Calls have been made to put sanitary bins in men\u2019s bathrooms to support those recovering from prostate cancer.<\/p>\n
Gerry Connolly, from Co Donegal, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2013 and said he did not realise how difficult coping with urinary incontinence would be after surgery.<\/p>\n
The semi-retired stationery salesman, 69, said while he was prepared for the life-saving treatment itself, he was not ready for the daily challenges that followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody really warned me what incontinence would be like afterwards,\u201d said Mr Connolly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor months I would wet myself when I stood up, coughed or laughed. It was very frustrating and such unfamiliar territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt embarrassed about it, even though I know I shouldn\u2019t have. I used to make any excuse not to leave the house and I rarely left it for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Connolly shared his story as part of Dispose With Dignity, a new awareness campaign from hygiene services company phs Group which is supported by the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Men\u2019s Sheds Association.<\/p>\n
It aims to tackle the stigma around male incontinence and improve access to hygiene facilities such as sanitary bins and vending products in men\u2019s washrooms nationwide.<\/p>\n
A similar initiative has taken place in Great Britain.<\/p>\n
As many as half of all men who undergo prostate removal will experience urinary incontinence.<\/p>\n
As the campaign launched on Thursday at an Irish Cancer Society conference in Dublin, Mr Connolly said: \u201cIf there\u2019d been sanitary bins in men\u2019s toilets, maybe I\u2019d have felt I had options \u2013 somewhere private to change a pad and get on with my day.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven now, I still use a pad. Having a bin in the cubicle would make a huge difference. It\u2019s about dignity, not shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Connolly also hopes such visible facilities will help raise awareness of prostate cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf people see bins for men, it\u2019ll start conversations and remind more men to get tested early,\u201d he said. \u201cThat could save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Research from iReach, commissioned by phs Group, highlighted the impact urinary incontinence has on men\u2019s confidence and mental health.<\/p>\n
Of the 702 men surveyed, more than half (52%) said they feel anxious about going out in public due to a lack of suitable toilet facilities, while 65% have been negatively affected by not being able to find a toilet when needed.<\/p>\n
Among younger men, aged 18\u201334, the mental health impact is particularly severe, with 41% reporting anxiety and 24% depression.<\/p>\n
Michelle Lonergan, a cancer awareness nurse with the Irish Cancer Society, said: \u201cOne in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and life-saving treatment can often lead to lasting side-effects such as urinary incontinence that can profoundly affect confidence, social life and wellbeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urgently need greater awareness of the challenges men face and better facilities that support their dignity as they navigate life through and after cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Calls have been made to put sanitary bins in men\u2019s bathrooms to support those recovering from prostate cancer.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124033,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[258,73443,73444,103,61,60,27286,73445,73446,351,410,73447,345],"class_list":["post-124032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-cancer","tag-co-donegal","tag-dispose-with-dignity","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-cancer-society","tag-irish-mens-sheds-association","tag-male-incontinence","tag-mens-health","tag-mental-health","tag-phs-group","tag-prostate-cancer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}