disposable unde...
Funding for Continence: Caps
Continence aids payment scheme $609.70 per year form Australian Government You may be eligible for CAPS if you are an Australian citizen or p...
Funding for Continence: Victoria
State-wide Equipment Program (SWEP), provide services and systems that support consumers and practitioners to access assistive technology item that helps mee...
Funding for Continence: NSW
Enable NSW provides assistance for consumers requiring aids for continence problems. The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing also provides...
Funding for Continence: Queensland
Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (MASS) provides subsidies funding for medical aids and equipment available to eligible Queenslanders with permanent/stable c...
Funding for Continence: Western Australia
The Western Australia Continence Management and Support Scheme is co-ordinated by the Department of Health, which is responsible for the clinical service, an...
Funding for Continence: Tasmania, NT, ACT and SA
Tasmania: Community Equipment Scheme [CES] http://www.concessions.tas.gov.au/concessions/health/community_equipment_scheme_ces Northern Teritory...
Sexuality and incontinence
Sexuality involves our desire to express ourselves as human beings, to be loved and receive love. Bladder or bowel continence issues can have an enor...
Caring for someone with incontinence
Family members and friends can find caring for a person with incontinence to be one of the most difficult aspects of looking after someone. Incontinence can...
How to reduce incontinence
If the person you care for is incontinent, it will be helpful for them to be assessed by your doctor or a continence nurse advisor. Many symptoms can be mana...
Incontinence Planning
Planning is crucial for managing incontinence. As a carer, there are many aspects that may need to be considered. Planning for ups and downs. Individua...
Help with incontinence
You can call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 330 066 for support. The helpline can also tell you about continence products that are available and wh...
Adolescent incontinence
Research tells us that between 20,000 and 60,000 Australians aged 13 to 18 experience some form of incontinence. This includes daytime wetting, bedwetting, s...
Children and incontinence
According to the Continence Foundation Australia, 3 to 5 per cent of children aged between five and 17 have a daytime wetting problem. One-third...
Master Locksmiths Access Key
Master Locksmiths Access Key (MLAK) are a system key for disability toilets Key can be arranged to be used for access to disability toilets ...
Dementia and incontinence
Dementia refers to a collection of symptoms that are caused by a range of disorders that affect the brain. Common signs and symptoms of demen...
Parkinson's and incontinence
Parkinson's disease is a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement, primarily aff...
Multiple Sclerosis and incontinence
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition of the central nervous system (CNS), interfering with nerve impulses within the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. I...
Strokes and incontinence
After a stroke, you may develop incontinence. This happens when muscles that control urine and stool are weakened. Unconscious leaking is the most common sym...
Acquired Brain Injury
Brain damage can occur during foetal development or acquired after birth. Common causes of an acquired brain injury are: Accident and traum...
Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and incontinence
Motor neuron disease (MND) is a condition that affects neurons (nerve cells). MND leads to muscle weakness that progressively gets worse and eventually leads...
Paraplegia / Quadriplegia and incontinence
A spinal cord injury may interrupt communication between the nerves in the spinal cord that control bladder and bowel function and the brain, causing inconti...
Obesity and incontinence
Obesity is defined as a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 or more. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. BMI calcu...
Diabetes and incontinence
There are four main ways that diabetes may cause problems with bladder and bowel control: Obesity The pelvic floor muscles support most of your body weig...
Chronic Heart Failure and incontinence
Some of the symptoms and treatments of heart failure may contribute to bladder and bowel problems such as: Frequently passing urine in the toilet ( ...
IAD: Incontinence associated dermatitis
Incontinence associated dermatitis (IAD) refers to skin irritation and breakdown caused by exposure of the skin to urine or faeces due to incontinence IAD...
Cancers and incontinence
Certain types of cancer increase the risk of incontinence. Cancers in or near the pelvic region can increase the risk of incontinence. The pelvic reg...
