Occupational Therapy promotes holistic practice, facilitating independence and dignity in all aspects of personal and domestic daily living activities. Previous research focusing on the Occupational Therapist’s (OT’s) role in managing functional continence identified that many Occupational Therapists did not assess the person’s function in relation to bladder and bowel activity and would refer on to specialist services for these issues to be addressed (Cowley, 2001). Supyk and Vickerman (2004) stated that 89.6% of therapists surveyed identified the need for further training at both undergraduate and post graduate level to increase skills and confidence in the area of functional incontinence management. This lack of skills and confidence has been more recently supported by Brandis (2024) as an area for further development.
As OT’s, working within the Adapt and Live team, we support clients from across the UK through our Helpline, collaboratively with our colleagues in the Bladder and Bowel UK team. Our work naturally involves addressing the context in which our clients live, often identifying a range of physical challenges, psychological difficulties and environmental barriers impacting on an individual’s ability to carry out personal activities independently. If we fail to consider the various facets of bladder and bowel health, we miss opportunities to enhance overall well-being (Covell-Pierson, 2025).
As a skilled multidisciplinary team, we recognise the need for further training to develop skills and knowledge of techniques and equipment available to support an individual to manage the practicalities of their toileting needs. The training will be designed to suggest practical solutions using a holistic problem-solving approach for OT’s who are interested in developing their skills in this area as part of a truly holistic approach.
We need your help!
Here at Adapt & Live, we have an exciting opportunity to include you in the development of this training for OT’s who feel that they lack knowledge in this area and would benefit from specialist training in the management of bladder and bowel health.
If you would be interested in this project and potentially, further specialist training, please complete and return the attached questionnaire.