Hi, i'am a male of 60 yrs caring for a 90yr old lady Freda, who is my friends grandmother , i help Freda's daughter of 70 yrs with the daily routine however the daughter Maria don't seem to understand that her mother needs to be re'adjusted during the course of the day to reduce any pain/discomfort in her posture as she is unable to re'position herself and do not speak if she was uncomfortable. She can neither stand or walk on her own, she likes to sit in her on reclining chair which is great for re'position, ie adjusting the back & raising her legs, but the relationship between me and Maria is becoming very strained over this one issue, please can you advise the correct way to alleviate any discomfort that might be cause by sitting for long periods kinds regards, Rob.
Is the problem that she does not do it when you are not there? Is she a little too elderly herself to be able to do the repositioning? What is her reasoning for not doing it? Does the mother have any visible sores already?
You are in a bad position. You have the knowledge of what is needed. The daughter, like the rest of us, doesn't like to be told what to do. Also, she may think you don't know what you are talking about, although she is the ignorant one.
Can you tell us a little more about how you interact with the daughter?
Every couple of hours take a pillow and slide/push it under the hip. Have the lady kind of roll to one side as much as possible to get that pillow wedged under there nice and firm. In about 2 hours move the pillow to the other side and repeat the steps in getting the pillow situated underneath her.
When the pillow is situated properly the lady should look as if she's leaning to one side a bit.
Getting Freda off her bottom will decrease her chances of getting pressure sores. You may also want to put a pillow between the knees while Freda is on her side.