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Common Health Risks for a Bedridden Patient & How to Avoid Them

Common Health Risks

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Being bedridden is a difficult and painful experience both for the patient and the caregiver&period; This new lifestyle may pose a number of physical and mental health risks&period; While the patient struggles to adjust to immobility&comma; the family caregivers often face major challenges when it comes to understanding the health risks involved and preventing them&period; Following are a number of physical and mental health issues faced by the bedridden patient and tips to avoid them&period; If the patient faces any of these despite the caregiver’s efforts it is best to consult a doctor&comma; a therapist&comma; or a certified health professional&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Pressure Sores <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Pressure ulcers or bed sores are the most common health concern faced by bedridden patients&period; Too much pressure on the skin due to the patient&&num;8217&semi;s inability to roll over causes these pressure ulcers&period; The cause immense pain and discomfort and if let unattended may lead to various infections&period; The parts of the body most prone to developing these bed sores are the shoulders&comma; the elbows&comma; the back&comma; and the hips&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">The best way to keep away pressure ulcers is to change the bed ridden patient&&num;8217&semi;s position frequently &lpar;about every couple of hours&rpar;&period; Keeping the skin clean and dry can also help decrease the risk of developing these sores&period; If the patient is able to move just a little bit&comma; encouraging them to move frequently even if in the bed is the great idea&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Pneumonia<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Bedridden patients&comma; even those who are capable of receiving oral care&comma; are found to be at a significant risk of developing pneumonia&period; The severely curbed mobility of the patient reduces the amount of oxygen received by the lungs&period; Blood circulation to the respiratory organs too remains affected dur to inactivity&period; The accumulation of sputum in the bronchial pathways and the lungs becomes a major challenge&period; Adding to this are the woes caused by infection&period; This ultimately leads to hypostatic pneumonia which could turn life threatening&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Helping the patient with breathing exercises and keeping a clean environment goes a great way in avoiding risks of pneumonia among bedridden patients&period; The caregiver must be watchful and contact a doctor at the earliest sign of lung congestion&period; Using a 5 ml syringe with needle is the best way to administer drugs in case the bedridden patient is unable to receive oral care&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>UTI<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Urinary tract infection becomes another major concern for bedridden patients&period; This is primarily because of the inability to administer the regular hygiene received by mobile patients&period; The intimate areas of the bed ridden patient become breeding grounds for microorganisms&period; If the patient requires a catheter&comma; the risk is compounded&period; <&sol;span><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Buying diapers for adults at wholesale rates and frequently changing them helps immensely<&sol;span><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">&period; Using specialized products meant for intimate hygiene such as wipes and fluid washes also helps keep urinary tract infections and subsequent kidney damage at bay&period; The caregiver will also need to learn more about catheter care&period; Keeping a doctor informed at the first sign of infection will help avoid complications&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Depression<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Depression is one of the major mental health challenges that a bedridden patient is likely to be up against&period; Adjusting to sudden or slowly worsening immobility can take a toll on the mental health of a patient&period; Caregiving for a bedridden patient does not only involve taking care of their physical needs but also includes fulfilling their social and emotional needs&period; It is very important that a bedridden patient be tended to with love and care&period; The presence of &lpar;or frequent visits from&rpar; a supportive family and friends and attempts to involve the patient in conversations and similar activities will help keep depression at bay&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Loss of Appetite<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Lack of movement and agility often causes loss of appetite&period; This is also a result of slowing metabolic processes caused by lack of motion&period; It then becomes the caregiver&&num;8217&semi;s responsibility to find a balanced diet to fulfil the patient&&num;8217&semi;s nutritional requirements without overfeeding or starving&period; The process of feeding also becomes important&period; It is always important to feed the patient in an upright position to prevent choking hazards&period; Soft&comma; easily digestible foods are important&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Insomnia<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">Being immobile and bedridden can often cause sleep disturbances in the patient&period; This is because when we fall asleep our bodies find a comfortable posture&period; Bedridden patients are unable to move and find this comfort&period; Being forced to lie in bed all day keeps them awake&period; This makes the role of the caregiver all the more important&period; Having to move and find a comfortable posture for the patient to sleep is important&period; It is also important to provide adequate stimulus during the waking hours to keep the sleep cycle intact&period; If a patient needs an intravenous injection to be able to sleep <&sol;span><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">keep a stock of new 5 ml syringe with needle handy<&sol;span><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400">&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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