Share this:
It’s World Continence Week from 18th to 24th June 2018 and this year, the awareness campaign is using humour to overcome the stigma of incontinence.
World Continence Week in Australia includes more than 200 events, talks, activities, displays and performances across the country to help de-stigmatise incontinence and encourage people to share their stories as ‘toilet humour’ and get treatment.
Launching World Continence Week in Australia today, Aged Care Minister and Indigenous Health Minister Ken Wyatt said the condition affected more than five million people across the country but was a silent burden for too many people.
“The Government is providing in excess of $14 million over four years from 2016-17 until 2019-20 to ensure all Australians have access to the information and support they need to get help for continence problems,” said Minister Wyatt.
“That funding has helped the Continence Foundation create a new campaign Laugh without Leaking which takes the larrikin approach to help more Australians get past any embarrassment and seek help.
“I believe this rather irreverent take will get people with continence issues to realise they are not alone, and motivate them to talk to their doctor or call the National Continence Helpline.”
Minister Wyatt said there was a lot that could be done to treat continence problems. “Not only can people better manage the condition, it can even be cured.”
“The assistance isn’t limited to medical advice – one of the innovations is the very useful map of public toilets freely available online and via mobile phone app.”
To date, there have been more 1.5 million downloads of the app and the website map is visited more than 800,000 times a year.
The National Public Toilet Map is available online, along with apps available for Apple and Android mobile devices.
In Canberra, the Continence Foundation of Australia is encouraging people to learn about the Public Toilet map and share a selfie with the “Aussie outdoor dunny” on display at the National General Assembly of Local Government, National Convention Centre from Sunday 17 June to Wednesday 20 June 2018.
The National Continence Helpline is 1800 33 00 66.