advice for worsening incontinence situation

[WanderleyWagon]

Dear hive mind,
I'd love to hear from any of you with experience of supporting an elderly man with incontinence issues? My father's issues are getting worse and it's making him hesitate about things like travel and going to events like sporting fixtures where he might not have easy access to a loo.

He lives independently and leaves the house most days, so maybe I'm overthinking it, but I'm wondering whether there are hints and tips that might help him with occasional one-off situations to help him feel confident about travelling further afield or going to longer social events? His GP is aware and has provided what support they can.

Going through the same with a DUncle. Has your DF been referred to the continence team and if it’s urinary, has he had it prostrate checked?

If it’s only urine then tena pants or a catheter with a bag (straps round their leg, not a one off thing though), if not then adult nappies- some are reasonably discreet under clothes.

Before accepting urinary incontinence as just a part of aging, he needs to see a GP and/or Continence Specialist Nurse to rule out treatable causes, such as UTI, constipation, prostate enlargement etc.

Yy to checking root causes, but if you do go for continence pants, check out Sainsburys own brand, comfort. They are half the price of Tena etc, and worked well for my dad.

Daily Convene may be an answer or pull up pants. The Convene fit over the penis like a condom and attach to a collection bag that fits down a trouser leg. Pull ups are a good option too!
He should get checked out by his GP to exclude prostate problems and get a referral to the continence team.

Urinary only or both? Echoing the referral to the continence team. You can get disposable underwear cheaply at quite a few places now.

Has he just seen the GP or has he seen the local Continence Nurses? He needs to see the nurses if he hasn't already.

As far as I know they won't fit a catheter for incontinence because of the high risk of infection. Pull up pants are probably the best option Age Concern have a range of on line products that are cheaper than most places, or net pants that have a pad as they are easier to change. Will make him feel more confident plus he can carry a spare.

@Cadenza12 daily Convene is a better option than an invasive catheter that could cause an infection. It can be put on for a few hours during the day, or overnight (bigger urine collection bags) if mobility and getting to the bathroom in time at night/using a urine bottle is an issue.

I also keep urine test strips in the bathroom and tested DFs urine fairly regularly as he was vulnerable to UTIs even before we used continence aids. I could usually work out if he had an infection even before we tested as his behaviour declined.

Thank you so much to everyone who has posted! Some very good suggestions here I will follow up. He is not in the UK so not sure there is a specific continence team but I will follow up about this and see if I can accompany to a GP appointment.