[A questionnaire survey on urinary incontinence in geriatric nursing home patients]

A survey by questionnaires was performed to understand the present conditions of urinary incontinence in the aged. The objects were 748 persons who were residing in eight geriatric nursing homes locating in Nara Prefecture. The answers from 183 males and 565 females ranging from 57 to 101 years old were collected and analyzed. The answers were interpreted as follows: (1) Of these 748 persons 422 (56%) were incontinent, 94 males (51%) and 330 females (58%). (2) The higher age group tends to show the higher rate of incontinence. (3) The rate of incontinence seems to highly correlate with the degree of dementia and impaired mobility. (4) Sixty-nine persons (16%) had consulted a nursing home doctor and/or other medical doctors, only 20 of whom had been medicated for incontinence. (5) An institution where a behavioral therapy program had been employed showed a lower rate of incontinent persons. From these results, it is considered that not only an increase of nursing staff but also aggressive participation of medical specialists including urologists are needed to improve their quality of life.