Urinary incontinence, but not fecal incontinence, is a risk factor for admission to aged residential care of older persons in New Zealand.

AIMS: To determine if urinary incontinence (UI) and fecal incontinence (FI) were independent risk factors for aged resident care (ARC) admissions for older people, after controlling for confounders and applying apposite statistical methods.

METHODS: Since 2012, all community care recipients in New Zealand have undergone a standardized needs assessment using the Home Care International Residential Assessment Instrument (interRAI-HC). The interRAI-HC instrument elicits information on 236 questions over 20 domains, including UI and FI frequency within the last 3 days. Those aged 65+ years with an interRAI-HC assessment between July 1, 2012 and May 31, 2014 were matched to national mortality and ARC databases, and competing-risk regression models applied to those without collection devices or indwelling catheters who were admitted to ARC or alive 30+ days after their interRAI-HC assessment.

RESULTS: Overall, 32 285 people were eligible, with average age of 82.1 years (range 65, 105 years) of whom 20 627 (63.9%) were female. UI and FI was reported by 36.4% and 12.9% of people, respectively. By June 30, 2014, 5993 (18.6%) had an ARC admission and 5443 (16.9%) had died before any such admission. In the multivariable analysis, the subhazard ratio (SHR) for ARC admission was significant for UI (SHR = 1.11, 95%CI: 1.05, 1.18) but not for FI (SHR = 1.07, 95%CI: 0.99, 1.16).

CONCLUSIONS: UI is a common, independent risk factor for ARC admissions. Identifying the extent of incontinence and its impact on ARC admissions is the first vital step in addressing the burgeoning need for better community continence services.