Person-Centred Continence Care

Incontinence is a common health issue for many older people, and can have significant impacts on their dignity, comfort, autonomy and quality of life. Supporting older people living with incontinence requires knowledge, sensitivity, and a person-centred approach that promotes independence and wellbeing.

Person-centred care means seeing each person as an individual, valuing their choices, respecting their dignity, and supporting their goals. This  same approach guides continence care. Person-centred continence care focuses on the older person’s unique needs, preferences, and goals for managing urinary and faecal incontinence, and for maintaining continence wherever possible. It’s a shared decision-making process, where the older person, their family or chosen support network, and the healthcare team work together to create an individualised continence care plan. By partnering in this way, we can protect the older person’s dignity, support their independence, and promote their overall wellbeing.

This course is for aged care staff, providing the understanding and practical skills needed to manage incontinence respectfully and effectively. By completing this training, staff will be equipped to meet the continence care expectations outlined in the Aged Care Quality Standards and deliver safe, compassionate, and high-quality support to older people living with incontinence.

Throughout this training, learners will explore the causes and types of incontinence, best practice approaches to assessment and support, and ways to create a care environment that upholds dignity and privacy.

This course provides aged care workers with practical knowledge and skills to deliver person-centred continence care, focusing on the dignity, preferences, and wellbeing of older people. Learners will explore the key elements of person-centred continence care while gaining strategies to manage urinary and faecal incontinence in a respectful, inclusive, and effective way.