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This technique for bathing someone bedridden, with stroke sequelae, multiple sclerosis or after complex surgery, for example, helps to reduce the effort and work done by the caregiver, as well as to increase the patient's comfort.
The bath should be given at least every 2 days, but the ideal is to keep the bath as often as the person took a shower before being bedridden.
To bathe the bed at home, without using a waterproof mattress, it is advisable to place a large open plastic bag under the bed sheet so as not to wet the mattress. Then you must follow these steps:
- Place the person on their backs and carefully drag them to the side of the bed where they are going to bathe;
- Remove the pillow and blankets, but keep a sheet over the person to avoid colds and flu;
- Clean the eyes with a wet gauze or a clean, damp, soap-free cloth, starting from the inner corner of the eye to the outside;
- Wash your face and ears with a damp sponge, preventing water from getting into your eyes or into your ears;
- Dry your face and eyes with a dry, soft towel;
- Put liquid soap in the water, uncover the arms and belly and, using the sponge soaked in soap and water, wash the arms, starting with the hands towards the armpits, and then continue washing the chest and belly;
- Dry your arms and belly with the towel and then put the sheet back on top, leaving your legs bare this time;
- Wash the legs with the sponge wet with soap and water, from the feet to the thighs;
- Dry the legs well with the towel, paying special attention to drying between the toes so as not to get ringworm;
- Wash the intimate area, starting from the front and moving back towards the anus. To wash the anus region, a tip is to turn the person on their side, taking the opportunity to fold the wet sheet towards the body, placing a dry one over the half of the bed that is free;
- Dry the intimate area well and, even with the person lying on its side, wash the back with the other damp and clean sponge so as not to contaminate the back with remains of feces and urine;
- Lay the person on the dry sheet and remove the rest of the wet sheet, stretching the dry sheet over the entire bed.
Finally, you should dress the person with clothing appropriate to the temperature inside the room, so that it is not cold but also that it is not too hot.
If you have used plastic under the bed sheet to keep the mattress from getting wet, you must remove it at the same time and in the same way that you remove the wet sheet from the bath water.
In addition to bathing, brushing your teeth is also important, see the precautions you should take in the video:
Necessary material for bathing the bed
The material that must be separated before bathing includes:
- 1 Medium basin with warm water (approximately 3 L of water);
- 2 clean gauze for the eyes;
- 2 soft sponges, one is used only for the genital and anus;
- 1 large bath towel;
- 1 tablespoon of liquid soap to dilute in water;
- Clean and dry sheets;
- Clean clothes to wear after the shower.
An interesting alternative to facilitate bath time is to use a special bath bed, such as the brand sanitizing stretcher. Confort Care, for example, which can be purchased at a medical and hospital equipment store for an average price of R $ 15,000.
How to wash your hair in bed
In some two baths, to save time and work, you can also take the opportunity to wash your hair. Washing your hair is just as important as bathing, but it can be done less times a week, 1 to 2 times, for example.
To do this technique, only one person is needed, but ideally there is another person who can hold the person's neck during washing, to facilitate the procedure and make the person more comfortable:
- Drag the person, lying on his back, towards the foot of the bed;
- Remove the pillow from the head and place it under the back, so that the head is tilted slightly backwards;
- Place a plastic under the person's head to avoid wetting the mattress, and then place a towel over the plastic to make it more comfortable;
- Place a low container or plastic bag under the head;
- Slowly turn water over your hair with the help of a glass or cup. In this step it is important to use as little water as possible to avoid wetting the mattress, especially when using the bag;
- Shampoo your hair, massaging your scalp with your fingertips;
- Rinse the hair to remove the shampoo, using the cup or cup again;
- Remove the bag or container under the head and, with the towel, remove the excess water from the hair;
After washing your hair, blow-dry it to prevent it from becoming damp. In addition, it is important to comb it to avoid being embarrassed, preferably using a soft bristle brush.
Since washing your hair can wet the bed sheets, a good tip is to wash your hair at the same time you shower the bed, avoiding changing the sheets more often than necessary.
Care after bathing
In the case of people who have bandages, it is important to avoid wetting the bandage so as not to infect the wound, however, if this happens, the bandage must be redone or else go to the health center.
After bathing in bed, it is important to apply moisturizing cream on the body and put deodorants in the armpits to avoid the bad smell, increase comfort and avoid skin problems, such as dry skin, bedsores or fungal infections, for example.