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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2023
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Urinary Incontinence in Old Age - 4 Ways To Help You Manage It!

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Livwell ClinicUrologist • 26 Years Exp.Urologist
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Are you experiencing loss of bladder control? This might indicate that you are suffering from a health condition known as urinary incontinence. This involuntary leakage of urine is common in old age and may occur due to health hazards, such as Parkinson’s disease, an enlarged prostate, diabetes, and also due to prostate surgery. This is an embarrassing and irritating condition.

For aged people suffering from urinary incontinence, there are several ways of treatment. Here are the top treatment methods:

  1. Several food items such as caffeine, carbonated drinks and soda lead to bladder irritation and worsen the urinary incontinence symptoms. Alcohol being a diuretic is harmful too as it increases the urine amount. You must avoid coffee, carbonated drinks and alcohol for improving the urinary incontinence symptoms. You also need to make several dietary adjustments for treating urinary incontinence. Avoid spicy, acidic food which aggravates this condition.
  2. Stress is something which worsens the symptoms of urinary incontinence. In order to recover, you must try and eliminate all forms of stress. Attempt relaxation techniques like breathing exercises and meditation. Biofeedback is also essential for the observation of your bladder muscle contractions via a monitor. A behavioural technique called bladder training is also considered effective. Here, you have to urinate every hour, even though you do not feel the urge to. Try to increase the time between your bathroom breaks and slowly you will gain control over your urination urge.
  3. Flexing your muscles for gaining control over urinary incontinence is also very important. You can undertake Kegel exercises for boosting your pelvic muscle strength. You need to identify the specific muscles which will help you to stop the passing of gas. You can also try pads and undergarments which are disposable. These will prevent leaks, and skin irritation and odour problems.
  4. Certain medicines are used for treating urinary incontinence in older people. Many of the medicines help in relaxing the muscles so that unwanted bladder contraction is prevented. Other medicines block nerve signals to your bladder. In some cases, drugs are used to shrink an enlarged prostate. The ultimate option of urinary incontinence treatment in old age is surgery. A male sling is a common option in which a certain material gets wrapped around your urethra in order to compress it. Artificial sphincter is used as well for urinary incontinence treatment, where a cuff is used for closing the urethra and the urine is released when the pump is squeezed for opening the cuff.

If you experience any symptom of urinary incontinence, it is important for you to visit a doctor as soon as possible. This will enable you to have early diagnosis and treatment.
 

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