Accepting and adjusting: older women's experiences of living with urinary incontinence

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe experiences of living with urinary incontinence (UI) among persons who do not desire further assessment and treatment.

Methods: This was a qualitative, descriptive interview study, and the method was phenomenological. Eleven women were interviewed; all had been in contact with a district nurse to obtain a prescription for sanitary protection. None of the women desired further treatment for UI.

Findings: The women described living with UI as a manageable problem with which they had learned to live. They showed strength and desire to manage on their own. In many cases, other health problems overshadowed leakage problems. Several women saw health care services as a barrier that needed to be overcome before help could be obtained. Three key constituents emerged in the analysis: "learning to live with it despite difficulties," "other illnesses are more important," and "reluctance to seek care." For these women, the essence of the phenomenon of living with urinary incontinence (UI) can described as "a situation to accept and adjust to."