What sort of features or options should I seek in a pressure sore preventing device?

I worked as a supervisor in a nursing home for years. The CNAs changed the patients position every 2 hrs. We also had sheets made out of t-shirt material which was more comfortable. There are creams and salves you can put on the person just ask the pharmacist at your drug store what they recommend.

the tail bone area has the least amount of fat on it as people age and lose weight! i found an excellent position for this problem area. i do rotate my mother every 2 to 3 hours from side to side, and sometimes i do have her on her back for a couple of hours. lay your parent on her side and then stick a pillow under her back and tilt her so that he is laying almost on his side but not on tailbone! kinda like a 3/4 angle...and but is resting closer to the side of hip...more fat there!! i could leave my mother on that angle for most the night...cause i need my sleep. put a pillow in between his knees to relieve pressure and one under his knee so that his waist is not in a twisted position. this has been a GREAT idea for my...my mother never gets sores anymore!

Forgot to mention that we have been taking care of our mother for 13 years when dad passed away, and up until now we had been turning mom every 2-3 hours to keep her from having bed sores, until we got the geriatric bed a year ago. Mom has no bed sores to date because of this wonderful "geriatric" bed and the use of the CALSEPTAMINE ointment. With much Love!

Ask your grandfather's physician to do a medical necessity order for a "geriatric" bed. This bed is wider and has a machine that hangs at the end of the bed that automatically floats the mattress up and down and back and forth to prevent bed sores (Medicare approved, but not sure about Medicaid). Also the use of CALSEPTATIME ointment after his baths and after each cleaning/changing will keep him from getting bed sores (this ointment sooths and keeps the skin healthy on his bottom). My mother is 86 years old and is 100% bedbound for 4 years. She also has severe degenerative osteoporosis throughout her body. This bed was a god-send to us, and was ordered through In-home hospice and her geriatric physician after they notice a "skin scrape" on her bottom (which can lead to bed sores). She got a 3 tier geriatric bed because she sits 100% in the bed and at the time was prone to get bed sores if they didn't do something. She is now in the nursing home because of declining health, but still has the same type geriatric bed there at this time also. My prayers go with you and your family in the care of your grandfather!

Repositioning is essential but the use of an alternating pressure mattress can allow solo caregiver to get more sleep at night.
Whoever said Grandpa abhorred the moon boots is in my opinion absolutely correct. They are very hot and come up to the knees, they have to be removed to walk to the bathroom and they are so well make that the wide strips of velcro make them difficult to manage. They are also very expensive about $150 a pair. I did bring mine home "just in case" and maybe just maybe if it was 20 below and we had no heat i might just might put them on. They come in second to the alternating pressure leg wraps they put on to prevent DVT. Having your legs squeezed every few minutes all night was one of my ideas of hell. Try sleeping with those on!

markmarcus...by any chance is your Grandfather a Veteran? If so you may be able to get a hospital bed and air mattress from them There is a program called Home Based Primary Care and the entire team comes to your house (or your Grandfathers where ever he is living). there is a Nurse, Social Worker, Dietitian, Physical Therapist, Doctor and more. They set up an initial appointment and check in quarterly and visit again in the birth month. If there are problems between then you can call and a visit can be scheduled. This is for any Veteran in the system that is home bound for any reason. Even if you do not get on this program it is possible that you can get the equipment necessary from the VA. Worth a call.

I used foam pillows the same way as Churchmouse did...

I have just had a look at "Maid-Aire Plus" from Homepro Medical Supplies, LLC" :
Which is $85.- weekly and $185.- monthly, for the least expansive.
In France, where I live, I obtained a prescription from our General Practitioner for the chosen bed and gave the prescription to the store. The Social Security paid directly the rental to them.
I don't know if this is possible for you ?...
I hope you will find a way to help your grandfather.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no: alternating mattresses don't *completely* eliminate the need for repositioning, although they do hugely improve your chances of preventing pressure sores. You still need to keep up regular checks, and elevate any area that's looking dodgy until it returns to normal. I used memory foam pillows under my mother's calves to keep her foot from touching anything when her heels got red; but then she was paralysed down her left side - is your grandfather completely immobile, or just bed-bound? Can he physically move his own limbs?

Thanks for all the replies guys. You all are god send during my difficult time. I never thought i would be getting this much of help when i initially started posting this questions.

Just to make things clear does any body has a prior experience using gel or waffle mattress ? I know these are relatively inexpensive compared to the alternating air mattresses. And i assume on top of that they don't eliminate the need of re-positioning. Can anybody confirm that using an alternating air mattress would completely eliminate the need of re-positioning my grandfather ?

I agree with what was said above.
From my experience with my husband, I can say that :
We used an air mattress which was the best (he couldn't stand a water bed).
When he was too tired to move and had the beginning of a bedsore, then we put a silicone gel adhesive hydrocellular dressing (Allevyn : Smith & Nephew.

markmarcus: Let me add to the list of suggestions. Try to avoid friction if at all possible. Rubbing skin raw from bed linens, not changing linens frequently, et al.

Should have also mentioned keeping him hydrated will help too in preventing the skin from getting dry if his inner fluid take is kept up.

The godsend bed sounds like it's name. My dad was sent home from the hospital with what they call moonboots which is what Sophie mentioned. My father abhors them with a passion so we compromise. One day on, one day off.
Aside from the endless turning I also keep his skin in good condition using coconut oil, massaging it all over his buttocks, back, knees, shoulders sometimes once a day, but usually every other day. Depends on his skin texture. This also helps with his resistance to sponge bathing as the coconut oil is a natural anti bacterial. Plus I would guess the massaging helps to stimulate the skin. Three months in and his skin is beautiful. And he loves it. It helps ease the ache. From the tag of the boots "medline" ref mdt82650cs medline

According to: 'Practice recommendations for preventing heel pressure ulcers' by Ostomy Wound Management Journal, putting on 'heel off-loading' devices results in dramatically fewer open pressure sorts. These are basically a foam foot/ankle wrap with the heel cut out and the pressure is shifted to the lower leg instead of the heel. There are many hygienic foot protectors available in a medical supply catalog, probably under the term 'heel protectors' in 'long term care'. Also, check with a medical supply/sick room supply store in your area.

The mattress in the hospital when my husband has his liver transplant was an air mattress that automatically shifted the "pressure points" almost constantly. I asked a nurse and was told is was a Godsend..the patients who were bedbound did not have to be manually shifted continuously. Hubby was able (but with difficulty) to get out of bed, and he loved the fact that just as he was getting slightly sore somewhere--the mattress shifted just a little, and he was comfortable again. No bedsores, no pressure point pains and he was down for almost a month.

I have only seen these in intensive care areas of the hospitals--but I "imagine" they'd be available for home use. They ARE kind of noisy, but not unbearably so. You get used to it! Troll the internet or even call the hospital and ask. (Best guess is that these are tremendously expensive...but weigh out the benefits of one.)

The mattress I currently have is an air mattress.
Many "tube" type chambers.
You can adjust the firmness as well as set it so it can go from being completely filled to chambers emptying and refilling or it can alternate between the two. So since the mattress moves and changes there is less of a need to re position him as often.
I got the mattress through Hospice. But the brand is Prius. (yup like the car. I finally got my Prius!)
It does have one drawback..it is noisy but when he is not in the bed I can put it on standby. The mattress deflates but at the push of a button it fills again in a very short time. By the time I get him hooked and lifted by the Hoyer the mattress is filled.

I agree, an air mattress would be a good choice. I've used an egg carton and I find them uncomfortable.

First of all his position should be changed every couple of hours. There is a correct way to do it. Google it and you can find a video. Also a rotating air mattress on top of his mattress is ideal. It's fills to whatever amount you want to and then deflates not all the way. My mom has not had one bed sore because of these two things. A lot or work changing positions. Depends on his weight your strength and his willingness to cooperate. Good luck