GESELLSCHAFT FÜR INKONTINENZHILFE e.V.

Since it was founded in 1987, the GIH (Gesellschaft für lnkontinenzhilfe) has become a highly respected "lobbyist" for people with incontinence. The society's efforts to achieve its objectives have intensified especially over the last two years and are now showing results. There is no doubt that, in Germany, awareness of incontinence has grown within the population, and professionals like doctors, nursing staff, physiotherapists and pharmacists have become actively involved in the field of incontinence - and so has manufacturing industry by providing products for incontinence care.

However, incontinence is still a highly unpleasant disability, and social discrimination against incontinent people is far from being a thing of the past. Moreover, due to the tighter budget of the health care system the high costs of care that incontinence generates are being discussed with increasing vociferousness. As a result, there are still some substantial challenges to be met by the GIH.

Aims

The GIH is a scientific organisation whose members are medical practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, and affected people, supported by companies with special experience in the field of diagnosis, medical treatment and incontinence care. The membership has increased to 1,600.

There is one aim that dominates the work of the GIH: that incontinence should no longer be a taboo subject.

Measures of prevention, diagnostics and treatment of bladder and bowel incontinence as well as the interdisciplinary research and teaching on incontinence are being promoted and co-ordinated by the GIH.

Patients and their relatives must be motivated to discuss their problems with their physicians. Doctors and researchers should be encouraged to devote their attention to the problem of incontinence. Experienced practitioners should also be encouraged in dealing with the subject.

Activities

Public relations campaigns in the printed media, on radio and TV help to break the taboo. The GIH gives general and individual information and support through brochures on the various types of incontinence, by answering requests, both from professionals and patients, and by providing addresses of experts for further advice.

Additionally, the GIH organises its own annual congress on the diagnosis and treatment of incontinence, and participates also in conferences on urology and incontinence. A highly important event was undoubtedly the GIH / WHO Consensus Conference 1997 in Bonn, the results of which will have a policy-making influence upon the future efforts of the GIH.

Last but not least, the GIH supports and represents 30 self-help groups which work very successfully all over Germany.

To achieve better communication, the GIH publishes a journal for its members, called "GIH aktuell", which is also distributed to other societies and individuals interested in the management of incontinence and to the industry in Germany, as well as in Austria. The circulation of the journal is 10,000; it is published quarterly, and financed through advertisements from manufacturers and suppliers.

Christa Thiel