MODEL RELEASED. Bladder education. Woman patient receives counselling on incontinence from a health care counsellor. The counsellor holds up a poster showing the anatomy of the bladder. Incontinence is an uncontrollable, involuntary passing of urine. The condition may be due to injury or disease of the urinary tract. It is common in women in whom the pelvic muscles are weakened after childbirth. Urinary incontinence often affects the elderly because the efficiency of the sphincter muscles surrounding the urethra declines with age. Exercises may help to restore sphincter muscle function. Other treatments include the use of incontinence pads or a bag with catheter.