www.incontinentsupport.org

The full title is "Reasons for the Stigma Surrounding Diaper Use in Older Bed-wetters and Ways to Reduce the Stigma" but I find that it applies to all forms of incontinence. It can be found here. It addresses some of the same issues that are also discussed on this forum / website.

a fragment from that article:

People who are reluctant to wear diapers to bed because most people feel they are strictly for babies need to keep in mind the old saw “what is popular is not always right, what is right is not always popular.” There was a time when most people thought the earth was flat,slavery was an acceptable practice,and the sun revolved around the earth but we now know these views are incorrect. I believe that in time we'll become more informed(and as a result more enlightened) about this issue also. Furthermore there are plenty of companies that manufacture and sell plastic pants,pin-on cloth diapers,and disposable tape-on diapers for older children,adolescents,teenagers, and adults that wet the bed so this is a very common problem. This is another thing that people need to consider.

Anyhow, I found it very well written.

Maria,
I believe this site has a primer that deals with the stigma surrounding the use of adult diapers or briefs or pads or whatever you want to call them. I call them diapers because thats what I'm comfortable with. But my mom who is a nurse refuses to call them anything but briefs or depends. She is trained to avoid the term diaper. She believes its degrading. I just see them as my underwear. Its a piece of clothing. Nothing more. The diapers that I wear allow me to live a normal life without being ridiculed because I had an accident on myself. My immediate family knows I wear them. Nobody cares. They help me get on with life. And I am grateful for them.

I think it is getting to be more excepted or I am just more aware since I wear them or a pad on good days.I hear comments like a lady up the street made the other day.We were talking about a road trip and she said if I did that I would have to wear a diaper or stop every twenty miles.I should have said well get some.Or I wonder as we do go places together if maybe she was trying to let us know she does wear.I have noticed that she all ways wears loose fitting pants.

I tend to believe that the stigma is still there, but it is not as bad as it was decades ago, never talked about out of the house, and such. Manufacturers and advertising have no doubt helped, as well as anyone who has suffered with incon of any type, and spoke about it publicly. Still an embarassing disability to have to deal with in life, but not as hard to cope with as it used to be either. Products and options have come a LONG way! As I said in another post on here, "they walk among us"... I am sure MANY would be very surprised that I have this affliction, as looking at me you would never know, just your everyday, "somewhat" ordinary guy! lol... If they only knew, but I would them rather not, possibly like your neighbor Wink... it is always a possibility. Then there are those that make statements like that "I would have to stop every 20 miles" that really may not even know that is not normal bladder behavior and could have something else going on... I was like that, always the "odd one" on any trip that has to stop well before anybody else does before I took matters into my own hands and found a solution, even before my car accident I was like that too, but could always hold it then, not so much now... maybe I just have a smaller bladder, who knows? C'est la vie... Puffy

I actually went back and read most of this article this time. I found it very interesting. I'll have to read it in stages because it is just so long. I made it about halfway through. The article describes quite well in fact the stigma surrounding diaper use and why it is such a problem. It talks about why kids and adults are embarassed by their bedwetting or full incontinence and the use of diapers to give them their dignity back. This is despite the common misconception that diapers are a symbol of regression. When in fact, diapers can give the wearer their life back. They can provide the wearer a quality of life that they may not be able to attain without the much needed protection. Diapers can allow the person to live.

The article also discusses manufacturers like "Depend", who make so called diapers and pullups with form over function. The article talks about these diapers leaking because they design them to look nice and give the wearer the feel that they are wearing real underwear. Diapers and pullups are made for incontinence. They are made to contain that which will not be contained by the human body and give the wearer some peace of mind knowing that they will not have an accident in public. Cheap diapers can not give the wearer that peace of mind. If a diaper is made to look like real underwear, then it will perform like real underwear. It will not absorb fluids like a pullup or diaper that is designed for function would.

The bottom line is that this article supports incontinent peoples use of diapers to get on with their daily lives. I believe it is worth reading. It can give one reassurance that the use of diapers to control incontinence is ok.

I've been gone a good while and now playing catch up, but I have to agree with you on this 100% Don.

I have to believe that the stigma will always be there although adult diapers are more accepted today than say 20 years ago. None of this bothers me anyway as I am getting to the point where I don't care what others think. I'm able to do many of the activities I participated in before the accident because I use diapers to manage my lack of bladder control. Without diapers I would be a recluse never straying far from home.