The items that have helped the most for my mom is the alternating air mattress bed - also a product called the purewick (which collects the urine so her skin stays dryer) - barrier creams (I use dr smiths barrier zinc spray) so I don’t have to rub onto her skin and I can spray it on. Ag dressings for the wound.
If your loved one is at home - I would make sure a nurse/wound care (through home health) is overseeing the sore - they will change bandages and supply you with products) - if your loved one is in a facility please make sure to ask for a wound care specialist to oversee and place orders for the nurses to use to care for the sore.
"Bedsores" more appropriately called "Pressure Sores" are caused by lack of good circulation NOT as a result of dry skin. Creams and lotions are not going to help as much as you would like. The things you can do. Change the position of the person frequently. Every 2 hours is a good plan. Make sure there are no wrinkles in any fabric under the person. This includes clothing, bedding and incontinent pads or briefs. When the person is sitting getting movement on a routine basis is a good idea. Even in a recliner just raising or lowering the back or legs , trying to get them to sit up a bit more if they begin to slide down. In the recliner place a wedge under the bottom part of the leg, near the ankle to keep the heels up so pressure is minimized there. In bed turning them to one side or the other, alternating sides and back. If they are in a hospital bed lowering the head of the bed and raising the foot can make it easier for you to slide them up or down. Getting a mattress that has air flow or alternating pressure will help.
A pressure sore can develop ANYPLACE there is pressure that inhibits blood flow. Buttocks, back of the shoulders, calves, even the back of the head is not unheard of. Look for ANY signs of pink to the skin that is different than surrounding skin. Look for any blisters that might show up.
If you are using a barrier cream when changing (if this is necessary) pat the cream on lightly do not rub it on. Rubbing can tear the skin and it also puts more on than is necessary and it makes it difficult to get it off. Not being able to clean the skin properly allows bacteria to grow and the area is a warm moist environment that bacteria love.
Bedsores come from pressure, not dry skin, so creams don't do anything. You have to prevent them from ever developing.
You can't leave someone sitting/lying in the same position for hours on end. It's very common to get them on the heels just from being on your back in bed, and once they've developed, they're a bear to heal up (if they ever do). My mother had one on her heel for 7 1/2 months that never did heal up before she died, and her heel looked like someone had just scooped out most of the "meat" (sorry for the visual) and left a huge crater. She had wound care for that thing the entire time she had it, and avoiding infection was all that we were really able to accomplish toward its healing.
An air mattress that automatically adjusts pressure is the best place to start, along with the suggestions from FunkyGrandma. You MUST move them frequently (every hour or two at minimum) to prevent them.
The best way to prevent bedsores, is by frequently repositioning the patient to avoid stress on the skin. Other strategies include taking good care of their skin, maintaining good nutrition and fluid intake, quitting smoking, managing stress, and exercising daily. You can use an alginate dressing, which is made from seaweed and contains sodium and calcium, which are known to speed up the healing process of bedsores. Also hydrocolloid dressings that contain a gel, encourages the growth of new skin cells in the ulcer, while keeping the surrounding healthy skin dry.
The items that have helped the most for my mom is the alternating air mattress bed - also a product called the purewick (which collects the urine so her skin stays dryer) - barrier creams (I use dr smiths barrier zinc spray) so I don’t have to rub onto her skin and I can spray it on. Ag dressings for the wound.
If your loved one is at home - I would make sure a nurse/wound care (through home health) is overseeing the sore - they will change bandages and supply you with products) - if your loved one is in a facility please make sure to ask for a wound care specialist to oversee and place orders for the nurses to use to care for the sore.
The things you can do.
Change the position of the person frequently. Every 2 hours is a good plan.
Make sure there are no wrinkles in any fabric under the person. This includes clothing, bedding and incontinent pads or briefs.
When the person is sitting getting movement on a routine basis is a good idea. Even in a recliner just raising or lowering the back or legs , trying to get them to sit up a bit more if they begin to slide down.
In the recliner place a wedge under the bottom part of the leg, near the ankle to keep the heels up so pressure is minimized there.
In bed turning them to one side or the other, alternating sides and back.
If they are in a hospital bed lowering the head of the bed and raising the foot can make it easier for you to slide them up or down.
Getting a mattress that has air flow or alternating pressure will help.
A pressure sore can develop ANYPLACE there is pressure that inhibits blood flow. Buttocks, back of the shoulders, calves, even the back of the head is not unheard of.
Look for ANY signs of pink to the skin that is different than surrounding skin.
Look for any blisters that might show up.
If you are using a barrier cream when changing (if this is necessary) pat the cream on lightly do not rub it on. Rubbing can tear the skin and it also puts more on than is necessary and it makes it difficult to get it off. Not being able to clean the skin properly allows bacteria to grow and the area is a warm moist environment that bacteria love.
You can't leave someone sitting/lying in the same position for hours on end. It's very common to get them on the heels just from being on your back in bed, and once they've developed, they're a bear to heal up (if they ever do). My mother had one on her heel for 7 1/2 months that never did heal up before she died, and her heel looked like someone had just scooped out most of the "meat" (sorry for the visual) and left a huge crater. She had wound care for that thing the entire time she had it, and avoiding infection was all that we were really able to accomplish toward its healing.
An air mattress that automatically adjusts pressure is the best place to start, along with the suggestions from FunkyGrandma. You MUST move them frequently (every hour or two at minimum) to prevent them.
You can use an alginate dressing, which is made from seaweed and contains sodium and calcium, which are known to speed up the healing process of bedsores. Also hydrocolloid dressings that contain a gel, encourages the growth of new skin cells in the ulcer, while keeping the surrounding healthy skin dry.