Firstly I would like to say a heart felt thank you to the nurses, care assistants and doctors that were involved in caring for my mother at Ayrshire Hospice over the last few weeks. They're a great team of people and the facilities and general level of care for patients, and families of patients, were far in excess of what I would have imagined. Thank you, all of you, you’re wonderful people.
One of the things that my mother suffered with during her time at the hospice was pain in the area of the coccyx, latterly she developed an open wound there. I understand that many patients suffer with this same issue. I think that simple orthopaedic supports such as coccyx cushions and sit up pillows could help patients bear weight though the skeleton in a way that takes some pressure of this area of the body. The sit up pillows could be used in bed (they give more support to the lumber area and sit the pelvis further forward as compared to the incline of the adjustable beds) and in the reclining chairs which are too deep to support smaller patients and difficult for them to get in and out of. The coccyx cushions could also be used in the chairs and with the bed in the inclined position.
I realise that in the last 48 hours or so of life these supports might not be of much use but in the run up to that I believe they could help significantly. They are widely available online, on amazon etc, although some research/trials would need to be done to find the models that best fit the needs of palliative care and the dimensions of the reclining chairs in use in the hospice.
Here are some examples of a coccyx cushion and a bed backrest support pillow:
"Support cushion suggestions"
About: Ayrshire Hospice Ayrshire Hospice Ayr KA7 2TG www.ayrshirehospice.org
Posted by AndrewG (as ),
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