Incontinence - Coping With Incontinence And The Elderly

Incontinence is something that most people are not comfortable discussing. More than 12 million residents of the United States suffer from incontinence, making it more common than expected. Age is not a factor when it comes to incontinence, but it is highly prevalent among people above sixty years of age. Also, this condition affects women more often. The main reason behind this is that women give birth to children, and the muscles which control bladder leakage fail causing this disorder. In case you plan to care for an elderly person, or you are currently doing so, incontinence is one such issue which you will come across sooner or later.

Unfortunately, senior citizens are at higher risk of suffering from one of the causes behind incontinence. Some of these reasons include urinary tract infections, weak pelvic muscles, diabetes, enlargement of men's prostate gland, thinning of vagina wall in women, high calcium content in the body, and inability to move. It is found that most elderly persons suffer from at least one of the aforementioned disorders, if not multiple cases and hence it is not possible to control the functioning of their urinary system.

Generally, there are four kinds of incontinence, and elderly people tend to suffer from all the four if they have weak pelvic muscles. They are urge, stress, overflow and functional. The pressure that the stomach muscles exert on the bladder when the person sneezes or laughs may cause stress incontinence. Functional incontinence occurs when a person is unable to get to the restroom on time but generally possesses good control of the bladder. Overflow incontinence is major prevalent in men who have an enlarged prostate gland which tends to block the urinary tract such that the bladder teaches a point where it becomes too full. All these forms of incontinence occur among elderly people, but the most commonly found form is urge incontinence. Here, the individual is not given sufficient warning before they need to go.

Although elderly people suffering from incontinence cannot be treated in most cases, young persons who suffer from this disorder can be cured by performing a series of physical exercises which will help strengthen the pelvic region and by practicing exercises to control the bladder. It is rather unreasonable to expect elderly people to do the same. There are certain medicines available to eliminate the problem if the senior citizen has a kidney, bladder or urinary tract infection. However, it is not recommended for diabetic patients as it may make the condition worse. This is an extremely natural part of the aging process and thus, we must learn to accept it.

This is not very helpful in case you are caring for an elderly relative who has incontinence. You will find yourself changing the person every once in a while and this may become not only an embarrassing situation, but will turn out to be very uncomfortable for the individual. This may also result in pressure sores. You can make use of incontinence pads which are very similar to nappy pads, which absorb moisture and seal it away from the person's body. Though it is not a very comfortable solution, it is definitely way better than having to stay in wet clothes.

Incontinence is a very unfortunate issue for most elderly people because it arises due to the breakdown of the human system. We must just learn to cope with the problem without putting the senior in an embarrassing situation. This depends entirely on the individual.