Any bedpan tips?

Me again…

Does anybody have any tips for getting a 91 year old onto a Bedpan before the inevitable happens please?

We were sent a Bedpan on Caree’s discharge from Hospital a month or so ago. Have say it didn’t look that comfortable and we have had a few disasters while Caree was in a Chair and also on bed trying to get her onto it, especially as she has weakness on one side (following a Stroke). It was suggested she pull herself up using the ReTurn, then I whip the bedpan underneath before she sat down again. Or, if she is on the bed, get her to bend her knees and lift her hips up so I can put the bedpan underneath. Sounds very easy, but not so easy in practice when you have clothes to move, are trying to help support her physically, and trying to do this quickly.

She has since become a lot weaker and cannot even use the ReTurn.

The OT kindly brought a Fracture Pan which is a different shape and looks more comfortable - she suggested rolling onto it, which I tried to do on the bed myself(!) and that wasn’t easy either.

I never seem able to get Caree onto it before the inevitable happens and we end up in a messy muddle - which isn’t pleasant for her especially as she then has to wait for Carers to come and clean her up.
She does wear a pad since the latest stay in Hospital, but I imagine its very hard to ‘just do it in the pad’ as she has been told to by Carers when that is not what she has been doing for the past 90 odd years.

I feel very helpless and useless and like I’m letting her down when I can’t even seem to get that simple procedure right.

Can your 91 year old stand, and then use a commode?

I don’t know what a ReTurn is: if your caree can’t weight-bear, you may have to discuss with your OT the use of a hoist.

As for rolling onto the bedpan, I’m not sure how that would work, but it should be possible, I have to roll my wife to dress her and don’t think it would be too hard to slip a bedpan under her during that process, but I know she wouldn’t be able to roll onto it herself.

Thank you Ayjay.
Mother could stand before her Sodium dropped due to various issues.
A ReTurn is like a ladder (my Caree calls it) on a very heavy base. It moves on wheels until you put the brakes on. The idea is that from a sitting position, you put your feet on the base, reach forward to the ‘ladder’ part and pull yourself up. She was able to use this at one point. Use of it needs supervising with 2 people present.
She has not been out of bed for over a week now - we had an Air Mattress and Hoist delivered last Saturday, but Carers say she is too weak for them to use the Hoist and there is not enough room in the bedroom to use it (but as I said to them ‘why would have OT and Physio recommend we had it if that was the case?’ - and OT was present on delivery).
Nurse who came this morning said she will contact the Physio to maybe come out and see if they think Caree is stronger now and can get out of bed again with help.
Regards.

I tried googling a ReTurn yesterday, and for some reason I couldn’t find one, but I have this morning.

Looks more like a Sack Truck to me - :laughing:

I can see though, that the passenger needs to be able to stand, if your Mum can still weight bear but not stand or walk for an extended period, you might want to look at (or ask the OT) about a Sarah Stedy (sic) Mum only has to stand briefly until the seat is dropped into place and then again at the other end of the journey.

Just a brief explanation, the seat is in two halves and swivels up/down - patient stands on base and pulls themself up on the bar - passing through the raised seat position - drop the seat into place and the patient sits - the knees are braced against the front section and the passenger is very stable - just reverse the procedure when you’ve arrived.

H&S will always say that anything like this is to be used by two carers, but what do they think we do when we’re alone? I use a hoist on my own two or three times a day, and also used a Sarah Stedy, it was better than the office chair I used for three weeks to get my wife from A to B. If your Mum is a normal weight, you shouldn’t have a problem with any such equipment.

Hi

Yes, a Sack Truck - I can see the similarities…!

Thank you for that. I think they used something like the Sarah Stedy at the Rehab Hospital when Caree fractured her Pelvis last year.
I will ask the OT about it, but with the very limited space we do have, I don’t think it would fit in the room. We are trying to build her up to get back to having weight bearing strength again.
An office chair eh? How very inventive of you, what a good idea. I wonder what H&S would have said about that, but sometimes you just have to be creative don’t you??
Take care.