When an elderly man was barred from his bowling club because he smelt of urine, continence nurse specialist Lesley Pitman was called on to help.
"His wife had died and he was living by himself," Lesley said.
"He would go to the bowling club and drink beer and was incontinent.
"When he went home in his previous life, he took his bowling clothes off and his wife washed them, but that wasn't happening any more. He was not aware that his clothes smelt.
"We taught him how to best wash his clothes and to use vinegar to remove odour and provided him with continence pads to wear while bowling.
"It was that easy, but it was life-changing for him."
One in four Australians are incontinent but there is only one course in the country offering specialist training to care for those who have it.
For the past 30 years, the four-week Continence Nurse Specialist course has run annually in May at Hollywood Private Hospital in Perth.
Lesley has been facilitating the course since 1999 and after six decades as a nurse, the 79-year-old has a wealth of experience to offer.
Incontinence is the accidental or involuntary loss of urine or faeces and affects all types of people, from small children to the elderly.
"Many people end up in nursing homes because they are incontinent," Lesley said.
"People believe that incontinence comes with ageing but that is not right. It is not normal.
"There are medications, there are good continence aids, there are different techniques, and we have pelvic floor physiotherapists.
"There is funding available from the state government to the value of $500 so people can afford to have better products."
The course provides 14 nurses from WA and interstate with theory and clinical placement to help people with the condition.
It features 40 guest speakers from specialisations such as urology, microbiology, gynaecology and sexual health, including leading surgeons, paediatricians, nurse practitioners and physiotherapists.
"The course meets an important need for the future development of nurses," said training and development manager Anne Green.
"Without this contribution to the health community there would be a devastating gap for people who live with incontinence, or struggle without knowing what options are available."
Lesley said that, with help, people can feel able to go out again and be freed from washing their bed clothes every day.
"If we can achieve social continence, that is really something. I am passionate about it because I know we can help people who think there is nothing that can be done for them."
