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Urinary incontinence is a common condition in the elderly.

In this article:

What is urinary incontinence?

Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Effect on your life

Treatment

Advice & Support

What is urinary incontinence?
More common in women than men, urinary incontinence is where urine leaks out of the vagina or penis unintentionally. This can happen at any time of the day or night and can be both embarrassing and inconvenient for the individual with the condition. The amount of leaked urine can range from a few tiny droplets to an involuntary flood, depending upon the severity of the condition.

The good news is that, in the vast majority of cases, urinary incontinence can be appropriately treated and cured.

Symptoms
Symptoms of urinary incontinence include:

Passing urine when you don’t want to

Urine leakages triggered by sudden body movements, such as coughing and/or laughing

Bloated bladder (a feeling of pressure on the bladder, even though you have just visited the toilet)

The sudden urge to pass urine

Problems emptying the bladder fully, even though you have already passed a large amount of urine

Note: Many people with severe urinary incontinence develop depressive illness due to struggling to cope with their condition. Please see contact details for the Depression Alliance in the Advice & Support section at the foot of this article.

Causes
Urinary incontinence is generally an expected part of the ageing process – the pelvic floor muscles gradually become weaker with the passing of the years.

However, other causes of urinary incontinence can include:

Urine infection

Diabetes

Bladder problems (i.e. the nerves in and around the bladder)

If you have recently had a baby

As a result of reaching the menopause

If you have Parkinson’s disease or a stroke

Diagnosis
If you are suffering from the aforementioned symptoms, arrange an appointment with your GP. They will take your medical history and ask your some questions about your symptoms.

A urine sample may be taken, to check for possible infection.

You may then be referred to an urologist for further tests. Once a confirmed diagnosis of urinary incontinence has been made, an appropriate treatment will then be recommended to you.

Effect on your life
For most people with urinary incontinence, their condition can be embarrassing and inconvenient. The sudden urge to pass urine (through urge incontinence) can make life very difficult. Needing to find a toilet in an emergency can obviously have an adverse effect on your work, social and family life.

You may find that wearing special underwear called incontinence pants (normal pants but with a plastic pad inside) helps to absorb the leaking urine.

Treatment
Urinary incontinence can be cured.

As well as prescribed medications, treatments include:

Bladder training – this can be particularly helpful in reducing the sudden urge to find a toilet

Pelvic floor exercises – to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and help prevent urine from leaking involuntarily

Advice on weight-loss and controlling the amount you drink

Hormone replacement therapy – this can sometimes be effective in reducing urinary incontinence in women at the post-menopause stage of their lives.

Advice & Support
The Bladder and Bowel Foundation
Nurse Helpline: 0845 345 0165
Website: www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org

The Cystitis and Overactive Bladder Foundation
Tel. 01908 569169
Website: www.cobfoundation.org

Depression Alliance
Tel. 0845 123 23 20
Website: www.depressionalliance.org

This information and advice is not intended to replace the advice of your GP or chemist. Chemist Online is also not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based upon the content of the Chemist Online website. Chemist Online is also not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites.

www.chemistonline.co.uk

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Every married couple accumulates assets and debts during the course of their life together. When a marriage ends, the divorce court is tasked with dividing that property between the two spouses.

Washington follows “community property” rules, meaning that courts consider nearly all assets and debts acquired during the marriage to be owned equally by both spouses. There are some exceptions to this general rule. For instance, inheritances received during the marriage are not included in this calculation. In addition, most assets and debts that were acquired before the marriage are considered nonmarital property and belong exclusively to the spouse who brought them into the marriage.

In property division cases, Washington courts will strive to divide the marital property equitably between both spouses. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the property division will be exactly equal. Instead, the court will consider the nature of the property, the length of the marriage and each spouse’s respective financial standing to determine a fair model for distribution.

Methods of property division

The division of marital property is nearly always a complicated process when the spouses are on unequal financial footing. However, it becomes even more contentious when the couple owns property that is difficult to divide, or difficult to characterize as either community or separate property. Further complicating the division of assets from a marriage are disputes as to the appropriate value to be assigned to such assets.

Some property is very easy to divide. For example, bank accounts, investment portfolios and debts can simply be distributed or reassigned according to the court order. Property division becomes more complicated, though, when the couple owns valuable non-financial assets. For example, what happens when both spouses want a particular valuable heirloom? What if they own a collection of “priceless” art? Or a large business enterprise? There can be other complicating valuation and characterization issues with respect to pension and retirement plans.

People in this situation would be wise to consult with an experienced Washington divorce attorney early on in their divorce case. The attorney will be able to assemble a team who can work with the other spouse’s attorney to reach an equitable property division solution. In some cases, the court will award the sought-after property to one spouse and give the other spouse different property of equal value. In other cases, spouses might “buy” their partner’s half. Another common solution is for the judge to order the couple to sell the property and split the proceeds.

However the property is divided, it is important for both spouses to understand the short- and long-term implications of the division. For example, if the property is expected to substantially increase in value, that should be accounted for in the division. In addition, the spouses should anticipate potential tax liabilities and factor those costs into the division as well.

If you are in the beginning stages of a divorce, thinking carefully about your property division goals now can help you be in a better position when your case is resolved. Decide what you want and what you are willing to give up. Then, be sure to communicate those goals to your divorce attorney.

Article provided by Cogdill Nichols Rein Wartelle Andrews
Visit us at www.cnrlaw.com

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