Dementia and continence: lived experience insights pointing to practical system improvements
Rose Capp Wendy Bower

Date and Time

Friday, November 13, 2026, 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM

Theme / Track

Health, medical and integrated care

Presentation Format

Concurrent

Continence issues are common in dementia yet remain under recognised across health, aged care and disability systems, affecting dignity, autonomy and social participation. This project, conducted by Dementia Australia and Continence Health Australia, aimed to quantify continence-related impacts on people living with dementia and carers, synthesise lived experience findings and produce a series of short, consumer-led educational videos. Data was gathered via a national survey, focus groups with carers and with people living with dementia and in-depth feedback from a carer and a person living with dementia. This presentation will outline the key issues and themes from the data and argue that these reinforce the importance of continence as an addressable determinant of dignity and quality of life for people living with dementia and carers. The findings point to five priority actions: Embed early continence screening and reassessment within dementia pathways, improve workforce capability through brief, role specific training, strengthen access to specialist continence nurses, enhance product access and fit, and invest in dementia inclusive toilet design and stigma reduction initiatives. This project identified a range of issues for both carers and people living with dementia. There is an urgent need to continue to develop strategies to address these issues in consultation with carers, people living with dementia, health professionals and the wider community and build on the consumer-led information videos developed as part of this study process.

Keywords

Dementia, Education and Training, Health Management, Wellness / Well Being

Authors