Types of Incontinence

Incontinence is not an inevitable consequence of aging but a fair percentage of the elderly may encounter it from time to time or in some cases as a permanent condition.
Firstly, what is incontinence?

Incontinence is the inability to control either urine or fecal elimination. What this means in simple terms is that the affected individual may excrete urine or bowel movements when they do not want to.
There are 5 types of incontinence.

Stress Incontinence: this often occurs when an affected individual coughs, laughs or takes exercise. The pressure put on the bladder by the stomach muscles by these activities can cause an involuntary loss of small amounts of urine. Stress incontinence can be caused by excessive stretching of the vagina during childbirth, loss of pelvic muscle control and enlarged prostate.
Urge Incontinence: this is often caused by Alzheimer's, Parkinson?s, enlarged prostate, spinal cord injuries or urinary tract infections. The affects are an inability to control the urge to urinate or defecate. In practice this means that the affected individual never reaches the toilet in time.
Reflex Incontinence: This is due to spinal cord injuries, brain tumors or strokes. Reflex incontinence means that urine and bowel movements seep from the body at any time.
Overflow Incontinence: Basically, this is leaking urine when the bladder is full. It is often caused by diseases cause blockages of the urinary tract..
Bowel incontinence: is the inability to contain or "hold" a bowel movement. It can be caused by constipation that goes on for an extended period of time or diarrhea.