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 comes with a range of physical and emotional difficulties – not the least being that the patient is more susceptible to developing bedsores.

Bedsores can greatly increase a bedridden patient’s pain and discomfort, as well as being a great source of misery during the time and treatment needed to heal them.

One good thing, however, is that bedsores are preventable. One of the most effective ways to do this is via the use of a low air loss mattress. Here are five great ways a bedridden patient can benefit from using one:

1. Pressure relief

Low air loss mattresses are inflatable mattresses comprised of air-filled cells. They are designed in a way to reduce constant pressure being placed on the body of a patient when lying down on it. Instead, this pressure is well distributed so that bedsores – also known as pressure sores – do not form. This pressure relief is also a benefit for patients with existing sores which need healing.

2. Prevents moisture build-up

Bedsores are more likely to develop on weakened areas of skin. Areas that are constantly exposed to moisture can become easily damaged and, therefore, weakened. Low air loss mattresses provide a constant airstream circulation between the mattress and the patient’s skin. This stream prevents moisture and humidity from building up, e.g., from sweat. It also means the skin’s temperature can be kept at a constant level – again preventing perspiration.

3. Comfort

Since low air loss mattresses are inflatable and made up of air cells, many patients find it to be a far more comfortable alternative to a normal hospital or domestic mattress. A priority for any bedridden patient, especially those with existing sores, is maintaining a feeling of comfort. Low air loss mattresses offer this important element to a patient – almost helping them feel as if they are sleeping on a bed of air.

4. Portable

If a bedridden patient needs to have frequent hospital visits or even desires to stay at a different location on occasions, one benefit of a low air loss mattress is that it is portable. The mattress can be deflated for travel and then re-inflated again when needed. Most will fit easily onto an existing bed frame. Many bedridden patients appreciate this convenience.

If you are considering investing in a good low air loss mattress for a bedridden patient, find a store that is reputable at selling reliable and effective mattress systems. One good option is Volkner.com. Here you’ll find low air loss mattresses which have a unique feature called the Volkner System. This special system is a turning system which means the patient is gently turned every 4, 5 or 6 minutes, as preferred, so that they don’t have to be moved manually to prevent them becoming uncomfortable in bed, and also as an extra measure against the development of bedsores. Visit the website to also view other mattresses such as the alternating pressure mattress and bariatric mattress which are also effective products for the prevention of bedsores and for the comfort of the bedridden patient.

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).

If you’re taking care of a sick and bedridden loved-one, you’ll want to help them avoid the misery of developing bedsores. Sadly, every bedridden patient is susceptible to these sores.

In particular, it’s wise to note these 8 risk factors:

1. Elderly

In the elderly, skin is generally thinner and more vulnerable to developing sores. The reduced quality of skin and the blood vessels supplying it, can also mean they are more difficult to heal. If the elderly patient is in a nursing home, this risk factor also increases.

2. In a coma

Since a patient in a coma cannot move without help – and they are also not alert to respond to any feelings of pain and discomfort caused by pressure on their skin – they are more likely to develop bedsores. Similarly, other patients who are alert but still unable to feel pain in certain areas of their bodies, will not be aware if pressure sores are developing or feel the need to change positions in bed.

3. Poor diet

Poor diet leads to the body’s weakened state. In particular, it has been found that diets low in protein, Vitamin C and Zinc, all contribute to the patient being in a high-risk category for developing bedsores.

4. Low weight

It is common for the bedridden to lose weight. If a patient already has low fat and muscle content, their bones are closer to their skin and able to generate more friction while lying in bed. This friction results in bedsores.

5. Incontinent

A problem with incontinence means the patient has to endure periods of moisture in the lower part of their body. This moisture is something that leads to the break down of the skin – a perfect condition for a bedsore to form.

6. Certain illnesses

Patients who are diabetic or have vascular diseases which affect their circulation, will have problems with their blood-flow reaching certain areas of tissue. This tissue will then be prone to becoming easily damaged.

7. Smoking

The nicotine in a cigarette affects circulation and smoking also reduces the amount of oxygen in the body, affecting the body’s healing abilities.

8. Low mental awareness

Patients with low mental awareness are unlikely to take action against developing bedsores, such as turning themselves or informing a caregiver about areas of pain and discomfort.

If your patient or bedridden loved-one falls into any of these high-risk categories, the best course of prevention is to invest in a low air loss mattress system or alternating pressure mattress. These mattresses inhibit the development of bedsores by turning the patient’s body every few minutes, preventing areas of continuous pressure from developing and by protecting the skin against moisture and damage. If a patient is unaware of their need to change positions in bed, or just unable to, these mattresses eliminate the need for a caregiver to constantly turn their patient.

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).

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.

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 our Pressure Mattress website as the original source).

Oftentimes, a care-giver to the ill, bedridden or elderly may find their role both physically and emotionally overwhelming. While taking care of the many needs of their patient, they forget to cater to their own needs. Sadly, this can lead to the care-giver becoming exhausted, depressed, neglecting their health, feeling unable to cope and becoming ill themselves. If you’re a care-giver, take note of these 9 essential tips to beating care-giver’s stress.

1.Never forget your own health
Just as your patient needs to have their mind, body and spirit nurtured – so do you. Make it a priority to eat well, exercise and get eight hours of sleep. Being a run-down care-giver will not be beneficial to yourself or your patient.

2.Give yourself respite time
Make use of respite services in your community or enlist a friend or relative to give you regular breaks from your care-giving which can sometimes be an around-the-clock role. Use your breaks to do things you enjoy like spending time with your family, relaxing or enjoying a night out with friends.

3.Seek support from other care-givers
Find other care-givers like yourself. You can do this through support groups or through online resources. Speaking to other care-givers who understand your experiences can be valuable and it might also give you a chance to pick up tips or useful advice.

4.Learn good ways to cope with stress
Learn meditation or deep breathing exercises, start an exercise routine or learn how to think positively and banish negative thoughts. These simple methods could make a big difference in how you feel each day.

5.Recognize your successes
Don’t forget to acknowledge your successes each day – e.g., making your patient smile or receiving their thanks for something you do. However small the successes, know the value of your role as a care-giver and the difference you are making. Accept the things you cannot change.

6.Get informed
It may seem like a chore, but finding out as much as you can about your patient’s condition or illness could actually lighten your load and help you feel more in control when caring for them. Speak to their health adviser and care team and use books or online resources to gain information and advice that will help you with your care-giving.

7.Eliminate negative habits
When a person feels stressed, it’s easy to engage in negative habits such as over-eating, drinking alcohol, withdrawing from people or neglecting your diet. If you know you are prone to any of these or other negative habits, make a determined effort not to engage in them – remember they will only make you feel worse.

8.Get things off your chest
Try not to bottle up your emotions related to your care-giving. Speak to someone you can trust about how you are feeling. Acknowledging feelings of frustration, sadness, anger, resentment, etc, will be the first step towards dealing with them. Seek professional help if your stress becomes too overwhelming.

9.Look for opportunities to lighten your load
Accept help when offered to you and make use of community resources created to help care-givers. Also, invest in practical aids that can make your care-giving role easier, as well as making your patient feel more comfortable. These include grooming, hygiene and bathing aids and products such as a low air loss mattress which prevents distressing bedsores for the bedridden.

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 our Pressure Mattress website as the original source).

Following is the staging system that is most widely used to differentiate the condition of pressure sores.  It is consistent with the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and with the International Association for Enterostomal Therapy; thus, we highly recommend it to evaluate a bedridden patient’s condition in regards to developed pressure sores:

Stage I
Nonblanchable erythema of intact skin; the heralding lesion of skin ulceration.

Note: Reactive hyperemia can normally be expected to be present for one half to three fourths as long as the pressure occluded blood flow to the area (Lewis and Grant, 1925).  This should not be confused with a Stage I pressure ulcer.

Stage II
Partial thickness skin loss involving epidermis and/or dermis.  The sore is superficial and presents clinically as an abrasion, blister, or shallow crater.

Stage III
Full thickness skin loss involving damage or necrosis of subcutaneous tissue that may extend down to, but not through, underlying fascia.  The sore presents clinically as a deep crater with or without undermining of adjacent tissue.

Stage IV
Full thickness skin loss with extensive destruction, tissue necrosis or damage to muscle, bone, or supporting structures (for example, tendon or joint capsule).

Note: Undermining and sinus tracts may also be associated with Stage IV pressure ulcers.

It is crucial to know at what stage the bedsores are to be able to assess the patient’s condition, dangers he or she may face, and the best treatment for his or her specific case.

In most cases, life-threatening bedsores, the ones at Stages III and IV, can be prevented and stopped at the first two Stages with prompt and rigorous treatment and with the constant use of devices like the low air loss mattress. Nevertheless, there are two limitations within this staging system:

One, it may be difficult to identify Stage I pressure sores in patients with dark pigmentation skin.

Two, When there is an eschar (a layer of dead, burned tissue), it is not possible to identify the severe staging of the sore until the eschar peels away or the damaged tissue has been surgically removed.

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 our Pressure Mattress website as the original source).

There are several factors that have been acknowledged as things that put a person more at risk of developing pressure sores.

As soon as a person is spotted as a high-risk individual, certain measures have to be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of him or her developing bedsores.

It is imperative that the care provider, whether it is a nurse or a family member, is knowledgeable about these risk factors in order to be able to prevent the unnecessary and painful development of pressure sores.

The risk factors will vary according to the patient’s specific circumstances; nevertheless, this is a list of the 5 most common risk factors:

1.Being confined to a bed, chair, or wheelchair
Individuals who are confined to a bed, a chair, or a wheelchair, and who are not able to move by themselves, are at high risk of developing pressure sores extremely fast; in as little as a couple of hours, if the pressure is not relieved regularly.

2.Being unable to change positions without assistance
Persons who are in a coma, who are paralyzed, and who are recovering from a hip fracture or other injury that limits mobility, are extremely prone to bed sores.

These patients must be moved consistently at regular intervals, and this is very difficult on caregivers, reason why it is imperative to get a pressure mattress to help both the patient and the caretaker.

3.Losing bowel or bladder control
People who have to remain in bed for long periods of time or permanently and lose the capacity to control their bladder or bowels are in danger of getting bedsores because the continuous moisture on the skin due to urine, stool, or perspiration can irritate and weaken it.

4.Eating bad, having an imbalanced diet and/or dehydration
Pressure sores develop more easily when the body and skin of people who have lost most of their mobility are not adequately nurtured.

5.Losing mental awareness
A person who is losing mental awareness may not have enough sensory perception or capacity to take action to prevent the development of pressure sores.

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 our Pressure Mattress website as the original source).

The majority of pressure sores can be prevented, and the ones that do develop, do not need to get serious or even life threatening.

The caregiver has to consider the patient’s special circumstances when creating a care plan to make sure the person does not develop pressure sores that were preventable in the first place.

Here we give you a list of the 10 precautions that care providers should, but commonly neglect to oversee to avoid pressure sores:

1.They should make an initial proper, thorough, and methodical assessment of the patient’s risk of developing pressure sores.

2.They must conduct accurate periodical assessments to measure the patient’s risk.

3.They have to bathe the patient well and thoroughly.

4.They should assess and treat the patient’s incontinence condition to make sure that excess moisture on the skin does not cause pressure sores.

5.They have to maintain the patient well hydrated and eating enough and right.

6.They must reposition and move the patient at regular intervals to make sure the pressure is relieved properly.

7.They have to use proper support and moving devices such as a low air loss mattress, to relieve pressure from critical areas.

8.They should take into account postural alignment, weight distribution, balance, stability, and pressure relief when helping the person sit on a chair or wheelchair.

9.They have to use the right lifting devices and techniques to make sure that shear and friction do not cause pressure sores.

10.They must get educated on the best ways to prevent bedsores and find documentation that supports those measures.

In essence, every patient is different, and each one will present different conditions or combination of conditions that should guide the creation of the best care plan for him or her.  The caregiver should be able to see this uniqueness in order to prevent the patient’s condition from getting worse out of neglect.

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 our Pressure Mattress website as the original source).

Being bedridden can get really boring, and if the condition is semi-permanent or for the rest of someone’s life, that person will experience serious lows in his or her mood while learning to live in this new state, where normal life interferes, where a low air loss mattress becomes their best friend, and where contact with people diminishes considerably.

In this sense, the best gift you can give someone you love, who happens to be bedridden, is your time and regular presence in his or her life.  When someone can’t move from a bed, the way to connect with the world and to avoid monotony is through the company of others; thus, schedule a weekly chess game, an hour to read, or just drop by with some magazines.

If you want to give your loved one a material gift, first answer these questions:

-What’s his or her health condition?  Some foods or gifts like massages could be harmful.
-How much can he or she move?  Do not give a journal to someone who can’t move his or her arms.
-What does he or she have access to?  Bring DVDs or games only if they have a way to use them.
-What does he or she like?
-What does he or she already have?

It is best if you ask your loved one if he or she would like the gift you are thinking of because when one has to spend every single hour of every single day in the same room, an unwanted or old gift may become a burden.

After answering the questions above, it will be easier to find a great gift for your loved one.  Here we give you some suggestions:

-Crafts and activities
Give him or her a book of origami, a book of puzzles, or logic and riddle books.

If your loved one likes to write, get him or her some stationery or a journal, and if they are unable to write, offer to write letters and emails for them.

Help him or her start a long distance education course.

-Electronics
Gift your loved one with access to a new world by giving him or her a laptop with Internet connection, a TV, a DVD player, or game console.  All these are great entertainment when you have to remain in bed permanently.

-Food
As long as the doctor allows it, food is always a great gift.  Bring him or her their favorite treat or food every once in a while.

-Entertainment
Books and DVDs are a must.  Offer to get your loved one any book they want to read, and even offer to read it to them, and schedule time to watch movies or TV series with them.  It gets much better when there’s the chance to socialize while reading or watching TV.

-Comfort
Details like a satin pillow, cotton nightgowns, or warm socks are very valuable and seldom considered.  A good massage is a gift that will be happily welcomed too.

The truly important thing about a gift for a bedridden person is the meaning behind it.  It is the knowledge that you haven’t forgotten the person, and that you still want to be a part of his or her life.

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 our Pressure Mattress website as the original source).

As many of us may already know, there are literally thousands of different mattresses being sold everyday, all consisting of different comfort levels, price ranges and overall back care.  But what many people may not know, is that a great number of materials that many companies use today to make mattresses, consist of so many toxic elements that it might actually frighten you to know the whole truth.  There are some mattresses in the market right now that actually consist of more chemicals than in any standard barrel of oil.  While this may seem concerning, many experts in the field refute this evidence, saying that most to all chemicals found in standard mattresses are entirely harmless.  But is this true?

While many people today are striving more than ever to take care of themselves the right way, by eating right and getting plenty of exercise, many people may not realize that the right level of outside pollutants, if exposed to the body for too long, can have a tremendous negative impact on your road to a healthy body and a healthy life.  If you really think about it, because you spend at least a third of your entire life sleeping, it is easy to assume that at least 8 hours a day you may be exposing yourself to dangerous toxins and not even know it.  But could this really be true?  Could so many people really be exposing themselves to harmful toxins found in mattresses and not even know it?  The answers might surprise you.

It’s actually scientifically proven that more chemicals can be found in a conventional standard mattress, then in an actual barrel of oil.  This is because most mattresses are made up almost entirely out of petrochemicals, which have been known to cause skin irritation, allergies, or even more serious health concerns.  Most of these mattresses also consist of synthetic toxic materials such as polyurethane, polyester, and other flame retardant chemicals including PBDEs, and formaldehyde.  These chemicals have been shown to cause a number of health problems including cancer, immune system malfunctions, insomnia, fatigue and even more.  Many of these chemicals are even banned in Europe, but in the United States these chemicals are still prevalent.

Synthetic mattresses can also easily form mildew, as moisture collects in the mattress through perspiration or even from a humid environment.  This mildew may be very mild, and you might not even notice it, but over time, it can be detrimental to your immune system.  Synthetic foam mattresses have been the rave in mattresses for decades now, but are they really any better for you than these traditional mattress types?  The answer is no.  Many foam mattresses provide a non-breathing type surface which can cause the body to overheat causing excess moisture buildup.

So you might be asking yourself, if all these mattresses are unsafe, then what kind of mattress can I use to get a good and safe night’s sleep?  The answer is organic.  There are many organic mattresses out today that are not only safe for you the health of your body, in the long and short term, but are also good for you body in general and your back health as well.  One of the popular choices is a bariatric mattress that is not only safe for your health, but provides excellent back and spine support as well.

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).