[Health care of geriatric patients with urinary incontinence]

Urinary incontinence occurs frequently in geriatric patients. In the doctor's practice, the symptoms are often not mentioned by the patients; this may lead to loss of autonomy and social isolation. A screening for urinary incontinence should therefore be part of each geriatric assessment. In the presence of urinary incontinence, several treatment options are available, which need to be tailored according to the individual capabilities (mobility, motivation and cognitive performance) of the patient. Non-pharmacological treatment options, such as behavior modification, toilet training and pelvic floor training, should be exploited before any pharmacotherapy commences. If the pharmacological treatment involves the use of anticholinergic agents, the cognitive performance should be monitored. An interdisciplinary collaboration is a prerequisite for the optimized treatment and adequate health care of geriatric patients with urinary incontinence.