For someone who spends most of the day in a bed or a chair, pressure injuries — often called bed sores — are one of the most serious and most preventable risks of home care. Skin over bony areas breaks down when it bears weight in one spot for too long and blood flow drops. The encouraging news, and the reason this article exists: two straightforward practices, done consistently, prevent the great majority of them. The work is not complicated, but it does ask for steadiness — the same small things, done again and again, day after day.
Reposition on a schedule, not by memory
The single biggest risk factor is staying in one position for too long. Where the body presses against the surface, blood flow falls, and skin begins to break down — in high-risk, immobile situations, sometimes within just a few hours. The widely used guidance is to change position roughly every two hours during the day. Because it is genuinely easy to lose track in the middle of everything else, set a timer or keep a small log on the overbed table. A common, gentle rotation is back, then one side, then the other — each position supported with pillows so the weight is truly shifted off the previous pressure point, not just nudged a few degrees.
Choose a mattress that redistributes pressure
The surface underneath matters enormously, and it is worth choosing deliberately. For anyone at risk of skin breakdown, a pressure-redistribution foam mattress is the recommended foundation and substantially lowers the risk compared with a standard mattress. For higher-risk or more advanced situations, an alternating-pressure mattress uses a quiet electric pump to cycle air through internal chambers, continuously moving the pressure points so that no single area of skin bears sustained weight for long.
The mattress does not replace the turning
This is the part people most often misunderstand, and it is worth saying plainly: even the best pressure-relief mattress is a partner to repositioning, not a substitute for it. The two work together — the mattress lowers the baseline pressure across the whole body, and the regular turning prevents any one area from quietly accumulating damage over the hours. Relying on the mattress alone is a common and costly mistake.
Inspect the skin every day
- Check the pressure points daily — heels, hips, tailbone, elbows, shoulder blades, and the back of the head.
- Watch for redness that does not fade after the pressure is removed, or any change in the skin’s temperature, firmness or color.
- Keep the skin clean and dry, since moisture from perspiration or incontinence accelerates breakdown.
A note for caregivers
If you are the one turning, checking and worrying, give yourself a little grace. Repositioning every couple of hours around the clock is genuinely demanding, and it is one of the most common reasons family caregivers wear down. A few things make it sustainable: post the rotation schedule where everyone can see it so the job can be shared, ask the care team whether overnight intervals can safely stretch a bit for this particular person, and let a home-health nurse show you the turning and pillow technique hands-on rather than guessing. Good body mechanics protect your back, and a shared plan means the care does not collapse the moment you need a night of sleep. Caring for yourself is part of caring for them, not a distraction from it.
Report any persistent redness or skin change to the care team promptly — an early pressure injury is far easier to manage than an advanced one, and time matters here. Our home care guide covers pressure-relief mattresses and the full bedside setup. This is general guidance, not medical advice; a nurse or wound-care clinician can tailor a prevention plan to the specific person.