How to Care for a Bedridden Elderly Person: A Reminder for Elderly Companions

We want to take care of the bedridden elderly person. It’s a reminder for the elderly companions who have trouble keeping up with the patient. This post will make sure you have a clear idea about how to take care of a bedridden person. It includes what it means to be bedridden, the chronic conditions that could require bed rest, and some early warning signs of when an elderly companion might not be able to do this.

What’s a Bedridden Elderly Person?

Bedridden elderly patients are those in whom the only movement is that of their head. The patient is lying down because they can’t move for some reason. It could be due to an illness, injury, or other condition. In most cases, these people with disabilities can still see and hear clearly. 

The following are common reasons why a person might be bedridden:

• Cancer Patients

In these cases, the patient’s movement is restricted by cancer, tumor, or growth. Their bladder and bowels may also be affected, causing them to have a great deal of pain when they move their bowels.

• Diabetics

People with this medical condition can get bedridden when they are unable to keep their blood sugar level stable. If they do not make adjustments in their diet, it will keep them from living a healthy life, and will no longer be able to do their everyday activities like usual.

• Stroke Patients

When a stroke occurs, the patient’s muscles are affected, causing paralysis — plus an unlikely quality of life. A patient suffering a stroke may also have problems speaking or reading, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if they couldn’t move their arm or leg at all.

• Arthritis

When a person has arthritis, they may have difficulty moving their knee or elbow. The pressure sores caused by the injury can cause severe discomfort for the patient.

• Asthma

Asthmatics need to be careful because it’ll affect their ability to breathe. It is why they need to protect themselves when they’re outdoors: asthma causes them to feel short of breath, and if they aggravate their breathing problems, it could lead to a full-blown attack.

Valuable Tips in Taking Care of Bedridden Patients

1. Don’t Stand Over Them

Don’t stand over the patient; talk to them directly. It’s essential to be able to see what the patient is doing. For example, if they move their hand in front of their face, you’ll want to see that right away. But don’t stare directly at them when you talk.

2. Talk and Listen

Get down on their level when speaking so they can hear you clearly and more easily make eye contact with you.

3. Sit on the Floor

When sitting at the bedside, it’s best to sit on the floor with a pillow for your back. The patient may want to lie down, and they may not sit up by themselves.

The patient’s disease will determine when you can end the bedridden period:

The bedridden period can last from 2 weeks up to 6 weeks, depending on the cause of their illness and their companion’s age.

4. Break Up Their Day

Bring in friends and relatives to visit. They may also want to watch TV, listen to music, read the newspaper, or do any number of other activities that are not restricted by their illness. Bedridden patients need not be bored out of their minds.

5. Keep Them Warm

Bring in an electric heater if they are cold, but make sure that they can watch TV or read without the heater causing eye strain.

6. Provide for Their Hygiene

Bedridden patients need to have their nails trimmed, hair washed, and their sheets and clothes changed. If this is too much for you to handle, ask a friend or relative for help.

7. Don’t Forget to Eat

As a care provider, you must help the patient with food. If they have trouble eating, bring in food that is easy for them to digest, like broth. Milk is not a good idea because it causes phlegm and mucus buildup.

8. Keep Their Bedpan Clean

Keep a second bedpan handy if the patient has trouble moving. Ask the patient if they need to use it; don’t wait until their condition worsens before you find out that they needed one earlier.

9. Keep Them Occupied

Ask the patient to do something every half hour to keep them from getting bored. For example, if you were house-sitting with a bedridden patient, bring in magazines and try your best to keep the patient busy by reading them.

10. Don’t Make Them Feel Uncomfortable

If you’re uncomfortable, likely, the patient is too. You might have to consider switching places with someone else or getting someone else to take care of them if you feel that you can no longer do it.

11. Don’t Forget the Emotional Support

Talk to the patient about their condition. Help them understand the reason why they’re bedridden, especially if it seems unfair or unnecessary.

12. Always Have Backup Plans for When They Get Better

Have a plan for when they get better, and be ready to follow that plan with everything you can do in case they don’t.

13. Keep an Eye on Them for Further Signs of Deterioration

If your patient recovers, keep a close eye on them for signs of deterioration. Patients that have undergone bed rest often have been weakened by their illness and need special care after leaving their bed.

14. Always Call the Doctor When You Need Help

Remember that if you give the patient medicine, it’s essential to stay with them so you can watch for any signs of nausea or overdose.

15. Don’t Forget to Look after Yourself

Don’t forget that you’re a person too! You need to eat, wash your hair, and get away from your bedridden patient now and then if you know yourself well enough and can handle it.

It is difficult to be a caregiver for a bedridden person. If you are in this situation, then give yourself a break and find someone reliable to take over. You deserve to have a life! If you know the current health condition of your elderly loved one, it will be easier for you to find the right companion care services, if they do not want to be under any hospice care.

You know what they say about bedside manner. But being the caregiver for an elderly person who’s confined to bed takes care of that problem. You’re at their beck and call from early in the morning until late at night, trying your best to please them with various comforts. And then you get up in the morning and do it all over again. Keep in mind that you can always take advantage of care services that offer long-term care. 

For those of you who are taking care of someone like this, take this article as a helpful reminder to take care of health, too!

What are your thoughts on our list? Which tip do you think would be the most beneficial for bedridden care? Is there anything else that we might have missed about responsible patient care? Share with us in the comments below.