Ensuring health through transitional stages of life

“Being born with spina bifida means that the nerves in my spine are damaged, and this includes nerves to the bladder, which causes incontinence. It means that I always have to make sure that there are accessible toilets available, and that there’s enough time for me to visit them. If I go to another city, I have to find out where there are toilets, and if I go out with friends, I often have to go home after one drink because most restaurants do not have accessible toilets. Today my urine incontinence is mostly under control, but there are still days when I cannot leave the house due to faecal incontinence”.

Mario, Flemish Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, Belgium

In the beginning of this report, we spoke about how children become independent, and how learning to tend to one’s physical needs is essential. Throughout life, being able to respond to and manage one’s physical needs is deeply intertwined with a sense of dignity and empowerment. Yet, full control is a state that is not attainable for every adult during all stages in their lives. Whether it is due to temporary circumstances, like childbirth or an injury, or the result of more permanent conditions, many of us find ourselves at some point in vulnerable situations where we must depend on others to tend to our hygiene and health, such as caregiving relatives or professional care staff.

In these vulnerable situations, it is essential to ensure dignity and give individuals the tools to manage their situation as much as possible. It can be a question of adapting sanitation facilities to suit the needs of all people, or supplying them with the right means to manage their conditions. It can also be a question of changing care routines and finding new ways to adapt to their individual needs.

Whether it is due to temporary circumstances, like childbirth or an injury, or the result of more permanent conditions, many of us find ourselves at some point in vulnerable situations where we must depend on others to tend to our hygiene and health.

As the average life expectancy continues to increase, people will lead longer and healthier lives. At the same time, however, the number of people who suffer from different conditions and depend on care will expand. This comes with numerous challenges. In this chapter, we will explore some of these challenges by looking at how society can adapt to different groups with special needs. We will look at how public policy can ensure that individual hygiene needs of people living with disabilities are responded to, how individualized care for people living with incontinence can increase quality of life as well as support efficiencies in healthcare systems, and how preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) can save lives. Together these challenges affect millions of people’s lives and cause unnecessary harm that can be prevented.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal on health (SDG 3) emphasizes that well-being should be promoted for everyone, regardless of age or capability. We believe that ensuring adequate hygiene and health solutions for everyone, improving continence care, and preventing bacterial spread will play a significant role in achieving this. We need to work together to build further on the great progress made so far in these areas, more remains to be done.