"BedSores... Easier to Prevent Than to Heal"

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As a Home Health Care Nurse, I have spent a considerable amount of time helping families who are caring for loved ones deal with the challenge of preventing bedsores. I will pass on some practical tips and care techniques regarding effective bedsore prevention that I have learned through my own and other’s experiences. The most important step to prevent pressure sores is to avoid prolonged pressure on any one part of the body. The pressure can reduce the blood supply to the skin and the tissues under the skin. When a change in position doesn't occur often enough and the blood supply gets too low, a sore may form. The bedsore is a pressure ulcer that most often develops on a bony area of the body which has little fat to pad it and only a thin covering of flesh, such as the "tailbone",heels, elbows and shoulder blades. Therefore any individual that is immobilized in bed or a wheelchair for extended periods of time, is at high risk for bedsores,also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers.