Assessment of urinary incontinence in older adults, part 1

Clinical question
How should I assess my older patient who has urinary incontinence (UI)?

Bottom line
Urinary incontinence, the involuntary loss of any urine, is a common problem among people older than 65 or those living with frailty but should not be considered part of “normal” aging. The cornerstones of assessment are comprehensive history, basic physical examination, and focused investigations. Urinary incontinence is a multifactorial geriatric syndrome, not necessarily a disorder of the lower urinary tract itself. A detailed review of this topic was published in 2015 in the Canadian Geriatrics Society Journal of CME.