Think you know what continence care looks like? Look again

When people think about the costs of continence care in aged care facilities, the focus is often on product prices. However, this is only a small part of the picture. The true costs of continence care include staff time, care efficiency, resident skin health, laundry and waste volumes, and how effectively limited resources are allocated across daily care routines.

These costs are experienced every day by care teams, even if they are not always visible in budgets or procurement data.

Where do the true costs of continence care show up in daily practice?

In day to day care, the costs of continence care appear in many practical ways. They show up in frequent pad changes, preventable leakage incidents, compromised skin health, increased laundering of bedding and clothing, and additional time spent managing avoidable issues rather than delivering person centred care.

They also affect how efficiently staff can work, how workloads are distributed, and how well individual resident needs are met.

Aged care facilities are facing increasing pressure to deliver higher quality care with fewer resources. Resident numbers continue to rise, staff shortages remain a concern, and care demands are growing more complex. At the same time, budgets are becoming tighter rather than more flexible.

This combination places significant strain on care teams and makes it harder for aged care facilities to balance quality, efficiency, and cost. Continence care, which touches almost every aspect of daily care, is often where these pressures are felt most strongly.

Why are the true costs of continence care often overlooked?

In continence care, value is not defined by unit price alone. True value comes from delivering better care outcomes while making the most effective use of time, staff capacity, and available resources.

High quality continence care supports person centred care, protects resident dignity and skin health, reduces avoidable workload, and improves overall care efficiency. Over time, this leads to better outcomes for residents, caregivers, and nursing home organisations alike.

Why does making these costs visible matter?

For aged care facility managers, commissioners, and healthcare decision makers, understanding the full cost of continence care is essential. When the wider impact is recognised, it becomes possible to make more informed decisions that support sustainable, high quality care rather than focusing only on short term cost differences.

Making the invisible visible helps ensure continence care is treated as a priority — not just a line item.

Essity TENA Global Insights Report, 2026.