New Guiding Principles to improve incontinence medication safety for people living with dementia

Monash University researchers are today launching the first co-designed resources to safely guide the use of urinary incontinence medications for people living with dementia.

Doctors routinely prescribe medications to manage urinary incontinence, but the medications can carry hidden dangers for people with dementia, increasing the risk of side effects such as worsening memory loss. 

Despite the risks, the healthcare sector previously lacked evidence-based co-designed resources to help families and healthcare professionals decide when to start or stop treatment.

Dr Amanda Cross, who developed the 10 Guiding Principles with her team from the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said the resources aim to close the gap.

“There are multiple ways to approach incontinence care for a person living with dementia, but when medication is considered, it requires a very careful balancing act to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks,” Dr Cross said.

“There is often limited evidence to guide decision making for medication use for people with dementia, so the Guiding Principles help healthcare professionals navigate the difficult conversations.

“The Guiding Principles were also shaped by lived and living experience at every single stage – and were created to empower people living with dementia and their families to engage in shared decision-making with their healthcare team to ensure treatment aligns with the patient’s individual care goals.”

Launched to coincide with World Continence Week, a global campaign encouraging individuals to seek appropriate medical advice, the complete suite of resources is available here and includes:

10 Guiding Principles to support the safe and appropriate use of medications for the management of urinary incontinence in people living with dementia – Healthcare professional version

10 Guiding Principles to support the safe and appropriate use of medications for the management of urinary incontinence in people living with dementia – Consumer version

Medication summary table that compares safety and efficacy of medications for urinary incontinence for people with dementia, to be used together with the 10 Guiding Principles

The initiative was funded by a Dr Stuart and Bonnie Bartle Project Grant from the Dementia Australia Research Foundation.