We have had a few emails from customers recently asking which absorbency would be best for them. Much as we’d like to be able to recommend as single incontinence product for someone’s needs and condition, unfortunately it’s not that straightforward and often you will find that different products or absorbencies are needed for different occasions or times of day. You might find that you prefer a smaller, thinner incontinence pad during the day but need a larger, more absorbent pad at night if you experience leakage during the evening (this can be a different product or a just a more absorbent version of your normal type of incontinence pad). Also, you might find that you prefer the convenience and ease of changing incontinence pads during a normal day but prefer the added leakage security of incontinence pant type products on long days out or special occasions. For those who want extra security (often for important occasions or at night when longer periods will exist between changes) wearing waterproof pants on top of their normal product can give a second “layer” to protect against leaks. The only way to find the best product for your needs is to consider all the options and then try the products that consider suitable. If you want to try just a small quantity of different types of products then our sample packs are a good starting point.

Incontact is a national charity for people affected by bladder and bowel problems. Their aim is to provide support and information and represent the interests of people with continence problems. They offer support and information to people who experience incontinence, their carers as well as health professionals who provide advice and treatment.

Incontact is unique in that it is run by and for consumers with a committee made up of a mix of consumers, informal carers and healthcare professionals.

A central function of Incontact is to raise awareness amongst the public and health professionals of these common problems, and the range of treatment and management options available, not just in terms of incontinence pants and pads but also the wide variety of positive actions that can be take such as pelvic floor exercises and bladder re-training.

Through their chat room and forum, Incontact enable you to share your views and experiences. They can also put you in touch with other people who experience incontinence through groups, online support and telephone links.

Their magazine is produced 3 times a year and is written by and for people with incontinence problems. It covers reviews of the latest incontinence products as well as features on how to best manage your condition and people’s own personal experiences.

They also campaign for better services and incontinence products for UK consumers.

To find out more about Incontact visit their website at www.incontact.org

A recent study by Carers UK shows that Britain is becoming a nation of carers. The study published this week shows that the economic value of the contribution made by carers in the UK is a remarkable £87 billion per year. This is considerably more than the annual cost of all aspects of the NHS and it is more than four times the amount spent on social care services for adults and children by local authorities each year.

The 2001 census showed that in the UK 12% of the adult population -almost 6 million people- provide unpaid care and Carers UK has estimated that by 2037, the number of carers is set to increase by around 60% or an extra 3.4 million carers.

To read the full information see the Carers UK website.

For a copy of our carer’s guide to incontinence click here.

Following significant coverage for our Carer’s guide to incontinence during the last few weeks we’ve been inundated with requests for these both from carers and also from health professionals.

As well as being available via download we can also post paper copies to you. The guide is full of helpful tips on how to reduce episodes of incontinence as well as information on how to minimise their impact beyond simply using the right incontinence pad and pant products.

The guide is used by a number of continence services and a large number of doctor’s surgeries.

A comment recently received from a customer about a lady she attends “Incontinence was becoming a major concern for my friend, thanks to your leaflet I’ve been able to discuss this more openly with her and made a few small changes that have helped both of us a lot, many thanks!”

The leaflet can be downloaded by visiting our website at http://www.allaboutincontinence.co.uk or by emailing us at info@allanda.co.uk making sure you mention Carer’s leaflet in your email.

Today’s article isn’t directly about incontinence for a change, although it’s about Nocturia, a closely related condition. Nocturia is the formal name for when you wake up several times during the night to urinate. This isn’t necessarily incontinence, as you aren’t actually leaking urine if you wake up and make it to the toilet in time, but nonetheless it creates similar issues often affecting overall quality of life by impeding on sleep quality.

The problem is extremely common among older men because it can be caused by an enlarged prostate (The prostate presses on the tube called the urethra and prevents the bladder from emptying completely – hence the need for more frequent trips to the toilet), however, recent studies have shown that many older women also suffer from the same problem, especially when connected to childbirth and menopause. Both men and women can also experience nocturia due to chronic urinary tract infections or diabetes.

If you’re waking up two or more times at night to urinate, it’s important to see a health professional, as it may be a sign of another issue such as kidney problems, infection, or a prostate problem. In addition to ruling out other health problems, it’s important to see a your doctor or district nurse as they may be able to help you find a treatment for your nocturia so that your quality of life won’t be compromised.

In many cases, nocturia can be managed or treated with simple behavioral changes, such as cutting down on alcohol and caffeinated drinks (or only drinking caffeinated drinks early in the morning), and reducing drinks before bedtime (however we recommend that you should discuss this with a help professional before you cut down liquids).

Although many people manage the impact of Nocturia through using incontinence pants or pads to give some security should they not make it to the toilet in time, the main impact is on overall health through tiredness induced by reduced sleep time and quality. The impact in terms of reduced energy levels can impact on your ability to do a job, drive safely and even moods, and therefore it’s important to discuss this with a health professional and to take positive steps to both trace the cause of the problem and minimize it’s impact.

More information on Nocturia can be found on the NetDoctor website,

There are many incontinence pads designed for women with light to moderate urinary incontinence or bladder weakness, however TENA for Men is fairly unique in being a pad specifically designed for male use.

Similar in construction to the well-known TENA Lady incontinence products range with a textile backsheet for a high level of comfort against the skin and a special fixative strip to keep the pad securely in place,TENA for Men pads also contain the same type of super absorbent granules to keep liquid locked in, so the pad remains dry to the touch, hour after hour.

For maximum security for men, it is important to use a pad designed for male use and this is where TENA for Men benefits over most light incontinence pads. It’s unique shape is designed specifically to fit closely to the male anatomy and can be worn inside your own underwear with complete discretion. Advanced multi-layer construction means TENA for Men pads keep their shape throughout the stresses of the day.

TENA for Men incontinence pads also feature Tena’s unique Odour ControlTM which keeps odours at bay for up to 12 hours. TENA for Men pads are individually wrapped, so they can be carried discreetly too. TENA for Men pads are available in two absorption levels, Level 1 is most suitable for light conditions (occassional drops) whilst TENA for Men Level 2 is slightly more absorbent making it suitable for light to moderate incontinence. More details of these items can be found in the Men’s shaped pads section of our website.

Over 10% of all people over 65 regularly experience incontinence making this one of the biggest issues faced by the 6 million carers in the UK on a daily basis.

Despite the fact that incontinence is more common than hay fever it is still a topic that many find difficult to discuss with those they care for and it is one of the main causes of people having to move out of their own home into residential care.

To coincide with the National Continence Awareness Week© (beginning 17th September) we are promoting our carers leaflet which is specifically aimed at carers and which is full of simple tips and information on to manage incontinence effectively, making life easier for those they care for both inside the home and out and about.

Free copies of this leaflet can be obtained by calling us on 0870 803 0306 or by visiting our website at www.allaboutincontinence.co.uk.

National Continence Awareness Week© is organised by the Continence Foundation and this year the theme is “Quality of Life” with the emphasis on highlighting the impact of the condition on daily living. More specific information on National Continence Awareness Week© can be found on their website.

For a while we’ve wanted to make our shopping section easier to use and now we have!

After a lot of development and testing we’ve changed the shopping section so that now when you click on a category (such as disposable incontinence products) all the sub categories (such as All in One Incontinence pads, etc.) appear in the centre together with a picture to help you select the right incontinence product more quickly and easily.

So now hopefully finding the right incontinence pads, incontinence pants, bedding or whatever item you’re looking for should be far simpler than before.

Our next product review is Tena Comfort, these are traditional body shaped incontinence pads for moderate or heavier incontinence conditions.

These incontinence pads are anatomically shaped (hourglass shape) but as they have no specific fixation built in to the pad they need to be used with stretch support underwear to hold them closely to the body (alternatively tight, close fitting underwear such as Sloggis can be used). The benefits of these products are that the pad can be quickly and easily removed and replaced when necessary. They are also relatively more economical due to their simpler construction when compared to All in One type incontinence pads such as Tena Slip or Tena Flex or pull up incontinence pants such as Tena Pants.

Tena Comfort is designed for a range of incontinence levels from moderate to heavy starting with Normal (Approx. 750ml) then increasing in absorption through Plus (900ml), Extra (1200ml), Super (1400ml) up to Maxi (1800ml).

Tena Comfort has a number of features not always found on similar products which make it more convenient and effective than it’s equivalents from other manufacturers:

* Wetness Indicator helps you identify when product needs changing.

* 3 Absorption layers for fast absorption and greater capacity.

* All round barrier elastics and inner leg cuffs for extra anti-leak protection.

As these pads get larger as their absorption increases it’s always worth trying the smallest pad you think suitable first as this is likely to be slightly more comfortable over a long period of wearing.

For more details on our full range of Tena Comfort Incontinence Pads visit our website.