Summary – People in old age often succumb to different health conditions and one of the most common is incontinence. It contributes to a lot of emotional stress along with physical discomfort. Read on to know more.

Old age is an inevitable occurrence that brings a lot of changes in the life of an individual. Be it physical, emotional or social, the change often is difficult to deal with. With growing old age, people succumb to different health conditions and need assistance in their day-to-day life. One of the main difficulties that a majority of the elderly experience is incontinence or the inability to control abrupt urine release. Incontinence, however, can occur to younger people as well, but the elderly are more susceptible to lose bladder control with age. For any individual, holding up urine for a while and delaying a trip to the bathroom is not at all a concern. But for people suffering incontinence is surely a difficult task. Not only physical discomfort but incontinence also affects the emotional health of the elderly.

There are different types of incontinence: Stress incontinence and urge incontinence. You know you have stress incontinence when you feel a sudden leakage when you laugh, sneeze, cough or run. In urge incontinence, you will feel an abrupt and unexpected urge to pee. Although it is more common in women, it can still happen to anyone. It is important to identify which one you have.

Common side effects of living with incontinence

  • Sleep deprivation – People struggling with incontinence find it extremely dreadful to fall asleep at night as they will most likely wake up to a wet bed. Hence, they often stay up and keep going to the toilet all through the night. This in turn does more harm to their health than good. Not getting enough sleep, especially in old age will have an adverse effect on how they function the entire day including lack of concentration, bitter mood and a weak immune system.
  • Difficulty in day-to-day life – When you have urine leakage going on, it is truly difficult to go about your day and indulge in activities as you would usually do. From embarrassment due to urine patches on clothes, wetness and odour, it will make you abstain from going outside your home as well. Adults who go to offices will find it extremely troublesome to use the toilet every now and then.
  • Reduced self-confidence – People with incontinence often incline towards wearing darker colors to avoid urine patches or stains showing through. A change of clothing can in turn leave a drastic effect on their self-confidence as well.

However, the good news is there are many treatments available today to cure incontinence. Your doctor may initially advise you to do some pelvic floor exercises, avoid alcohol and caffeine and wear absorbent clothes before beginning with the intermediate stage of treatment.

There are brands today that have come forward and taken up a step towards helping adults and elderly to deal with incontinence and live a stress free life. They have introduced products like adult diapers that are especially created with the aim of letting the elderly live as before without the fear of wetting their garments and embarrassing themselves. These diapers include features that ensure the diaper stays put, absorbs urine for longer hours and do not show any lines. They have to be worn just like your regular underpants. Even older people who need physical assistance with mobility can wear these on their own.

Usage

  • Push your legs through the smooth leg passage.
  • Pull the diaper all the way up to your waist
  • To remove, simply tear off the sides and pull the diaper down.

Note – These diapers come with a great absorption of up to eight hours straight. But, it is recommended that you put on a fresh one when you step out of your house and discard the used one within eight hours to avoid odour.