Whilst the taboo around discussing urinary incontinence and bladder weakness is slowly being overcome, faecal incontinence remains one of those topics that people avoid talking about still. However, many people have to live with it, and there’s a lot that you can do about it, here is some additional information to help you understand and manage the condition better.

Muscle Damage

Two ring-like muscles – the external and internal sphincter – help keep faeces inside your rectum. Most of the time, they perform their jobs well and there is never a problem. However certain situations can cause damage to those sphincters, making them weak and susceptible to leaking feces. In most cases, haemorrhoid surgery and childbirth are responsible for sphincter muscle damage.

Constipation

Most people experience constipation – an inability to produce bowl movements – from time to time. Constipation is a major cause of fecal incontinence, which seems counterintuitive. However, the hard faeces that are unable to be expelled can become lodged in the rectum; looser stools can then slide out past the blockage, causing incontinence. Also, these hard faeces can sometimes cause damage to the sphincter muscles, making it more difficult for a person to make it to the bathroom in a timely manner.

Nerve Damage

When the nerves that sense stool in the rectum – or the nerves that control the external and internal sphincters – become damaged, faecal incontinence can occur. In the first case, your body is unable to warn you when faeces need to be expelled; many times, you only find out when it leaks out. In the second case, the nerves that are in charge of those sphincters don’t work properly, and incontinence occurs. Nerve damage in these areas can be caused by strokes, childbirth, a habit of straining exceptionally hard to pass stools, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and other conditions that affect nerves in the body.

Diarrohea

Since diarrhea is loose and watery, it is more likely to leak out unexpectedly. Most of the time though, this is only a short-term condition.

Reduced Capacity

Inflammatory bowel disease, rectal surgery or radiation treatment can scar the inside of the rectum, making it less elastic. The reduced capacity then makes faecal incontinence much more likely to occur, since the rectum is unable to stretch to accommodate faeces.

No matter what the cause, it’s important to consult your health professional should you experience ongoing faecal incontinence to receive the correct diagnosis and support for your own condition. Use of Disposable Incontinence products such as Tena Pants Plus or Tena Pants Super can assist in managing the condition and reducing the effect of leaks. However as no product has yet been produced specifically for the absorption of solid matter then it is always advisable to change any product as soon as soiling has occurred to maintain freshness and skin condition.

Lounging on a beach towel under the hot sun whilst watching children construct sand castles and listening to the ocean are some of the simple pleasures of a relaxing holiday. After all, the main objective of taking a holiday is to get in some much needed relaxation. The last thing anyone needs is to be worried about finding the closest toilet while in the middle of the beach, museums, amusement parks, traveling, etc.

For the millions of people who experience urinary incontinence, travelling on planes, trains, or cars is possible with the help of many incontinence products. Urine leakage always seems to happen at the worst possible time, and learning to manage it while travelling will prevent a stressful holiday.

Planning a holiday is time consuming especially when plotting around incontinence. Having incontinence products shipped to your home in advance via a home delivery company, such as Allanda saves time and cost whilst preparing your trip and also means you can be sure of having finding the right products for you. Having incontinence products delivered right to your door each month saves you the hassle of rushing out to the shops when your supply is low at anytime.

You could also organize a delivery of products to your holiday location if you are traveling in the UK.

Other simples tips and advice for how to manage incontinence while traveling are:

Transportation: Always allow for delays and hold up’s whilst traveling so plot where toilets will be available on route, and also take the opportunity to use the toilet ahead of needing it to avoid being caught out.

Diet: Ensure sufficient liquids are drunk to maintain hydration but avoid too many caffeinated drinks or too much alcohol which can stimulate the bladder.

Travel Kit: Carry a travel kit containing spare pads, wipes and cleansing products and also hygiene bags for disposal of products in case bins/disposal methods aren’t available when you need to change pads or products.

Living with incontinence is simple and distress-free if knowing how to manage and control the urinary leakage. With all the variety of incontinence products available, traveling can be more effortless than ever before. Worry about having fun on holiday, and don’t worry about incontinence.

A recent article by June Rogers MBE of Promocon on Nursing Times.net has summarized many of the issues faced by Continence services as continence nurses are being forced to restrict types and quantities of products, regardless of need.

“We know the NHS will have to save £15-20bn over the next five years.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley has said that this “implied something like 3-3.5%, probably about 3%, efficiency savings each year in the NHS… we may need to do more, because we have increases in demand”.

On the ground, we have all been told we need to make significant savings within our individual departments of approximately 10% of our budgets. This means that those of us working in continence services are under considerable pressure to save, on average, more than £100,000 per year. This is almost impossible when we are already struggling on limited budgets, while the cost of disposable incontinence products and the ageing population who need continence care are both increasing.

The cost of continence products produced in the Eurozone has been dramatically affected by the exchange rate. Between 2007 and 2009, costs rose over 30%.

While the exchange rate has moved slightly this year, industry has still seen a cost increase of around 28% since 2007. Products produced outside the Eurozone are affected by fluctuating local currencies. In addition, raw material prices are increasing and, as those used in continence products are priced internationally in US dollars, there will be a double hit as the euro is weak against the dollar.

The figures do not add up. We want to provide the same level of service, balance the books and save 10% at a time when products are costing nearly 30% more.
Continence services can only realistically seek to cut costs via efficiency savings, rather than on product price. However, many of us are frustrated that our ideas to improve efficiency are often lost within the bureaucracy of the NHS and because continence is not anyone’s “target”, which means it sparks little interest.

Particularly frustrating is the snail’s pace at which services are being transferred from acute to primary care, where they could be better served.

Yet it is disposable product provision that leaves many continence nurses in the line of fire. Calls to the PromoCon helpline, a charity that offers product advice, are increasing. Patients and families are complaining about the limited type and number of products for which they are eligible. The phrase “Don’t shoot the messenger!” often comes to mind as nurses are told by management to restrict the type and number of products they prescribe to save money. This means that many services are not able to provide products to meet patients’ needs.”

With the increasingly busy world in which we live, finding time to care for those we love and help manage their continence issues can be increasingly difficult. That’s were Allanda can help. We can delivery products for Continence Care direct to your door, or even easier, continence care products direct to your loved ones, or those you care for. With a large choice of incontinence products and care products and a choice of next day or standard delivery we have everything you need to help those you care for enjoy a better quality of life plus lots of incontinence help and advise as well.

Urinary incontinence products should effectively deal with the leakage of urine no matter whether the incontinence experienced is mild, moderate or severe.

Incontinence pad choice can be difficult because it depends on many factors. Obviously , the quantity of urine loss is the largest factor, but with so many products on the market today other factors can also taken into consideration.

Also important is ease of use, and also your lifestyle and mobility level. The best female incontinence pad might not be a good solution for someone experiencing male incontinence.
Odour control is also essential, and virtually all disposable products have this feature nowadays. Due to their re-usable nature, Washable products do not feature odour contol, and are really only suitable for lighter urinary incontinence. The cost, comfort and durability of incontinence products, all to come into the equation.

The exploration of these factors is crucial for you to find the best incontinence products for your needs.

If you find that you are experiencing urinary incontinence, it is always recommended to discuss the problem with your doctor or health professional as they are best placed to determine the precise cause of the condition.

As well as searching for a cure for your urinary incontinence, you are also likely to look for dependable, urinary incontinence products to help you manage your condition and avoid any potentially embarrassing situations.

When looking for incontinence products, as well as pants and pads, and you will also see skincare products that will keep the skin stay healthy by preventing rashes and irritation.

If unsure what product types would be most suitable for you then seek advice, either from a healthcare professional, a product manufacturer or an Incontinence specialist such as Allanda, all of whom should be well versed with the multitude of different products for odour control and skin protection, pads and pants, and also beyond that their user-friendliness and comfort.
Hopefully after this you will have a good starting point , and as you evaluate different urinary incontinence products by trying them for yourself then you will determine what features and aspects are most important for you. If a product works for you and is comfortable then try it over a longer period to be sure, if not, then determine what aspects you aren’t satisified with and find another product or brand that looks like it will better meet your own specific needs until you find the best product for you.

There are many different types of incontinence products so it is important to have an open mind and consider all options initially. You may well discover that different products are more suitable for different activities in your day. For example, washable incontinence pants may be fine for wearing during the day, whilst at night the extra absorbency of a disposable product is needed. At night, a waterproof mattress cover may also be needed as well for extra security.

If you use disposable pants or pads, change them regularly, well before they are full, to avoid skin chafing and rashes developing. It is really recommend to change a disposable pad as soon as it is soiled.

Washable incontinence pants often look similar to normal underwear but generally contain a built in pad, and have a reinforced waterproof crotch. The built in pads are constructed from special fabric that helps to wick wetness away from you keeping your skin dry and healthy. This type of underwear is generally worn without a pad. For extra protection at night you can use waterproof pants over disposable or washable products, however if you are using the right disposable product this shouldn’t be necessary.

When you are in the process of seeking out the right incontinence products for your needs, Allanda can assist you in finding the perfect products for your situation. You can purchase various sample packs designed for specific levels of incontinence which will give you a great idea of what product types are available and find which ones you suit you.

You might prefer the ease of use and hygiene of disposable urinary incontinence products, or you may prefer the cost advantages of washable incontinence products. Like many people you might even find that a combination of different types of urinary incontinence products suits you most.

Whatever the solution to your needs, we are here to help you discover it.

Allanda’s commitment towards a sustainable society begins by choosing incontinence products manufacturers that strive to maximise the performance of incontinence care for customers and consumers, simultaneously, minimising the impact on our environment.

Tena the UK’s leading incontinence products manufacturer for men and women is one of these manufacturers which we are proud to work with. Tena is part of SCA, a worldwide leading manufacturer of personal care products, tissue, packaging and Forest Products.

SCA has been consistently nominated for awards in recognition of their environmental responsibility. For SCA sustainability is not just a fancy word.

SCA commitment to a sustainable society starts with the responsible sourcing of raw materials. Since 1997, SCA have continuously audited suppliers to ensure that all had an environmental policy and made no use of hazardous chemicals. In 2004 SCA introduced a Code of Conduct to be followed by all of its suppliers.

With a Wood Sourcing Policy, they apply sustainable forest management principles to promote the preservation of forest health and diversity. In addition, the SCA only use timber from known resources. Finally, the SCA encourages their suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint by becoming more energy efficient.

Fewer materials and fewer products lead to less waste!

Minimising product weight and the consequences of incontinence also minimises waste and landfill. Tena range of incontinence products suit all waste treatment systems and are ideal for energy recovery.

Tena also believes that reducing consequences of incontinence leads to less waste. At Tena there is an important distinction between incontinence protection products and incontinence care as whole, reason why they have a whole section of their website dedicated to assist people with incontinence and for those helping incontinent people. By taking on this broader perspective, we can do more towards a sustainable society.

An Australian company named Simavita has created the world’s first pair of electronic underwear, meant to alert carers about patient’s incontinent episodes.

This brilliant innovation was designed to make assessment easier, simpler and more accurate for carers as well as more effective and less embarrassing for users.

Significantly, apart from improving the quality of life for aged care residents and those who care for them, the SIMsystem™ can save more than 50% of the cost of labour associated with manual continence assessments. Thereby providing that all important additional time for greater focus on other activities in the care of the aging person.

How it works

Simavita CEO Philippa Lewis said:

“We developed SIMsystem to provide greater comfort and dignity to the elderly while aiming to significantly lower costs for aged care facilities.”

About Simavita

Simavita is a company established to develop solutions that improve quality of life across the Global Healthcare Spectrum.

Here at All About Incontinence we only work with the best incontinence products manufacturers. As many of you already know TENA is UK’s number 1 bladder weakness and incontinence expert and we are proud to be an authorised dealer for TENA’s incontinence products range.

What makes TENA special? In this article we will bring you the answer for this question and more about the UK’s leading incontinence products manufacturer.

The reason for such a great success lies on continuous and comprehensive understanding of incontinence patients needs. TENA is always hearing what women and healthcare patients have to say on how to evolve and improve their incontinence products to meet the changing needs in terms of security, comfort and discretion.

Odour Control™ means guaranteed freshness Close

The distinctive smell from urine comes from the bacteria which produce ammonia to create an acrid odour that cannot simply be masked by perfume. TENA’s Odour Control™ is designed to reduce the growth of bacteria eliminating odours for freshness and confidence.

The Range to fit your body and your lifestyle

Different people have different needs, TENA developed a range of products of various shapes, sizes and absorbency levels to suit all kinds of activities and body shapes for comfort and confidence in any situation.

Micro technology allows for ultra discretion

For years scientists have been making just about everything smaller. It’s amazing what you can pack into a small package, just think of your mobile phone.

The same is true of TENA: thousands of micro absorbents give a far greater absorption and retention capacity relative to the size of the product. TENA’s smaller incontinence products are just 3mm thick and yet have the capacity to absorb as much as an espresso cup full of liquid whilst staying invisible even under tight fitting clothes.

TENA products are designed to manage the specific properties of urine – so they are generally two sizes smaller than the equivalent absorbency level of sanitary towel, making them the more discreet and effective choice every time.

Faster absorption means nothing escapes

Urine is thin and fast flowing and can leak on to clothes in an instant without the right kind of protection. TENA products are engineered with high-speed surface inlets for rapid absorption to avoid the risk of leakage.

Got questions about TENA’s incontinence products range or any other question about incontinence? Don’t hesitate to ask them on our comments section and one of our incontinence experts will answer them as soon as possible.

Comedian and movie star Whoopi Goldberg has played many roles in her acting life but her latest perhaps is the most daring and touching of them all.

The star of Sister Act 1 and 2 will be the new face and voice of an American incontinence product manufacturer. Whoopi Goldberg will star in a series of webisodes that will talk about incontinence products and incontinence itself.

In the video below Whoopi talks to Missy Lavender, founder of the Women’s Health Foundation, about light bladder leakage or as Whoopi calls it the “sprits”. You can also see a preview of the webisodes that will be online soon.