Appreciating that continence assessment and care is a sensitive subject, but also a reality, Community Nurse Service director Sandra Ilett began this specialised service in 2019.
Sandra said for herself, with 25 years in the nursing industry, she opened Community Nurse Service to fill a service that was previously very unmet.
“Bladder and bowel problems affect one in four Australians across their lifespan and can actually affect people of any age and can span from being a problem they were born with, to something causes by illnesses, injuries or disease, so we need to be able to cover a wealth of clients from all walks of life,” she said.
“Community Nurse Service covers from Gladstone through to Brisbane and I am proud to say that I work with a team of nurses that are truly special.
“When it comes to bladder or bowel issues, we appreciate that each person is totally unique and because of that we tailor our services specifically to their needs.”
As well as very specialised, trained and experienced nurses, the Community Nurse Service team also travel in unmarked cars to their patients’ residences because they want to respect their privacy wherever possible.
“We are speaking about what is a sensitive subject with our patients, but we are able to do that completely without judgement and we always appreciate that we are dealing with someone’s dignity and always work hard to maintain that.
“For our more senior patients, we want them to be able to remain in their home and maintain their independence and this can be done by working out a plan for their bowel or bladder issues or even providing catheter care which must be performed by a highly skilled and experienced nurse.
“Ultimately we are here to help so that our patients can get back to daily life and welcome them to visit our website at continencenurse.com.au for more information or to find a nurse in their area.”