How to Prevent Bed Sores in a Care Home

Are you looking for ways to prevent bed sores in a care home? You should firstly know that what bed sores are. The bed sores are been caused by the pressure on the area that have a bony prominence with thin covering of flesh. It happens on the areas such as heels, tailbone, hip socket, elbows and shoulder blades. It happens when residents of the care home spend too much of their time on one position. It is also known as ulcers or decubitus ulcers. In order to prevent it, the people should not remain in a single position for a long period of time. The people should be encouraged to shift positions or move around in every few hours. However, for many people, help is required to reposition themselves in their beds.

The best way on how to prevent bed sores in a care home is by taking appropriate care. If the bedsores develop or worsen then it happens due to inadequate care and negligent on the part of the nursing home. The nursing homes should provide a level of care which ensures the safety and well-being of the residents. If the nursing home fail to provide this level of care then they may be liable for the resulting damages. The nursing home care givers should be very well-versed in the techniques that are necessary to prevent the bedsores that include:

- Helping the residents to lie at 30 degree angle in order to reduce the pressure on the susceptible areas

- Relocating, repositioning or off-loading

- Ensuring clothing and dry bedding

- Using the pressure relieving devices such as foam padding and pillows

- Keeping an eye on the patients who have the higher risks of having bed sores

- Checking on the nursing care home chippenham residents daily

The bed sores are been categorized in four stages. During the first stage, the sores are not yet open. Though the people may feel pain, there are typically no tears or breaks in the reddened skin. In addition, the skin may lose its color when the finger is been pressed. If further ulcer is been developed then the skin temperature becomes warm and it also becomes firmer or softer around the area which is affected.

In the second stage, the skin may wear away, break open or form a painful ulcer. During this stage, the sore deepens down in to the skin and it can look similar to blister, crater or scrape. At this stage, it is possible for the skin to be damaged beyond repair or it may dies.

During the third stage, the sore extends in to the soft tissue which is underneath the skin and it continues to worsen and it forms a small crater.

At the fourth or last stage which is the most severe kind of skin ulcer, the pressure sore becomes very deep and it often reach in to the bone and muscle that cause irreversible harm. In many cases, the people may not feel any pain because the tissue in the area is been damaged very badly.


by John Denver