What are IA’s aims?

Any serious illness will disrupt a person’s normal lifestyle, especially if it has lasted many years and has led to major surgery resulting in a change of body function and body image.

• IA aims to help anyone who has had, or is about to have, their colon removed to return to a fully active and normal life as soon as possible.
• IA aims to help them with all aspects of their rehabilitation including social activities, relationships with their families, friends, employers, colleagues and members of the general public.
• IA aims to work in close co-operation with the medical authorities as part of a team whose primary aim is the complete rehabilitation of every ileostomy or pouch patient.
• IA aims to promote and co-ordinate research, not only into ways of improving the quality of life with an ileostomy or pouch, but also into the illnesses which lead to these operations.
• IA aims to improve knowledge about the management of ileostomies or pouches and encourage development of new ostomy equipment and skin care preparations.