When saying your loved one is bed bound what do you classify as just that, being bed bound, is it when they can no longer get up by themselves? Is it when it takes both you and them to get them out of bed? is it when it takes two people to get them out of bed?? Is it when it takes two people and a hoyer lift to get them out of bed? OR IS IT WHEN THEY ARE NOT GOTTEN OUT OF BED AT ALL?????????
I considered my mom bed bound when she could no longer even help get herself up in a wheel chair or do anything for herself at all. She literally was in bed all the time unless we got her up to change the bed.
Thank you Mimi for your response. Then even if the person can sit up in a wheel chair AFTER you get them up they would be considered bed bound?? My husband has not been able to do anything for himself at all, even walk for at the very least 7 months, it takes two people with a hoyer lift to get him up but we do still get him up so I was trying to decide if I would say he is bed bound.
I guess it would really depend on the caregiver then at that stage, some would get them up and keep them up longer than others would.
Jane, my husband can't sit up by himself without help. Can't stand without help. However, I have his recliner two steps from his hospital bed and we manage to get him in it daily. I don't consider him bed bound, but he's getting close. He can still manage to shuffle his feet if someone holds his arms and support him and waits until he can get the message to his foot to move.
If I had to use a lift to get him up, I would consider him bed bound.
Jane for myself i tend to use the term as meaning having no ability to stand, turn ,rollover sit BY THEMSELVES and in a prone, reclined, or sitting position most of the day. immobile from the waist down mainly during the day. in my case 'bed' means in a reclliner, on a sofa, or sitting in a wheelchair, or hospital bed. unable to get up without assistance, being physically moved about with wheelchair, persons or hoyer would surely qualify your husband. being totally dependant on the caregiver and helpless unless assisted - this disease has its own set of rules, and i believe the literal definitions sometimes dont always apply. in this case, 'bedriddin' is appropriate divvi
Jane, when my mom was bed bound, we had to put her in her wheel chair but even then she could not support her head well..we had to put pillows around her to add support. Before we got to this level, she had forgot how to use her legs so was in the wheel chair. But even then could not do anything much for herself..she had to be fed by one of us. She was truly bedbound when she no longer could function at all..at that point we had to turn her every so often to prevent bed sores, and the only way she sat up was by moving the head of the hospital bed, we had to put pillows under her knees and exercise her joints which by the way was painful for her as she had contracture. When I saw her this way for the first time, it was 11 days before she died but she was actually in this condition for a couple of months before following choking episodes and short hospitalizations. She lived in TX and I in CA just fyi.
By the way, if someone is in bed most of the time and breathing starts to be difficult one thing the hospice nurses had us do was put a small towel rolled behind her neck for a bit more support. It worked well when we had her in the more up angled position. Also in her hospital bed we had pillows to surround her so she would not bruise her arms as she did tend to fling them about and should she move her leg on her own it would not end up outside the guard rails.
If they can't get out of bed by themselves, they are bed bound. In the nursing home my husband is in they get almost everyone out of bed and, if they can't walk like my husband does, into a range of chairs from a wheel chair without leg supports to a full scale geri-chair.
They have chair pacers who go up and down the hall in their chairs. They have one who is not alarmed who is allowed to go up and down the elevator which is what he does all day long. Most of them don't even try to stand up but they do have some of them alarmed.
Then there are the truly bed bound, like both of my husband's room mates, who never leave the room.
My husband would be truly bed bound if the facility did not have the equipment to get him dressed and up each day. They even lie him down for a nap in the afternoon. Divvi's definition is very thorough.
Thank you all so much for your responses, this lets me know that my husband is truly bed bound. He cannot get up on his own, we have to use the hoyer to get him in and out of bed I can use the hoyer by myself to put him into bed but to get him out it takes two people one of which is a man. when he was in respite it also took two people to put him into bed and get him out. He is exactly the description that divvi describes. I also have to use pillows to prop his head and body.
I just wanted this information for myself, Hospice has not even mentioned this as a qualifier, I guess I was just amazed that he is bed bound and I did not even realize it as we get him up and move him from chair to chair and bed during the day to change his position, he has started to slide out of the wheel chair and I am at my wits end on what to do to stop this. He drops his foot from the foot pedal and thus little by little starts to slide and lean and slump. What have others done to help with this??
My husband is technically "bed bound" even though he is in a wheel chair during the day. It takes 2 people with a lift to get him up and down. He has a pommel cushion and it works very well to keep him from sliding down. There is also a devise on the wheel chair that keeps him from leaning to the right too much.
Ok thanks bluedaze and ehamilton, I had never heard of a pommel cushion. I looked it up. It does look very good at keeping him from sliding, would be perfect but I do think I would have a problem seating him with the hoyer and the wedge in the middle. I have to place my husband in the wheel chair with the lift. I wonder if I could position him back into the chair far enough with the lift.
ehamilton do you place your husband in the wheel chair with the lift and the pommel cushion in place??? Is it hard to get him back far enough into the chair???
Jane - my husband is in placement and they use what is called a "standing lift" which is placed around his upper body under him arms. This brings him into a standing position and they place him in the chair with the pommel cushion already in place. One aide can do it but I am not sure I could. These girls are pretty good at what they do, but it seems fairly easy for them to place him back behind the pommel.
ehamilton, thank you, our CNA also told me it would take two people to get him over the wedge. I did find one on the internet that the wedge drops down out of the way and then you can put it up after placing. I will wait and see. I bought some skid proof house shoes and that does seem to make him keep his foot on the foot pedal more. Thanks to all once again for all the help.