Articles

Dealing with bed sores

24/03/2017

Bed sores are also sometimes called pressure sores. They are often found on people who have little or no mobility. You may be with a client who has a bed sore or has the beginnings of one. If you see a red patch which does not go away in a few days, ask yourself if it is in an area which has a lot of contact with a surface.

Prevention is decidedly the best way to deal with bed sores, and they can often be avoided if they are addressed early on. Bed sores develop over a period of time, so paying attention to possible spots where they may develop is important.

Natural padding – muscles and fat – may prevent, or certainly delay the onset of bed sores. The natural instinct for most people to move from side to side in bed also helps. In people who cannot move in this way, such as people who are paralysed or bedridden, the pressure wears away at the skin. Skin which is already thin can easily tear, and this is the start of a bed sore.

Sometimes the nerves in the area are damaged, and your client literally does not know that they need to move because the area is sensitive. Unless you check the skin at regular intervals, the skin will breakdown. Once the skin has ruptured, it will need regular care from you and the district nurse to heal again. You should always work under her advice and guidance.

Unfortunately, once a person has a bed sore, they are very difficult to heal. This is why as a carer, you must monitor all the areas which have been identified as possible spots. This will normally be easily done at bath or shower time. In a bedridden person, you will spot red areas during the bed bath.

The most common spots for bed sores to start are in places where bone and muscle are in contact with a surface. This is often on the hips, spine, back of head, ankles, and heels. Elbows and knees are also places where you should look.

Padding the contact surface will help. You may use things like sheepskin rugs to rest feet on.  or extra pillows which support the legs but keep the ankles and heels off the surface. The District Nurse may advise ways to take pressure of sensitive areas.

If your client has a sensitive spot at the base of the spine, it is important that you turn them frequently to remove pressure from the area. This is a common area for bedridden people to develop sores. Remember that if your client has lost weight, there will be more spots as there is less fat to supply padding. 

As soon as you think there is a possibility of a sore developing, you should call the District Nurse and ask her advice. She may recommend a different way to lie or sit. She may also suggest a good barrier cream which will prevent the area from opening and becoming a bed sore.