Lisa, here's yet another experience with a trach, if you haven't read enough. My husband had 2 of them. The first one was removed before he left the hospital and we were trained on how to keep the hole clean until it closed up- not a big deal-
the 2nd one was put in [months later]in an emergency situation when the tumors were stopping his ability to breath. He came home with that trach and I was trained to do the whole cleaning, suction routine.[keep in mind, my background is English teacher, kitchen and bath designer, grandma] It was very scary for me at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly and did it every few hours for over 6 weeks. If your Dad needs one, then don't be too scared [ha!, I had nightmares when they told me John was going to come home with one]. It is usually a manageable situation for a caregiver. Stay strong.Keep asking questions. Amy in the Ozarks