Dealing with pressure sores when caring for someone with dementia

At Bramble Home Care, we recognise the complexities of caring for someone with dementia and are well equipped to help you or your loved one to manage the debilitating effects that the condition can bring. As leading specialists in domiciliary dementia care at all stages, our home care agency in Gloucestershire understands that dementia sufferers experience a variety of social and physical difficulties as the illness progresses.

Despite being a lesser known problem of those with dementia, the workers at our home care agency in Gloucestershire appreciate the need to be vigilant when it comes to pressure sores. Also known as bed sores, or pressure ulcers, pressure sores can develop if someone spends a long time lying or sitting in the same position. Immobility can cause pressure sores as a lack of bodily movement limits the flow of blood to a certain area of tissue, starving the tissue of oxygen and making the skin sore, raised and often red.

Although not a direct result of the disease, those with dementia often lose motivation and can develop physical problems. This may lead to prolonged periods of inactivity, which in turn may contribute to the formation of pressure sores. If the event of a diagnosis of dementia, the right home care agency in Gloucestershire can help to ensure that the service user remains physically mobile.

As much as pressure sores can be very problematic, these ulcers can be easily prevented when spotted at an early stage. The dedicated workers at our home care agency in Gloucestershire are encouraged to look for the initial signs of pressure sores developing and have a range of methods at their disposal to reduce the likelihood of pressure sores worsening. Routinely checking the skin, ensuring good hydration and nutrition and helping our service users to keep clean, dry and comfortable are all key priorities of our care team workers. Our careful adherence to these crucial steps and others greatly reduces the chances of our service users developing pressure sores in our care.

The workers at our home care agency in Gloucestershire, having been specially trained in communicating with dementia sufferers, are skilled at directing activities that increase mobility, encourage a healthy blood flow and allow for safe movement. This means that our carers are often able to spot signs of pain or discomfort at an early stage in our service users, so that the likelihood of pressure sores developing in the first place is reduced.

Managing and understanding the symptoms that dementia can bring is vital when caring for someone with the condition and restricting the chances of the individual experiencing any unnecessary discomfort. Limiting the chances of pressure sores developing and managing the problems that can arise if they do is just one of the ways in which our experienced home care agency workers can help dementia suffers to live the comfortable life they deserve.

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Editor’s Note: Bramble Home Care (http://www.bramblehomecare.co.uk) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.