‘Tipping point’ for carers begins with incontinence
A person becoming incontinent is often the tipping point for a carer relinquishing their care to a residential aged care facility, particularly if combined with dementia or mobility issues, according to a peak national organisation working to improve the quality of life of Australians affected by incontinence.
There is also a bigger financial burden borne by carers of incontinent people, who forego their earnings in the paid workforce. The productivity loss to family and friends who work unpaid as carers of people with incontinence is about $2.7 billlion annually, as reported in a Deloitte Access Economics’ 2011 report, The economic impact of incontinence in Australia.
An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report, Incontinence in Australia, also reveals that carers of people with incontinence fared much worse in the wellbeing, social and workforce participation stakes.
Dr Pamela Kinnear, AIHW spokeswoman, says primary carers of people with severe incontinence are more likely to report strained relationships with those they cared for, to need more respite care, and to report lower labour force participation.
According to the report, there were 72,900 primary carers who helped manage severe incontinence in 2009, the majority of them women.
Barry Cahill, Continence Foundation of Australia chief executive, says the report highlights the widespread impact of incontinence on the community, and particularly on carers.
“We know that many carers find the incontinence to be one of the most difficult aspects of the caring role. It adds dramatically to the workload and can be very costly. We also know it can cause carers to feel angry, frustrated, alone and as if they’re not coping,” Mr Cahill says.
Carers can request a copy of the document, Help for people who care for someone with bladder of bowel problems, from the Continence Foundation of Australia's National Continence Helpline.
Information about state and federally funded schemes to help meet the cost of continence products, including the Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) that provides up to $545.80 per year, is also available from the Helpline.
For more information, go to www.continence.org.au or contact the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66.
