Prevention of Bed sores is one of the most important measures after any surgery or Post discharge from any other medical condition in elderly people at Home care.
The methods used for Prevention help in improving quality of life in high risk and limited mobility individuals.
Caregivers may want to examine risk factors for bedsores. Knowledge of risk factors can help a health care team, family members, and anyone involved in the care of older adults prevent bedsores from ever becoming a problem.
Risk factors include immobility due to poor health or spinal cord injuries and incontinence.
A condition like a spinal cord injury or a neurological disorder like Alzheimer’s disease may cause problems with a person’s sensory perception, which means it’s essential that a health care professional regularly tends to the patient or resident to prevent bedsores.
Actions to be taken to prevent Bed Sores:
Continuous frequent Repositioning of the body
A bedsore may develop in as little as a week when someone doesn’t move regularly, and bedsores may become life-threatening in less than a month. Maintaining blood supply and blood flow to affected areas is essential.
Incredibly, skin breakdown may occur in as few as two to three hours when continuous pressure occurs on the body. Health care professionals or family members should try to move their patient or loved one at least once every hour or two. Prevention of bedsores is aided by making sure vulnerable areas like the tailbone, hips, elbows, and back of the head aren’t under significant pressure.
Special Mattresses
Memory foam or latex mattresses can help prevent bedsores because they reduce the pressure on the body’s vulnerable areas like the hips and elbows. A memory foam mattress can promote healthy, even distribution of pressure throughout the body.
Air Mattresses or Water Mattresses also help in prevent or alleviate Bed-sores.
Proper Nutrition
Good nutrition helps keep the skin healthy and reduces the likelihood of a bedsore developing. Nutritional plans may include vitamin C and zinc supplements, as well as increased hydration to keep the skin healthy and robust.
Skin Care Regimens
Mild soap and warm water help keep the skin clean, and gently patting damp areas of skin dry reduces the likelihood of a blister developing. Talcum powder can help keep vulnerable regions of the body dry, too.
One of the difficulties caregivers may have in keeping their loved one or patient safe from bedsores is that the skin can’t remain too moist or too dry for extended periods of time, which means it may take some experimentation to find a happy medium for a skin care regimen.
