Healthy Ways to Combat Urinary Incontinence in Ageing

There is no magic cure to handling the onset of urinary incontinence. But there are many ways to manage it, and to live the life you want.

Bladder Control

While there are some conditions that aren’t responsive, the bladder can usually be programmed with exercise and training, like any other part of the body. Experts recommend training your bladder by setting a strict schedule for urinating (as in every hour or 90 minutes), regardless of need or urgency. As you do this, and exercise, you can expand the space between voids, until you are in more control.

Lifestyle Adjustments
There are a lot of things a person can do to make their bladder healthier, including:
• Weight loss
• Limiting alcohol
• Avoiding sweet or sugary drinks that put more stress on the bladder
• Less caffeine

Many people need to manage incontinence with adult pull ups and pads, furniture protection, creams to help irritated skin. But for many people, things like furniture pads or urinary irritation creams are not something to talk about, it’s something to avoid and shameful. But that shouldn’t be the case!

Accept that there are some changes you can make through exercise or lifestyle adjustment, and some you can’t. This doesn’t make an older adult less of a person or less capable. And it doesn’t mean they can’t live at home, by themselves or with a caregiver. It just means that there needs to be some adjustments.

Having urinary incontinence doesn’t mean an older adult needs to stop enjoying living. It just means they need to live differently. And that’s part of aging: making the right adjustments so that you can continue to live strongly, age where you want, and experience the life you want.