What are five things you can do to prevent bedsores?

Treatment

Prompt medical attention can prevent surface pressure sores from deepening into more serious infections. For mild bedsores, treatment involves relieving pressure, keeping the wound clean and moist, and keeping the area around the ulcer clean and dry. Antiseptics, harsh soaps, and other skin cleansers can damage new tissue, so a saline solution should be used to cleanse the wound whenever a fresh non-stick dressing is applied.

The patient's doctor may prescribe infection-fighting antibiotics, special dressings or drying agents, or lotions or ointments to be applied to the wound in a thin film three or four times a day. Warm whirlpool treatments are sometimes recommended for sores on the arm, hand, foot, or leg.

In a procedure called debriding, a scalpel may be used to remove dead tissue or other debris from the wound. Deep, ulcerated sores that don't respond to other therapy may require skin grafts or plastic surgery.

A doctor should be notified whenever a person:


will be bedridden or immobilized for an extended time


is very weak or unable to move


develops bedsores

Immediate medical attention is required whenever:


skin turns black or becomes inflamed, tender, swollen, or warm to the touch.


the patient develops a fever during treatment.


the sore contains pus or has a foul-smelling discharge.

With proper treatment, bedsores should begin to heal two to four weeks after treatment begins.

Alternative treatment

Zinc and vitamins A, C, E, and B complex help skin repair injuries and stay healthy, but large doses of vitamins or minerals should never be used without a doctor's approval.

A poultice made of equal parts of powdered slippery elm (Ulmus fulva), marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis), and echinacea (Echinacea spp.) blended with a small amount of hot water can relieve minor inflammation. An infection-fighting rinse can be made by diluting two drops of essential tea tree oil (Melaleuca spp.) in eight ounces of water. An herbal tea made from the calendula (Calendula officinalis) can act as an antiseptic and wound healing agent. Calendula cream can also be used.

Contrasting hot and cold local applications can increase circulation to the area and help flush out waste products, speeding the healing process. The temperatures should be extreme (hot hot and ice cold), yet tolerable to the skin. Hot compresses should be applied for three minutes, followed by 30 seconds of cold compress application, repeating the cycle three times. The cycle should always end with the cold compress.

1-5) Move.

get outta bed

Hmm, it's been a while. Proper nutrition, ambulation, turning & repositioning every 2 hours, proper skin care, & I forgot the last one.

bathe
clean sheets
new mattress
stay out of bed Unless sleeping or busy
body check
what do you think?!

A sleep system with memory foam and magnets. It supports you, relieving stress spots on the body, and the magnets increase circulation. This allows more nutrients and oxygen to get to the affected area.

Move a lot, and do excersises!