Experience with an incontinence clinic.

In an "incontinence clinic," a study of 309 elderly patients showed the most common causes of incontinence to be: unstable bladder (57 percent), outflow obstruction (13 percent), and atonic bladder (7 percent). Pure stress incontinence was rare (2 percent). One third of the patients improved, one third had to be catheterized, and one third did not improve. An individually designed program of bladder retraining for the patient, coupled with support and instruction for the relatives and for the professional care providers, offered the best chance of success.