Properly positioning your loved one in bed will not only make them more comfortable but can help prevent them from developingpainful pressure ulcers, also known as pressure injuries or bedsores.Here’s how to position someone in a manner that is safe for them—and for you.
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Make the Bed Properly
Placing a sheet under the patient makes it easier to position them. A slide sheet, which is specifically designed for this purpose, is made from a material that slides easily along the fitted sheet.
If you don’t have one, you can make one from a regular top sheet, called a “drawsheet” when used in this capacity. Simply fold a twin-sized top sheet in half.
To place the sheet correctly, follow these steps:
Get a Lift Buddy
To move your loved one as safely as possible, you’ll need another able-bodied person who can help you lift and position the person.The buddy can be a spouse, a sibling, or a teen, or an adult child. Just make sure this person is reliable and strong enough to carry out the task.
Pulling the Patient Up in Bed
The goal is to gently pull, not lift, the patient toward the head of the bed. Have each person stand on opposite sides of the bed. Then:
Turning the Patient on Their Side
To avoid bedsores, it’s important to change the patient’s position in the bed on a regular basis. Here’s what to do:
Getting Help
Ideally, a nurse or aphysical therapistcan train you in positioning a person safely. If you have questions about how to do it properly, or if yousee signsof skin injury, contact a healthcare professional to reduce therisksto your loved one’s comfort and well-being.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gillespie BM, Walker RM, Latimer SL, et al.Repositioning for pressure injury prevention in adults. Cochrane Wounds Group, ed.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020;2020(6). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009958.pub3Hospice of Cincinnati.Personal care needs of bed bound patients.MedlinePlus.Pulling a patient up in bed.Additional ReadingQaseem A, Mir TP, Starkey M, Denberg TD for the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians.Risk assessment and prevention of pressure ulcers: A clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians.Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(5):359-369. doi:10.7326/m14-1567
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gillespie BM, Walker RM, Latimer SL, et al.Repositioning for pressure injury prevention in adults. Cochrane Wounds Group, ed.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020;2020(6). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009958.pub3Hospice of Cincinnati.Personal care needs of bed bound patients.MedlinePlus.Pulling a patient up in bed.Additional ReadingQaseem A, Mir TP, Starkey M, Denberg TD for the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians.Risk assessment and prevention of pressure ulcers: A clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians.Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(5):359-369. doi:10.7326/m14-1567
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Gillespie BM, Walker RM, Latimer SL, et al.Repositioning for pressure injury prevention in adults. Cochrane Wounds Group, ed.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020;2020(6). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009958.pub3Hospice of Cincinnati.Personal care needs of bed bound patients.MedlinePlus.Pulling a patient up in bed.
Gillespie BM, Walker RM, Latimer SL, et al.Repositioning for pressure injury prevention in adults. Cochrane Wounds Group, ed.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020;2020(6). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009958.pub3
Hospice of Cincinnati.Personal care needs of bed bound patients.
MedlinePlus.Pulling a patient up in bed.
Qaseem A, Mir TP, Starkey M, Denberg TD for the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians.Risk assessment and prevention of pressure ulcers: A clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians.Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(5):359-369. doi:10.7326/m14-1567
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