Managing Incontinence in Women: Solutions for Senior Health

Do you seem to urinate more frequently and, in many cases, suddenly? Perhaps you often wake up at night with an urgent need to pee. You may have even experienced urine leakage, especially when you cough, laugh, or move around.

If you or an older female loved one deal with those symptoms, please know they're typical signs of incontinence in women. It is common, with 24% to 45% of women reporting having it (9% to 39% of women 60+ say it affects them daily), according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. Men can also experience it, but the prevalence of male incontinence is only half that of women.

The good news is that many female incontinence solutions and urinary control products exist. The team at LakeHouse Kalamazoo, our assisted living community in Kalamazoo, MI, has shared insights in this guide, so please read on.

Treating the Underlying Cause of Incontinence in Women

Many physical conditions, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and constipation, can cause incontinence in women. Since incontinence is typically a symptom of these problems, treating them can help cure or reduce the severity of urinary leakage.

Let's use UTIs as an example, which 60% of women will experience at least once during their lifetime, according to the American Medical Association. Their treatment usually involves antibiotics, which eliminate the infection. Once gone, its symptoms, including incontinence, should also go away.

Constipation, a condition that makes it difficult to pass stool, can also cause urinary incontinence by putting more pressure on the bladder. It reduces the bladder's capacity to hold urine, resulting in an urgent and more frequent need to urinate. Over-the-counter laxatives and a healthy diet packed with fiber can help treat this condition.

Limiting Caffeine and Alcohol Intake

Drinks like coffee and alcohol have a diuretic effect, which means they make the body produce more urine. So, the more of these beverages you drink, the more likely you'll need to urinate, which can lead to leakages.

WebMD says that research shows limiting caffeine intake to under 100 milligrams daily may help reduce symptoms of urge incontinence. Cutting down on sodas and alcoholic drinks can also help.

Bladder Training

To prevent more severe incontinence issues from affecting women's health in aging, female seniors should consider bladder training. It involves "taming" the bladder and controlling the urge to urinate. Here are the steps involved in this program.

Establish Urination Patterns

Create a "bladder training" journal and note the times when you urinate. Do this for at least a week. It will give you an idea of how often you pee and which part of the day you go to the toilet the most.

Widen the Gap

Check your journal to determine the times when you urinate the most and those with the shortest gaps between. Focus on these first by increasing the time by 15 minutes. For example, if there are times with only a 30-minute gap, try waiting for at least 45 minutes.

Every time you succeed, add another 15 to 30 minutes between each trip until you've widened the gap by two to four hours.

Stick to the Plan

Do your best to stick to your scheduled toilet trips, and ensure you urinate right after waking up and before bed. Even if you feel an urge creeping up, but it's not time yet, try to wait until you reach the schedule. However, if you're sure you have to go, do it before a leak occurs, and then simply return to the plan.

Urgency Suppression

Urgency suppression is a combination of physical and mental urinary control solutions that involve:

Distracting yourself when you have the urge to urinate
Taking long, deep breaths
Holding yourself still
Squeezing your pelvic floor muscles

Once the urge passes, ask yourself if you still need to go. If not, congratulations; you've successfully suppressed the urgency. But if you still need to go, head to the toilet immediately to relieve yourself.

Incontinence Care Products

Some incontinence care products, such as pull-up pants, are wearable and help absorb urine leaks. They help older adults with incontinence stay dry and comfy even after leakage.

Other products and devices for urinary incontinence are:

Washable bed and chair protection, such as absorbent pads
Tampons for stress incontinence
Skincare and elder care hygiene products

Regular Exercise

From reducing heart disease risk to elevating moods, these are just some benefits of regular exercise for optimal senior health. However, specific activities like Kegel exercises can also help improve bladder control.

Kegel exercises focus on strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, which can develop problems collectively known as pelvic floor disorder or dysfunction (PFD). Older women who've given birth are at a higher risk of PFD.

Low-impact activities like yoga and walking can also help with bladder control. Indeed, according to a study led by Stanford Medicine researchers, they can cut the number of daily urinary incontinence episodes in older women by half.

Medical Treatment for Incontinence

Specific prescription medications can help with senior bladder health problems. Some of these include:

Anticholinergics
Beta-3 agonists
Alpha-blockers
Topical estrogen

In some cases, surgery may be necessary to improve or cure incontinence, such as if it's due to PFD.

Better Senior Hygiene

Incontinence in women of older age can give rise to other complications like recurrent UTIs and skin conditions. Having trouble bathing or going to the toilet, which can happen in seniors with mobility issues, can compound the problem.

If you or an older loved one experiences such issues, an assisted living community like LakeHouse Kalamazoo can help. Here, you can rely on compassionate personal care services and round-the-clock assistance for daily activities like bathing and continence care.

Consider These Solutions to Senior Female Incontinence

Incontinence in women, especially female seniors, can be physically and emotionally taxing. But it doesn't have to be, given the many treatment options, products, and compassionate continence care services available today.

If you or an older female family member needs help with high-quality personal and continence care, LakeHouse Kalamazoo, our assisted living community in Kalamazoo, MI, is happy to help! Expect highly personalized and compassionate supportive services, on-site amenities, and delicious, nutritious chef-prepared meals.