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The Continence Foundation of Australia’s National Continence Helpline (1800 33 00 66) is a free and confidential service staffed by Nurse Continence Specialists who can provide information, advice and support to anyone living in Australia who is impacted by incontinence.
Breaking down health barriers in culturally diverse communities
*Lakshmi’s story
Lakshmi, who moved to Australia from India in the 1970s when she was just eight years old, says that many women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds often don’t seek help for their incontinence. “That’s why I wanted to share this story because if it inspires anyone to seek assistance, then I feel it's been worth it.
Running from June 17-23, World Continence Week (WCW) is an annual initiative devised and managed by the World Federation of Incontinence and Pelvic Problems (WFIPP), with the endorsement and support of the International Continence Society (ICS), European Association of Urology (EAU) and the Ibero-American Society of Neurourology and Urogynaecology (SINUG).
It is a global initiative intended to raise awareness of bladder and bowel control issues, chronic pelvic pain and other debilitating conditions which impact greatly on the lives of patients, families and carers.
A change in perspective can change your life
Mother of five Puspa Sherlock looks at life with incontinence through a different lens, finding that a change in perspective can change your life for the better.
Maria was born in Kenya and grew up in the Seychelles. Maria spent many years living with her grandparents in the Seychelles, separated from her parents while they stayed in Kenya. In 1968, Maria then migrated to Australia with her family.
Dr Dinara Markhabullina
Dr Dinara Markhabullina, a passionate advocate for women's health and family medicine, was born and raised in Uzbekistan. In 2006, she graduated from Kazan State Medical University (Russia) with outstanding academic achievements, earning a Doctor of Medicine degree with distinction.
Welcome to the winter edition of the Bridge Magazine where we celebrate and acknowledge World Continence Week 2024, a global initiative intended to raise awareness of bladder and bowel control issues, chronic pelvic pain and other conditions which impact greatly on the lives of patients, families and carers. This year, the Continence Foundation of Australia acknowledges World Continence Week through the theme of ‘Let’s Talk.’
How we’re reaching multicultural communities to talk about incontinence
The Foundation has many resources available in different languages to support those from multicultural backgrounds. To ensure these continence resources are effective in reaching people from these communities, The Foundation conducted a 'needs analysis’, which was funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care under the National Continence Program.
Mrs Rebecca Khan has been working as an Occupational Therapist (OT) since 2001 having witnessed first-hand the significant need in the community for toileting skill development services. Mrs Khan was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2003 and had a total proctocolectomy (a shortened gut) following surgical complications with post-op infections.
On behalf of the Board of the Continence Foundation of Australia and our staff, we would like to welcome Dr Gian Sberna as our new CEO.
Tory Toogood has been a pelvic health physiotherapist for 20 years. She works in private practice and spends some of her time teaching Masters of Physiotherapy students at Flinders University. She is passionate about helping women maintain the ability to engage actively throughout their lives and to have enough physical strength and fitness to do the things that they love doing.
I said, you know what, I’m going to do all the exercises, do all the stretching, do the massaging, do everything
I can do, and let's see what happens. I did everything that I needed to do.”
Welcome to the Autumn 2024 edition of the Bridge Magazine. This edition has a special focus on pregnancy-related conditions that affect continence. We explore topics such as preventative care for childbirth, birth injury and pelvic organ prolapse.
Mother of three Emma Britton has been experiencing incontinence since the birth of her first child. She says women would benefit from receiving advice to see a pelvic floor physiotherapist who is knowledgeable in postnatal women and can give you guidance on how to rehabilitate.
The Department of Health and Aged Care wants to hear from people impacted by incontinence to inform an independent evaluation of government-funded continence initiatives.
Incontinence is a very common health problem. More than 4.8 million people in Australia have bladder or bowel control problems for a variety of reasons.
As the Continence Foundation of Australia embarks on a new strategic focus and looks ahead to amplify impact and value for people with lived experience, members, stakeholders and government partners, the decision has been made to close our clinical continence services. This directly affects our paediatric clinic and Commonwealth Home Support Program in NSW and NDIS service which is a service delivered nationally.
With Amanda Carmody
Amanda Carmody is a registered nurse, child and family health nurse, midwife and paediatric continence nurse. She is based in Queensland, and she uses attachment-based strategies to help families and children with both sleep and continence issues. These strategies put attachment and connection between parents and children as a top priority when making any change.
Toilet Training Resources
The Continence Foundation of Australia has resources available to help your child reach those important toileting development milestones and gain greater toileting independence. All our resources are user-friendly with pictures and easy to follow steps, providing a general guide for parents and caregivers.
Melissa is 31, married with two children and she is an early childhood educator. Her eldest child, Bella, has encopresis, a condition she did not know existed before her child was diagnosed with it. “I didn't even know incontinence was a thing for people who didn't have severe disabilities. Toilet training went really well, as expected. You know, there were accidents here and there and then about a month in, she stopped doing poo in the toilet and it was just accidents, accidents, accidents.”