Her hospital bed should be coming soon. We found out recently that her cancer has returned and she will not be getting chemo. It's to far gone to do any good as well as the fact that she's 88 & weak and couldn't handle the side affects. I will continue to care for her. She's lived with me for almost 2 yrs now.
I naturally want her to be as pain free as possible while in the bed. She's mention how hard hospital beds are and I was hoping I could find some sort of thick padding to relieve the pressure on her spine. It's painful for her to lay flat on her back. I have used the "egg crates" before on other beds.
I was wondering if anyone knew of any other solid foam kinds and/or the best ones & where I could find them.
Mom has a couple of cyst on her lower spin which is why it's so hard for her. She also has a left pelvis & left shoulder blade fracture that will not be healing so she can't lay on that side. Actually she lays just slightly on her right side and doesn't move all night except her arms. She can't move her legs without help.
She also needs to stay cool or she can't sleep and itches terribly so I don't want anything that will make her hotter.
She does at this time force herself to get up in the mornings to sit at the kitchen table to read her paper and play her find a word and so she can eat something. Then sits in her lounge chair till night unless she decides she needs to lay down for a nap. I know soon she won't be getting up and I want to be prepared.
I'll have her put on hospice any day now. I will talk to her nurse to see what's available to us. Thank you again everyone.
If you do not have your ? (mom,?) on Hospice give them a call I am sure that with Hospice they will be able to get you a bed that will be more comfortable and less likely to cause pressure sores.
If nothing else, there are the "memory foam" mattress toppers that you could try. There are also gel ones. (I have seen both of these at Bed Bath and Beyond)
The problem with either of these is you will have to get a waterproof mattress pad to put on them just in case of incontinence or spilling in the bed. Get two so you will have a spare when one is in the wash.
The more layers of fabric there are on the bed the more wrinkle and wrinkles can cause irritation to the skin. This can result in sores as well.
But if you have not yet called Hospice please do so they will help you make her as comfortable as possible and you will have many resources available to you from CNA's that will help bathe to nurses to check vitals and order meds to Social Workers, Chaplains and volunteers that will be happy to come in to sit with her while you take a break, run to the store or just take a nap.