How to treat bed sores in Elderly at Home

Bed sores (medically known as pressure ulcers or pressure injuries) are painful, potentially serious wounds that most often affect bedridden or immobile elderly individuals in home care environments.

This guide provides clinically validated advice covering recognition, treatment, and prevention of pressure ulcers in a home setting, backed by reputable sources.

🩺 What Are Bed Sores and Why Do They Develop?

Pressure ulcers form due to prolonged pressure on the skin, particularly at bony prominences where blood flow is restricted. Contributing risk factors include:

• Immobility or being bedridden
• Diabetes or poor circulation
• Malnutrition or dehydration
• Incontinence
• Lack of repositioning care

👀 Visual Signs: What Bed Sores Look Like

Pressure ulcers are categorized in four stages, each with distinct appearance:

1. Stage 1: Non-blanchable redness, intact skin, may be warm or itchy
2. Stage 2: Shallow, open ulcer or blister
3. Stage 3: Deeper wound, possible exposure of subcutaneous fat
4. Stage 4: Severe ulcer with exposed muscle, bone, or tendon (medical emergency)

These stages are well-defined by the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP).

Non-expert eyes may confuse bruises, skin tears, or diaper rash with early-stage pressure injuries. When in doubt, consult a healthcare professional.

 

📊 Pressure Injury Staging Details

The NPIAP staging system helps classify ulcer severity and guide care:

Stage	Description	Medical Need
1	Red/intact skin	Monitor & offload pressure
2	Partial-thickness skin loss	Medical evaluation
3	Full-thickness loss to fat	Needs clinical care
4	Deep wound to muscle/bone	Emergency treatment

 

Why are the elderly home nursing services at special risk for the development of bed sores?! 

💡 Five Medically-Supported Home Treatment Tips

1. Reposition Regularly Turn every 1-2 hours in bed, or every 15-30 minutes if seated, as recommended by the Cleveland Clinic.

2. Keep Skin Clean & Dry Use mild soap and water, pat the skin dry, and apply moisture-barrier creams. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, keeping the skin dry and clean reduces skin breakdown risk.

3. Use Proper Dressings Medical-grade dressings (e.g., hydrocolloid, foam, alginate) help maintain a moist, sterile wound environment and are outlined in Cleveland Clinic’s guide.

4. Ensure Proper Nutrition & Hydration Diets rich in protein, zinc, and vitamin C are essential. The Mayo Clinic highlights nutrition as a vital part of pressure ulcer treatment.

5. Monitor for Infection or Decline Watch for pus, odor, redness, swelling, or fever. These are signs that professional treatment is needed immediately.

🧴 Are Vaseline or Sudocrem Effective?

• Petroleum jelly (e.g., Vaseline) can protect skin and prevent dryness but does not treat ulcers.
• Sudocrem, which contains zinc oxide, may help with mild skin irritation but is not a primary wound treatment.

Use these only under medical supervision and never on open ulcers unless directed by a professional.

 

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🧭 When Should You Worry?

🧾 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can bed sores heal completely? A: Yes, especially in Stage 1 or 2 with early intervention. More advanced ulcers (Stage 3 or 4) may take weeks or months and require professional care.

Q: What does healing look like? A: Reduced redness, absence of discharge, shrinking wound, and formation of new tissue. Regular wound care evaluation is advised weekly.

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📣 Need Help with Bed Sore Care?

JPR Home Healthcare offers custom care plans for elderly patients with pressure ulcers, including daily dressing, mobility support, and nutritional monitoring.

👉 Contact us today to schedule a visit.

 

📚 References

 

1. Mayo Clinic – Pressure ulcers: Symptoms and causes
2. Mayo Clinic – Diagnosis & treatment
3. Cleveland Clinic – Bedsores (pressure injuries)
4. National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel – Main site
5. Johns Hopkins Medicine – Pressure Ulcers
6. AHRQ – Pressure Ulcer Prevention