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Living with incontinence

People with disability

Resources and tips to help people with disability and incontinence find the right products and support to participate fully in life.

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People with disability should be able to participate fully in life with comfort and dignity at home, in the community and beyond.

For many people with disability, managing incontinence (bladder or bowel leakage) can be challenging. Physical limitations, lack of accessible toilets, limited product options and finding it hard to access personalised advice can make daily life harder than it needs to be.

We offer free advice, practical tools and support to help people with disability manage incontinence with confidence.

How disability and incontinence can overlap

Incontinence is more common in people with disability

People who have challenges with thinking skills, moving their body or with how their brain and nerves work are more likely to experience incontinence (bladder or bowel leakage). This includes many conditions in children and adults such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, spinal cord injury or intellectual disability.

Different types of disability affect continence health in different ways

For example:

  • People with physical disabilities may struggle to get to the toilet, reach the toilet in time or use the toilet.
  • People with intellectual or cognitive (thinking) disabilities may not recognise the need to go or may need help to communicate it.
  • People with neurological conditions (like spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis) may have problems with how the bladder and bowel work.

Incontinence may have more than one cause

Continence can become harder to manage when more than one factor is involved, such as:

  • mobility changes
  • bladder control issues
  • effects of medication.

Children with disability

Children with disability may have challenges or delays around toilet learning and continence. Dealing with issues like constipation may be more complex.

Children may need more support to access safety and dignity around toileting at school. Seeking advice and support early can really help.

Practical tips for people with disability and incontinence

The right advice and support can make living with incontinence more manageable. Here are some useful tips.

Work with your health or disability support person to make a plan for you

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Support might include:

  • scheduled toilet times
  • continence products (like pads or catheters)
  • preference for washable or disposable products
  • physical therapy
  • medicines
  • help from carers or support workers.

Other types of care can be helpful too, including pelvic floor training, bladder retraining and lifestyle changes such as changing the types of fluids you drink and exercise habits.

See your doctor if symptoms change suddenly or you notice blood in your urine (wee).

Photos shows a white-haired man in a grey jacket. A younger man who has Down Syndrome has his arm around the older man. They are in a park.

Manage constipation

Constipation can make bladder (wee) or bowel (poo) problems worse. It’s common in people with intellectual disability and neurological conditions (like spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis) and treating constipation can help reduce incontinence symptoms.

Your GP (doctor) or continence health professional can help you with this.

Read about:
– Constipation
– Constipation in children

Choose the right continence products

Choosing products that are ‘right’ for you will depend on:

  • your level of ability (eg how well you can grasp and reach)
  • your body shape and size
  • whether you need help from a carer or support worker
  • how much urine (wee) or faeces (poo) you lose
  • how much help you need from a carer or support worker.

Call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 to talk to a nurse continence specialist for advice about the best products for you.

Learn more about continence products or use our Find a product provider directory.

Find financial support to suit your needs

The Australian Government’s Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) provides an annual subsidy for people with permanent or severe incontinence to help pay for continence products. If you have continence supports funded in your NDIS plan, you won’t generally be eligible for funding under CAPS.

Call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 for information about eligibility and applying.

Find other sources of financial assistance.

Take care of your wellbeing

Looking after your wellbeing is important. Here are some ideas to help you stay healthy and enjoy the things you love:

  • Talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling.
  • Try to get some regular exercise.
  • Try to get enough rest and sleep.
  • Eat regular healthy meals.
  • Make time each week for activities you enjoy.

If you’re finding things hard, reach out for support. Talk to family, friends or your GP (doctor).

You can also visit the Beyond Blue website or call them 1300 22 4636.

Tools for your disability support and aged care workers

If you have disability support or aged care workers supporting you with continence care, let them know about our resources:

Plan outings with confidence

When you plan to be away from home, use the National Public Toilet Map. This map helps you plan ahead and find more than 25,000 public toilet facilities across Australia.

The Master Locksmiths Access Key (MLAK) gives people with disability or continence needs 24/7 access to locked public toilets.

Changing Places provides adult sized changing tables, ceiling hoists, toilets, privacy screens and extra space for people with complex toileting needs.

Learn more about managing incontinence.

With the right support, people with disability can manage continence health in ways that suit their bodies, routines and goals.

Disability resources

Disability Gateway – helps people with disability, their families and carers find the information, services and support they need in Australia.

Technical Aid to the Disabled (TAD) – tools and devices made for individual needs.

My Aged Care – helping you navigate aged care services and supports.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – provides funding to eligible people with disability for greater independence and improved quality of life.

National Disability Advocacy Program – promotes and protects the rights of people with disability.

National Ethnic Disability Alliance – advocates for the rights of people with disability and their families from multicultural communities.

National Continence Helpline

For more information on managing incontinence, call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 between 8am and 8pm AEST Monday to Friday.

The helpline is staffed by nurse continence specialists who offer free and confidential information, advice and support. They also provide a wide range of continence-related resources and referrals to local services.

This content has been reviewed by sub­ject mat­ter experts in line with Continence Health Australia’s established process. Read about our clinical content review protocol.