For most people, a trip to the bathroom can be delayed easily. In the USA, 33 million people experience bladder leakage daily, so it is not simple for them to delay the trip to the bathroom. Urinary incontinence is not something that a person needs to accept and live with it. There are many effective ways to treat elderly incontinence depending on its cause. Urinary incontinence is described as a compulsory loss of urine. The incontinence can happen at any age, but it is generally more common in older people.
As you are getting older, changes in your body can make elderly incontinence more likely. In one study is said that one out of two women older than 65 experience bladder leakage sometimes. This can be caused by lifestyle choices, typical aging, or a range of health conditions. The incontinence in the elderly can take on a few forms: some people can experience a complete lack of both bladder and bowel control; some people may constantly dribble urine; some people may only leak urine occasionally.
Your loved one may feel embarrassed by his or her accidents and will want to avoid an appointment with a doctor. They may be using protective underwear or absorbent pads to help. But, incontinence in the elderly is also treatable with medical assistance. Elderly people may hold off because they are not sure what kind of doctor to see. They have many options available, such as a urinary specialist, nurse practitioner, geriatrician, or a doctor.
Causes:
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There are many different reasons behind the incontinence in the elderly, such as not drinking enough water, childbirth, or a health condition such as diabetes. There are many different causes that can cause urinary incontinence in both men and women, such as:
- Obesity
- Constipation
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
The most common causes for urinary incontinence in elderly women are next:
- Pelvic floor atrophy
- Onset of menopause
- Childbirth
- Prior pregnancies
For elderly men, the most common cause of urinary incontinence is prostate problems.
Types:
The most common types of incontinence in the elderly are next:
Stress incontinence:
This type of incontinence happens when an increase in abdominal pressure overcomes the closing pressure of the bladder. You may feel abdominal pain when you lift objects, climb stairs, laugh, sneeze and cough. Stress incontinence is the most common type of incontinence in women due to pregnancy and childbirth. But, it can affect men who have had prostate cancer or surgery.
Total incontinence:
This type of incontinence is indicating that your sphincter muscle is no longer working. It is resulting in constant and uncontrollable bladder leakage.
Urge incontinence:
It is the most common diagnosis. It is often referred to as an overactive bladder. It is involving an urgent need to urinate, which is resulting in the loss of urine before arriving at the toilet.
Functional incontinence:
It is incontinence that is caused by other disabilities. Arthritis, stroke complications, or neurological disorders can prevent someone from unzipping their pants quickly enough, which is resulting in an accident. People, who have functional incontinence feel the urge to urinate, but they are not physically able to plan or carry out a trip to the bathroom.
Overflow incontinence:
This type of incontinence happens when your bladder never completely empties. People, who suffer from this type of incontinence, feel the need to go and they often leak small amounts of urine. It is caused by an obstruction in the urinary tract system or it can be caused by a bladder that has either weak contractions or is not able to contract at all.
Mixed incontinence:
This type of incontinence is a combination of more than one type of incontinence. People, who have mixed incontinence, especially women, have a combination of stress and urge incontinence. People, who have neurological disorders, Parkinson’s disease, or severe dementia, as well as people who have had strokes, can have the urge and functional incontinence.
