LIVING WITH AN INTESTINAL OSTOMY AND URINARY INCONTINENCE

Abstract

Objective: to understand how aged people with intestinal ostomies experience this situation together with urinary incontinence. Method: a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory research study, developed with 77 aged individuals with intestinal ostomies assisted by the Unified Health System, in four municipalities from the Metropolitan Region of Florianópolis. Data collection was conducted using semi-structured interviews from October 2019 to February 2020. The theoretical framework used was Dorothéa Orem’s Self-Care Theory and the data were submitted to content analysis, in its thematic modality. Results: the analysis allowed generating three thematic categories: 1) Feelings generated by the intestinal ostomy and urinary incontinence: acceptance, denial, fear, insecurity, constraints experienced due to the ostomy and to the urinary incontinence symptoms; 2) Lifestyle changes; and 3) Deficit in self-image. Conclusion: it was evidenced that, for most of the research participants, it is difficult to accept the experience of living with an intestinal ostomy and urinary incontinence, which generally produce negative feelings. However, the participants proved to be resilient and able to adapt to the changes in lifestyle. Many of these behaviors are due to the health professionals’ important contribution in providing them the necessary attention, encouraging self-care strategies in both situations.