3 Tips For Providing Better Bedside Care
Beside care is a vital part of caregiving. As a caregiver, you need to be concerned with both the mental and physical wellbeing of your loved one. It can be easy to feel frustrated when the person you are caring for is uncooperative or unpleasant. You have to keep in mind that the person's reason for being difficult could be nothing more than the fact that they are unhappy or in pain. Regardless of why the person is being unpleasant, being kind and compassionate will make the situation easier. In order to help you survive being the caregiver, here are some tips to help with bedside care.
Position The Bed in a Convenient Way
If your loved one is confined to his or her bed, you should position the bed in a way that allows you to get to both sides of the bed. This is because it is not practical for you to always provide care from one side of the bed. If your loved one has a bedside table with drinks, snacks, or electronics on it, you are going to need to be able to get to the other side of the bed to continue to care for him or her without having to move his or her table.
Always Smile When You Enter The Room
Regardless of what emotion you are feeling, you need to leave every emotion but happiness at the door before you enter. Plaster a smile on your face and treat your loved one with compassion and kindness. Smiling is known to be contagious and the individual may cheer up just a little bit by seeing you smile.
Turn Your Loved One From Side to Side
Repositioning the body of your loved one every two hours is the key to preventing bed sores and skin breakdown. As you are assisting in helping your loved one get on his or her side, you can use a rolled blanket to prop him or her up. Just put the blanket up against his or her back for support. You can also place a pillow between his or her knees for additional comfort.
At the very end of a person's life, it may not be appropriate to continue to turn your loved one to prevent bed sores and skin breakdown. If your loved one is dying and moving him or her is painful, you should not worry about doing so. Your main concern at the end of a person's life should always be making him or her comfortable.
As you can see, there are a lot of small things you can do to make the bedside care much more pleasant for the loved one you are caring for.
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