Impacts of an intergenerational exercise program on urinary incontinence in senior and postpartum women

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is common across the female lifespan and is linked to diminished confidence, reduced participation, and social isolation. Access to care is especially limited in rural communities. Pelvic floor muscle training is effective, but delivery models often overlook the psychosocial burden of UI, particularly loneliness among older adults. We developed and piloted an intergenerational, group-based program with virtual clinical support to test and explore whether it could improve continence while also fostering social connection and reducing isolation for seniors.

Methods: A 12-week, single-cohort pre–post intervention was delivered at a supported-living lodge in Hinton, Alberta. Eight women with UI were enrolled (six postmenopausal and two postpartum); seven completed the program. Sessions (twice weekly) combined education (breathing strategies, the Knack, urge-suppression), supervised exercises, and home exercises. Virtual oversight used Zoom and a telepresence robot; content was iteratively refined via Plan–Do–Study–Act cycles. Outcomes included PFDI-20, PFIQ-7 questionnaires, and 3-week interval bladder diaries tracking voids, leak episodes, etc. Given ordinal scales and small sample size, descriptive summaries were used.

Results: Data were available for seven participants. Improvements were most frequent for frequent urination (5/6, 83%) and urgency leakage (4/7, 57%); stress-related leakage improved in 4/7 (57%). Bladder diaries indicated fewer leak episodes by week 12 with stable bowel patterns. Participants reported reduced reliance on incontinence products; some discontinued containment aids, and one stopped an overactive-bladder medication after consulting a clinician. PFIQ-7 domains most often showing improvement were physical activity, travel, and social participation.

Conclusions: This exploratory pilot study demonstrated that a low-cost, intergenerational program with virtual clinical support was feasible in a rural setting and associated with clinically meaningful UI improvements and perceived gains in function and confidence. Despite limitations (small sample and no control group), findings justify a larger controlled evaluation and suggest group-based, tele-enabled pelvic floor rehabilitation can expand access to conservative UI care in underserved communities.