The answer to the above based on my experience is:
- Anti bedsore mattress makes a difference but it does not cure or prevent bedsore
- Ensure that the setting of the mattress is done correctly…. there is a setting on how hard the mattress needs to be based on the weight of the person.
My mom has been bedridden for slightly more than 3.5 years. When my mom was hospitalized in ICU in end of 2023 leading on her tracheostomy, I was not allowed in to even visit her due to concerns of Covid infections. She developed two pressure sores, one at the back and another at her sacral bone during her hospital stay. After she was discharged, despite doing daily dressing and turning her, the bedsores were not really healing.
Few months later, we got her an anti bedsore mattress. The company who sold the mattress to us personally came to set up the mattress…. they asked for my mom’s weight and set the hardness of the mattress accordingly…. the air in the mattress is regulated by a meter. For my mom’s weight, the owner said the setting should be between 4.5 to 5, which is medium …. ie not too soft and not too hard.
Now in the hospital, my mom had been categorized under palliative care for the last few years after she almost did not make it once over a severe lung infection. Hence each time if my mom gets hospitalized, they would prepare an anti bedsore bed for her. But I noticed that the mattress is always set to maximum, ie the mattress is quite hard. This could explain why in her hospital stay, she tend to develop bedsores even though she is on an anti bedsore mattress.
Therefore, please take note that the setting on mattress makes a difference…. it needs to be adjusted based on the weight of the person. Don’t make the mistake of pumping maximum air if the person is light as it would make the bed very hard for them, perhaps even causing the bedsores.
The anti bedsore mattress does NOT cure bedsores
For bedridden patients, it is very important to periodically turn them to help ease the pressure at a particular spot. Also, their skin needs to be kept clean and diapers need to be changed often and soiled bedsheets being replaced with clean ones.
If they are being neglected, even the most expensive anti bedsore mattress would not prevent or cure their bedsores. The most it can do is to only slightly delay the onset.
When my mom was in the hospital, the protocol for bedsore treatment is to do wound dressing once every 3 days and cover it with foam dressing. However, the foam is secured with a layer of waterproof plaster instead of breathable ones. And it is only replaced once every 3 days.
After my mom is discharged, I cleaned and did dressing for her afer learning from the nurses. But instead of putting the plaster cover over the foam, I placed a gauze on top and then use micropore tape to secure to her back. I was also being recommended a wound dressing cream which I found to be effective and help speed up the recovery.
Overall, the skin especially the bedsore areas need to be kept clean. I give my mom a bed bath daily. I also washed her private areas with a soft towel and water almost each time when I change her diapers and then wipe the area dry with tissue before applying some baby powder. If she has bedsore in her sacral (which happens after hospital stays), I would replace the dressing once it gets soiled. Also I turn her to keep the pressure of the bedsore area.
Do note that once the bedsore heals, epidermis, ie the skin becomes thin and the area would be surceptible to recurring bedsores if one is not careful. I check my mom’s skin during her baths to make sure she does not have bedsores. As I am caring for her alone, when I wash her back, I have her seated on the bed, ie her front body would be facing me and I would block her and hold her with one hand. I would use a face mirror to check the back for bedsores. If I notice some areas of the skin getting reddish (sign of too much pressure on that area), I would make sure she does not lie on that area for a while.