In Australia 1.34 million boys and men will be affected by incontinence – and yet, incontinence in men continues to be a less talked about and an even less accessible topic. Public male washrooms don’t often have dedicated incontinence disposal units, which is the reason national health campaign BINS4Blokes was founded in 2011.
BINS4Blokes is an Australia-wide awareness campaign advocating for the installation of incontinence bins in male public toilet facilities. The campaign is an initiative of the not-for-profit Continence Foundation of Australia, Australia’s peak body in promoting bladder and bowel health, and in an effort to improve the lives of male sufferers.
What’s the current landscape?
Right now, the majority people using male public toilet facilities and washrooms will not have a dedicated way to dispose of incontinence products. This lack of disposal options often results in unhygienic environments and incontinence products ending up in landfill, parks, gardens and oceans.
The current lack of incontinence dedicated disposal bins also has huge impact for men when it comes to community and social participation, as men who suffer from incontinence are more likely to stay home and not take part in everyday activities as they do not have a discrete way to manage incontinence.
Research has shown that there is a clear link between incontinence and depression in men, further highlighting the need to normalize the conversation and support the populace with disposable accessibility. A survey of Australian men with urinary incontinence found that over 50% of respondents actively avoid situations where they did not have easy access a toilet and 27% of men’s routines included staying home as a precautionary measure with concern about proper disposable options.
Adding incontinence bins in male public toilet facilities is essential to help people live and work to their full potential and ensuring that appropriate products are offered where they can be is a crucial step to healthy management of incontinence.
Abena has a range of products designed specifically for men to ensure optimum comfort thanks to the anatomical shape design and increased protection at the front.
