A bedridden patient is a person who has to spend most of his time in bed due to weakness, old age or any medical condition. These people are bound to stay in bed all day and since peeing and pooping is a natural process, they use adult diapers. Whether it’s a long-term illness, post-operative recovery or short term bed rest, caregivers need to change patient’s diapers timely and give the highest level of patient care without compromising their daily hygiene.
People with zero mobility are prone to skin ulcers and serious skin disease that, if left untreated, can cause medical complications. If they are suffering from urinary or fecal incontinence, then it becomes even more important to protect them from any sort of skin irritation or ulcers.
Studies have shown that patients with incontinence must be taken care of and timely change their diapers 5 to 8 times a day. Furthermore, caregivers need to check the patient’s skin covered with the diaper. When a person gets his diaper dirty, there is an immediate risk of skin problems which can lead to potentially lethal infections.
It is always advisable to use disposable diapers or extra absorbent pull-ups for bedridden patients since they are easy to change. But caregivers often find it difficult to change the diaper of a person who cannot move or help themselves. Although, there’s no technique behind changing an adult diaper, it is as simple as changing a baby’s diaper.
Tips for changing the adult diaper of a bedridden patient:
These are the steps you must follow to change the adult diaper of a bedridden patient:-
Step 1 – The first and foremost thing is to wash your hands carefully with medicated soap since hygiene is the main concern in changing a patient’s diaper. You can also use rubber gloves to avoid accidentally touching urine or feces in the diaper.
Step 2 – Make sure the patient is lying in a comfortable and relaxed position then take off his trousers and underwear that he is wearing. At last, take out the used diaper by gently pulling it from the hips. Sometimes you may have to lift the patient a little.
Step 3 – Clean the diaper area with wet wipes or lukewarm water and a cotton cloth. It is crucial that the diaper area is cleaned well; otherwise, the patient can get a threatening infection from it. Before changing the diaper, it is necessary to examine the entire genital area of the patient for rash, swelling, and redness in the skin. Apply a generous layer of anti-rash cream all over the skin if necessary.
Wait for at least a minute so that the area near the person’s private parts gets completely dry and apply the protective cream before putting on a new diaper. Always clean from front to back as cleaning from back to front can spread bacteria and cause an infection.
Step 4 – Get a fresh adult diaper of the right size and start rolling it from the patient’s leg and thigh. Never rush while rolling up the new diaper. Slightly spread patients’ legs to easily put the diaper. Now, raise the diaper upward and finally tuck it in the waist area.
Step 5 – After rolling the diaper into the patient’s bottom, use your finger to check the sides and adjust it if the diaper is folded from any side. The diaper should not be tight or snug, check multiple times that it fit in well. If the patient can control his actions and can sit down for a while during the process, you can easily adjust the layer around his waist by sliding the fingers around the waist elastic tape.
Use diapers according to the patient’s need, If you feel the patient’s diaper is not sufficiently absorbent, you may need to choose a higher absorbency diaper.
Step 6 – Make sure the patient is sleeping or sitting on his diaper properly. Ask if he feels anything different or any discomfort and tries to get it right. You can put some lotion in the area exposed around the diaper before putting his bottom wear.
Step 7 – Now that you have successfully changed the diaper, throw the used diaper and hand glove in the trash can.
Overview
Above we have added useful steps to obtain detailed knowledge on how to change diapers for bedridden patients quickly and correctly. By following these steps, diaper changing becomes an easy task.
It is important for people with disabilities and the elderly to live a normal and dignified life. Caregivers should always make them feel comfortable and give them as much privacy as they need. While changing the diaper, if you are taking too much time, it would be embarrassing for the patients. If a person changing the patient’s diaper is relaxed, positive and considerate then it would make the patient calm throughout this process of changing.