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Mandy recently lost her husband, George, who battled with complex medical problems stemming from rheumatoid arthritis.
After suffering for many years with what he thought were recurrent chest infections and pneumonia, George was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis after a work injury. Further tests with the specialist confirmed it was affecting his lungs with a secondary diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).
Incontinence affects many children and adults with autism and/or intellectual disability for a range of different reasons. “The best advice I have for parents around toileting for children with autism and/or intellectual disability, is that independent toileting can be a longer process and taking breaks is normal, as it can be an exhausting task,” said Jessie Smith, school nurse at a specialist school.
Lena became a nurse continence specialist after meeting a patient who had suffered with incontinence for over a decade without telling anyone.
Taking regular breaks from your caring duties is important to avoid burnout and maintain your own health and wellbeing. There are services that can help.
Welcome to the Autumn edition of Bridge magazine, our flagship publication about all things bladder and bowel health. In this edition, we are celebrating approximately three million at-home carers across Australia. Many of these carers are responsible for the complex role of providing bladder and bowel care. They are the silent backbone of our society, offering unwavering support to loved ones with immense dedication.
“Bedwetting once a week is clinically significant, the size of the accident doesn’t matter,” Dr Aniruddh Deshpande, Paediatric Urologist and Head of Surgery at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead tells Bridge.
“Small regular daytime accidents can impact children's mental health, especially older girls and non-caucasian children.”
Dear diary… A day in the life of someone experiencing incontinence
BIO: Since giving birth to her four children, Maria has experienced daily urinary leak
Q: When/how did you become involved with the Great Dunny Hunt?
A: I became involved in the Great Dunny Hunt
Living with bladder or bowel problems that cause incontinence can come at a huge cost. It can impact all areas of your life, from work, to spending time with family and friends and taking part in your favourite activities. It can affect your confidence and lead to social isolation, depression and anxiety.
Every year, Continence Health Australia calls for nominations for the Carer of the Year Award, which publicly acknowledges the vital role that unpaid carers play in supporting the health and wellbeing of so many in our community.
We talked to Dr Tanya Osicka, Health Psychologist at Tanya Osicka Psychology, about how carers can look after themselves and avoid burnout.
“If you’re thinking about starting the toilet training process, there are a few things to consider first,” says Janine Armocida from the National Continence Helpline. “Everyone has a different opinion about when and how you should toilet train your child.
Paul Guest works at Lendlease construction company. He is also a prostate cancer survivor and a BINS4Blokes supporter. Since being diagnosed with prostate cancer, Paul has advocated for BINS4Blokes and the installation of incontinence product disposal bins at his place of work, to enable males recovering from prostate cancer to transition back to work with greater dignity.
“The sooner the better,” Debbie Atkins, occupational therapist at Toilet Time, tells Bridge Magazine.
When Sara was pregnant with her second child, she was told her unborn baby, Kezia, had spina bifida. “I felt both upset and challenged by the fact that I was going to have a baby with spina bifida. But my husband and I made the joint decision that we would face this journey together.”
Our first edition of 2025 brings with it some changes. After a reader survey in late 2024, we listened to your feedback and included articles relevant to different audiences, as well as the themed content. We are also bringing back printed editions, so if you would like your copy of the Bridge magazine in print, please sign up on our website.
There are lots of aspects of school readiness, including getting dressed, putting shoes on, and eating independently. An oft-forgotten part of the routine is using the toilet. Even if your child has been toilet trained for many years, big changes can cause children to regress and experience incontinence (having accidents). This can be a one-off or spiral into an ongoing issue.
“The sooner the better,” Debbie Atkins, occupational therapist at Toilet Time, tells Bridge Magazine.
There are so many aspects of going to the toilet that can affect young children's lives, and acknowledging there may be a problem early is important. If you struggle to go from nappies to undies, notice a change in your child’s toilet habits, such as an increase or decrease in going to the toilet, a regression in skill development, or expressed fearfulness or refusal to go to the toilet, it might be time to seek help.
Maureen is a bladder cancer survivor living with a stoma.
She is healthy, happy and enjoys spending time in the garden, going to music festivals, and watching her grandkids grow. This is her journey through bladder cancer, which all started with frequent urination at night (nocturia).