Elle Cecil
Following the launch of its Bins4Blokes campaign in June 2021, the Continence Foundation of Australia has announced that support from businesses, councils and sporting organisations has increased to assist over one million men living with incontinence around Australia.
Many Australian men, including those in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay, are fighting a silent battle with incontinence. Over 1.34 million boys and men are living with urinary or faecal incontinence, with approximately 36 percent of these males aged under 50.
Though incontinence among Australian men is not uncommon, there is a distinct lack of sanitary disposal bins installed in male public toilets around the country. This can lead to men having to carry used incontinence products with them, causing them to have lower confidence, feel more anxious and stressed, and feel the need to avoid social situations.
A recent study revealed that 50 percent of Aussie men with urinary incontinence avoided situations where they weren’t able to access a toilet easily, while 27 percent of men stated that they often stay home as a precautionary measure to avoid public accidents. Furthermore, 57 percent of men with incontinence have intentionally kept accidents a secret from those close to them.
Installing bins in male public toilets to dispose of incontinence products will help affected Aussies live and work in the community with confidence and certainty.
“Our aim is to make all Australians aware of how common incontinence is in men of all ages, and our hope is to get bins into public toilets Australia-wide,” says Rowan Cockerell, CEO of the Continence Foundation of Australia.
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is the first major venue in Victoria to join Bins4Blokes, having installed permanent bins for disposal of incontinence products in eight male toilets inside the centre.
Incontinence affects over 5 million Australians, ranging from a small leak to complete loss of bladder or bowel control. Help is always available, and in most cases, incontinence can be better managed, treated or even cured.
The Continence Foundation of Australia is a not-for-profit organisation and the national peak body for incontinence prevention, management, education, awareness, information and advocacy.
To pledge your support for Aussie men living with incontinence or to find out more about the organisation and campaign, visit www.bins4blokes.org.au or www.continence.org.au.
