Caring for a Bedbound Patient

The caregiver of a bedbound patient is whoever takes on the care of a person who, permanently or temporarily, cannot get out of bed: their daily hygiene, feeding, mobilisation and the prevention of complications such as pressure sores. Just as important is psychological support — for the patient, and for the caregiver too, because caring for a patient can be demanding and emotionally charged.

What will you do on the course?

You practise on a real hospital bed and a wheelchair — the equipment a family rents or buys for a relative at home — and learn the skills you need as the caregiver of a bedbound patient:

• Taking vital signs: pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and temperature — the ones the doctor asks you to record, and that are measured with an instrument.
• Personal hygiene: bed bathing, hair washing, changing clothes and bed linen, cleansing with wet wipes and changing incontinence pads.
• Preventing pressure sores: repositioning, using special mattresses and cushions, careful skin care.
• Feeding: giving food and fluids safely, so the patient does not choke and food does not go into the lungs (aspiration) — and how to respond to choking in someone who cannot get up, which differs from choking in a person standing.
• Medication: reading the doctor's instructions for tablets — for how many days, how many times a day and at what dose — and keeping a record of doses taken. Injections are not taught.
• Oral hygiene: cleaning teeth and gums.
• Nail care: trimming and cleaning nails, in theory only, and when you should not do it yourself, as with the diabetic foot.
• Psychological support: encouragement, listening and a positive attitude.
• Moving the patient: techniques for transfers from bed to wheelchair and back.
• Self-care: taking breaks, seeking support, looking after your own mental and physical health.

Where is the course held and what certificate do you get?

Life Support Hub's first-aid courses are held mainly in Athens: our base is in Alimos, and classes are also held at partner organisations' premises across Attica. We also travel all over Greece, depending on the schedule and on partnerships, and for companies the training takes place on their own premises.

On completion you receive a certificate of attendance of a clinical workshop from Life Support Hub — those are the exact words the document carries. “Clinical workshop” means the emphasis is on performing each technique correctly, not on the theory behind it.