Consider this for a moment. Nearly 40% of women over 60 will develop urge incontinence a condition whose principal symptom is an uncontrollable urge to use the bathroom. When the urge hits, the typical reaction is to race to the bathroom to avoid having an accident. But what happens when this occurs at night and the woman has to hurrying through a darkened bedroom, down a darkened hallway to get to the toilet? Would you be surprised to learn that incontinence in women is being blamed for an increasing number of injuries due to falling.
Well it's true.
Falls involving the elderly can be life changing events. A broken hip may put a person in a position where they no longer have the mobility they need to take care of themselves. By the age of 65, fully a third of all women can expect to experience an injury due to a fall. Having that falling injury as a result of rushing to get to a bathroom is terribly unfortunate because urge incontinence can be treated using a wide range of therapies from biofeedback to medication to surgery.
What's more, in a study done of women with incontinence versus women without, those with urge incontinence were 25% more likely to have an injury from a fall. Of those who did take a tumble, almost a third experienced a fractured bone.
If you are a woman over 60 with urge incontinence, or if you have a relative or close friend who is, you really need to see your health care provider and discuss this condition and lay out a plan to cure it or effectively manage it. It shouldn't be embarrassing and it is certainly not part of the normal aging process. This condition does not have to expose you to additional injury from falls if you simply take action to address it.
Urge incontinence in women is simply a health threat that can be easily dealt with. Considering the risks that are attached to it as a cause of falls, doesn't it make sense to make an appointment with your doctor soon?
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