Information

Hygiene and Care of the Bedridden

Daunette Wellington - Support Services Coordinator - Kingston at a staff, client and volunteer fun day

The role of the caregiver in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene varies depending on the level of disability involved. This is a very personal issue and must be handled carefully in order to maintain the dignity of the individual. You may need to do anything from merely monitoring the hygiene of the person to helping with baths and coping with incontinence.

The following are some very important things to do to keep you and the person you are looking after, comfortable and healthy:

• Keep the bed higher. It is easier to wash or feed the person and also helping to go to the toilet. Place pieces of wood or building bricks under the legs. Be careful to ensure that there is no way of falling out of the bed by placing chairs at the side of the bed.
• The bed should be placed near a window or doorway. Fresh air and the joy of being around people you love is great medicine. Wheelchairs can be rented from the Red Cross, to enable trips out.
• To avoid bedsores, use large pieces of foam on the mattress or you can buy pads called "egg crates". These are available at surgical/rehab supplies businesses.
• Have lots of pillows available. They help to support the head and arms and also protect sore areas on the back and buttocks
• Always use plastic sheeting between the sheets and the mattress. When bedridden, the person often wets or soils the bed. Protecting the bed helps you to clean up more easily and also saves on the mattress being ruined. Remember that this sheet can also make the person very hot. An alternative to the plastic sheet is to buy disposable pads to put under the person on the bed. These are called inca pads and are available from pharmacies.
• Change the sheets at least once a week or when soiled. Sprinkling baby powder on a freshly made bed helps to avoid friction and keeps the person dry. Do not allow the person you are caring for to lie in a soiled bed. The moisture can cause serious problems
• Turn the person as often as you can. Elevate the head, roll him/her over, lift the legs up, turn them on their side, back and front etc. Help them to sit in a chair and assist with movement of the limbs as much as possible.