Incontinence Management: An Indicator for Quality of Care in Aged Care

This report examines the significance of incontinence management as a quality indicator in residential aged care, highlighting its impact on the health and well-being of older adults. It emphasizes the prevalence of incontinence among the elderly and the importance of effective management to prevent complications such as infections and skin problems. The report justifies the inclusion of incontinence management as a key indicator due to its direct influence on the quality of life, potential to exacerbate other health issues, and the need for specialized care and training. Furthermore, it outlines a plan for measuring performance against this indicator, including continence screening, level identification through bowel and urinary charts, and comprehensive continence assessments. The analysis underscores the necessity of prioritizing incontinence management to enhance the overall quality of care and health outcomes for older individuals in aged care settings.

INCONTINENCE
MANAGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
OVERVIEW....................................................................................................................................1
JUSTIFICATION............................................................................................................................2
MEASUREMENT...........................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Quality of care can be defined as degree to which health services are provided to
individuals in order to enhance likelihood of achievement of desired output (Guinane and Crone,
2018). In residential aged care it is extremely important to maintain high quality of care so that
overall healthcare condition of older people can be enhanced and they can be provided a safe
place to live in and overall health condition can be improved. This assessment will lay emphasis
upon ‘Incontinence management’ as an indicator for assessing quality of care in residential aged
care.
OVERVIEW
Quality of care is a live of level of healthcare services that are provided to individuals in
care homes or patients within hospitals or nursing homes for achievement of desired health
outcomes. In residential aged care homes, it is extremely important to maintain high quality of
care for older people because there are various kinds of health issues that are associated with
overall health of older people (Deeks, Naunton and Nahon, 2017). In order to ensure that high
quality of care is being provided to people in residential aged care homes 5 quality indicators
have been identified. But these indicators cannot help in measuring whether high quality care is
being provided to older people or not.
For this, 6th quality indicator which is Incontinence management can be included as an
important quality of care measurement indicator that can be included for residential aged care. It
is an important indicator which is required to be included for residential aged care because most
of the older people suffer from a health issue known as incontinence (Guinane and Crone, 2018).
It is a kind of condition in which people loss control over their bladder or control over bowel
movement is lost. This condition can vary from slight loss of urine after sneezing to inability to
control urine, or unwanted leakage out of rectum occurs. If this condition in older people is not
taken care of then it can result in infection, skin problems etc.
Incontinence management among elderly aged people are faced by causes which are
weak bladder muscles, overactive bladder muscles and weak pelvic muscles. Elder people also
often feel damage to nerves that control the bladder form diseases such as multiple sclerosis,
diabetes which further increases insulin in body. There is increased urge for urination, which
further leads to Incontinence management among old people decreasing efficiency in living
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standards. Age care standards in Australia further by extending indicator of Incontinence
management, further will be enable to generate imperative awareness.
Incontinence management is an important indicator to be included for residential aged
care because this indicator will directly help in understanding how many older people suffer
from Incontinence, ways in which it impacts their overall physical health and ways in which it
can work as a hindrance in provision of high quality of care (Wijk and et. al., 2018). Impact of
Incontinence on older people are much serious ad can degrade their overall quality of life. It is
important to be included as an indicator because it can directly impact overall health of life of
patients, achievement of required desired outcomes of health are also impacted. Incontinence
management is important to be included because it can impact other quality of care indicators as
well such as it can result in increasing weight loss, increased risk of pressure injuries etc. These
are some important reasons because of which it is required as 6th indicator. In Incontinence
management older people can be provided bladder training so that they can understand
importance of taking time to time trip to toilet so that leakage of urine or faecal can be avoided.
They can also be provided with pelvic muscle exercises so that they can gain control over their
bladder.
JUSTIFICATION
Incontinence management has been taken as the 6th indicator for analysing Australia’s
aged care system, where this has been found to be another most essential aspect effecting old age
people with enormous impact on quality of life. Australia old age people are increasingly facing
issue related to Incontinence management, where proper timely analysis is essential making it
one of the most significant indicator. It adds significant risk on various health issues such as falls
and pressure injuries, signifying poor quality of life and mental problem among aged people.
Research within incontinence management, has been signifying focus towards addressing health
risk factors where older individuals often represent decline in overall physical, mental and
psychological health. This signifies specific strategies such as preventing urinary Incontinence,
taking professional doctor guidance and changing overall living habits where developing proper
lifestyle enables better treatment to be delivered.
As per the views of Crislyn. Mc and et.al, (2020) it can be understood that Incontinence
management is one of the significant and highly essential indicator for identifying health
parameters among older population, where it plays pivotal role in assessment and forming care
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plan. Specific tests, and treatment regimens are available, by trained official nurses and doctors
which further enables to significantly put up check on management identified on elderly people.
emotional problems are faced by elderly people due to incontinence management among, where
depression, mental health issues and increased social isolation are some of the most essential.
Australia ageing population, are having increased risk with Incontinence management where
functional impairments in activities of daily living, detonation of mental and sexual health
factors are increasing impacting overall well-functioning.
It is significantly one of the key indicator for health risk in Australia’s aged care system,
where treatment options include active treatment of old people and passive containment.
Furthermore, adequate fund is also needed to significantly bring on improved efficiency
standards rising within Incontinence management factors where aged people need to be
further treated as per their specific health conditions Incontinence management is complex
practice focusing on basic evaluation, such as medical history and testing, physical examination.
This enables further evaluation and treatment preferences specifically to be worked on for proper
treatment to be delivered, also identification of synchronized best treatment and medication to be
given. It has signified focus towards taking Incontinence management as the 6th indicator,
which is based upon significant aspects enhancing functional importance for strengthened
improved health factors. It is also significantly essential, for analyzing best nursing strategies to
be checked on further integrating rise on best medical practices to improve situation of
inconsistency management.
MEASUREMENT
It is extremely important to develop a plan to measure performance against selected
Incontinence management indicator of quality of care. It can be done in following ways:
 First step is to conduct a continence screening for identifying case of Incontinence, factors
because of which person is suffering from it and main symptoms of this incontinence (Wijk
and et. al., 2018).
 Next step is to identify level of Incontinence by comparing symptoms with bowel chart and
urinary chart in order to understand ways in which leakage of urine and faecal occurs.
 Last step will be conduct a continence assessment so that health care professionals can
understand type of continence problem from which particular individual is suffering from so
that accordingly required training can be provided and treatment can be modified.
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CONCLUSION
From the above analysed aspects researched in report it can be summarized that
Incontinence management is another highly essential aspect among old people faced, and 6th
recommended age care standard. Overview and justification concluded detailed analysis on
Incontinence management causes, where it impacts overall health standards among old people
declining efficiency.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Deeks, L., Naunton, M. and Nahon, I., 2017. Case study: Urinary incontinence-the role of a
pharmacist in an aged care residential medication management review. Australian and
New Zealand Continence Journal, The. 23(2). pp.30-34.
Guinane, J. and Crone, R., 2018. Management of faecal incontinence in residential aged
care. Australian journal of general practice. 47(1/2). pp.40-42.
Northwood, M., and et. al., 2021. Home-care nurses’ experiences of caring for older adults with
type 2 diabetes mellitus and urinary incontinence: An interpretive description
study. SAGE Open Nursing, 7, p.23779608211020977.
Wagg, A. and Lee, R., 2021. Urinary Incontinence in People Living with Cognitive
Impairment. Current Geriatrics Reports, pp.1-8.
Wijk, H., and et. al., 2018. Person-centered incontinence Care in Residential Care Facilities for
older adults with cognitive decline: feasibility and preliminary effects on quality of life
and quality of care. Journal of gerontological nursing. 44(11). pp.10-19.
Online
Crislyn. Mc and et.al, 2020. Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults Takes Collaborative Nursing
Efforts to Improve. <
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7419143/pdf/cureus-0012-
00000009161.pdf>
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