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.

It is never an easy thing to see a loved-one having to endure the condition of being bedridden. It might almost seem there is little one can do to ease the physical discomfort or emotional distress caused by their predicament.

If you wish to give your loved-one a gift to bring a smile back to their face, here are 4 great gifts they might truly value:

1. Your Time

It might sound clichéd but your time is probably the most valuable thing you can offer a patient who is bedridden. When confined to a bed and suffering physical or emotional pain, the concern, love and attention from someone who cares might be the most uplifting gift a bedridden person could receive. Having someone to distract a loved-one from their illness or discomfort, to listen to their thoughts or feelings, or just having someone to talk to, could have a positive impact on their mental wellbeing – this in turn could have an impact on their physical wellbeing, too.

If you don’t have the money for a special gift, give your loved-one the gift of your time. They might value it more than you know.

2. Help Them Be Themselves Again

Often one of the most soul-destroying aspects of being bedridden is the patient’s inability to enjoy the things they used to when they were independent and healthy. Find out about things your loved-one enjoys or hobbies they used to have. Then try to help them enjoy them again. For example, if your loved-one used to enjoy bike rides or hiking, bring them an outdoor or biking magazine with lots of colorful pictures inside – ask them to tell you about their memories of expeditions to help bring them alive again. Or if your loved-one misses seeing their family or friends, make a scrapbook with recent pictures and messages from them all.

With a personal touch, some thought and some effort, you might be surprised at how special a gift like this could be to your loved-one.

3. Over-The-Bed Table

This might seem like a small aid, but if your loved-one doesn’t already have an over-the-bed table, make it a priority to get them one. A table can be used for playing cards on or as a surface to place a drafts board, scrapbook, laptop, reading book or other things to amuse or entertain.

Remind your loved-one that being bedridden doesn’t mean they have to stop enjoying themselves.

4. Alternating Pressure Mattress

One of the biggest miseries of being bedridden is developing bedsores. These painful wounds can caused extreme physical discomfort as well as emotional distress. Thankfully technology has allowed the invention of alternating pressure mattresses. These mattresses prevent bedsores by helping the patient move slightly every few minutes – varying the amount of pressure being placed on different parts of the body over time. It also eliminates the need to for a patient to be physically moved by another person during the day – a task that is generally not enjoyed by the patient.

Investing in an alternating pressure mattress for your loved-one could be a gift that enhances their physical wellbeing in a very important way.

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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).

What would you do to pass the time if you were bedridden?

Let’s hope it doesn’t happen, but some of us may eventually find ourselves stuck in bed for a certain period of time or permanently due to health issues.

Even if the condition is very serious and the patient requires the help of things such as a mattress overlay, while in bed, life must go on and we must learn to view it in a different way and find new activities that enrich our days while bedridden.

Here we give you 8 interesting activities you or a loved one may consider if the time comes for you to stay in bed:

1.    Learn a new computer skill
There are hundreds, if not thousands; of programs you can use to learn computer skills such as typing, drawing or designing.

You can learn to use Photoshop, PowerPoint, or Excel like a pro, and you can even venture into the web page creation arena that is so ‘in’ right now.

2.    Write letters
This is a lost art.  Since the world got swallowed by the Internet, it is virtually unheard of people getting a letter in the mail.

You can spend some time actually writing a letter by hand to an old friend you haven’t seen in a while or even to one you see regularly.  Imagine what a surprise it will be for them to receive something that is not a bill in the mail.

3.    Learn a language
You have lots of time to listen to tapes and read books in the language you are learning.  You can even talk to native speakers on the Internet and rent DVDs in that language.

Learning a language will keep you mentally active and will give you the refreshing opportunity to learn about new cultures.

4.    Learn a craft
There are kits to learn any kind of craft you can imagine, for example, knitting, sewing, painting, making fabric dolls, jewelry, books, and cards.  You can also choose to learn to do calligraphy or scrap booking.

5.    Learn science
If you don’t like art too much, try science.  The website www.sciplus.com, for example, offers you a wide array of options to try small projects such as an electronics kit, a DIY bat habitat, a DIY kaleidoscope, and much more…

6.    Write a book
Everyone has a story to tell, and maybe yours has been stored in your memory for a long time because you never had the chance to put it on paper… until now.

If you don’t have a story in mind, how about writing down a book about the best family recipes that have been the delight of your loved ones for so many years?  Or how about writing a how-to guide about something you do very well?

7.    Take an online class
There are online courses about anything you can think of. These vary in length and difficulty, and some have a cost while others are free, like the ones Barnes and Noble offers.

8.    Browse the Web
If you like to browse the Internet, these are a few websites that will keep you amused for a long time:

-    To shop for handmade items by amazingly talented artists, go here: www.etsy.com.  You will find every kind of item here, from crafts, to food, to books, to clothes, to bags; and if you want to sell something, it offers very affordable fees.

-    If you like games, check out: www.shockwave.com and www.addictinggames.com.  Both sites are free and very friendly to use.

-    Check out www.stumbleupon.com.  This website asks you to list what you like and dislike to help find interesting websites for you.  It can become addictive because you can find truly amazing information about the things and activities you love.

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).

When taking care of a bedridden loved-one, it’s sometimes hard to imagine how they are feeling because of their confinement, illness and disabilities. As a care-giver, you’ll want to do the best job possible to cater to their physical and emotional wellbeing. But at times you may find there is so much to think about, it’s easy to neglect some of their most basic needs. If you become a care-giver to a bedridden loved-one, here are 6 essential areas it’s important to focus on:

1.Physical care
Consult a healthcare provider to learn about the best possible practical care you can provide to the bedridden. One vital task will be to encourage your loved-one to move their limbs to prevent frozen joints, immobility and blood clots, and to stimulate healthy nerve responses. You might need to move your loved-one’s limbs for them if they are unable to do so on their own. Also, change their position every two hours to prevent bedsores caused by continuous pressure on the skin.

2.Nutrition
Good nutrition is important for the bedridden. This encompasses a well-balanced diet that promotes their well-being. Ensure they have enough fiber so that unnecessary discomforts such as constipation do not occur. A good amount of fruit and vegetables are essential, too, so that your loved-one receives good nutrients to support their health and healing. Give them small, frequent meals – rather than single large ones – and make sure the patient is properly positioned when eating to avoid choking.

3.Hygiene
Prevent unnecessary infections developing through good hygiene care. Brush your loved-one’s teeth and floss their gums, wash their body daily and try to give them baths at least every other day, change incontinence garments frequently if they are being used, keep nails short and try to prevent sweat from building up in areas that are prone.

4.Specific medical problems
Have frequent consultations with a healthcare professional and become well-informed about your loved-one’s specific medical problems. Look for any changes related to their condition. Be organized and make sure you give your loved-one their medications at the right time. You might even choose to join a support group related to their illness to help you access information and support related to your care-giving.

5.Psychological support and understanding
Your loved-one will need you to be understanding about their psychological state too. They may become depressed because of their condition or feel frustrated and hopeless. Try and cater to your loved-ones emotional needs. For example, if you know having flowers in the room or playing music may lift their mood, make the effort to please them with these things. Allow your loved-one to express their wishes about your care-giving so they feel they have some control over their situation. Offer yourself as someone to talk to and reassure them with your love and compassion.

6.The right equipment aids
Invest in good products to keep your loved-one feeling as comfortable as possible and make their day easier, e.g., hygiene, dressing and bath aids. Since they will be in bed most of the time, it’s important that they have a bed and pillows that are supportive. Also, consider a pressure mattress to help prevent distressing bedsores.

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.

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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.

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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).

If you are the caregiver for a person who is confined to a wheelchair or bed you already know how vulnerable they are to certain health risks.  By utilizing the many services and products available today such as air pressure mattresses most of these conditions can be alleviated or prevented altogether.  It is always wise to be aware of the health risks and alert to controlling them before they become life threatening.  Here are 6 common conditions that caregivers should take care to keep a watchful eye on.

Bedsores
One of the most significant risks to the bedridden patient is the development of bedsores.  These lesions can develop and progress very rapidly in the patient who remains in the same position for too long.  Constant pressure on certain areas of the body decreases the amount of blood flow to those spots and friction increases resulting in damage to the skin.  Eventually the flesh actually dies and the lesions can become quite deep, even to the point of infecting the surrounding bone and muscle. By using an alternating pressure mattress which turns the patient on a regular basis, theses sores can be prevented.

Pulmonary congestion
Patients who are confined to bed and are unable to turn themselves are susceptible to several other serious conditions as well, one of the most significant being pneumonia and pulmonary congestion.  If the patient cannot turn themselves and remain immobile, pulmonary secretions can build up and become a threat to the patient’s health.  With the automatic gentle turning provided by a pressure mattress system, the secretions are loosened and do not build up.

Spinal column pressure
The gentle turning of the patient with a pressure mattress also helps to reduce the occurrence of back pain that can be caused by constant pressure on the spinal column.   This greatly increases patient comfort and overall well being.

Sleep problems
If you’ve ever slept on a bad mattress you can fully understand the importance of comfort to a good night’s sleep.  If a patient is unable to move themselves, the body becomes extremely stiff and uncomfortable, resulting in disrupted sleep.  With the constant gentle turning provided by an air pressure mattress, the patient is able to have a solid nights rest which ultimately helps improve overall physical and emotional  health.

Loss of appetite
Lack of movement and stimulation can quickly lead to a loss of appetite which can in turn result in very poor nutrition.  Providing adequate stimulation can help to prevent the patient from losing interest in food.  Bedridden patients should be provided with a variety of activities such as music, movies, reading, puzzles, social interaction and conversation.  Food should be interesting and appealing even if the patient is unable to feed themselves.

Depression
If other conditions such as a lack of social activity, loss of appetite and lack of sleep are allowed to persist, the bedridden or wheel chair confined patient can also become unresponsive and depressed.  This can be avoided by ensuring that the patient receives proper care and attention to the personal needs, both physical and emotional.

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It is very common that the muscles of a person who has to remain in bed for extended periods of time deteriorate due to the lack of use; however, it is not easy to see someone you love lose his or her ability to move arms or legs.

Luckily, you can help.  Besides the help a pressure mattress offers to move the patient at regular intervals, there is a set of exercises called ROM, Range of Motion exercises, that can avert, and even reverse, this situation, unless it is a very serious case.

ROM exercises can be active or passive.  The active style applies to patients who can do the exercises by themselves.  The exercises here are done by the bedridden person but with someone’s assistance.  The passive style works for patients who can’t move by themselves; thus, someone else has to do the exercises for them.  In both cases, the exercises will put off muscle deterioration from happening.

Before starting any exercise routine with a bedridden person, make sure his or her doctor approves it; this is truly important, you can cause serious problems to the patient if his or her condition doesn’t allow for some kind of exercise.

Following is a guide on how to perform the ROM exercises, these specifically apply to the arms; nevertheless, can be used in any part of the body:

1.Shoulder
-Stretch out the scapula: Roll the shoulder blade forward by placing one hand over the front of the shoulder and the other hand on the shoulder blade.

-Flexion and extension: Put the arm straight down to the side.  Reach straight up to the head and back.  Lift the arm overhead and put it back down to the side.

-Horizontal adduction: Put the arm straight out to the side, reach across and touch the other shoulder.

-Abduction: Put the arm straight out to the side, palm up, circle out and up overhead to touch the opposite ear.

-Internal and external rotation: Put the arm at the side, bend the elbow, move hand to the stomach and then back to the bed.  The elbow must remain bent and touching the person’s side.

2.Elbow and forearm
-Elbow flexion and extension: Put the arm at the side, palm up, and touch the hand to the shoulder and return to the starting position.

-Forearm pronation and supination: Put the arm at the side, bend the elbow, turn palm towards the face and then towards the feet.  Make sure you turn the forearm and not the wrist.

3.Wrist
-Wrist radial and ulnar deviation: Keep the arm to the side, bend the elbow and move the wrist up and down as if shaking hands.

-Wrist flexion and extension: Keep the arm to the side, bend the elbow and move the wrist as if waving goodbye, moving the hand from the back of the forearm to the front of the forearm.

-Wrist circumduction: With the arm to the side, bend the elbow and move the wrist in a circular motion.

4.Hand and fingers
-Hand metacarpal gliding: Hold each edge of the hand with the back of the hand facing you.  Place your thumbs on adjacent metacarpal bones and move up and down in relation to each other.

-Fingers flexion and extension: Open and close the hand.

-Fingers abduction and adduction: Fan the fingers apart and together.

-Fingers opposition: Touch the thumb to the base of each finger.

-Fingers metacarpalphalangeal flexion: Steady the ends of the fingers.  At the knuckles, bend at first knuckle, the one closest to the hand, keeping the fingers straight.

-Fingers proximal interphalangeal flexion: Steady the first knuckle joint and bend the second joint maintaining the rest of the fingers straight.

-Fingers distal interphalangeal flexion: Steady the first and second joint and bend the third knuckle joint.

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).