Welcome To Life’s Journey of Avon

Do you have a loved one who is receiving Hospice care in Avon Indiana? If you do, then you also know that their condition is nearly life-limiting. While this can be very devastating to you, there are still many ways that you can help your loved one.

In this post, we would like to highlight the assistance of bed transfers. Many hospice patients are also bed-bound. For this reason, many of them will also wish to get up and out of bed once in a while. With their fragile condition, you may be feeling uncertain about how to assist them. There are situations when your loved one is not really allowed to get up.

Yet, when it’s safe for them to get up and out of bed, here are some guidelines you will find helpful:

• Address Terminal Agitation

  For some patients who are receiving Hospice care in Avon Indiana, they can experience what we call as terminal agitation. This is a situation wherein your loved one requests to be taken out of bed and then transferred to a chair and then back again. The requests repeat as though in a cycle. When these kinds of request occur, it can be exhausting for you. Ensure that you coordinate with the hospice care manager so they can provide interventions when necessary.

• Watch out for Dizziness

  It is also important to remember that even when your loved one is lying down, they can feel dizziness. This is one of the consequences when a person lies down for too long. It will help if they can sit on a chair. With the assistance of another person, here are steps to do that:

  • Gently lower their legs one after the other to the edge of the bed
  • Hold them steady on the shoulders
  • When they feel better, assist them gently to a nearby chair
• Determine the Chair’s Distance

  If your patient says they want to get up and out of bed, ensure that their Inpatient hospice provider gives them permission. Along with that, the chair that they will be transferring to should be adjusted according to the following conditions:

  • If the patient can still support their weight, the chair can be put at a little distance to give them a short exercise. Assist them as they walk.
  • If the patient is a little weaker, place the chair just beside the bed. In some cases, a gait belt is used to transfer the patient safely. This may require some skills so ask your hospice care provider about gait belts.

Final thoughts:

If your loved one needs regular transfers in and out of bed, you need to learn basic transferring techniques. You can learn this from the hospice providers such as our team at Life’s Journey of Avon LLC. Observing the techniques can prevent injuries to both you and your loved ones.

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