Urinary incontinence

It's common and uncomfortable for elderly people to experience bladder control problems. The degree of the issue might vary from a minor urine leak to an urgent, sudden urge to urinate and completely emptying the bladder without having enough time to use the restroom.

Although some loss of bladder control with ageing is common, if the condition becomes too disruptive to daily life, it is time to see a geriatrician in a hospital with a specialised geriatric care department and a geriatric counsellor at TalktoAngel.

Symptoms

Leaks of urine happen seldom but frequently.
Frequent small-to-large volumes of urination loss.
Leaking when under stress.
Urine leaks when your bladder is stressed, such as when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise, or lift anything heavy.
Uncontrollable loss of pee after an abrupt, acute urge to urinate.
Frequent urine demands at night.

Causes

Gender. Incontinence due to stress is more common in women. This discrepancy can be attributed to normal female anatomy, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. However, urge and overflow incontinence are more common in males with issues with their prostate gland.
Age. The muscles in your bladder and urethra deteriorate in strength as you age. Your bladder's capacity decreases as you age, increasing the likelihood that pee will be released without your consent.
Weight issue. Being overweight puts more strain on the muscles that surround and support your bladder, weakening them and making it possible for pee to escape while coughing or sneezing.

An individual might feel shame, guilt, anxiety, and stress due to having urinary incontinence for which they should seek online counselling from the best clinical psychologist.

Treatment

A few ideas for how to get patients to begin with training include changing behaviours to improve bladder muscle strength and focusing on increasing total bladder capacity. Examples include:

Bladder training: Whenever people feel the urge to urinate, try to wait for 10 minutes. The idea is to go longer between bathroom visits.
Double voiding: To make sure that the bladder is empty fully after peeing, wait a few minutes and attempt again.
Scheduled bathroom visits - Rather than waiting until the urge strikes urinate every 2-4 hours. - Management of fluid intake and diet - People may need to limit or avoid alcohol, caffeine, and acidic foods. Increasing physical activity, lowering weight, or reducing liquid intake can also help.
Exercises for the pelvic floor muscles, also referred to as "Kegels," are particularly useful for treating incontinence and building up the muscles in that area. Consider stopping your urine flow as you perform these workouts. Then,
To halt urinating, tense the muscles you would use, hold for 5 seconds, and then let them go for 5 seconds. (If this is too challenging, try tightening and letting go for two to three seconds each.)
For healthy coping strategies to manage urinary incontinence and its psychological effects, one should seek online consultation from the best clinical psychologist.

Best Geriatric Care Therapists in India

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does urinary incontinence affect men or women differently?

Urinary incontinence occurs twice more frequently in elderly women than in elderly men due to menopause which affects their urinary bladder.

Whether male or female both can feel low self-esteem, shame, anxiety, and stress due to this condition and should seek the help of an online counseling psychologist.

What are commonly experienced symptoms of urinary incontinence by the elderly?

Some commonly experienced symptoms of urinary incontinence by the elderly are uncontrollable leakage of urine, the urgency to urinate, frequent urinating, blood in urine, pain or burning sensation during urination, and inability to reach the washroom in time

These symptoms might be accompanied by stress, anxiety, trauma, phobia, and sleeping issues and require professional help in the form of online counselling sessions by the best clinical psychologist.

What are some home remedies to treat urinary incontinence?

Some home remedies to treat urinary incontinence are Kegel exercises, reducing weight, eating more fiber, quitting smoking, reducing consumption of caffeine, and use of protective pads.

For the most effective treatment of urinary incontinence, the above-mentioned remedies should be combined with online therapy from the best clinical psychologist in India.