Page 4 - OASC April 2021 Newsletter

At the same time, Brock’s been an active volunteer, notably as a counsellor at Ostomy Canada Youth Camp for 11 years. He praised the camp as a life-changing experience for kids, helping campers be kids and grow up at the same time, learning what they needed to do to be able to get about in the world and develop a network. He was glad the camp accepted some kids who had not yet had an ostomy so they could see what life could be like. Many went on to become doctors, nurses and enterostomal nurses. Camp also helped parents let go and have confidence in their kids’ independence.
Among questions raised by Group Members:
1. Are there other ostomates working at Hollister?
a. Yes. Globally, there’s a clinician with an ileostomy working on the global clinical resource team, plus someone in the factory, plus a couple with spinal cord injuries who are in wheelchairs. It must help to have ostomates in the company to really inform the organization.
b. In the US, we have the Unusual Questions Panel. Secure Start Services started 17 years ago when a few customer service agents reported hospital stays were getting shorter because they were getting more complex questions. With the advent of Covid and laporascopy, hospital stays are even shorter so new ostomates are struggling with more difficult issues at home. Those people wanted to continue sharing their experience to be able to help others. So we have a number of different panels: consumer panels, patient panels (those who have had surgery less than 6 months). We do a lot of research to understand their experiences.
2. Ostomates in Canada are subsidized by the government. How does it work in the US?
Is there any help?
a. The US has a mix of options: medicare for people over age 65 or someone who has had a life- changing injury; medicaid for those with limited income, Obamacare, plus corporate insurance (for businesses with more than 15 employees). Hollister representatives understand and can advise on the intricacies. Depending on your plan, you pay a monthly premium and may have to pay the deduct- ible. You’re allowed a tax-free savings account to cover that deductible.
Europe is very different. In Germany, for example, they require you to change your urostomy
pouch every day. So our most popular product is soft-flex barrier. That’s why there are so many formulations.
b. My appliance is part of my identity now. Globally, Hollister’s focus is on skin health. When CeraP- lus first launched, I didn’t want to even try it. I had not had skin breakdown but had chronic itching, and had been experiencing skin stripping with appliance changes. CeraPlus helped maintain the hydration
I needed to maintain my skin health. Our main focus is skin health for those who use our products
to ensure things stick properly. If you do have a leakage, before you throw out the appliance, identify where the leakage happened. That will help you resolve the problem, for example, with a little piece of an accessory ring to create a dam. I think soft convexity is one of the greatest innovations. Works like the suspension in a vehicle.
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