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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
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At our hospital we use Allevyn brand bandages for pressure ulcers. The adhesive won't damage the skin and the inner lining of the bandage has healing properties. You may have to get them from a medical supply company because they aren't sold over the counter at Walgreens, etc. They come in a variety of sizes. Also I agree with many others: your Dad needs to see a doctor, and to get a wound nurse involved. The best time to treat pressure ulcers is before they get serious, like when the skin is starting to become reddened and irritated. Once they get to the open and oozing stage they are far harder to treat. Good luck to you and your Dad and bless you for taking care of him!
Allevyn is a great dressing but very expensive in cost. The skin isn’t broken yet. In this case turning & repositioning is essential. Also as stated below an air matress with definitely help too.
My dad was sedentary until he was 100 + 7 months, then he was bedridden until he passed 7 months later. Through the years I cared for him, I cleansed his skin with shaving cream. It cleans much better than other methods I tried.
After through cleansing, I would apply a thick layer of Calmoseptine which has 20% zinc oxide for drying.
Other than an occasional tender spot (no broken skin) he had no bedsores. When he was bedridden he had an air pressure baffle with a pump that kept varied pressure flowing, so that helped prevent clots which is another concern from limited movement.
My mother has a bedsore on her bottom that flares up if she doesn't keep herself dry enough--she wears pull-up-type diapers. I have found that using a barrier cream like Balmex, or similar, to be helpful when it's applied regularly. It took a long time for the barrier cream to keep it under control and bring the raw open sore to just a red spot. Prior to that I found Manuka Honey patches at my CVS store that I used to cover the sore that was an open raw wound. The patches stay on quite well and are waterproof. I hope this helps your dad's situation.
Duoderm to reddened areas along with proper positioning. I am not sure if you need a prescription for Duoderm but I used it in home care as prevention if I saw a reddened area. Duoderm comes in a sheet form; you can cut areas to fit over the skin. In my experience it does adhere pretty well to clean, dry skin and the adhesive side holds pretty well. You can change it every 3 days or when it begins to come off. This is only for intact skin- not if and when the tissue breaks down. Then it’s time for woundcare center assessment. Good luck!
Yes, I find Duoderm hydrocolloid plaster very effective in protecting the skin. I also use it for broken skin and successfully on Stage 1 and 2 bedsores, as it absorbs the liquid from the wound yet keeps it moist and promotes healing. But I agree, it's good to get a doctor's opinion as well if the sore develops. My own doctor said that to properly heal a bedsore, you do need to keep the pressure off it and allow the blood to circulate in the skin. It takes time, but it does work.
Miehman...It's really good your'e staying on top of this~With my Mother,who I cared for,I used the MediHoney and DermaGran patches and then I put a little square of gauze on top and taped it on with medical tape and I changed the wound often.I made the little squares and got the tape on the squares before I ever changed Mom's Depends,so she wouldn't have to stand as long and I was ready to go too.She also used a donut to sit on for awhile and then Hospice brought her a RoHo cushion that helped her .It took some time,but finally Mother healed. I hope you find what works for your Father too.
I bought a wedge pillow on Amazon to help with turning around and mom could not go back to her normal position that she loved. I also have foot massaging pillow that I would place on the area of the bed sore and that would vibrate, thus really circulate that blood around and it actually went away on her heel. I nipped it in the bud while it was small. Unfortunately, my mother had bad peripheral artery disease and that coupled with the surgery she had on her thigh for breaking her femur, just wasn’t enough circulation and ischemic venous ulcers real bad, which nothing can help when that is going on, she ended up having surgery and we unblocked those 2 arteries in her leg but she still died, as she had 3 surgeries within 5 months at 93.5 yrs old. Her body just couldn’t take it and she died anyway.
As NG5780 has pointed out, MediHoney is great and keeps bedsores at bay. Also, an Adermal Pad cushions the bedsores, and that works well too. If you don't want to move the person every two hours, take some pillows and make sure their bottom is not flat on the bed. You may need to have rails (with covering so the person does not catch an arm or a leg) on the bed to make sure the person does not fall out. Just keep alert and watchful and you can handle it.
To check on whether the bedsore is serious, press it with a finger. If it comes up white, it's ok. If it stays red, get nursing assistance, as that is a blister or near-blister that needs professional nursing. All the best
Home health nurse said my mom’s sores were from sitting so long. She’s supposed to get up every hour to walk. She doesn’t always want to. She naps in her chair off and on.
Ah, that's where you need the incredible inflatable waffle cushion! Buy cheap on Amazon, it's blue plastic with holes (think of a large blue waffle), you semi-inflate it and the air moves around inside and changes the pressure on the skin as the person moves (the movement doesn't have to be much to change the pressure). Mum lies in bed all morning and sits on the sofa in the afternoons, and I make sure she has the cushion under her bottom at all times. It's quite thin as well, unlike the bulky gel cushions you can also get. Just keep the cat's claws off it, if you're lucky enough to have a cat!
I used one I found at CVS for ???? $5 for five bandaids? Kinda expensive, but less than elsewhere. It’s a large rectangle, sticky edges, light see-through cover to go over sore.
Once its washed and you put the cream on it, try to be careful and leave it on all day. Change it at night, or once a day. Do use a pillow - I used to change its position about every 2hours - left, right, back, & no pillow. Be super diligent & good luck!
I used the nonstick gauze with the clear easy tear tape n the honey med.its $25.medication wrks wonders. As soon as u see a him developin a sore apply the honey med. With the non stick pads
If there is no wound I would not use a bandage I would use zinc cream and gently clean the area daily. Using a pillow I would also shift the person’s position as much as frequently as possible to relieve the pressure point. You can tell the pressure area because it will be a little red. You have to watch it everyday because the skin is more fragile than before. Medicare will cover a wound care nurse visit if necessary. If you want to really use a bandage look into Mepilex.
It's not helpful to berate the caregiver, none of us are trained professionals and we can't know how to prevent pressure sores if it has never previously been on our radar. The early signs of pressure are easy to miss, especially if our care recipient is mostly looking after their own personal hygiene.
not an expert but just to mention there are products of interest at a place I believe is called the wound care shop on line. I love a tape they make called Kind by 3M that does not stick to hair. Saved my dad because the world class 2nd highest rated hospital didn't have someone with enough common sense to realize you shouldn't use duct tape (slight exageration) to hold an IV line on a 99 year olds hairy arm and then have a 2nd moronic nurse who thinks you should just rip it off.
Depends on the size of the wound but my absolute favorite is Medline MSC3222Z Sterile Bordered Gauze, 2" x 2" . The adhesive sticks to the skin just right, but not too aggressively. It's the only dressing I will use. I NEVER use paper tape since that will break the skin. Actually you really NEED to see a doctor for instructions because it's impossible to show you on this forum. He may order home health and the nurse will teach you.
My mom sometimes gets sores due to scratching. She loves to scratch her skin. when something opens I can see the scratch marks..nevertheless it requires daily dressing changes..sometimes more often. Once the skin is broken you can't use creams anymore but daily dressing changes. When the skin is intact, Benadryl cream helps but not always. I just learn to live with it. Sometimes she gets no sores for months and months then she stratches herself open..it's back to dressings again. I do keep her nails as short as humanly possible..but that's difficult too. I often use Mankua honey with the dressing changes. othertimes I use prescription Bactoban 2% on the dressing.
Home health nurses used Duoderm and they worked very well, Also use a barrier cream. Home health nurse ordered it but she said diaper cream works too. They also suggested mom sit on a cushion which she uses daily now too. She is also supposed to get up and walk around every hour. She doesn't always do that. She gets up to use the bathroom but it is a bedside commode so she really isn't walking very far. Sensi Care is the cream. Or as our nurse recommended here, don't laugh at the name, can be ordered online, Boudreaux's Butt Paste.
When the wound has opened you can no longer use any kind of paste, but requires daily dressing changes and it must be changed daily..sometimes a few times a day due to bathroom wiping. I use either Mankua honey or bactroban oinment (prescription) or a combination of both with the dressing. Never use zinc or other barrier creams with open wounds--the wound will get worse. My mom gets butt sores due to scratching herself. Never fails.
I second the ROHO cushion, my wheelchair dependent mom didn't have any more problems after getting hers. As for dressings - a lot of people on the forum have mentioned colloidal silver or medical honey, but I agree with BarbBrooklyn that this isn't a do it yourself project, the wound you see is only the tip of the iceberg and much of the damaged tissue will be deep below the surface, that's why seemingly small wounds take so long to heal.
Small wounds require daily dressing changes, and they heal slowly because tissues are extremely thin. She is also insulin dependent diabetic, so I keep her sugars as manageable as possible. Sitting on the wound does not help matters..but the do eventually heal up but it requires daily dressing changes..somtimes several times a day. My mom's wounds always occur due to scratching herself, even after trimming nails close to the skin as possible. I can see the scratch marks when she does present an open wound. Nevertheless once there it's back to daily dressing changes for about two weeks (it generally takes that long). I've been living with this for several years now..it would heal beautifully and sometimes I'm free of it for months..then BOOM she would scratch scratch scratch to satisfy an itch and it's back to daily dressing changes.
As for her food, I have to give her a high amount of sugary foods such as ice cream with protein shakes because otherwise she will refuse to eat. She is at that stage she forgot how to swallow and requires a considerable amount of coaxing. Despite all of this I manage to get her to take in nutrition, and her sugars are well managed.
I agree with Barb. A wound specialist needs to check out sores. My dad sits in a wheelchair most of the day. A sore developed & I took action immediately by taking him to the doctor. A Roho cushion was ordered & a cream was given. Dad would scream when I applied the cream. I used an OTC recipe I found on a cancer website for sores. It is: Combine 3 equal parts of hydrocortisone cream (1% or more), A&D ointment (or generic) and liquid anti-acid (like Maylox or a generic). My dad's sore healed pretty fast & he didn't scream when this cream was applied. Dad now sits on a Roho cushion & no other sores have developed. As far as bandages, I used large square pads & the brown self-adherent tape that doesn't tear the skin. But, the sore healed faster by not covering it. For Dad, he stayed in bed a few extra hours & sat in a different chair until the Roho cushion was delivered. Tylenol helped with the pain. I ordered a mattress topper with alternating air pockets for his bed. Dad likes it a lot & expresses discomfort if I forget to turn it on before he lays down.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
After through cleansing, I would apply a thick layer of Calmoseptine which has 20% zinc oxide for drying.
Other than an occasional tender spot (no broken skin) he had no bedsores. When he was bedridden he had an air pressure baffle with a pump that kept varied pressure flowing, so that helped prevent clots which is another concern from limited movement.
I am not sure if you need a prescription for Duoderm but I used it in home care as prevention if I saw a reddened area.
Duoderm comes in a sheet form; you can cut areas to fit over the skin. In my experience it does adhere pretty well to clean, dry skin and the adhesive side holds pretty well. You can change it every 3 days or when it begins to come off.
This is only for intact skin- not if and when the tissue breaks down. Then it’s time for woundcare center assessment.
Good luck!
cared for,I used the MediHoney and DermaGran patches and then I put a little square of gauze on top and taped it on with medical tape and I changed the wound often.I made the little squares and got the tape on the squares before I ever changed Mom's Depends,so she wouldn't have to stand as long and I was ready to go too.She also used a donut to sit on for awhile and then Hospice brought her a RoHo cushion that helped her .It took some time,but finally Mother healed.
I hope you find what works for your Father too.
To check on whether the bedsore is serious, press it with a finger. If it comes up
white, it's ok. If it stays red, get nursing assistance, as that is a blister or near-blister that needs professional nursing.
All the best
Once its washed and you put the cream on it, try to be careful and leave it on all day. Change it at night, or once a day. Do use a pillow - I used to change its position about every 2hours - left, right, back, & no pillow. Be super diligent & good luck!
If you want to really use a bandage look into Mepilex.
My mom sometimes gets sores due to scratching. She loves to scratch her skin. when something opens I can see the scratch marks..nevertheless it requires daily dressing changes..sometimes more often. Once the skin is broken you can't use creams anymore but daily dressing changes. When the skin is intact, Benadryl cream helps but not always. I just learn to live with it. Sometimes she gets no sores for months and months then she stratches herself open..it's back to dressings again. I do keep her nails as short as humanly possible..but that's difficult too. I often use Mankua honey with the dressing changes. othertimes I use prescription Bactoban 2% on the dressing.
As for dressings - a lot of people on the forum have mentioned colloidal silver or medical honey, but I agree with BarbBrooklyn that this isn't a do it yourself project, the wound you see is only the tip of the iceberg and much of the damaged tissue will be deep below the surface, that's why seemingly small wounds take so long to heal.
As for her food, I have to give her a high amount of sugary foods such as ice cream with protein shakes because otherwise she will refuse to eat. She is at that stage she forgot how to swallow and requires a considerable amount of coaxing. Despite all of this I manage to get her to take in nutrition, and her sugars are well managed.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000740.htm
The issue to start with is getting pressure off the area where the bedsore is forming. Roho cushions are great for wheelchairs.
My dad's sore healed pretty fast & he didn't scream when this cream was applied. Dad now sits on a Roho cushion & no other sores have developed. As far as bandages, I used large square pads & the brown self-adherent tape that doesn't tear the skin. But, the sore healed faster by not covering it. For Dad, he stayed in bed a few extra hours & sat in a different chair until the Roho cushion was delivered. Tylenol helped with the pain. I ordered a mattress topper with alternating air pockets for his bed. Dad likes it a lot & expresses discomfort if I forget to turn it on before he lays down.