Designates second week of November of each year as "Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week" in New Jersey.

AJR145

ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION

No. 145

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Designates second week of November of each year as
�Urinary Incontinence Awareness Week� in New Jersey.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

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.