Elderly ileostomists and their social problems.

There is no clear definition of who is "elderly." For the purpose of this review, we studied ileostomists over the age of 60. Fifty of 55 such members of the Ileostomy Association completed a questionnaire about problems they had experienced. The mean age of the respondents was 68.5 +/- 5.5 years, and they had had an ileostomy for 14.6 +/- 10.2 years. Only 68% of patients felt that they had received a full explanation before surgery. Family members and the Ileostomy Association had been most effective in support of the ileostomist; stoma therapists less so. Thirty-two percent of patients were shocked or repelled by their stoma immediately after surgery, and 54% had problems touching or cleaning it, although their difficulties diminished with time. The majority of patients were unaffected in their social activities by surgery, although 18% gained confidence and 12% lost it. These problems were unaffected by age at operation.