Dealing with incontinence

Incontinence means the person can’t hold in urine (pee) or faeces (poo). Incontinence can cause a lot of work for you as a carer.

How to reduce incontinence

If the person you care for is incontinent, they should be checked by your doctor or a continence nurse adviser. This will help you and the person you care for to manage the problems. There are health care professionals who specialise in continence and you can search for one on the Continence Foundation of Australia website.

The Continence Foundation of Australia and Healthdirect have tips about how to reduce incontinence.

How to manage incontinence

As a carer, you may need to plan ahead to manage incontinence. For example, if you have to take the person you care for out of the home, you might need to:

• carry enough incontinence products (such as incontinence pads), and spare clothes, hand sanitiser and wipes in case of an accident
• find out beforehand where the closest public toilets are located.

Getting help with incontinence

You can call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 330 066 for support. The helpline can also tell you about continence products that are available and where to buy them. You can get financial help for continence products through the Australian Government Continence Aids Payment Scheme.