How to Cope With Bed Sores

When you're in a wheelchair or bed ridden due to illness, you're at an increased risk of developing bed sores. Bed sores appear as areas of damaged skin when you cut off circulation to that particular part of the body. Since healing can prove problematic, you'll want to learn how to cope with bed sores.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Prevent bed sores. If you're at risk of developing bed sores, you should take preventative measures to stay healthy. Work with a physical therapist to learn how to change positions often to reduce the amount of pressure on certain parts of your body.

2. Get special cushions to cope with bed sores. Pressure-reducing cushions and mattresses can help relieve the strain put on your skin. Air mattresses and foam cushioned wheelchairs can help a person with bed sores.

3. Clean the bed sores regularly. You can put yourself at risk for a serious infection if you don't regularly clean the bed sores. If the bed sore's an open wound, you'll have to use a mixture of saline solution each day to clean it. You can wash less serious bed sores with soap and water.

4. Protect the area with wound dressings. Semi-permeable dressings with a small amount of antibiotic cream will help many types of bed sores.

5. Keep up with your diet. Poor diet can worsen your condition and leave you susceptible to infection. You can improve your body's ability to heal with foods high in zinc and vitamin C, like fruits and green leafy veggies.

Tips & Warnings

• You should ask your doctor about the benefits of hydrotherapy for your bed sores. Hydrotherapy uses water to clean and relieve the discomfort caused from bed sores.

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