BLADDER | Managing Continence & Financial Supports

Bladder and bowel issues are one of the less talked-about sides of Parkinson’s, but they affect a significant number of people living with the condition. If you’re finding that continence products are becoming a regular expense, the good news is that several government funding schemes can help. This guide explains what products are available, what financial support you can access, and how to get started.

Why does Parkinson’s affect continence?

Parkinson’s can disrupt the signals between your brain and your bladder or bowel. The most common ways Parkinson’s can affect bladder control include urgency, having little warning that you need to pass urine, frequency, retention, and nocturia, which means waking more than once during the night to go to the toilet.

Bowel incontinence can also occur. Parkinson’s can weaken the muscles that control bowel movements, and constipation, which is very common in Parkinson’s, can sometimes cause softer stool to leak around a blockage.

These symptoms are not something you have to just put up with. There are products to help manage them and treatments that may reduce them.

What continence products do people with Parkinson’s use?

There is a wide range of products available. The right ones for you will depend on your specific symptoms and how they affect your daily life.

• Absorbent products: These are the most commonly used products. They include disposable pads, pull-up pants (also called protective underwear), adult briefs, and shaped pads in varying levels of absorbency. They are available for both bladder and bowel leakage.
• Bed & chair protection: Waterproof mattress protectors, absorbent bed pads, and chair pads help protect furniture and bedding. These are especially useful for people experiencing nocturia (needing to go to the toilet overnight).
• Male continence sheaths (external catheters): These are worn over the penis and attached to a leg bag. They are particularly useful at night.
• Female continence management products (external catheters): A soft, flexible external device that sits between the labia and draws urine away using gentle suction. It reduces skin contact with urine and lowers the need for pads or invasive catheters.
  Catheters & catheter supplies: For people who have difficulty fully emptying their bladder, intermittent self-catheterisation may be recommended. This involves inserting a small tube to drain the bladder several times a day. Catheter supplies, including catheter packs, sterile gloves, tubing, and cleaning agents, are also available through funding schemes.
• Commodes & toileting aids: A bedside commode (a portable toilet-style chair) can make a real difference for people who struggle to get to the bathroom quickly. Raised toilet seats, toilet frames, and grab rails also help reduce the risk of falls when getting to and from the toilet — a real concern for people living with Parkinson’s.
• Bidets & bidet attachments: These can help with personal hygiene when hand control or mobility makes it harder to clean yourself independently. Some bidet toilet seat attachments can be funded as assistive technology through the NDIS.
• Skin care products: Barrier creams, washcloths, and cleansing products are often used alongside continence aids to protect skin from irritation.

What funding is available?

1. Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS)

CAPS is probably the most relevant scheme for many people with Parkinson’s. It is an Australian Government programme that provides a payment to eligible people to help with some of the costs of buying continence products. It is available to people who have permanent and severe incontinence due to an eligible neurological condition, and Parkinson’s is an eligible condition.

The CAPS payment rate for 2025–26 is $717.10. The payment is tax-free and is paid directly into your nominated Australian bank account. You can choose to receive it as one annual payment in July, or as two bi-annual payments in July and January.

Who is eligible?

• To qualify for CAPS, you must:
  • Be aged five or older
  • Have permanent and severe incontinence confirmed by a registered health professional
  • Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
  • Have an eligible neurological condition (Parkinson’s qualifies) OR have another eligible condition plus a Pensioner Concession Card
• Important: If you are already receiving funding for continence products through the NDIS or another funding scheme, you may not be eligible for CAPS. The schemes are generally not available to be used at the same time for the same purpose.

How to apply?

• You can apply through your Medicare online account via myGov, or through the Express Medicare mobile app. You can also call the CAPS team on **1800 239 309** to request a paper application form. You will need confirmation from a registered health professional of your condition and your incontinence.

What does it cover?

• The CAPS payment is a cash payment — it is not tied to specific products. You can spend it on any continence products you choose, from any supplier you like. This includes pads, pull-up pants, catheters, catheter supplies, and bed protection.

What doesn’t it cover?

• CAPS does not cover toileting aids like commodes, raised toilet seats, or bidets. It also does not cover medications or any treatments. It is specifically for consumable continence products.

2. NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme)

If you are aged between 9 and 65 and your Parkinson’s significantly affects your ability to take part in daily life, you may be eligible for the NDIS.

If your incontinence is directly related to your disability, your continence products and supports may be funded through the NDIS.

The NDIS may fund continence products including pads and nappies, bedding and chair protection, catheters, bags, bottles, straps, and tape. It may also fund a continence assessment, which includes preparing a continence plan and working out what products you need.

Continence products funded by the NDIS generally fall under Core Supports – Consumables in your plan. Most participants receive between $1,000 and $5,000 annually for continence products, though this varies significantly based on individual circumstances.

The NDIS can also fund equipment like commodes, raised toilet seats, and bidet attachments under Assistive Technology, provided they are assessed as reasonable and necessary for your needs.

How to access NDIS continence funding?

Once you gain access to the NDIS, make sure your continence needs are clearly documented in your NDIS plan. You will need supporting evidence from a health professional, such as a continence nurse, your GP, urologist, or neurologist, explaining how your incontinence is connected to your Parkinson’s and how it affects your daily life.

If you are already an NDIS participant and continence products are not in your current plan, ask your support coordinator or plan manager to include them at your next plan review.

Please note: this may change due to the current reform process, so make sure to speak with your support coordinator or a continence specialist to confirm which scheme can pay for your continence needs.

3. My Aged Care / Support at Home

If you are aged 65 or older (or 50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), you may be eligible for aged care services through My Aged Care.

Australia’s aged care system recently underwent a major change. The new Support at Home programme replaced the Home Care Packages Programme on 1 November 2025.

Under Support at Home, continence management can be included in your care plan. The federal government has confirmed it will scrap plans to charge older Australians for basic personal care tasks like showering, dressing, and continence support delivered at home under the Support at Home programme. Showering, dressing, and continence support will be fully funded and exempt from co-contributions from October 2026.

How to access?

Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au to request an assessment. Make sure you mention your continence needs during your assessment so they can be included in your care plan.

Note: If you are already receiving CAPS funding, you cannot also use your Home Care Package or Support at Home funding on continence products, as they have already been subsidised by the government.

4. Medicare

It is important to be clear about what Medicare does and does not cover when it comes to continence.

Medicare does NOT cover the cost of continence products such as pads, catheters, or bed protection. Unfortunately, Medicare and private health funds do not cover the cost of incontinence products.

However, Medicare does cover consultations with relevant health professionals, including your GP, a urologist, a continence nurse, or a physiotherapist, who can help assess and treat your continence issues. If you have a chronic condition like Parkinson’s, your GP can create a Chronic Disease Management Plan (also called a GP Management Plan) that may entitle you to Medicare-rebated visits with allied health professionals, including physiotherapists who specialise in pelvic floor therapy.

5. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)

If you are a veteran, this scheme is worth knowing about.

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs provides a range of continence products and equipment to eligible members of the veteran community through the Rehabilitation Appliances Programme (RAP).

Members of the veteran community are eligible if they have an assessed need for a continence product or appliance and hold a Gold Card, or a White Card for conditions accepted by DVA as related to service.

The DVA RAP covers a range of products such as pads, pants, catheters, and bed and chair protection to manage urinary and/or faecal incontinence.

How to access?

You will need to be assessed by a health professional, who will complete a DVA RAP Direct Order Form. Products are supplied through contracted suppliers. For more information, call 1800 838 372 or email RAPGeneralEnquiries@dva.gov.au.

What about Botox (botulinum toxin) and advanced treatments?

If lifestyle changes and standard medications haven’t worked for your bladder symptoms, more advanced treatments might be an option.

Botulinum toxin (Botox) for the bladder

Botulinum toxin injected into the bladder can reduce the urgency and frequency of urination in people with an overactive bladder.

Botulinum toxin treatment has been approved by Medicare in Australia for certain patients whose urinary symptoms have not responded adequately to medication, in cases of neurogenic bladder due to spinal cord injury, Multiple Sclerosis, and Spina Bifida, as well as idiopathic (no known cause) overactive bladder.

Parkinson’s disease is not currently listed as a specific eligible condition for the Medicare-rebated botulinum toxin bladder injection. However, if your bladder symptoms are severe and have not responded to other treatments, it is worth speaking to your urologist about whether you might be eligible under the idiopathic overactive bladder criteria, or whether your neurological situation may support an application.

To access the Medicare rebate, you must meet strict criteria, including having tried at least two anticholinergic medications without adequate relief, and being willing and able to self-catheterise, as temporary urinary retention is a common side effect of the procedure.

If you do not meet the Medicare criteria, botulinum toxin for the bladder may be available privately, but it can be expensive.

Pelvic floor physiotherapy

Pelvic floor physiotherapy can make a significant difference to bladder and bowel control. It is available through Medicare if you have a GP Management Plan, through NDIS if it is in your plan, and privately. Ask your GP for a referral.

Quick reference: What is & isn’t funded

AT = Assistive Technology category. Eligibility and coverage vary by individual plan and circumstance.

Where to start

Feeling unsure where to begin? 

1. Talk to your GP. Tell them about your continence symptoms. They can refer you to a urologist or continence nurse, help you complete CAPS paperwork, and set up a Chronic Disease Management Plan for allied health support.
2. Call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 (free call). Trained advisers can help you understand your options, find local services, and navigate funding applications. This service is free.
3. Check your NDIS plan (if you have one). Contact your support coordinator or plan manager to confirm whether continence products and assessments are included.
4. Apply for CAPS through myGov or by calling 1800 239 309, if you are not already on NDIS or receiving aged care funding for continence.
5. Ask about a referral. A continence nurse or specialist can assess exactly what products and supports are right for you, and help you access the right funding.

More information and videos can be found on the Parkinson’s Australia website infohub:

• Incontinence infosheet
• Bladder Control infosheet
• Continence specialist infosheet

This article provides general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical or financial advice. Funding criteria and payment amounts can change. Always confirm current eligibility requirements with the relevant scheme before applying.