This is a thread with info and asking for info about issues with stomas in mid to late stage dementia.
My mother has had a stoma for about 18 months. Initially she was very resentful of it - it came after surgery left her very confused and moved her dementia on considerably, so unsurprisingly it made very very anxious. This manifested itself in her tearing the stoma bag off frequently.
She settled a bit and this stopped but has now started up again. She is in a care home so the staff and I are trying to find solutions. This is what we have tried so far, in case it helps others -
We discussed whether the stoma could be reversed, but no one has any appetite for further surgery.
We have tried various style of knickers, but she is able to get at all of them.
We are currently using a leotard-style "body" - like a vest, with closures between the legs. She is sometimes able to get round this if very determined. M&S sell these, but don't buy the "bodyshaper" ones as these are probably too restrictive.
So......next steps. I am buying a thing that looks like a victorian bathing costume - e.g. a leotard with short legs like cycling shorts. At this point, someone else is always changing her so the aim is to find things she cant remove herself. We will see how well this last items works.
Is there such a thing a dementia underwear? I have looked but havent yet seen anything.
My mother has had a stoma for about 18 months. Initially she was very resentful of it - it came after surgery left her very confused and moved her dementia on considerably, so unsurprisingly it made very very anxious. This manifested itself in her tearing the stoma bag off frequently.
She settled a bit and this stopped but has now started up again. She is in a care home so the staff and I are trying to find solutions. This is what we have tried so far, in case it helps others -
We discussed whether the stoma could be reversed, but no one has any appetite for further surgery.
We have tried various style of knickers, but she is able to get at all of them.
We are currently using a leotard-style "body" - like a vest, with closures between the legs. She is sometimes able to get round this if very determined. M&S sell these, but don't buy the "bodyshaper" ones as these are probably too restrictive.
So......next steps. I am buying a thing that looks like a victorian bathing costume - e.g. a leotard with short legs like cycling shorts. At this point, someone else is always changing her so the aim is to find things she cant remove herself. We will see how well this last items works.
Is there such a thing a dementia underwear? I have looked but havent yet seen anything.
