Functional urinary incontinence in palliative care

Functional urinary incontinence occurs as a result of failure to reach the toilet in time. This may be caused by reduced mobility, poor dexterity, general physical decline or environmental factors, such as difficulty rising from a low chair or toilets being difficult to access.

Encourage patients who are able, and their carers, to schedule times for the patient to urinate; this avoids overfilling the bladder.

See General management of urinary incontinence in palliative care for general strategies.