The culture of long-term care: impact on a continence care program.

Continence care in long-term care settings is a major caregiver and economic burden, with incontinence affecting an estimated 50% to 70% of all residents. Traditionally the continence care of residents is assigned to the nursing assistants and continence programs have been on paper only. These programs have had dismal success rates. Factoring in the culture of the long-term care setting can make the continence program more comprehensive and improve success rates.