The correct technique to turn a bedridden person sideways allows to protect the caregiver's back and decrease the amount of force needed to turn the patient, which must be turned, at most, every 3 hours to avoid the appearance of bedsores.
A good positioning scheme is to place the person on his or her back, then turn to one side, back to back, and finally to the other side, repeating constantly.
If you have a bedridden person at home, see how to organize all the necessary tasks to provide all the necessary comfort.
6 steps to turn bedridden
1. Drag the patient, lying on his back, to the edge of the bed, placing his arms under his body. Start by dragging your upper body and then your legs to split the effort.
2. Extend the patient's arm so that it is not under the body when turning on its side and place the other arm on the chest.
3. Cross the patient's legs, placing the leg on the same side of the hand over the chest on top.
4. With one hand on the patient's shoulder and the other on the hip, turn the patient slowly and carefully. For this step, the caregiver should place his legs apart and one in front of the other, supporting one knee on the bed.
5. Turn the shoulder slightly under your body slightly and place a pillow on your back, preventing your back from falling into bed.
6. To make the patient more comfortable, place a pillow between the legs, another under the upper arm and a small pillow under the leg that is in contact with the bed, above the ankle.
If the patient is still able to get out of bed, he can also use the lift for the armchair as a change of position, for example. Here's how to lift a bedridden person step by step.
Care to take after becoming a bedridden person
Each time the bedridden person turns around, it is recommended to apply moisturizing cream and massage the parts of the body that were in contact with the bed during the previous position. That is, if the patient has been lying on the right side, massage the ankle, heel, shoulder, hip and knee on that side, facilitating circulation in these places and avoiding wounds.
