With World Continence Week under way (18-24th June), knowing how impactful my post was about Aiding Incontinence and some of the comments I received I wanted to share one of the most common myths on this important week.
Essity the name behind brands such as TENA, Bodyform, Plenty, Velvet and Cushelle are behind the Hygiene Matter campaign during the whole week.
Looking at the Top 5 Incontinence Taboos, Bladder Weakness only Affects Women, is in there at number 1.
Not a lot of you will know but I’ve got a twin brother Reece who unfortunately has severe cerebral palsy. I’ve grown up with him and his use of pads and nappies as he has no control.
It makes you think how an everyday bodily function can be taken for granted.Imagine having to get someone to wipe every time you need to go, or having a permanent wet patch as you didn’t quite make it to the loo. I recently went to a Russell Howard gig and he made a joke about getting older and the dreaded shake shake at the urinal and never quite draining the snake how ever long he shook for. (It was much funnier when he told it.)
My wife was in shock that this was a thing.I had to explain that it really was and despite my early 30s age bracket, it takes longer to shake now than it did 5 years ago. Part of me thinks this is just because I’m getting older and part of me thinks it’s because I’m more impatient. These kind of conversations are had in jokie tones with friends as you chuckle when someone’s got a wet patch on their jeans. It’s a fine line between making a hasty retreat and having an issue you need to speak about. With 1 in 4 over 40s having an issue and 50% of those feeling awkward about purchasing products to support them, isn’t it time we normalise talking about health issues. There’s been a big push on mental health and wellness which I believe should cover anything that makes you feel inadequate. Because it shouldn’t. You have something wrong you get it fixed. You wouldn’t keep driving a car with a leaky radiator 🙂
