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lblrdh Asked January 2018

Dementia and stoma, how do we keep Dad from disconnecting his bag?

My father has a stoma, due to bladder cancer. He also has dementia, which has recently become worse. Up to this point my mother has been able to care for him. Recently he has started disconnecting his night bag from his day bag but forget to put the plug back in. My mother has even tried taping the connection together but he still finds away. Up until recently he was able to unhook himself and plug in the drain. My mother is about at her wits end--cleaning and washing daily. Any suggestions how to keep him from doing this.

jeannegibbs Jan 2018
My mother kept taking her catheter out until we told the aides to be sure she had pajama bottoms on all the time -- not just a gown. That solved it for us. So I like SueC's suggestion of a garment he can't take off on his own. Maybe, as for my mother, it will be out of touch out of mind.

SueC1957 Jan 2018
I bought an adult "onsie" for my mother (on Amazon), as she was taking off her clothes, then her diaper, and peeing on the floor. This prevented her from lowering the diaper.

Maybe if he can't get to the connection, he won't be able to disconnect it.

There are ostomy nurses (call your doctor's office for referral) who teach care of stomas, products, etc. Maybe they might have an idea.

Also, your local medical supply store that sells the bags and other products might have something to divert him.

Good luck.

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JoAnn29 Jan 2018
This is a problem. Talk to his doctor and see how you can handle this. Maybe Dad will need a sleeping pill.

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