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Post-Covid, Mom (92) has developed extremely thin skin that tears if you look at her cross-eyed. She never had the issue prior to having Covid back in January, but it may well be a coincidence. It doesn't matter what has caused it -- it's an issue now.


Her MC is great and I have no complaints about the way they care for Mom, but she's constantly getting skin tears and they have no idea how. I suspect the Hoyer lift, because they have to use it every day. The sling understandably is made of pretty tough material, so I think that just the contact with that sling that's causing her to tear on her upper arms and lower legs.


Does anyone have an idea of what might be a good buffer for that sling? I'm thinking something like a sheepskin might work, but that might also be really hot, and she'd have to sit on it whenever she's in her wheelchair. (We won't even talk about possible accidents on it, too.)


Any other ideas? Would something like a beach towel be soft enough or not?

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If the tears are occurring only on her arms and lower legs, you might try getting some stockinette material for protection. I used it on my mom's vinyl commode cushion, because her skin was quite thin, and she complained about it being painful when she "peeled herself" off the commode.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DX7KEP8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cut to the length needed and slip over the extremities to cover the pressure points, then remove when it's no longer needed. It comes in various widths, so you can choose the size that best fits her needs. It's also stretchy, so hopefully you can find a size that fits. The brand I used was quite soft and comfortable, and one roll lasts a long time.

Edit: Oops, I just realized that your mom is in MC, so you'll be making this suggestion to the staff rather than using it yourself... or you can provide it and ask that they use it.
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I’d give a sheepskin a go. Here they are very often used for babies to lie on, and you can hang them on a line and just hose them down. Feces might be more difficult, but for urine I used to do this regularly for my own babies (long time ago now). It didn’t spoil the wool at all – in fact I am using that same sheepskin under my feet to keep them off the cold floor while I am typing now. You can’t ventilate under your bottom, so I’m not sure that they would be hotter than any other fabric. Lots of young mothers use them, so see if you can borrow one for a trial. Yours, Margaret
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Ask about getting a different sling.
When my Husband was on Hospice they ordered different slings. If I recall we had one full mesh one that could be used in the shower, a full fabric one that was softer and a fabric one that had leg straps. I think I used the one with leg strap more often as once I got him into his wheelchair I could move the leg straps out of the way and pull the sling out from behind him.
If you are looking to put something on the sling doing so might cause problems. The more layers of fabric the more chance for skin to get wrinkled along with the fabric, this can decrease blood flow to that area. (I hope that makes sense) But Polar Fleece type fabric is soft and is breathable and not as hot as sheepskin.
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There are various slings that can work with each brand of lift, if the one they are using now is causing injuries it should be evaluated. I'd be asking for an OT to observe how they are doing their transfers, and they need to be able to watch everyone who has contact with her because it could be all on one individual.
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MJ1929 Jul 2021
I've been there myself and watched multiple people do it. They do it correctly, but since she's kind of like a sack of potatoes when she's in the sling I think it rubs on her skin and tears it.
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