{"id":454,"date":"2023-01-12T15:06:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T21:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.phcsonline.com\/blog1\/?p=454"},"modified":"2023-07-18T16:47:22","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T21:47:22","slug":"colostomy-care-in-home-health-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.phcsonline.com\/colostomy-care-in-home-health-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Colostomy Care in Home Health Care"},"content":{"rendered":"Share this article:<\/strong>
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\"Colostomy<\/a>As a home health care provider, we care for many home care clients that have had a colostomy.  As home health caregivers, we will routinely help with maintenance of the stoma and ostomy bag.  The intentions of this article are to give home health care caregivers and clients alike, and better understanding of what a Colostomy is, why clients have a Colostomy and what is need to care for clients that have had a Colostomy.<\/p>\n

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What is a Colostomy?  <\/strong><\/p>\n

A Colostomy is an operation where the colon and rectum are disconnected from the intestines.  A new colon is created on the front of the abdomen.  The new colon is called a \u201cstoma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why do people need a Colostomy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

People need a colostomy for a variety of reasons.  Some reasons include cancer, Crohn\u2019s disease, bowel obstruction, a birth defect, or even just to improve the quality of life.  People with a spinal injury or MS will often have a colostomy to improve the quality of their lives.  Most people that have a colostomy don\u2019t need to make any major changes to their lifestyle.<\/p>\n

What is the role of the home health caregiver in Colostomy care?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most common home health care services for Colostomy care include maintaining a healthy stoma and emptying and changing the Ostomy pouch or bag.<\/p>\n

How to maintain a healthy Stoma?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The home health caregiver should look at the skin around the stoma each time the pouch is changed.  The stomas should look pink and it should be moist.  The ostomy bag has a \u201cskin barrier\u201d that sticks to the abdomen and holds the ostomy bag in place. It is important the size of the skin barrier is adjusted with changes in the size of the stoma.  When the home health care client first has a Colostomy, the stoma tends to be larger.  It gets smaller overtime, and the skin barrier needs to be adjusted for this.  Sometimes if the skin barrier is on too long without changing, the skin around the stoma can become irritated.  The home health caregiver should notify the nurse or physician when this happens so the irritation can be treated.<\/p>\n

What problems with the Stoma should home health caregiver look for?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The stoma can retract.  Stoma retraction is when the stoma can go down to or below the skin level.  There can be a Peristomal hernia.  This is when the intestines bulge into the area around the stoma.  This can be painful for the home health care client.  Surgery is usually needed to repair the hernia.  The stoma can prolapse.  This is when there is increased abdominal pressure leading to part of the intestines pushing out of the stoma.  Surgery is also usually needed to fix the prolapse.  The stoma may have stenosis.  This is when the stoma becomes narrow.  This can cause a blockage.  If there is a blockage, surgery is usually needed to fix the problem.  The nurse manager and physician should be notified immediately if any of these problems are observed.<\/p>\n

Procedure for the home health care caregiver to change the ostomy pouch or bag.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Determine if the client has a 1 piece or 2 piece ostomy pouch.<\/li>\n
  2. Gather your supplies\n