OVERVIEW
Continence is something most people take entirely for granted until it is lost. For the people you support, problems with bladder or bowel control can be among the most distressing and undignified difficulties they ever experience. Incontinence affects people of all ages and backgrounds, but it is especially common among older people, people with disabilities, people living with dementia and people recovering from illness or surgery. It can undermine confidence, lead to social isolation, damage the skin, increase the risk of falls and infection, and rob a person of their sense of dignity. How sensitively and competently you support someone with continence needs has a direct and lasting effect on their wellbeing.
The course covers why continence matters so much to dignity and wellbeing, the types of urinary and faecal incontinence, common causes beyond ageing, continence assessment, toileting routines and prompting, the role of diet, fluids and the environment, continence products, dignity and a person-centred approach, the types of catheter and why they are used, catheter care and hygiene, recognising catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), and the importance of accurate fluid balance recording.
