I want to make a suggestion about how to talk about incontinence, and share an observation. 

Suggestion: rather than asking about whether someone is "incontinent", 

 "Do you experience urine leakage?"

is a much clearer question (and also a less threatening question). 

Also relevant to the conference, I think, is this observation: 

In my local (chain) bookstore, books on health conditions are listed alphabetically--but incont is only part of "Aging"! This is three problems:

1) incont should be alphabetical like every other condition, (near  "insomnia" and "irritable bowel") 

2) if they insist on putting incont in a subsection (maybe it's necessary), but why does that subsection have to be "Aging"???

3) They had no books on incontinence in stock.  

I can't speak for anyone else, but I would probably feel more willing to talk about my incont if the diveristy of ages and causes were more widely recognized. This relates to the conference, it seems: the prevalence of incont, how incont is perceived, and people's willingness to say that they experience incontinence. 

Matthew 

Jasmine Schmidt

2/ 4/08 11:02am

Thanks so much for this comment Matthew! The wording of the question is a great suggestions, and as for the bookstore - wow!!! I need to go out and take a look at my neighborhood stores and see what I find. I agree completely that it should be it's own topic, and if not, it certainly shouldn't be categorized under "aging" as it's never a normal or necessary part of aging, and there are SO MANY other causes of incontinence.

Anonymous23

5/22/09 2:11pm

The bookstore "aging" mistake may have been unique to that store, I've not seen it since. Though whenever I go to bookstores I oftnen check, and finfidng a book in stock seems to still be a problem....