Bill Text: NJ SJR60 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates second week of November of each year as "Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week" in New Jersey.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [SJR60 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-SJR60-Introduced.html
No. 60
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Designates second week of November of each year as "Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week" in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Joint Resolution designating the second week of November of each year as "Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week" in New Jersey.
Whereas, More than 26 million people live with urinary incontinence in the United States; and
Whereas, Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control, or being unable to control urination. It is a common condition and can range from being a minor problem to something that greatly affects daily life; and
Whereas, The following persons are at high risk of being diagnosed with urinary incontinence: women who have experienced pregnancy, childbirth, or menopause; the elderly; men with prostate problems; persons with certain health problems, such as diabetes, obesity, or long-lasting constipation; smokers; and persons with birth defects affecting the structure of the urinary tract; and
Whereas, Urinary incontinence has a multitude of treatments, ranging from medical to non-medical, preventative to protective, and invasive to non-invasive; and
Whereas, Contrary to common myth, urinary incontinence is worsened by limiting fluid intake. Low fluid intake causes bladder irritation, further complicating issues. Furthermore, lowering fluid intake reduces the overall capacity of the bladder, which lessens the ability of the bladder to retain fluid; and
Whereas, Though urinary incontinence is not life threatening, it does threaten a person's social and working lives and has a severe adverse effect on quality of life. Individuals afflicted with urinary incontinence often find their life dictated by their accidents, fearing embarrassment in front of friends and co-workers; and
Whereas, The annual cost of adult urinary incontinence products in the United States currently exceeds $1 billion and that number is expected to grow as the general population ages; and
Whereas, Many senior citizens are on fixed incomes and suffer great hardship because they must spend significant amounts of their incomes on urinary incontinence products; and
Whereas, An overriding concern of senior citizens is finding ways to continue living in their own homes as long as possible and urinary incontinence is a leading cause of institutionalization of the elderly; and
Whereas, It is proper and fitting for the Legislature to formally recognize the suffering of those with urinary incontinence by bringing awareness to this subject; now, therefore,
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The second week of November of each year is designated as "Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week" in New Jersey.
2. The Governor is requested to annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials, private organizations, and all citizens and residents of this State to observe "Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week."
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This resolution designates the second week of November of each year as "Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week" in New Jersey.
More than 26 million people live with urinary incontinence in the United States. Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control, or being unable to control urination. It is a common condition and can range from being a minor problem to something that greatly affects daily life. The following persons are at high risk of being diagnosed with urinary incontinence: women who have experienced pregnancy, childbirth, or menopause; the elderly; men with prostate problems; persons with certain health problems, such as diabetes, obesity, or long-lasting constipation; smokers; and persons with birth defects affecting the structure of the urinary tract.
Urinary incontinence has a multitude of treatments, ranging from medical to non-medical, preventative to protective, and invasive to non-invasive. Contrary to common myth, urinary incontinence is worsened by limiting fluid intake. Low fluid intake causes bladder irritation, further complicating issues. Furthermore, lowering fluid intake reduces the overall capacity of the bladder, which lessens the ability of the bladder to retain fluid.
Though urinary incontinence is not life threatening, it does threaten a person's social and working lives and has a severe adverse effect on quality of life. Individuals afflicted with urinary incontinence often find their life dictated by their accidents, fearing embarrassment in front of friends and co-workers. The annual cost of adult urinary incontinence products in the United States currently exceeds $1 billion and that number is expected to grow as the general population ages. Many senior citizens are on fixed incomes and suffer great hardship because they must spend significant amounts of their incomes on urinary incontinence products. An overriding concern of senior citizens is finding ways to continue living in their own homes as long as possible and urinary incontinence is a leading cause of institutionalization of the elderly.
