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THE NEW OSTOMATE AT SENIOR AGE via
Because the population as a whole is living longer, greater numbers of people are suffering illnesses that require ostomy surgery: Problems the senior new ostomate may face (which all of us can help with) include: *Fear of increasing dependence and non-acceptance by family. Family acceptance and support is essential for complete rehabilitation. *Unprepairedness for a stoma. Surgery may often be done as an emergency procedure, and there has been little time for an older person to adjust to this change in body image. Often the older person is confused after surgery because the hospital routine is foreign; side rails are up and he/she is confined as though a child. It is in this condition that he/she first gets acquainted with his/her ostomy. *A hard-to-manage stoma. Particularly if created in emergency surgery, the stoma may be adjacent to a wound or done in haste and poorly positioned. Experienced ostomates and caregivers can and should work to teach the new senior ostomate acceptance and self-care. It might take extra patience, Ability to learn does not diminish with age, but speed of performance and reaction time decline and it takes longer to learn new tasks. A word of advice to those working with new ostomates in senior category; allow your student to learn one task well before proceeding to the next one. Stoma Bumps By Liz O’Connor, CWOCN
This article is one of the most popular on our Internet site. We thought you might like to read an updated version of it. Ostomy Nurses often are asked about small bumps or ulcers, which appear on a formerly smooth stoma. They may be on the surface or around the edge where the stoma meets the skin. They may occur in a single area or around the whole circumference. Most of the time, these are granulomas, which are of a benign nature. Granulation tissue is a normal defense reaction of the body to injury. Those at the edge may be due to a reaction to the suture being sewn through the stoma to the skin. A too rigid or too tight barrier rubbing against the stoma may also cause them. A barrier must never touch the stoma, except ConvaTec’s Durahesive or Hollister’s Flextend barrier, which are made to “turtleneck” around the stoma. Those on the top or side of the stoma may be caused by an allergic reaction to the plastic- many people are allergic to natural rubber also known as latex- - or other material manufacturing the barrier. Most modern barriers do not use latex anymore because of this, but you may still have sensitivity to the chemicals in the barrier materials anyway. This may be true even after using the same equipment for a long time. They may also be caused from stomal drainage constantly pointing to one area of the stoma. This may occur when the stoma is recessed. What should you do? Stoma bumps are nothing for you to worry about most of the time. Do not second-guess or self-diagnose yourself. See your ostomy nurse, and if necessary, your doctor. Occasionally, these bumps may be a manifestation of another condition, like the recurrence of Crohn’s disease. Often, they can be treated with silver nitrate sticks. These are available by prescription. Occasionally, they need to be biopsied, to eliminate the possibility of other conditions. Quite often, a change in the barrier you use--many manufacturers use completely different substances in different brands even in their own lines --will resolve the issue. 28 |