It is very difficult to watch your parents, grandparents, or any other loved one end up bedridden due to an illness or old age.

When that happens, the important thing you have to understand is that there are lots of ways in which you can help make their lives easier and show them how much you care.

It is fundamental that they don’t think they are a burden, and that they feel loved, understood, and capable of having a good quality of life even if they have to remain in bed permanently.

To help you do this, here we give you 5 in-home care tips that will show your loved one how much you care:

1. Comfort

Comfort is crucial for bedridden people. There is nothing worse than to feel uncomfortable, aching, and unable to rest when you are not able to move by yourself, so make sure your loved one always has the right support for his/her back and joints.

2. Cleanliness

No person can feel well if he/she is not clean, and this gets even worse if they are bedridden.

It is vital to bathe and groom your loved one every day, just as they would do if they could move. Something this simple does wonders for the person’s self-esteem.

Equally, you should change the bedding daily and make sure the room is clean. A nice, clean room with good ventilation, temperature, and illumination is crucial for a bedridden person’s wellbeing. Remember that this is their world now.

3. Records

It is very important that you keep clear and thorough records of the person’s appetite, bowel movements, body temperature, pulse, and breathing, to have them ready in case the doctor needs this information promptly.

4. Skin care

When bedridden, a person is prone to getting bedsores and skin ulcers on the areas that are under constant pressure. It starts with the skin becoming tender and painful, ‘till finally the infected sores burst.

The way to avoid bedsores is to always maintain the skin dry and very clean, to smooth out the bed sheets constantly, and to change the person’s position at least every two hours.

Yes… this can be a daunting task, but don’t despair… there is help. Make sure you get a pressure mattress, which has a mechanism that moves the person from one side to the other at regular intervals, ensuring the skin is well protected from excess pressure.

5. Blood circulation

The inactivity a bedridden person suffers makes him/her vulnerable to blood clotting. This happens when blood merges in the veins forming blood clots that can travel along the bloodstream to important organs. It can cause strokes and even death.

Make sure your loved one is massaged and moved regularly to stimulate blood circulation in the body and that he/she takes proper medication that can help with this condition if necessary.

There are people who have decided to devote their lives to taking care of people who are bedridden. These people are professional caregivers… but there is also the common person that ends up being a caregiver to a loved one due to age or illness.

Care giving is such a difficult task that even professionals, at one point or another, feel insecure and wonder if they are doing the right thing. If this is so, imagine how the common person can feel when presented with the task of taking care of another person’s necessities 24/7.

Eventually almost all caregivers, professionals or not, end up asking themselves why it is that they are doing what they are doing, and the time comes to put things in perspective.

Here are 3 good pieces of advice to help you cope with becoming a caregiver:

1. Surround yourself with successful caregivers

In business, they teach you that if you want to be successful you should surround yourself with successful people, well… this applies to care giving too.

There are support and educational groups for caregivers, where you can get training, information, ideas, and tips from caring people who understand what you’re going through.

You can research support programs and agencies that specialize in bedridden care. The key is to surround yourself with professionals that can help you manage your feelings and needs.

2. Gain confidence in yourself

And how do you do that? Well… By educating yourself on what you are doing.

If you’re caring for an Alzheimer’s patient you have to know how this disease is diagnosed and treated, and the same goes for caring for a person who has had a serious accident that has left him/her paralyzed. Both patients are bedridden, but their conditions are very different and so, require different care.

There are many way to get educated:

- You can find national organizations that relate to your loved one’s condition. These will have accurate information about that specific condition and about local programs related to it.

- You can search the Internet, but be careful and make sure you find reliable sources.

- You can go to a research hospital. Find out if that institution can give you relevant information on new treatments and if they happen to be working with patients such as yours.

A big part of gaining confidence in one’s ability, no matter what you do, is to pretend you’re confident. It has been proven that when you pretend you’re confident, after a while you become sure of yourself.

Tell yourself, again and again, that you are doing it right. Look in the mirror and repeat out loud, “You know what you’re doing, and you’re doing great”. You can repeat any encouraging phrase that resonates with you.

3. Use positive affirmations

Most caregivers at one point ask themselves why they are doing what they’re doing. When this time comes, it is important that you remind yourself why you’re changing diapers, adjusting a bariatric mattress, and bathing and feeding a bedridden person.

We recommend you make a sign that reads, “I love my wife/son/grandfather/mother/father/daughter” and put it where you can see it regularly.

Is bathing the person the hardest part? Then put the sign in the bathroom.

Is it cleaning his/her bedsores? Then put the sign in front of the medicine cabinet so that you can read it every time you go get the medication.

Is it moving the person regularly to make sure the skin remains healthy? Well… a pressure mattress can free you from this burden; just get the right one!

Just remind yourself every day that you deeply love that person that needs you so much now. It may work to place an old picture of your loved one or the family smiling near your bed … love brings about miracles, and after all, what better care can your loved one receive than in-home care?

It is not easy to see a loved one end up in bed permanently due to an illness or old age; however, it happens a lot, and many people have suddenly found themselves in the position of caregiver without having any training or idea of what this new role will demand from them.

Most definitely, in-home care is the best kind of care a bedridden person can have if it is undertaken with love and commitment. This doesn’t mean, of course, that it is an easy alternative.

Bedridden patients who are cared for at home have many needs and require constant attention, which together with the normal activities around a house and of its members, can sometimes get beyond overwhelming.

Here we give you 17 tips to help you balance your life if you have assumed the role of caregiver to a loved one:

1. Always make medical and personal decisions founded on a solid base of integrity so that you are not troubled by second guessing later.

2. Be real about what’s happening today. Don’t imagine things are worse, and enjoy the good parts. Do not let images of what could happen control your life.

3. Be honest with family and friends. Talk regularly and be direct about what’s happening.

4. Expect and be ready for difficult talks. Family and friends will digest the news of an illness at different times; so, at first some may not understand the tension you are going through.

You have to explain the illness, treatment, side effects, etc. to them thoroughly, and maybe even meet with the doctor so that he can address questions in an accurate way.

5. Learn the medical language. This will help your work as a caregiver. Search the web for trusted websites where you can find accurate information, but always confirm it with the doctor to avoid worrying needlessly.

6. Get every item that can help you ease the work. Bedridden patients who can’t move by themselves must be moved at least every two hours to avoid bedsores, and this is an exhausting task.

Get a low air loss mattress, which will turn the patient automatically at established hours and will allow you to rest at night and do other things during the day. Equally, get a bath kit, which is especially designed to simplify bathing a bedridden patient. There are many other in-home care items that will make yours and your loved one’s life easier and happier.

7. Learn to listen and be compassionate, because your loved one’s mood may change abruptly due to their condition, and you have to understand this is only temporary and you shouldn’t take it personally.

8. Control what you can. Get help with household chores, with yard work, cook meals in advance, organize your bills and paperwork so that you know what you are spending, and plan your work.

9. Stop trying to control what you have no control over. You can’t change the reality of your loved one’s illness, but you can trust there is a reason for everything… even for this.

10. Rest. Find a comfortable spot at home where you can relax on a comfy chair surrounded by a nice and clean environment.

11. Cook comfort food with love. It will soothe everyone’s soul, will provide nutrition for healing, and will put a smile on your loved one’s face.

12. Enjoy life. Find new interests that you can enjoy with your loved one at home: play games, watch movies, listen to music, paint, and simply enjoy simple pleasures.

13. Write a journal. This gives you a private space to let it all out.

14. Envision the future. Even in the face of illness, we can grow, so don’t stop making plans.

15. Give to others. Give as much as you will receive during these difficult times: a comforting word, a prayer, or a distracting conversation, can make a person’s day when they are feeling low. Giving will make you feel spiritually and emotionally full.

16. Take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise, rest, and learn to say no. Go out from time to time to get energized.

17. Do not expect to be perfect. Caregivers have their low moments, and this is more than understandable. Do the best you can and let go of the rest.

Being bedridden, whether temporarily or permanently, is a drastic change in your life. Your organism most certainly will feel it no matter your age, and even more so if you used to be a physically active person.

It is tough, in so many ways, to go from being an independent and active individual to being bedridden and, in some cases, only able to move with the help of a caregiver or a pressure mattress.

A person loses weight when he or she burns more calories through daily activity than the ones he or she ingests when eating. Even so, bedridden people CAN lose weight.

They have to limit their calorie intake¾a diet specified by the doctor¾and do isometric exercises to keep the muscles strong if they want to lose those extra pounds gained due to their new physical condition.

Isometric exercises burn calories, and these, coupled with a controlled calorie intake of about 500 calories daily will help a bedridden patient under in-home care lose around one pound per week.

Here we give you a 5-step plan to help you lose weight even if you have to remain in bed:

Step 1

Change your eating habits and become a healthy eater. Eat a good assortment of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and fat-free dairy products every day. Forget about processed foods and sweets.

Step 2

Reduce the size of the portions you eat by 10 or 15%. Feel free to leave food on your plate. You don’t have to eat everything your caregiver serves you, just eat what you feel satisfies you.

Step 3

Never miss breakfast! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it activates your metabolism.

Step 4

Eat small meals during the day instead of waiting until you are very hungry to eat a huge meal.

Step 5

Do a series of isometric exercises every day.

For the legs, lie on your back with your legs straight, tighten the top of your legs and pull up the kneecaps. Hold the position for 10 seconds, then release and repeat five times.

For the stomach, lie on your back with your legs straight and put your palms on your stomach. Exhale and tighten your stomach, pull the bellybutton toward the spine. Hold for 10 seconds, then inhale and release and repeat five times.

You can do isometric exercises for every muscle group: glutes, calves, chest, etc. Your doctor will be able to recommend the best exercise routine for you; there is always something you can do even if you are not able to move without help.