AJR186

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex)

Assemblyman REGINALD W. ATKINS

District 20 (Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson

SYNOPSIS

Designates second week of November of each year as “Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week” in New Jersey.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As introduced.

A Joint Resolution designating the second week of November of each year as “Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week” in New Jersey.

Whereas, More than 26 million people live with urinary incontinence in the United States; and

Whereas, Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control, or being unable to control urination. It is a common condition and can range from being a minor problem to something that greatly affects daily life; and

Whereas, The following persons are at high risk of being diagnosed with urinary incontinence: women who have experienced pregnancy, childbirth, or menopause; the elderly; men with prostate problems; persons with certain health problems, such as diabetes, obesity, or long-lasting constipation; smokers; and persons with birth defects affecting the structure of the urinary tract; and

Whereas, Urinary incontinence has a multitude of treatments, ranging from medical to non-medical, preventative to protective, and invasive to non-invasive; and

Whereas, Contrary to common myth, urinary incontinence is worsened by limiting fluid intake. Low fluid intake causes bladder irritation, further complicating issues. Furthermore, lowering fluid intake reduces the overall capacity of the bladder, which lessens the ability of the bladder to retain fluid; and

Whereas, Though urinary incontinence is not life threatening, it does threaten a person’s social and working lives and has a severe adverse effect on quality of life. Individuals afflicted with urinary incontinence often find their life dictated by their accidents, fearing embarrassment in front of friends and co-workers; and

Whereas, The annual cost of adult urinary incontinence products in the United States currently exceeds $1 billion and that number is expected to grow as the general population ages; and

Whereas, Many senior citizens are on fixed incomes and suffer great hardship because they must spend significant amounts of their incomes on urinary incontinence products; and

Whereas, An overriding concern of senior citizens is finding ways to continue living in their own homes as long as possible and urinary incontinence is a leading cause of institutionalization of the elderly; and

Whereas, It is proper and fitting for the Legislature to formally recognize the suffering of those with urinary incontinence by bringing awareness to this subject; now, therefore,

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The second week of November of each year is designated as “Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week” in New Jersey.

2. The Governor is requested to annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials, private organizations, and all citizens and residents of this State to observe “Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week.”

3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This resolution designates the second week of November of each year as “Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week” in New Jersey.

More than 26 million people live with urinary incontinence in the United States. Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control, or being unable to control urination. It is a common condition and can range from being a minor problem to something that greatly affects daily life. The following persons are at high risk of being diagnosed with urinary incontinence: women who have experienced pregnancy, childbirth, or menopause; the elderly; men with prostate problems; persons with certain health problems, such as diabetes, obesity, or long-lasting constipation; smokers; and persons with birth defects affecting the structure of the urinary tract.

Urinary incontinence has a multitude of treatments, ranging from medical to non-medical, preventative to protective, and invasive to non-invasive. Contrary to common myth, urinary incontinence is worsened by limiting fluid intake. Low fluid intake causes bladder irritation, further complicating issues. Furthermore, lowering fluid intake reduces the overall capacity of the bladder, which lessens the ability of the bladder to retain fluid.

Though urinary incontinence is not life threatening, it does threaten a person’s social and working lives and has a severe adverse effect on quality of life. Individuals afflicted with urinary incontinence often find their life dictated by their accidents, fearing embarrassment in front of friends and co-workers. The annual cost of adult urinary incontinence products in the United States currently exceeds $1 billion and that number is expected to grow as the general population ages. Many senior citizens are on fixed incomes and suffer great hardship because they must spend significant amounts of their incomes on urinary incontinence products. An overriding concern of senior citizens is finding ways to continue living in their own homes as long as possible and urinary incontinence is a leading cause of institutionalization of the elderly.