Dr. Leonard Plaine, a highly respected, recently retired urologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, was a logical choice to double-check my last week's "Aging Dads: Incontinence Issues--Part 1" post. He has treated men's urological issues for many decades and I especially wanted his "take."
....Although the high rise of incontinence is in women 75 and over, and the rise is less dramatic in men, incontinence–usually temporary (3-6 months)–is common following prostate surgery. Also as men age the sphincter muscle that controls urine outflow can weaken due to more and more years of use. Doctors recommend Kegel exercises for men (with varying degrees of success depending on different factors)......
Just published: The American College of Physicians' New
Guidelines re
: women's urinary incontinence, triggers thoughts:
1. An experience with Mother.
2. One of this blog's key thoughts: Is it better for parents or better for us (in this instance the caregiver)?
3. A prejudice about the word "diapers" used in conjunction with old/older people's incontinence.
.......The American College of Physicians' new guidelines for dealing with female urinary incontinence recommend special exercises--as opposed to medications--first. Maintaining feelings of normalcy helps parents--and everyone--age well.
FYI: "Urinary incontinence (UI), the involuntary loss of urine, has a prevalence of approximately 25% in young women (aged 14 to 21 years) (1), 44% to 57% in middle-aged and postmenopausal women (aged 40 to 60 years) (2), and 75% in elderly women (aged ≥75 years)" American College of Physicians
