Caregiving

Caregiving 101: Four Products You Can’t Live Without(Bedroom Edition)

4 products that helped make life easier caring for my mom.

Caregiving is tough. Caregiving for a loved one who is wheelchair-bound is physically and mentally challenging.

The constant back and forth, cleaning messes, washing laundry daily. Each day is non-stop until you get to bed at night.

The good news is you can buy products that help make life easier. You can buy them at your local Walmart, medical supply store, or on Amazon. (There are no affiliate or store links in this article)

The physical therapy staff who work with your parent/loved one will offer recommendations for helpful products based on their observations.

We will cover 4 bedroom items both recommended and discovered by personal experience. They are:

• Waterproof mattress protectors
• Bed pads
• 3-in-1 commode
• Garbage can with lid

Waterproof mattress protectors

A waterproof mattress protector will protect mattresses from both urine and fecal matter. These accidents will leave an odor that will not go away.

If there is an accident, you can wipe it down and disinfect it without taking it off the mattress.

For a small cost, it will save you money later.

There were many times my mom had soaked through her adult pull-ups, the bed pads, and the sheets. I was grateful that I had purchased the mattress protector.

Replacing mattresses is costly.

Bed pads

Bed pads are an incontinence product. You can use them both on the bed and on chairs. They keep urine and feces from the beds sheets or chair fabric. One side is plastic and the other side is absorbent cotton fabric.

They come in two sizes. 23 inches x 36 inches or 30 inches x 36 inches.

You can buy disposable ones as well as reusable ones. The reusable ones you can throw in your washing machine and dryer.

The disposable ones are more convenient.

If my mother had a bad night, all I had to do was fold them up and throw them away. It was the same if she was sitting in her family room chair. If she wet it, I folded it up, tossed it, and put a new one in its place (after changing her, of course).

They are also lighter and pack easier for travel as well. You can put them on your car seats to protect them in case of accidents.

I always stored a few in my van, just in case.

3-in-1 commode

As seen in the picture above, the 3-in-1 commode is a portable toilet. It consists of a toilet seat on a bucket held in a frame. The bucket is removable to rinse out and wash.

The therapists recommended placing the unit beside my mom’s bed. It was a good suggestion.

With it beside her bed, I could get her up, sit her on the 3-in-1, and get her cleaned up and changed. Normally, she would go to the bathroom at the same time.

At night, it was the same ritual in reverse. From the wheelchair to the commode for a nighttime cleaning and changing. From there to the bed.

The 3-in-1 commode made both mornings and evenings faster and easier.

Garbage can with a lid

Having a garbage can with a lid next to the 3-in-1 commode is both convenient and needed.

When changing your parent or loved one, you need a place to put the used pull-ups or diapers as well as the wet bed pads. Having it next to the commode is the perfect place.

Make sure the can has a lid. The lid will contain odors until you are able to empty it.

Caring for a loved one is exhausting, at times. These 4 things make starting and ending the day faster, easier, and more convenient.

If you are not currently using these items, buy them, now, to see if they make your caregiving life easier.

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