Breaking Down the 'Bathing Barrier' for Ostomates: Promoting 'Mental Barrier-Free' from a Public Bath in Sumida Ward

Alcare Co., Ltd. will hold a 'Three Days of Heart and Body Warming Experience and Exchange' for ostomates and their families from June 11 (Thu) to 13 (Sat), 2026. Currently, there are over 200,000 ostomates in Japan. They fall under the category of internal disabilities, and for excretion management, they must always wear a stoma appliance on their abdomen, including during bathing and sleeping. Because the stoma is located on the abdomen, it is not visible from the outside. Also, because it is a sensitive matter related to excretion, there are many cases where they do not tell others that they are ostomates. Against this background, social awareness of ostomates has not progressed, and the reality is that understanding from those around them is not sufficient. Under these circumstances, many ostomates give up using public baths such as hot springs and public baths due to anxiety about being stared at regarding their stoma appliance or misunderstandings about hygiene. In fact, in a survey conducted by Alcare, more than 80% of ostomates answered that they 'stopped going to hot springs.' This event aims to resolve the psychological and physical hurdles (invisible walls) that ostomates face regarding public baths, provide an opportunity to enjoy bathing from the heart, and improve correct understanding and social awareness of ostomates in the world, including bathing facilities. With the amendment and enforcement of the 'Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities' on April 1, 2024, reasonable accommodation for ostomates in public baths and accommodation facilities is required, but challenges such as lack of social awareness and understanding remain. Stoma appliances do not leak waste if worn properly, and there are no hygiene problems, so bathing is possible, but many ostomates refrain from bathing in public baths, feeling an invisible wall of 'worrying about the eyes of others' or 'being misunderstood.' Since developing Japan's first stoma appliance 'Lapac' in 1965 at the request of a head nurse at the National Cancer Center, Alcare has been providing information and support to ostomates for about 60 years, not only by providing products but also by publishing care guidebooks and the free information magazine 'Himawari.' This time, we will newly collaborate with 'Mikotoyu,' a barrier-free public bath in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, founded in 1947. By fusing Mikotoyu's excellent barrier-free environment with Alcare's professional knowledge regarding ostomates, we will create a 'new model case of bathing support for ostomates through collaboration between local companies and public baths in Sumida Ward' that removes both psychological and physical walls, and contribute to the realization of a society where everyone can live like themselves by spreading 'mental barrier-free' through enlightenment activities. In the event, we will completely reserve the bath for about 2 hours before the start of general business only for ostomates and their families, providing an environment where they can bathe comfortably without worrying about the eyes of others. We will also hold an exchange meeting where participants can directly convey their daily worries and requests to product developers, and a factory tour where they can see the manufacturing process of stoma appliances that they cannot usually see.