Australian news
Now that we are almost halfway through this year, I’m pleased to report the Continence Foundation of Australia already has several events and campaigns well underway. These are designed to raise awareness of incontinence, promote education, and encourage people to access help and support, particularly through the National Continence Helpline 1800 33 00 66 and the Foundation’s website.
Joint 31st National Conference on Incontinence and the 4th Functional Urology Symposium
The joint 31st National Conference on Incontinence (NCOI) and the 4th Functional Urology Symposium (FUS) will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 14–17 June, South Australia. Presented by the Continence Foundation of Australia and the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, this special joint conference program brings together international and local experts and thought leaders from different disciplines to cover all aspects of the research, assessment and treatment of continence and functional urology related issues, as well as the most current evidence-based best practice.
The conference program will commence with a full first day of workshops, followed by three days of plenary and abstract presentations, with concurrent breakout sessions. The program includes a welcome reception, conference dinner and exhibition space, providing numerous opportunities to connect and access information, support and current market trends.
Join the experts and thought leaders in continence care in Adelaide. For registration and further information go to continence.org.au/NCOI
Deloitte survey
Deloitte has commenced working on the Continence Health in Australia 2023 report. This report will identify and collate data on the current level of continence health needs for all age groups and estimate the costs and consequences of incontinence at the population level.
A project of this scale was previously undertaken in 2010, and it is expected that this project will bring together current data regarding continence health in Australia. The project is expected to be completed in July 2023.
Policy team
The Continence Foundation’s policy team has been consulting with clinical experts to continue to inform our submissions to the Commonwealth Government.
The Foundation has made several submissions related to aged care, disability and primary care, including our submission to the National Dementia Action Plan, a new Disability Services Act and the Commonwealth Government’s Early Years Strategy. These submissions are available on our website.
World Continence Week
The focus for this year’s World Continence Week (WCW), 19–25 June, is on the lived experience and the impact incontinence can have on a person’s life. The aim of this WCW is to promote awareness and empower people to access the help and support that is available. The Foundation greatly values the stories people share of living with or caring for someone with incontinence. Hearing the experience and advice of others can make an impactful difference to someone in a similar situation.
As part of our campaign for this year’s WCW, we are launching a series of podcasts for the first time, featuring the lived experience stories of five individuals and their journey with incontinence. These stories represent the individual experience, how their incontinence was identified, how they manage it, the care path they have taken, the value of professional health and their tips and strategies for living with incontinence. A report on the success of, and feedback on, the podcasts will be included in the next edition of the Journal.
Bins4Blokes convenience advertising
A national campaign asking people to scan a QR code to pledge their support for the installation of incontinence product disposal bins in male public toilets in shopping centres is running from 1 December 2022 until 30 June 2023. To date, we have received over 2,000 pledges! This is such an excellent result in spreading the word and building awareness so men can feel confident to get out and about in their communities. The pledges will be used to further lobby shopping centres to install more incontinence product disposal bins in male public toilets.
Education
The Foundation’s education team is putting the finishing touches on the soon to be launched catheterisation skills course for registered nurses. This hybrid course includes a five module online theoretical course on catheterisation and a face-to-face catheterisation practical skills workshop. The skills workshops will be offered around Australia, with small group learning opportunities, to learn and practise male and female catheterisation and suprapubic catheterisation skills. A certificate of completion will be provided to successful learners who complete both parts of the course.
The Foundation continues to recruit facilitators for the face-to-face component of this course. If you are a registered nurse with catheterisation skills and an interest in peer-to-peer learning, then please forward an Expression of Interest to the Education Manager, Bronwyn Robinson at b.robinson@continence.org.au.
To access the Foundation’s online learning system, go to continencelearning.com/login/index.php
Rowan Cockerell
CEO, Continence Foundation of Australia
Author(s)
Rowan Cockerell
CEO, Continence Foundation of Australia
