The Diaper Need is Real, and You Can Help

It's hard to believe, but nearly half of all people who need adult diapers are able to afford them. That's a problem nobody in America should have.

Aleece Fosnight, a board-certified physician assistant specializing in incontinence conditions and a medical advisor for Aeroflow Urology, tells us more about the diaper gap and what can be done about it.

To visit Aeroflow Urology and learn more about diaper need, click here.
To visit the National Diaper Bank Network, click here.

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Music:
Rainbows Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Transcript

Bruce Kassover: Welcome to Life Without Leaks, a podcast by the National Association for Continence. NAFC is America's leading advocate for people with bladder and bowel conditions, with resources, connections to doctors, and a welcoming community of patients, physicians, and caregivers, all available at NAFC.org. 

Welcome back to another episode of Life Without Leaks. I'm your host, Bruce Kassover, and joining us today is Sarah Jenkins, the Executive Director for the National Association for Continence. Welcome, Sarah. 

Sarah Jenkins: Thanks, Bruce. I'm so happy to be here. 

Bruce Kassover: And joining us today is a friend of the podcast, Aleece Fosnight. She's a board certified physician assistant specializing in sexual medicine, women's health, and urology, as well as being a medical advisor for Aeroflow Urology. 

It's probably not a surprise if her name sounds familiar because she's been with us before talking about men's health and also about the subject that we're going to be discussing today, which is an issue that's really near to her heart, and that's diaper need. It's something that's surprisingly important for an enormous number of people, so welcome, Aleece – thank you for joining us. 

Aleece Fosnight: Well, Bruce, thank you so much for having me again. I'm really excited to be here. 

Bruce Kassover: Yeah, this is a really critical subject and it's something that a lot of people don't even realize exists. If they've listened to the podcast where we discussed it previously, it might be a little familiar, but I'm going to bet you a lot of people will find this something that that's very surprising. So maybe you could tell us a little bit about diaper need and what it is even to begin with. 

Aleece Fosnight: Yeah, absolutely. Happy to do that. Well, diaper need is something that is a big issue when we dig deeper into the concerns with urinary incontinence. And I don't think that a lot of people talk too much about urinary incontinence. There can be embarrassment. There can be shame around it. People socially isolate. And I think that's why Aeroflow really dug a little bit deeper and going, okay, what is actually happening with these individuals and how often are they using diaper and incontinence products?

So, right, when we think about the diaper need, and again, it's this continuing health issue in the United States, posing difficulties for those that are dealing with bladder and bowel control issues. Now, incontinence, for some people that don't know, right, is this unintentional release of urine or feces, right, it's not just urine, it can be bowel as well.

Individuals are affected by this condition often, relying on products like diapers, briefs, pads, protective underwear to help manage their leakage. When we start thinking about the amount of individuals that this affects, it's huge. When we started digging in and even with looking at the national diaper bank network in 2003 alone, almost half of all families reported diaper needs.

So, I mean, it's just huge. And when the first kind of investigation that happened in 2010, when we looked at this, approximately 33 percent or a third of the families reported a diaper need. 

Bruce Kassover: You know, what I'm thinking about is that fresh in everybody's mind still are a lot of the shortages that we've experienced, you know, that were related to the pandemic and supply chains and things certainly related to, I know that formula was a real issue and, you know, I imagine that infants diapers are an issue, but this is for adult diapers. We're finding that that half of everybody out there is experiencing some sort of a need. Is that that accurate? 

Aleece Fosnight: It is that accurate. And yeah, when we think about diapers, I think the first thing that comes to mind, right, is infants, toddlers, babies, kiddos, but we don't realize that that actually happens with people that are midlife or are older adults as well.

It's not purely people that we think about in nursing homes that need this. These are people that are trying to live their lives as best as they can. They're trying to be out walking, go hiking, do other activities with friends. And it can be really limiting when the cost of diapers have gone up, everything, you know, the cost has gone up, and when families are really trying to decide between, you know, buying diapers or food, like that's a, that's a huge discrepancy that we see as well.

Bruce Kassover: Like what I was just referring to was, you know, literally there's, there's not enough supply to meet demand, but it sounds like what you're saying is that the supply is there. It's just that people can't afford it or otherwise access it. 

Aleece Fosnight: Yeah, I think we're seeing manufacturing of these products coming back up and that we're having plenty of supply. But now they're sometimes double the cost of what they were even just a year or two years ago. So with the rising cost of diapers, we know that the increased living wage is out there too. We're not getting as many grant-funded resources or federal fund programs that are helping to cover costs. It is best, and we're, you know, we're living longer, things are happening earlier. There's a lot more comorbidities that are associated with folks who have a urinary incontinence. And so you compile all of these together and it can make it really difficult for people to afford these products. 

Bruce Kassover: So we have this need for absorbent products. What does that really mean for them? Does that mean that just that they, they can't afford it and they're going to be doing without or are they making sacrifices by using money that would otherwise go to other good uses? 

Aleece Fosnight: They are, right? People are having specifically to choose. They are having to make a choice between purchasing diapers for their family, for their loved ones or getting groceries, paying their electricity bill, paying rent, putting gas in their car, being able to afford new prescription glasses. These are the things that people are having to choose. So when we're saying that people are having a struggle with a diaper need, that is really what we are trying to bring attention to, is that it's not the fact that, okay, we just go to the grocery store and people could just buy diapers and that's it. It’s there is a pure discrepancy between those individuals that are having to make choices between these basic human essential needs, right? And diapers is a human essential need. Urinary function, bladder function, bowel and function. All of those things are how our bodies are operating on a daily basis. So it's not just about food in our bellies, getting water, right? Being able to have access to liquids and hydration really comes down also to the fact that diapers are something that we also need. This isn't a luxury. This isn't something that we're just, you know, being able to just grab them off the shelves and go. It's really something that a lot, again, almost half of all families report a diaper need. 

Bruce Kassover: I hope that that puts the real issue in perspective for people who don't necessarily feel a pinch like that themselves and who find it surprising that this is something that people have difficulty affording. So I'm really glad that you put it that way. 

Aleece Fosnight: You know, there's, I think, the word ‘privilege’ comes up, you know, to mind too. There's a lot of folks out there that have that diaper privilege, you know? We don't really think about it that way, but this, again, the diaper need really puts that into perspective. 

Bruce Kassover: So what do you do if you're somebody who is, you know, you recognize that you have a need, but you find that you can't necessarily afford the products that will help you – what, what sort of choices do you have available to you? 

Aleece Fosnight: So thinking about the resources that are out there, obviously, you know, Aeroflow Urology is a huge resource that we really want people to take advantage of. All of the time we work with insurance companies to figure out how we can get people to afford their products or what they qualify for. I think a lot of people, and I'm going to say also a lot of providers, healthcare providers, don't know what forms to fill out, don't know that there is a form to fill out, or what those resources are. There is a great team at Aeroflow Urology that can help troubleshoot a lot of that and really even reach out to the healthcare facilities to be able to help those individuals to figure out what we can do to get them, to get them products.

You can also talk to just your health care providers. I know a lot of health care systems also offer some products. There can be diaper drives that are out there. You know, we do, like, food drives or clothing drives, but drives, but they're also diaper drives that are out there as well. If you wanted to get some more information or to find where there might be a diaper drive near you, you can check out the National Diaper Bank Network.

You can just go to NationalDiaperBankNetwork.org to find some more information. 

Bruce Kassover: That sounds like a really helpful resource. And I also think that what sounds really helpful is the assistance that you guys are offering at Aeroflow. I mean, anybody who's tried to fill out insurance forms or government forms knows how cryptic and infuriating it can be.

Aleece Fosnight: Yeah, even just as a healthcare provider, it's so exhausting to fill those out and you don't want to mess it up, right? Like you don't want to fill out the wrong thing or accidentally check the wrong box and then it gets denied and you have to start all over again, right? So there's a lot of pressure that goes along with that to fill it out correctly.

But Aeroflow Urology has got you covered and knows all of the tricks of the trade and can really help to troubleshoot and get that process moving as quickly as possible. 

Bruce Kassover: That has got to be a remarkable relief. So tell me with the sort of promotion that you're trying to do at Aeroflow, I mean, are you seeing some results from awareness being raised? Is this something that the people is starting to bubble up among people's consciousness? 

Aleece Fosnight: I think so. I think that we're seeing more YouTube ads for it. I think Aeroflow is doing a great job in marketing for those individuals reaching out to healthcare facilities, reaching out to other patients through social media. So anything that we can do to raise awareness and we, you know, we have over 2 million people that have already trusted Aeroflow Urology to verify their insurance benefits and help them out. We have a really quick kind of two-minute form that if you go to AeroflowUrology.com/NAFC, it's super easy, super quick and doesn't take you a long time to do it.

Bruce Kassover: That's excellent. That goes hand-in-hand with what we were just talking about. I love hearing that. And I imagine that one of the important things is really getting people the products they need, because I would imagine that in addition to just addressing things like leaks, that having the right protection has got to make a big difference in terms of, you know, other related conditions, things like maybe UTIs, but also just in terms of mental health as well.

Aleece Fosnight: Oh, very much so. Well, and we know that urinary tract infections can lead to cognitive changes, which can lead to mental health concerns as well. But in terms of social isolation and how much anxiety that provokes to be maybe out in public, concern that can somebody smell me, am I going to leak through my product? And then so you just avoid it, right? 

And we know how isolation can increase the rates of depression, depressed mood. And so we really want people to be out. living life to their fullest. But yes, being able to find the right products for you and being able to change them appropriately for the amount of frequency.

We know that that warm moist area, if it's not changed very often, just like we talked about can lead to urinary tract infections, but it can also lead to lead to a lot of skin breakdown and that can lead to a lot of pain, more skin infection. And again, that cycle just perpetuates itself. And so people still don't go out because they don't feel good in their body; may make them pretty sedentary. We know that people that are sedentary and limit their activities have weaker pelvic floor muscles, and weaker pelvic floor muscles can lead to worsening urinary incontinence as well. Now, not, All, you know, urinary incontinence can be treated with medication, pelvic floor therapy or other treatments, but we can definitely talk about how we could alleviate some of that in combination.

I always tell my patients, right, I want you to have way more good days than bad. And I can't promise that I'm going to get you back to perfect, but what are the things that we can do to just optimize your urinary or fecal incontinence so that we can get you out? Like I said, living the best life possible.

Bruce Kassover: Yeah. You know, when you talk about finding the right product for your particular needs, this might be a good opportunity to talk a little bit more about specifically what Aeroflow does in that regard. 

Aleece Fosnight: Sure. Yeah, absolutely. So for Aeroflow, you're going to be able to have a conversation with one of our amazing customer service representatives to talk about what your needs are, and they're going to be able to then look at how often you're changing. What's the volume that you're gonna be changing, right? 

So if you have a high volume urinary incontinence, where you need a product that's going to be able to receive that capacity of volume. that you are, that you're having, having something like a brief might be really good. If this is more, lighter urinary incontinence to moderate incontinence, potentially a pad can be really helpful.

It also depends on the types of genitals that you have, too. So somebody with a vulva can have a pad and be pretty well kind of protected in that area of how the shape of that pad is. Now, somebody with penis genitals may actually need to have a pad that's more of it like a triangle, an upside-down triangle to capture where the location of that urine is going to go.

So again, it's really important to, again, have those conversations. It's super embarrassing. And I know that we don't, as a society, talk about these sorts of things, you know, don't talk about incontinence, let alone talk about, you know, the genitals that we, that we have and how that really impacts our urinary health.

But again, our Aeroflow Urology, you know, team members, this is something that they talk about every day. And we want to normalize this conversation. We want people to feel safe to be able to do this. We actually provide lots of different ways for you to get a hold of us. You can email, you can call on a secure line. 

So, you know, it's those sorts of things too, that we can make sure that you as that patient are feeling really safe and supported so that you can be successful, and again, utilizing the right product that you need. 

One of the things that I always tell people is we don't want to double up our pads, right?I have several of my patients that are like, well, Aleece, I wear a brief and I wear a pad too. And I'm like, no, no, no, these products aren't designed to double up like that. And what's going to happen is you're going to have a And you're not going to be able to actually capture the amount of incontinence that you would.

So we really want to also be mindful of that too, that people aren't also wasting the products that they do have… 

Bruce Kassover: I can imagine if it's, if you're, you're already find that that your budget is tight, doubling up is exactly the opposite of what you want to be doing.

Aleece Fosnight: Yes, exactly. 

Bruce Kassover: So if I'm working with Aeroflow to try and identify the proper products for me and you know, really choose the right level of absorbency and fit and all of those different factors, what are we looking at in terms of savings? 

Aleece Fosnight: You're not going to believe this, but it could be up to $200 is what most of our customers that they're reporting that Aeroflow is helping them to save every month. So that's huge. 

Bruce Kassover: That's a pretty big deal. 

Aleece Fosnight: It's, yeah, it's a pretty big deal. So, you know, taking just a minute or two to be able to go to the website, to fill out those forms really could save you a great deal of money every month. 

Bruce Kassover: Yeah, especially because if we're talking about people who are having trouble affording basic staples like this, it's not like, you know, some of our better-off listeners might be sitting and say, wow, another $200 a month would be nice, I can go out to a nice dinner. This is $200 a month that can go to people's other basic needs, really essential things that they just need, you know, food and, and other things that are really critical. 

Aleece Fosnight: Yeah, absolutely. And so when you're talking about $200 for basic human needs, it's, it is a great deal of money that, like, Aeroflow can definitely save you.

The other thing that we really didn't talk about too, in terms of the diaper need that is out there with, again, like I said, that's going to be diapers, pull ups, pads, other types of incontinence products skin barrier protectiveness, too. So if somebody has to be sitting in a diaper for a longer period of time than what we would like for them to, skin barriers are going to be really good.

So that's an ointment or cream. You can also get those products through Aeroflow. It’s not just going to be diapers. 

Bruce Kassover: One other thing related to costs I wanted to ask you about is, is because you didn't mention that there's a lack of federal assistance programs, but are there some programs out there that are accessible to some people?

Aleece Fosnight: Absolutely. So again, through your insurance companies we can talk about that because those are the federal funded companies are going to be like your insurance. So Medicaid, Medicare there can be some other areas that may offer some grants. That's another thing that Aeroflow Urology is happy to talk to you, the folks, the patients about as well.

The, again, the National Diaper Bank Network is going to be another resource for you to go. I do think that they have some grant services or other resources that you can actually reach out to. Yeah, I definitely would go and check their website out as well. And that can be like, this is the other thing I encourage you all, too, that have the capacity if you're listening to this, because you have a loved one that, you may not be experiencing this by yourself, but again, this is something that you have a passion for is thinking about providing diapers to your local food pantries as well. Looking up for diaper drives, being able to donate to some of these organizations. I know that the National Diaper Network, excuse me, the National Diaper Bank Network, has an area right at the very top of their website to hit donate, and it's really important for us to continue to help support those individuals. 

Bruce Kassover: Yeah. And it doesn't have to cost like you're not, you know, donating to open up a new wing at the university or anything. It can be a fairly affordable donation for somebody to really make a difference. 

Aleece Fosnight: Yeah, absolutely. Even $5 really does make a difference.

I mean, think about if, you know, everybody that's listening today just donated $5 to, to this organization, how many diapers that would be for families around the world. 

Bruce Kassover: Yeah, and you talk about, you know, for families and for people who are in the typical category that we think of when we think of you know, urinary or fecal incontinence, as well, but there's another group that we probably don't discuss enough, and that's people who have disabilities, as well. That's, you know, another large segment that really does have a very pressing need. 

Aleece Fosnight: It does. And, you know, we have to think about too, it's not just those individuals that present with physical disabilities.

These can be nonphysical, you know, disabilities that are happening, whether it again is cognition, neurodiversity, people that are differently abled that are missing limbs having difficulty with ambulating to a restroom, Parkinson's, any of your neurologic disorders. So, yeah, absolutely. And those individuals, depending on what that comorbidity is, or what the disability is, can greatly affect the nervous system, again, the muscles, like we talked about, and ambulation, being able to get to the restroom in time when you feel the need to go.

So, yes, all of those individuals, as well. And we know these aren't individuals that are of our older population, as well. These are going to be people of all ages. So, yeah, absolutely. 

Bruce Kassover: And then, you know, it gets me thinking that each one of these conditions has its own advocacy organizations, you know, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, and they all do an amazing amount of good, and when you make a donation there, you know, you're donating to research and to help find cures. But if you can take some of the money that you would be donating to those efforts and also put it towards things like diaper availability and addressing diaper need, that can really improve people's quality of life. You can make an enormous difference right now, also. 

Aleece Fosnight: Absolutely. And a lot of those organizations have directed donations. And, so, you can actually put on your donation where you want it to go. And those organizations have great resources for urinary and fecal incontinence on their organization website and definitely bring highlighted to that area.

Bruce Kassover: Oh, I love hearing that. That's great. That's just another opportunity for people to have an impact. So thank you, Aleece. I really appreciate you bringing this to everybody's attention. I know it's something that, that you and all of the folks at Aeroflow have really been trying to raise awareness for, and with any luck, it's going to make a difference. Before we go though, I wondering if you could share one little hint or tip for people to live a life without leaks. 

Aleece Fosnight: Absolutely, Bruce. But again, thank you so much for having us and for highlighting Aeroflow and the diaper need. 

For those individuals that are listening, one tip that I would say is hydration. You know, it may seem counterintuitive if you are having urinary incontinence, but make sure that you're getting plenty of water every single day. 

Bruce Kassover: Does a mojito count? 

Aleece Fosnight: You know, unfortunately it does not. It's gotta be straight H2O, my dear. 

Bruce Kassover: Ah, very good. 

Aleece Fosnight: The ice in that mojito doesn't count either. 

Bruce Kassover: Well, you see, that's where I was going next.

Aleece Fosnight: I knew you were! 

Bruce Kassover: Well, thank you, Aleece, for joining us. I really do appreciate it. And I'm sure that we're going to hear from you soon with some updates on the diaper situation and other exciting things that Aeroflow has going on. So thank you for joining us. 

Aleece Fosnight: Absolutely. Thank you again, Bruce, for having me.

Bruce Kassover: Life Without Leaks has been brought to you by the National Association for Continence. Our music is Rainbows by Kevin MacLeod. More information about NAFC is available online at NAFC.org.