Most people are unsure how to care for a bedridden elderly person. However, if you’re a family caregiver or have aging family members, this may be a skill you need to learn.
Whether it’s from a decline in health, an injury, or recent surgery, seniors may become bedridden and need help. As an adult child or family caregiver, you may not know how to provide the proper bed-bound patient care your loved one needs.
Fortunately, there are many helpful tips you can follow regarding caring for a bedridden patient at home. And if the level of care your loved one needs becomes too much for you to handle on your own, there are experts you can connect with about bedridden patient care.
Ready to learn how to care for bedridden elderly loved ones?
In this article, we’re providing tips to help you care for your bedridden loved one at home. We’ll also share how you can get in contact with bedridden home care experts to ease your caregiver burden.
Make sure you take notes or save this article so you can ensure the best care for your bedridden loved one.
5 Tips for How to Care for a Bedridden Elderly Person
Knowing how to care for a bedridden, elderly parent can be challenging and stressful.
Here are five professional tips to make bedridden patient care more manageable and improve your loved one’s quality of life.
In-home elder care solutions in Southeastern Wisconsin
1. Promote Proper Personal Care
One of the most important bed-bound patient care tasks is to ensure your loved one’s grooming and hygiene needs are taken care of.
Grooming and hygiene care may look like helping with:
- Bathing, whether in a shower/tub or in the bed
- Dental care
- Dressing and undressing to ensure your loved one receives fresh, clean clothes
- Fingernail, toenail, and/or hair trimming
Whether your loved one is completely bedridden or still able to maneuver out of bed at times, they’ll most likely need help with basic grooming and hygiene tasks.
2. Change and Wash Linens Frequently
Regularly changing and washing your loved one’s linens is another excellent way to care for a bedridden patient at home.
Some things to consider regarding linens include:
- Changing fitted sheets, top sheets, and pillowcases every 2-3 days
- Paying attention to any blankets or comforters (they may not need to be changed as frequently as other sheets, but you don’t want to neglect them)
- Washing sheets before you place them on the bed
Bed linens can get soiled and dirty easily, so taking care of your loved one’s linens can go a long way in promoting their health and quality of life.
3. Ensure Health and Wellness
Speaking of promoting health, caring for a bedridden patient at home also entails helping them maintain their health and wellness. The main areas of health include:
- Physical
- Mental
- Emotional
Since your loved one can’t exercise like normal, good eating habits will be instrumental in ensuring physical health. To help your loved one stay physically healthy, you can:
- Provide plenty of water to combat dehydration and aid in digestion
- Encourage a well-balanced diet, including fruits and vegetables
- Cater to your loved one’s meal size preferences (i.e., multiple small snacks throughout the day vs. three large meals)
- Keep track of nutrients, calories, and any changes in eating habits
- Remind them to take any medications
Before starting your loved one on a nutrition plan, it may be best to talk to a medical professional or nutritionist.
In addition to physical health, it’s important to look after your loved one’s mental and emotional health. You can meet these needs by:
- Spending time talking with them each day
- Allowing others to come to visit from time to time (friends, family, etc.)
- Playing stimulating games with them
Looking after your loved one’s health and wellness will keep them physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy while they’re bound to the bed.
4. Maintain a Comfortable Environment
When providing bedridden home care for a loved one, you’ll want to make sure the room/ environment they’re in is comfortable.
Some ways to create a comfortable, enjoyable living space include:
- Making the room well-lit, especially with natural light if possible
- Keeping the temperature consistent
- Letting the room air out frequently
- Removing distractions during periods of rest
- Cleaning up clutter from the floor for easy maneuverability
- Placing a phone, book, water, food, etc. in an easy to reach place
- Positioning your loved one so they can see outside
Small, simple comforts can make all the difference for your loved one.
5. Get Professional Bed-bound Patient Care
Lastly, it’s okay to seek out professional bedridden patient care if you need support or can’t provide care yourself.
Experts in bed-bound patient care can come alongside you by:
- Providing you with valuable care resources
- Identifying the best options for your loved one’s situation
- Supporting you through decisions
- Helping you create and implement a bedridden patient nursing care plan
A geriatric care manager can also help you manage crises and understand new medications/diagnoses your loved one may receive.
If providing care to a loved one is too stressful or challenging, you don’t need to do it alone.
Stowell Geriatric Care Management: Bedridden Home Care Experts
When it comes to caring for a bedridden patient at home, there can be a lot to think about.
If you’re looking after a loved one and aren’t sure how to care for a bedridden elderly person, some things to consider include:
- Helping them with personal care
- Washing and changing bed lines frequently
- Ensuring overall health and wellness
- Maintaining a comfortable living environment
- Getting professional bedridden home care
When you connect with an expert geriatric care manager, you’ll relieve your own caregiver stress and provide your loved one with an increased quality of life.
At Stowell Associates, we help adult children and family caregivers navigate care for their aging loved ones. Our Geriatric Care Managers are elder care experts with years of experience and extensive resources. After performing a Person-centered Care Assessment, Care Managers create a personalized bedridden patient care nursing plan for your loved one. They can also oversee in-home caregivers and help you out when a crisis or new development in your loved one’s health arises.
If you’re looking for an in-home caregiver for your loved one, you can contact TheKey. They provide trained, in-person caregivers to assist aging adults as they age in their homes.
Contact us today to talk with a Care Advisor to hear more about how Geriatric Care Management can benefit you and your loved one.
In-home elder care solutions in Southeastern Wisconsin