Continence Assessment

At Health N Home®, we offer in-home and Telehealth continence assessments to help people better understand and manage their conditions so they can live their life with confidence.

What is a Continence Assessment?

A continence assessment can help identify the cause of a person’s control issues so they can get the care and support they need to manage their incontinence. These assessments are carried out by Continence Nurse Specialists who are qualified and experienced in bladder and bowel management depending on your condition. Health N Home® can provide you with a nursing assessment for urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, or both.

What Happens During a Continence Assessment?

Our at-home continence assessments generally take about 1.5 hours to complete. During your appointment, our continence nurse will strive to identify the cause of your incontinence by gathering information about the following:

• Your current bladder and bowel habits
• How often your incontinence issues occur
• The incontinence issues you experience
• Any health issues you may have
• Medications you currently take
• Your diet and fluid intake
• Your ability to take yourself to the toilet
• Any health professionals and support workers involved in your care
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To help your nurse gather this information, you will be asked to answer some questions and fill out a chart detailing how frequently you use the toilet. Your continence nurse may also require you to complete a urine test and may request to perform a physical examination of your abdomen.

Preparing for Your Appointment

To help you prepare for your continence assessment, there are some steps we recommend you take beforehand.

Prior to your home visit, it can be helpful for you to complete a bowel and bladder diary over a minimum of 3 days. This will help our clinical nurse consultant gain a better understanding of your condition and will also help you when filling out the chart detailing your recent toileting habits. It can also be useful to collate a list of your health conditions, medications, and any other information about your medical history your continence nurse may find useful.

What Happens After Your Assessment?

Once we have the information needed to identify the cause of your incontinence, we will then work with you to develop an appropriate bladder or bowel management care plan. Your care plan may include toilet training guidance, product recommendations, recurring care services, and check-in appointments so you can continue to successfully manage your incontinence.

We will also compile the results of your continence assessment, the details of your care plan, and any necessary continence product price quotes into a comprehensive report. This report can help your family, support team, health professionals, and NDIS planners stay informed about the care and assistance you need, for example, if you need ongoing urinary catheter management.

If you are the parent or guardian of a child with incontinence, Health N Home® can help you ensure they are fully supported during school, extracurricular activities, and beyond. We can provide you with copies of their care plan to distribute to their support workers, teachers, and other care professionals so they remain informed about your child’s toileting needs.

NDIS Funding Support

When developing your management care plan, we will determine whether or not you require any continence products to effectively manage your condition. Once your nurse has completed your continence assessment, NDIS funding support may be available to help you access the products you need.

To check whether you are eligible to receive funding from the NDIS for your incontinence products, the NDIS will consult the reports your continence nurse completed after assessing you. If your incontinence is ongoing and directly linked to your disability, NDIS funding may also be available for the continence assessment itself.