older woman elderly

Health Declines Are More Rapid in Older Women with Urinary Incontinence

As women age, their ability to get around affects their quality of life. A new study shows that older women’s physical functioning declines more rapidly if they develop urinary incontinence, according to public health researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Catherine Pirkle and Yan Yan Wu, both assistant professors in the Office of Public Health Studies in the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, collaborated with researchers in Brazil, Colombia and Canada to recruit approximately 900 women in their sixties and seventies from those three countries plus Albania. About 25 percent of women over age 60 experience urinary incontinence. Study participants completed a short test of physical functioning, which included measuring the speed of their usual walking pace, checking their balance and testing how fast they could stand up from a chair. The women also completed a questionnaire about their health, which included a query about whether they had experienced any leakage of urine in the past week. After two years, the women repeated the physical functioning test. Read more.

Source: University of Hawai’i News, October 11, 2018

elderly underactive bladder symptoms needed to be reported

Mirabegron Safe, Effective for Overactive Bladder in the Elderly

Mirabegron is a safe and effective treatment for overactive bladder (OAB) in older patients, a researcher reported at the International Continence Society’s 2018 annual meeting.  Adrian Wagg, MB, BS, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, presented findings from a 12-week phase 4 prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 888 patients older than 65 years who had OAB symptoms for 3 months or more. The mean age of the patients was about 72 years. The proportion of patients older than 75 years was 28% among mirabegron and placebo recipients.  Read more. 

Source: Renal and Urology News, August 31, 2018

The Foundation Hosts Round Table on Long-term Care, Assisted Living, and Incontinence

Incontinence in long-term care and in assisted living was discussed at the Round Table.

Incontinence in long-term care and in assisted living was discussed at the Round Table.

Chicago, Ill. (June 1, 2005) – In April 2005 the Simon Foundation for Continence launched its program on Aging 2005 by hosting a two day round table discussion about the state of incontinence care in long-term care and assisted living. Experts brought together from throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe focused on the impact of incontinence on residents of these facilities. The meeting, held in Chicago, was chaired by Professor Christine Norton, PhD, RN, from St. Mark’s Hospital (U.K.) and Mary Radtke Klein, President, Assisted Living Associates (Oregon), both members of the Simon Foundation’s Advisory Board.Continue reading