Helping the bedridden

Helping the bedridden:

Preventing Bedsores

• 1Helping the bedridden means preventing bed sores. Bed sores are pressure sores created by resting in one position too long; they generally form where soft tissue is compressed by bone. Elbows, ankles, and the buttocks are frequent spots for the formation of these ulcerations. Especially in the elderly, thinner skin means that pressure sores rapidly form and take a long time to clear.
  
  Bed sores, unlike the connotation of the name, can be formed from resting in any position too long. This means that, if your elderly loved one tends to sit in a chair, wheelchair or in bed for a long time, they could be at risk for bed sores.
  
  Bedsores.org lists the following risk factors:
  
  a. Confinement to bed, chair, or wheelchair.
  b. Inability to change positions without help.
  c. Loss of bowel or bladder control.
  d. Poor nutrition and/or dehydration.
  e. Decreased mental awareness.
  
  Read more about preventing bedsores in my article Preventing bedsores.

Helping the bedridden:

Preventing bedsores - SOLUTIONS

1. Get a specialized inflatable mattress or egg crate mattress topper for the bedridden to lie upon. Varying the surface of the bed allows air to circulate and relive tension so that bedsores do not easily form.
2. Appropriate bathing and drying (!) of the skin. I like to use Comfort Cloth washcloths like the ones our hospital provides. Just pop them into the microwave or warm them in water and wipe the skin. Comfort Cloths are not very wet so you only have to wait a few minutes for the skin to dry or, alternatively, dry the skin with a soft clean cloth.
3. Reposition the bedridden patient frequently, at least every hour or more if they feel pressure in any part of the body. If at all possible, get the bedridden to do any exercise they can manage. Perhaps a WII video game will allow the bedridden patient to move a bit when playing a bowling or badmitton game.
4. Make sure that the bedridden patient has adequate hydration - water is not only important for keeping the body healthy but will also help keep the skin healthy. Also, moisturizing lotions may be rubbed onto the skin to provide a barrier. Vaseline Constant Care Moisture Barrier Salve is a good lotion for spots likely to sweat against bed clothes or chair seats.
5. Keep the bed sheets smoothed down. Wrinkles or rough bedsheets may easily lead to bedsores so make sure that the sheets are the best you can afford and use bed suspenders to hold the sheets taut.
   
   I will tell you this: the more expensive bed suspenders, like these sheet suspenders work much better than the cheaper ones (voice of experience here)