When a bedridden person suffers from incontinence, additional protection is required both for the patient and for his or her bed.

For the patient, you will find incontinence briefs, such as ‘Attends’ or ‘Prevail’, that offer lots of aid; and to help preserve the mattress, there are products like mattress pads, incontinence pads, and mattress protectors available nationwide.

The use of these pads and protectors is an inexpensive and simple way to prevent serious damage to the mattress as well as to isolate moisture from the patient’s skin.

If you have a loved one, or take care of someone, who is bedridden and suffers from incontinence, you may already know about these products, but if you don’t, give them a try:

-    Vinyl or rubber supported mattress protector
Every bedding section of big department stores offers a wide array of mattress pads and protectors.  Some protectors are waterproof but others may not be; thus, make sure you thoroughly read the information on the package to chose one that works for incontinence.

Some mattress protectors that are supported by rubber have to be washed after every accident.  These protectors have a cloth top and a bottom that is backed with rubber, and while they are great to isolate moisture, they must be washed every time the patient has an incontinence episode.

There is another kind of mattress protector that consists of a bag with a zipper; it is made out of vinyl and slides over the whole mattress.  The vinyl protector is placed under a standard mattress pad and bottom sheet, and it can be cleaned with a disinfectant when an accident happens.

-    Incontinence pads
Hospitals use a type of disposable incontinence pads called “chux”, which offers great protection for patients and bed linens.

“Chux” are blue and are available through medical supply stores or the Web.  The green alternative to the “chux” is the washable bed pads, which can also be found at medical supply stores or online.

-    Rubber supported draw sheets
If your loved one, or the bedridden person you are caring for, is not able to leave the bed at all, there are special sheets called “draw sheets” that will help you lift and turn the patient in bed without hurting him or her, and yourself, in the process.

Draw sheets measure about 36″ x 70″ and are placed on the bed sideways.  Some types of these sheets are supported with rubber on the back, providing full protection for the patient, the linens, and the mattress.

These can be found at medical supply stores online.

All of these pads and supports can be used with a low air loss mattress or any other type of special mattress the bedridden patient requires to preserve his or her health and physical integrity.

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Very often, elderly people end up sitting in a living room or lying down in bed permanently with little or no stimulation.

As they age, people lose the capacity to move freely.  It is common that they end up bedridden or on a wheelchair, dependant on a pressure mattress or on your help to move, and with very few activities that fuel their minds.

Here we offer you 5 ideas to stimulate your loved one’s mind while he or she ages, so that they can enjoy a better quality of life even if they have to remain in bed permanently:

1.An elder person’s room has to have decoration that stimulates the mind.  People who have to stay in bed for long periods of time end up depressed and looking at the ceiling if they are not offered opportunities to activate their minds.

Hang up beautiful and colorful posters with images that interest the person, and even attach them to the ceiling, but make sure they are well fixed to avoid accidents.

If the person has traveled a lot, choose images to remind him or her of past trips. If they like animals, hang up animal pictures. If they like movies, find old movie posters and make their room look like a cinema, or you may enlarge their favorite family and youth photos and hang them around the room to prompt your loved one to tell stories about his or her life.

Rotate the posters every once in a while to stimulate the mind even more and to make the room look different.

2.Put some shelves around the room within your loved one’s line of sight and place interesting items on them.  You can put photos, cards, and colorful objects.

Move or replace the items regularly to create interest, and find out if your loved one notices.

3.Put a basket near the bed or chair, in a place that is easily reachable, so that your bedridden loved one is able to grab the items in it without help.

You can put inside small photo albums, magazines, books, or puzzles.

4.Anything that is used in the room can help stimulate your loved one’s mind and prompt conversations.

Fill the room with flowers and plants so that your loved one is in contact with nature.  They can even do some gardening from their bed.

Play soft music constantly; classical music is great, and let them talk about the composer and the piece they are listening to.  Very often, music brings back fond memories.

5.Bedridden people must be in contact with others; they must talk about memories, family times, or about a specific object or poster in their bedroom.  Invite people they love to visit as often as possible to prompt interesting and happy conversations.

When interesting objects and lots of color are placed within a bedridden person’s eye level, you are giving him or her the gift of mind stimulation in addition to making their living space look beautiful, cozy, bright, and happy.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention http://www.volkner.com as the original source).

Giving a bath to a person who is bedridden is an activity that has to be learned properly in order to ensure the comfort and safety of the patient.

There are easy techniques we can learn to care for our bedridden loved ones in an effective and loving way. The last thing we want is to cause them harm, thus, we must be very careful when moving them while giving them a bed bath, and we have understand that we will be bathing the person by body parts, not the whole body at once.

Here’s what you should do to bathe a bedridden person so that he or she feels truly clean:

1.Always keep the person’s bottom very clean, so that when bathing time comes, this body part is easier to take care of.  Every time there is an incontinence incident, and after every bowel movement, wash the area thoroughly.

2.Get a small bathtub and fill it with warm water.  You will need five washcloths and five small towels to clean the whole body, because these will be changed frequently to keep the water clean.  You want the dirt to stay on the cloths, not the water.  You can put a small amount of liquid soap into the water, but just a couple of drops so that it doesn’t feel soapy.

3.Adjust the room temperature and get rid of drafts so that the person is not cold.  When the water gets cold, change it to ensure it always remains at a nice warm temperature.

4.Ensure there will be complete privacy while you are bathing your loved one, do not take any phone calls during the process, and focus on the person.

5.Expose body parts as you will be washing them, keep the rest covered to avoid chills.

6.Be cheerful as you bathe the person, talk to them, put some music on if they like it, and treat him or her as you would like to be treated.

7.To begin the bath, put the person on his or her back and expose the upper part of the body.  Wet the washcloth with warm water and rub it on the patient’s face and neck, then, dip a towel into the water, squeeze the excess of liquid, and rub to rinse these body parts.  Get another towel and dry them thoroughly.  Discard the washcloth and rinsing towel; you can use the drying towel again.

8.Repeat the procedure above to wash the arms, hands, and chest, and when you’re done, cover them with a blanket to keep the person warm.

9.Next, turn the person to one side and wash the back with circular movements, following the same routine as before.  After drying the back thoroughly, put the patient back in bed.  Right now may be a good time to change the water, since it may have gotten cold.

10.It’s time to move to the lower part of the body.  Start by washing the legs and feet in the same way you washed the arms and hands, and after drying thoroughly, cover them right away.

11.The last body part you should wash is the bottom.  Use the same procedure as for the rest of the body, and cover as soon as you’re done.

12.Put clean clothes on the person, change the bed sheets, and position the patient comfortably over a low air loss mattress to stimulate circulation in his or her body.

This bathing technique uses a very small amount of water and maximizes the caregiver’s time while making the bedridden person feel refreshed and comfortable.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention http://www.volkner.com as the original source).

Bedridden patients can benefit greatly from a massage.  A pressure mattress is crucial, but not enough, to stimulate the tissues, muscles, and organs in the body; hence, a massage works great to improve the patient’s circulation and to invigorate the muscles to avoid their atrophy.

But, the benefits of a massage in bedridden patients go beyond the physical aspect.  This kind of therapy also makes them feel calmer and reduces stress, helping alleviate pain.

There are 3 types of massages that you can recommend to your bedridden loved one:

1.Myofascial massage
This massage involves the whole body and it is done to relieve the tension in the fascia, which is the fibrous connective tissue that ties muscles and organs together in the body.

The physiotherapist uses long and stretching movements to relax the muscles that are tense.  It is a soft massage that can help alleviate pain.

With slow, steady rubs that are directed towards the heart, blood flow through the body is increased, and in this way, additional oxygen and nutrients can flow more easily to the tissues to enhance the healing process and to relieve pain.

The movement works out the heart muscle and offers training support to the arteries.

2.Swedish massage
This type of massage is more aggressive than the myofascial and is recommended for patients who suffer from muscles spasms and acute pain.  The movements of the Swedish massage affect the muscles, joints, ligaments, and fascia.

Besides improving circulation, this massage enhances breathing capability, reduces the swelling produced by fluid retention, soothes the nerves, and improves flexibility and joint range of motion.

To enhance the healing benefits, the physiotherapist uses hot and cold applications while doing the massage.  Depending on the patient’s level of comfort, the rubs can be gentle or strong.

The ligaments are massaged along and across to stimulate the drainage of toxins and flexibility, and the strong vertical rubs imitate the effects of exercise.

The therapist uses fast vibrating movements to help clear the lungs, to control muscle and joint pain, and to generate muscle contractions.  To alleviate aching joints and to produce a feeling of wellness, the Swedish massage includes compression done with warm oil.

3.Geriatric massage
This type of massage uses many techniques and is tailored to the patient.  It treats emotional states as much as physical ones that are normal in elderly people, and is mainly used in hospitals and nursing homes to help seniors that are bedridden.

People who have to remain in bed for long periods of time need soft massage rubs with oil to help alleviate bedsores and pressure points, and it is also vital to consider arthritis, high blood pressure, brittle bones, and hardened arteries, when defining a massage routine for the elderly.

The geriatric massage may use techniques from the Swedish and myofascial types, plus others from more gentle therapies like Reiki and aromatherapy.  The physiotherapist must be specially trained to deal with the needs of bedridden seniors to ensure the patient is professionally cared for.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention http://www.volkner.com as the original source).

The 40-70 rule emerged as a guide to help families talk to their senior loved ones about how they will be taken care of as they age and become more dependent, and about what both parties feel, think, and expect of their lives during this stage.

It is meant to be a way to improve the communication gap that may exist between adult children and their senior parents.  The condition of aging commonly shocks family caregivers profoundly, because of the many difficult situations that come up during this phase of life.

Sometimes it can be very hard to talk to your dad about him crashing the car against a pole, or to ask your mom if she is taking all her medications as the doctor prescribed, or to find the way to tell your parents that they need more help at home.  This is challenging even for families where communication is open and trusting, and in many cases what happens is that people decide to not say anything at all, leaving many situations unresolved.

Adult children have to learn to talk to their senior parents sooner than later, before a serious crisis is just around the corner or has already taken place, and this is what the 40-70 rule is all about.  It helps families with senior loved ones deal with sensitive topics and difficult conversations right on time.

Basically, the rule is that if you are 40 and your parents are 70, you have to start talking about certain senior matters.  This rule is based on the fact that 1/3 of adults in the United States have problems talking to their parents because of the prolongation of the parent-son role.  Yes, many parents continue to have a very controlling relationship with their children, even after they become adults, making certain conversations quite difficult.

Do not wait until your aging parent is partially or totally bedridden, cannot understand you, or requires the help of a bariatric mattress to prevent bed sores; because sadly, this happens too often, and you end up regretting not having had the opportunity to discuss their wishes and expectations with them.

Get more information about the 40-70 rule; read this booklet, and get the help you and your senior loved one need.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.volkner.com as the original source).