Over five million Australians experience bladder or bowel incontinence. This silent epidemic is costing the Australian economy a staggering $67 billion each year including the burden of disease, health costs, work productivity losses, carer and continence aid costs.
World Continence Week is happening now, and Australia’s peak body promoting bladder and bowel control health, the Continence Foundation of Australia, says that seeking advice from a health professional is the first step towards better management.
CFA says incontinence is common and can affect people at any age, but in many cases can be proactively managed, treated and even cured. Help is readily available by taking the first step and talking to your GP or calling the National Continence Helpline (1800 33 00 66) for free and confidential advice.
Affecting one in four people aged 15 and over
Continence Foundation of Australia CEO Rowan Cockerell says incontinence is not just a woman’s or an older person’s issue, nor is it an inevitable part of ageing.
‘Lack of support for incontinence and its associated costs affects thousands of Australians’ ability to seek and maintain employment,’ she said.
‘Sharing experiences of this makes the community aware and hopefully will motivate greater help and investment strategies for incontinence support and management. If you are experiencing incontinence, it is important that you seek assistance from your health professional promptly,’ said Ms Cockerell.
Personal stories
This year the focus of World Continence Week is on how incontinence affects Australians of all ages, as told through personal stories, and AFL legend Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico is one of those personally affected.
‘Too many men ignore their symptoms and think they will just go away, but what I’ve learned is this can affect your life forever and you don’t have to put up with it,’ said Dipper, who has lived experience of incontinence.
‘If you had a broken arm, you’d go to the doctor to get it fixed, right? So why not go to the doctor and say, I’m not peeing properly?’
Dipper is a keen advocate for men’s health awareness and openly shares his story to encourage men to get regular health checks, pay attention to the warning signs, not suffer in silence and seek help from a health professional early.
Admitting he wished he had sought help earlier, he says ‘we men tend to think we’re invincible and we must put up with pain, but my body was telling me something was wrong.
‘The crunch for me came when the bladder pain became so bad, I was forced to go to the hospital’s emergency department.’
When Dipper presented to emergency department, he was eventually diagnosed with urinary retention, a condition where the bladder does not empty completely and there is a lot of urine still left in the bladder.
Dipper’s urinary retention was remedied however he still experiences challenges with occasional leakage and is open to sharing his story to help others living with similar issues.
Key statistics on incontinence in the Australian population
- Over 5 million Australians – one in four people aged 15 years or over – are incontinent.
- 80% of people who experience urinary incontinence are women.
- Over 1.34 million Australian boys and men experience incontinence.
- 46% of people who experience incontinence are under the age of 50 years.
- One in three women who have ever had a baby wet themselves.
- 19% of children starting primary school are estimated to have incontinence.
If you think you need help with bladder or bowel control problems, contact your GP or call the National Continence Helpline and speak with a Nurse Continence Specialist for free and confidential advice. For more information please visit www.continence.org.au.
For more information about World Continence Week, visit continence.org.au/world-continence-week.
You can see a short film about Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico’s experience below:
