Urinary incontinence among elderly persons who live at home: a literature review.

Urinary incontinence affects many older persons and is a problem with considerable physical, psychosocial and economic consequences. Urinary incontinence among elderly persons living at home often goes undetected by health care professionals. Nurses as well as other health care professionals have an important role in the development of a systematic approach for the detection of urinary incontinence and in the enhancement of the quality of incontinence care for elderly persons living at home. This article reviews aspects of epidemiology, impact on quality of life, self-care, and treatment possibilities of urinary incontinence in this cohort of elderly persons. As a result of the findings of the literature review, the role of nurses in incontinence care is discussed.