UOAA Discussion Board

Hello,

I take care of my grandmother. She has developed severe arthritis in her hands and is no long able to change her Ostomy pouch. Does anyone know of a service/ provider that performs this kind of daily service? I have tried medicare but it seems they only cover a skilled nurse for 21 days. I have a shoulder surgery coming up and will not be much help. (New Jersey)

Thanks,
Joe

Don't know where you are, but you shouldn't need a nurse or cna for this. In fact, I've had some bad experiences with nurses knowing how to deal with ostomy when I've been hospitalized. I think Visiting Angels is a nation wide business and you might call nursing homes to see if they have someone who could do it(this isn't a full day's work. You could even train someone in a half hour to do it.

Do you have a local ostomy group nearby? If you go to https://www.ostomy.org/support-group-fi ... owwwmy.org, you'll see a list of them. Some are inactive during the summer but if you can reach someone there, a member may have a name for you who could be helpful. Just a thought.

Good luck!