Educational Information
FACTS ABOUT INCONTINENCE
People
think that incontinence is a natural part of aging. This myth has caused many people to
stay home and try to cope with their incontinence alone, afraid to let anyone know.
Incontinence can affect people of all ages, even children. It is
especially common, however, in men and women over the age of 65 and more women than men
are affected.
It is a symptom and not a disease. It is very important to see your
doctor and get a diagnosis of the cause of your incontinence. It is estimated that only
half of the 15 to 20 million Americans who suffer with incontinence have consulted a
doctor. If you are not sure that you have a bladder problem, a doctor can answer all your
questions. If you feel embarrassed or you don't want to take his or her time, check with
the nurse, who will be able to tell you if you need to discuss the situation with your
doctor.
COMMON TYPES OF INCONTINENCE AND
APPROPRIATE PRODUCTS Urge
Incontinence - the sudden need to go to the
bathroom quickly, often not arriving in time. The main symptoms are urgency (having to go
immediately), frequency (having to go often), and nocturia (having to go at night).
Reflex Incontinence - the passage of urine without the person being aware of the urge
to urinate.
Nocturnal Enuresis - night-time voiding during sleep. People often think it relates
only to children, but many adults also are affected.
These three types of incontinence usually result in large voids that
require heavy protection, such as a wrap-around brief (either disposable or reusable), or
a heavy pant-and-pad system.
Overflow Incontinence - the "spilling over" of urine because the bladder is
full and never completely empties. For overflow incontinence, moderate protection such as
an undergarment or a pant-and-pad system with a heavier pad would be appropriate.
Stress Incontinence - a small amount of leakage during coughing, sneezing, laughing
or lifting. It is caused by pressure on the bladder due to weakening or damage to the
pelvic or sphincter muscles. For stress incontinence you might want to use a pant-and-pad
system, a guard, a liner, or a shield; or for men, a drip collector.
PROBLEMS RELATED TO INCONTINENCE
- Psychological strain - negative self-image, withdrawal from society, feeling guilty, useless, afraid, embarrassed, or unwanted.
- Physical strain - skin breakdown from constant contact with urine and fecal matter.
- Economic strain - missing work due to fear of accidents and embarrassment, cost of incontinence management products.
- Unavailablility of products.
- Concern over sharing life with another person.
- Lack of available information.
- Odor.
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE DOCTOR
Could current medication, food or drinks be causing
the problem?
What is the type, what treatment is available, and is it curable?
Do I need to consult a specialist?
Will any exercise help?
Would any particular products work best to manage the incontinence?
Where can I go for additional information and help in coping?
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SKIN SAFETY & INCONTINENCE
TranQuility Skin Protection
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Clean dry skin means Improved skin integrity.
Improved Health & Wellness by:
Inhibited bacterial growth reduces infections of skin and urinary tract and control of odor.
TranQuility's high absorbent capacity improves skin integrity by reducing exposure to amonia in urine, keeping skin clean and dry.
Retention capicity of TranQuility products by locking harmful fluids away in the core section, not allowing leakage, even under pressure effectively reducing moisture levels at the skin's surface thus protecting the skin from irritation, rash and infection.
Eliminating Overflow and urine exposure, TranQuility "Komfort" Monitor lets caretaker know when its time to change.
Core Polymers capture free urine and feces locking away these potential sources of infection within the diamond pad construction eliminating moisture from the surface of the brief.
Full-Mat provides maximum skin protection, reducing skin irritation.
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HELPFUL LINKS & RESOURCES
The Alzheimer's Association
919 North Michigan Avenue
Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60611-1676
Phone: 800-272-3900
http://www.alz.org
E-mail: webmaster@alz.org
The American Academy for Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Medicine
6300 N. River Road
Suite 727
Rosemont, IL 60018-4225
Phone: 847-698-1635
Fax: 847-823-0536
http://149.142.183.10
E-mail: woppenhe@ucla.edu
American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP)
100 South Ashley Drive #280
Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: 813-223-7099
Fax: 813-223-0001
http://www.aakp.org
American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR)
444 North Capitol Street, NW
Suite 846
Washington, DC 20001-1512
Phone: 800-424-3688
Fax: 202-387-2193
http://www.aamr.org
E-Mail: info@aamr.org
American Association of Retired Persons
Several state & local addresses & phone numbers on Web site: http://www.aarp.org
American Cancer Society (ACS)
1599 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329-4251
Phone: 404-320-3333
Fax: 404-329-5787
http://www.cancer.org
American Self-Help Clearinghouse
Northwest Covenant Med Center
25 Pocono Road
Denville, NJ 07834-2995
Phone: 973-625-8848
http://mentalhelp.net/selfhelp/
The Arc of the United States
500 E. Border St.
Suite 300
Arlington, TX 76010
Phone: 817-261-6003
Fax: 817-277-3491
http://www.TheArc.org/welcome.html
E-Mail: thearc@metronet.com
Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
P. O. Box 196
Libertyville, IL 60048-0196
Phone: 800-886-1762
Fax: 708-367-7623
http://www.fma.org
HealthyWay
Phone: 1-800-773-2121
http://www1.sympatico.ca/Contents/health/
Email: healthyway@sympatico.ca
HomeCare Medical
130 Hickman Road
Suite 28
Claymont, DE 19703-3552
Phone: 800-238-7800
Fax: 888-798-2969
http://www.EverythingMedical.com
E-mail: HME130@aol.com Home Delivery Incontinent Supplies (HDIS)
9385
Dielman Industrial Ct.
Olivette, MO 63132
Phone: (800) 2MY-HOME (800-269-4663)
http://www.hdis.com/ http://www.hdis.com/partners/pbe
e-mail: custcare@hdis.com
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation (MOD)
1275 Mamaroneck Ave.
White Plains, NY 10526
Phone: 914-428-7100
Fax: 914-997-4763
http://www.modimes.org Med Help International
6300 North Wickham Road
Suite 130
Melbourne, FL 32940
Phone: 207-253-9048
http://www.medhelp.org/home.htm
E-Mail: staff@medhelp.org
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)
3300 East Sunrise Drive
Tuscon, AZ 85718-3208
Phone: 520-529-2000
Fax: 520-529-5300
http://www.mdausa.org
National Association for Continence
P. O. Box 8310
Spartanburg, SC 29305-8310
Phone: 864-579-7900
Fax: 864-579-7902
http://www.nafc.org
E-mail:
National Association for Down Syndrome
P. O. Box 4542
Oak Brook, IL 60522-4542
http://www.nads.org
National Association for Home Care
228 Seventh St. SE
Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 202-547-7424
Fax: 202-547-3540
http://www.nahc.org
E-mail: webmaster@nahc.org National Association of Geriatric Nursing Assistants
(NAGNA)
403 West 5th Street
Joplin, MO 64801
Phone: (417) 623-6049
Toll Free: (800) 784-6049
Fax: (417) 623-2230
http://www.gopeach.com/nagpage
e-mail: nagna@getonthe.net
National Association of Social Service Professionals
(NASSP)
P.O. Box 21283
Mesa, AZ, 85277-1283
Phone: (480) 396-4437
Fax: (480) 654-8240
http://www.N-A-S-S-P.org/
Email: info@n-a-s-s-p.org
National Down Syndrome Society
666 Broadway
8th Floor
New York, NY 10012-2317
Phone: 800-221-4602
Fax: 212-979-2873
http://www.ndss.org
E-Mail: info@ndss.org
National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA)
10605 Concord Street
Suite 501
Kensington, MD 20895-2504
Phone: 800-896-3650
Fax: 301-942-2302
http://www.nfcacares.org
E-mail: inf@nfcacares.org
National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS)
733 Third Avenue
6th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 800-344-4867
Fax: 212-986-7981
http://www.nmss.org
National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. (NORD)
P. O. Box 8923
New Fairfield, CT 06812-8923
Phone: 203-746-6518
Fax: 203-746-6481
http://www.NORD-RBD.com/~orphan
E-mail: National Parent to Parent Support & Information System, Inc.
P. O. Box 907
Blue Ridge, GA 30513
Phone: 800-651-1151
Fax: 706-632-8830
http://www.nppsis.org
E-mail: Judd103w@wonder.em.cdc.gov National Stroke Association
96 Inverness Drive East, Suite 1
Englewood, CO 80112-5122
Phone: (303) 649-9299
Fax: (303) 649-1329
http://www.stroke.org
e-mail: info@stroke.org
PediaNet
2348 Ralph Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11234
Phone: 718-444-0440
Fax: 718-241-3477
http://www.eparent.com
E-mail: info@pedianet.com Spina Bifida Association of America
4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20007-4226
(202) 944-3285
Fax: (202) 944-3295
United Cerebral Palsy Association, Inc. (UCP)
1660 L Street, NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-776-0406
Fax: 202-776-0414
http://www.ucpa.org
E-Mail: ucpnatl@ucpa.org
World Wide Wound Care Strategies
On-line journal of wound care practice & management.
Write to staff editor: Feedback
World Wide Wound on-line journal
Wound Care Strategies
4080 Deer Run Court, Suite 1114
Harrisburg, PA 17112-1072
Phone: 717-541-1165
Fax: 717-541-9266
http://www.woundcarestrategies.com
E-mail: solutions@woundcarestrategies.com |
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