Getting Support

You don’t have to manage everything alone: 

Stoma-related concerns: 
If you have questions about your stoma, pouch, skin, output or any other physical symptoms, speak with your stomal therapy nurse or treating healthcare team. 

Emotional or psychological concerns: 
If worry, low mood, embarrassment or difficulty adjusting to your stoma is affecting your daily life, talking with a psychologist or another mental health professional may help. 

Peer support: 
Connecting with other people who live with a stoma can help you feel less alone and give you practical ideas for everyday life. 

Free online program: 
The Bladder and Bowel Anxiety Program: Support for Incontinence and Stoma Worries is free on this website. Its seven modules help you build confidence in situations where fear of an accident or loss of control holds you back, and it is designed to sit alongside, not replace, support from your healthcare team. 

Stoma organisations around the world: 

Peer support and professional advice are available through national and regional organisations around the world. The organisations below are listed by country or region, starting with Australia. 

Australia 

• Australian Council of Stoma Associations (ACSA) – The national body representing Australia’s regional stoma associations and the people they support. ACSA provides resources and information, and its website helps you find your local stoma association and a stomal therapy nurse. 

• Stoma Appliance Scheme (Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing) – Provides fully subsidised appliances and products listed on the scheme schedule to eligible people, subject to supply limits. Association access fees and postage or handling charges may apply. Its website explains eligibility, joining a stoma association and ordering supplies. 

• Australian Association of Stomal Therapy Nurses (AASTN) – The peak professional body for stomal therapy nursing in Australia. Its website includes a Find a Stoma Nurse directory, patient education brochures and links to stoma associations and support groups. 

New Zealand 

• Ostomy New Zealand (Federation of New Zealand Ostomy Societies) – A registered charity that supports, empowers and advocates for people who have had, or will have, ostomy surgery. It provides information, advocacy and links to regional ostomy societies and support groups across New Zealand, where you can meet others with similar experiences. 

United Kingdom 

• Colostomy UK – A UK charity supporting anyone affected by any kind of stoma or stoma surgery. It offers a free Stoma Helpline answered by trained volunteers who live with a stoma or by office staff, subject to availability. The helpline provides practical and emotional support, not medical advice. The charity also offers information, webinars and peer support. 

• Ileostomy & Internal Pouch Association (IA) – A registered charity supporting people living with an ileostomy or internal pouch, and their families, friends and carers. It offers One2One support from trained volunteers, information resources, events and local support. 

United States 

• United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) – A national non-profit that supports, empowers and advocates for people who have, or will have, ostomy or continent diversion surgery. It offers a support group finder with hundreds of local groups, medically reviewed education and online peer connection.  

• Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN) – Find a WOC Nurse – A professional society for wound, ostomy and continence nurses. Its online directory helps you find a specialist nurse near you. 

Canada 

• Ostomy Canada Society – A non-profit volunteer organisation for people with an ostomy and their families. It offers local chapters and support groups, a visitor program, webinars, an ostomy learning centre, and a way to submit questions to its Medical Lifestyle Advisory Committee. It can also help you find a nurse specialised in wound, ostomy and continence care. 

Europe 

• European Ostomy Association (EOA) – A non-profit organisation for national ostomy associations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and one of the three regions of the International Ostomy Association. Its website includes a directory of member associations, with links to their own websites in their own languages, so you can find the group in your country. 

Asia 

• Asia & South Pacific Ostomy Association (ASPOA) – A non-profit regional organisation that brings together ostomy associations across Asia and the South Pacific. It supports the formation of local support groups and works with doctors, nurses and industry partners to improve ostomy care. Its website includes regional news and information about member associations. 

• Japan Ostomy Association – A volunteer-based organisation that provides education, information and support for people who have, or will have, an intestinal or urinary diversion. English-language information about the association is available, although not all website content is available in English. 

These organisations are independent of this website, and listing them is not an endorsement of any particular service. Membership fees, eligibility and services differ between organisations and countries, so please check each website for current details. If you are unsure where to start, your stomal therapy nurse or treating healthcare team can point you to a suitable group.