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I cant list all the problems I am having getting used to putting mom on the bed pan. Two months ago she had a stroke on the right side of her brain, making the left leg very weak and she is unable to make it to the bedside commode yet.We are working with PT to get her to use her strong right side, but that is in the future. Poor mom must put up with me until then and I continue to spill the bed pan, or cannot seem to place it correctly under her. Please if you have any pointers feel free to send me the info. Currently we are using the bed pan that is shaped like the cowboy hat, and slprinkled with corn startch to slide in and out better. Is there an exact science to this ? Pls help !

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If I understand you correctly a cowboy hat urinal is the wrong urinal. Get the kind that is thin on the insertion side with larger side on the other. Bend her legs and if she is able to lift her pelvis, then slide the urinal underneath. Be sure you have a water proof pad (called a Chux) underneath for any spillage. It is even harder to urinate while lying down in bed too! After hundreds of patients, this skill is still difficult, so do the best you can. Good luck!
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or get a Urinary Catheterization for her
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Begin by having Mom lay flat on the bed.
If the head of the bed can be raised...great!
If the head of the bed cannot be raised...begin by having or helping Mom bend the knee of the 'good side' and use her 'good hand' to help roll her over...while she is still lying flat.
You can also push gently on the 'good knee' and gravity will take over and Mom will roll.
While you have her now in what is called a "side-lying position"....place the opening of the bedpan against Mom's back side...against her buttocks...with the shortest end of the pan facing toward her head and the fatter end of the pan facing toward her feet.
You may need to 'jiggle the pan' to get it down into the mattress...
Now...hold Mom's 'good knee' and start to roll her toward you.
You can at this point...move to the other side of the bed and pull the sheets under her toward you and she will glide onto the pan.
This takes a bit of practice...but I bet after 2 or 3 times...you'll be a pro!!!
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Agree with Marth627 technique.

Getting into a good side-lying position is important, in order to place the bedpan in the proper location.

If there are bedrails on the bed, then maybe your mother can also help get into and hold the sidelying position as well so you can place the bedpan properly.

Ultimately -- if she can improve with the PT, this will help - either by helping her learn to sit and transfer to a commode, or at the very least move better to allow for a better rolling in bed to use the bedpan.
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I would just add to Martha's excellent instructions. When she has rolled onto her "bad" side pull as much buttock from the underside towards you as possible,then when you put the pan in push under as hard as you can and really dig it into the bed then when she rolls back it should be fairly well under. Always easier if there are two people to help. if the second is a male just keep her well covered with the sheet till she is on. Sitting up helps too with knees bent or if able with the legs dangled over the side of the bed and feet resting on a chair. When you take her off keep a good hold of the pan so she rolls of with the contents intack. Try to put her on fairly frequently so she does not wait till she has to pee a vast amount which will make spills less likely.
There are female urinals available which do take some practice but of course you still have to use the pan for the poop. I would caution against the use of an indwelling catheter in this circumstance. No need to run extra risk of UTIs.
mom should not be spending all her time in bed if the ultimate goal is rehabilitation.Can you request a hoyer lift to get her up into a chair or wheelchair. Ask the PT about that as you need help and practice. I am assuming you have no nursing training and there is a lot to learn but so far you are doing well and asking all the right questions
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First, always turn toward the weaker side. DO NOT raise the head of the bed until she is already on the pan, unless you have the muscles of Arnold Schwarzenegger. But do put it up once she's in position. Helps to more fully empty the bladder. The wedge shaped bed pan that's being mentioned is called a 'fracture pan", because it's original intended use was for hip/pelvis fracture patients. Veronica is right about frequent use, because the fractures pans don't work well for larger volumes of urine. Definitely pad the bed well, but often it still leaks. And unfortunately lots of women "spray" instead of flow or just dribble, so the urine still goes everywhere. (More of a problem in younger women with strong muscled bladders.)
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If she has a hospital style bed, then it would be great to have a "trapeze" attached.. It's a handle that hangs over her head. Allows the patient to grab onto it with her good hand, allowing her to lift her buttocks off the bed, with the help of her good foot also)so you can slide any kind of bed pan underneath. Really makes it easier.
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When I have to employ a bedpan, I use a soft contoured plastic model and liberally talc the rim all around to reduce friction ion the skin.

I then roll, the patient onto one side, place the pan against the patient's sit-upoon and roll patient and bed pan back together..

When the pastien has finished, I slide the pan out fromunder, and then roo the patient to cleanse and massage the rear to ensure that all waste is removed and that circulation is stimulated.

Empty bedpan, sterilise, and await next adventure.

For urination, use either male or female urinal as appropriate, making sure that the vessel is not tipped when retrieving.

Practice makes perfect, and the patient will not become distressed. Always explain what you are going to do and why **before** you commence the procedure.
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roo = roll :)
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In using the fracture bedpan, I separate the legs and use a medium size squeeze bulb suction device which I insert into the urine pool and suction out the urine, emptying it into a plastic cup at the bedside. The pan can be emptied of excess urine enabling the pan to be removed without spilling. With feces and urine, the bulb tip has to be placed against one or both sides of the pan to avoid the stools or to just access the urine, enabling the liquid removal. Sometimes I have to manually remove the stools before I can access the urine with the bulb device. This method avoids spilling when excess urine or a combination of voiding material fills the pan to the brim.
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dgorr. Very ingenious solution. Congrats
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Bedpan vs. Depends?
At some point would adult diapers work better than a bedpan?
Temporarily?
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Bedpan and transfer to commode ASAP is way better than diapers or a catheter, medically and as far as staying in the habit of being continent. Sorry she could not get inpatient rehabilitation after the stroke! That's asking a lot of you to do it all home-based.
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I line the pan with an eight gallon plastic bag and then put a "heavy flow maxi pad with adhesive wings" on the liner to absorb urine. The whole assembly including any solid waste can easily be disposed of.
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