He doesn't remember how to put on a bag. He doesn't remember the surgery, nor does he connect it with a bowel movement. He thinks he ran into a post that poked a hole in his side. He puts tissues on it, and he messes with it while sitting. One would think his stoma would be infected, but it's not. We had him in the ER a week ago and he let a doctor look at it; the doctor said it was fine. Because of this we can't take him anywhere. His GP doesn't want him to come in without a bag on⦠read more
Sometimes a wrap around large belt or garter keep them from messing with ostomy. Get doc advice to size n order
I've worked on dementia units and had several people who had colostomies. I would change the bag, wax wafer, and apply new skin protectant at least once every three days. Sometimes the wafer or seal would fail prematurely and would be replaced as needed. I can't think of anyone who fiddled with their ostomies. We emptied and rinsed out the bags while they were on the toilet; that's also when new wafers/would be applied. Once the person was dressed the appliance was out of sight and out of mind for the people in our care.
An ostomy nurse could come by one or two times a week until your Dad's caregivers felt comfortable performing the task. The most important thing about colostomy appliances is to accurately cut the wax wafer to fit snugly, but not too tightly, around the stoma. The stoma needs to stay a beefy red color. Pink, pale pink, or white means the stoma isn't getting adequate blood supply. A properly fitting wafer will prevent acid in the stool from burning/excoriating the skin. It's not that hard once you've had a bit of experience.