How To Help Move Someone Around in Bed

When the person you’re caring for has to stay in bed for long periods of time, you may have to give them personal care in bed.

Moving someone around in bed can be tiring and you might be afraid of hurting yourself or the person you’re caring for.

In this video, we’ll review how to roll someone in bed, how to boost someone up in the bed and how to set someone up on the side of the bed.

Let’s try it!

First, we’ll start by learning how to roll someone over if they can’t do it themselves.

Start by bending one of their knees so that their foot is flat on the bed like this.

If you need to roll them towards you, bend the knee furthest away from you. If you’re rolling them away from you, bend the knee closest to you.

Next, you’ll need to make sure their arm is in a position where it won’t be in the way or get injured. Place the arm on the side you’re rolling off of on their chest and place their arm on the side they’re rolling onto out in front of them, like this.

Stand with your back straight, knees slightly bent and your feet apart about the same width as your shoulders. This will help make sure you don’t get hurt.

With one hand on the hip or knee of the person you’re caring for and one hand behind their shoulder, gently roll them over onto their side.

Turning the person you’re caring for and moving them around every two hours is the best way to prevent them from getting bedsores. You can prop pillows behind them or under them to keep them comfortable.

Sometimes the person you’re caring for might slide down in the bed and be uncomfortable. Let’s talk about how to boost them up in the bed.

This is easiest to do with two people. If you have a hospital bed you can tilt the bed so the head is lower than the foot of the bed. That can help too!

Start with a towel, sheet or waterproof bed pad under their hips and remove any pillows the person you’re caring for is using.

With one person on each side of them, roll the fabric as close to their body as you can and use the rolled fabric as a handle.

Stand facing the bed with your knee closest to the foot of the bed bent and your leg closest to the head of the bed outstretched just a little. Keep most of your weight on the bent knee. Like this.

If the person you’re caring for can help, have them bend their knees with their feet flat on the bed.

It’s good to do a countdown so everyone moves at the same time.

So, on the count of three, you and the person helping you can slide the person you’re caring for up in the bed. When you do this, switch your weight onto your other knee so you rock your body and don’t overstretch. As you’re boosting them up in the bed, have the person you’re caring for a push down with their feet to help with the boost too.

Let’s slow it down and show you again so you can really see that movement.

If you’re having a hard time, or if you’re feeling pain, try putting a garbage bag under them. It’ll help them slide a little easier. Just make sure to take it out after so it doesn’t make them sweat which can lead to rashes or bed sores.

To help the person you’re caring for sit up at the side of the bed, start with them laying close to the edge of the bed.

Stand facing them, with your back straight and your knees slightly bent and put one arm under their shoulder and one hand on the knee furthest away from you, like this.

Countdown, before you start so the person you’re caring for, will know when you’re moving, then lift slightly and push with the arm under their shoulders and pull and pivot with the hand on their knees.

Again, this is a pretty quick movement, so let’s see it again in slow motion.

Before helping them stand-up it’s always good to let the person you’re caring for sit up for a few minutes so they don’t get dizzy from changing positions too fast.

Whenever you’re helping someone in bed, try to keep the bed at your waist height, it’ll help keep you from injuring yourself by making sure you don’t overreach.

If someone needs a lot of help in bed and they’re able, renting or buying a hospital bed will make it a lot safer and easier to help with care. You can access hospital bed rentals through your local health integration office or home health store.

Moving someone around in bed with ease takes practice, but using the steps in this video will help you protect yourself and the person you’re caring for from injury while you do it.

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