Home Remedies for Bed Sores in the Elderly

Bed sores — also known as pressure sores or pressure ulcers — occur due to prolonged pressure, such as sitting or lying in the same position for a long time. These painful injuries can lead to several health problems, which may require medical attention. You may be wondering how to treat bed sores naturally, but you must first understand the causes and symptoms.

Causes of Elderly Bed Sores

Before diving into the best bed sore treatment home remedy, it’s important to know about the causes. Bed sores are the result of prolonged pressure on the skin that prevents healthy blood flow. Common causes of bed sores include:

Friction: The moving and rubbing from repositioning the body can break down the skin, which gets more fragile with age. Rubbing against rough sheets and clothing can also be common bed sore causes so be sure to take care when repositioning loved ones in bed.
Increased pressure from limited mobility: Tissue and skin need blood flow to deliver oxygen and nutrients. If blood is not flowing properly as the result of pressure on a certain body part, tissue and skin can become damaged and may deteriorate. This pressure often happens in areas without much muscle or fat.
Shear: When your skin moves in one direction while the bone moves in another or stays still, shear occurs. This can cause the skin to stretch and tear.

Symptoms of Bed Sores

Learning more about bed sore symptoms can help you find an effective home remedy for bedsores. Symptoms for bed sores come in four stages. The first stage can easily be treated with regular repositioning and pressure relief while the last stage can be hard to manage, with the possibility of serious infections. The four stages include:

Stage 1: discolored; warm to the touch; red on seniors with lighter skin and purplish-blue on seniors with darker skin; itching; burning
Stage 2: more visible skin damage; open blister, sore, or scrape; discoloration; serious pain and/or discomfort
Stage 3: discoloration and abrasions spread; crater-like appearance from damage beneath skin’s surface
Stage 4: large wound; visibly deteriorated skin; damage of muscles, bones, and tendons, which may be visible through a hole in the skin

Effective Home Remedies for Bed Sores

When bed sores reach the fourth stage, you may want to seek medical attention. Luckily, there are several home remedies you can use for your loved one before these sores get more serious. Below are some of the best home remedies for bed sores.

Apply aloe vera to cure bed sores, prevent them from returning, and also prevent itching and burning sensations.
Apply saline water as a disinfectant to keep the area clean.
Mix beetroot with honey to moisturize the area and prevent itchiness and redness.
Apply turmeric to reduce pain and provide relief instantly. Turmeric heals sores quickly and cures wounds within a few days.
Mix turmeric with Myrrh oil to improve blood circulation, heal faster, support the immune system, and get rid of toxins.
Use baby powder to dry out the area and heal sores faster. Just apply disinfectant and sprinkle baby powder over the area to completely cover the wound.
Massage everything BUT the sores to help boost circulation and heal the sores more rapidly. Massaging olive oil or coconut oil until it is completely absorbed is also excellent for the skin.