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Multiple residents use beds in nursing homes, so if their sheets are not changed or cleaned often enough, they can easily become hubs for spreading bacteria and infections. If you have a loved one admitted to a nursing home, it is important to know how often they change their residents’ bed sheets.
Nursing homes change their residents’ bed sheets at least once a week. However, if bed sheets get dirty sooner due to wetness, urine, feces, vomit, blood stains, or other reasons, they change and clean the sheets immediately. Otherwise, residents risk contracting infections and other diseases.
In the rest of this article, I will discuss how often nursing homes change their bed sheets for their residents and why it is important for them to be changed often. I will also provide additional considerations you should make before choosing a nursing home so you can ensure that your loved one is receiving the right care.
Nursing Homes Change Their Residents’ Bed Sheets Minimumly Once a Week
As a general rule, caregivers and nursing home staff are made to change their residents’ bed sheets once a week.
However, most nursing homes are often more focused on changing bed sheets whenever they get dirty rather than after a certain number of days. For example, if a resident spills a drink, urinates, or gets their sheet dirty some other way, nursing homes immediately accommodate them with a new bed sheet.
As for bed-bound residents, their bed sheets are changed much quicker than this since they spend almost all of their time in bed. This means more cells, bodily fluids, and dirt accumulates on their beds.
Yet, if nothing out of the ordinary occurs, nursing homes usually change their resident’s bed sheets on a weekly basis. Otherwise, the bed sheet becomes too dirty and can be hazardous to the health of their residents.
Why It Is Important for Nursing Homes To Change Bed Sheets Frequently
Researchers suggest that humans spend about a third of their lives dedicated to sleeping. This means beds accumulate a lot of our dead skin cells, dandruff, dirt, spillage, sweat, and other bodily fluids over time and become hubs for bacterial growth.
This is especially concerning for bed-bound patients in nursing homes considering:
- Nursing homes are public spaces
- Almost all of their time is spent in bed
Indeed, it is important to ensure your loved one is in a hygienic nursing home that will change their bed sheets frequently. Here is a list of some health risks that unclean bed sheets can pose:
- Infections and diseases. When food crumbs, sweat, and other fluids accumulate in our beds over time, bacteria and fungi begin to grow. This can cause several infections and diseases, including asthma and pneumonia.
- Skin breakouts. In addition to bodily fluids and dead cells, bed sheets accumulate dirt, makeup, lotions, and other things that make contact with bed sheets, facilitating bacterial growth on beds. When our skin directly interacts with these bacteria, they get transferred to our skin, causing breakouts and rashes.
- Skin irritation. When crumbs and other solids and liquids accumulate on bed sheets over time, their bacteria inevitably rub against our skin and cause irritation. This can easily aggravate the conditions of people with eczema and other sensitive skin conditions.
To learn more about this, here is a 5-minute YouTube video that discusses the health risks of not changing bed sheets frequently:
Keep in mind that these guidelines don’t just apply to nursing homes; these are also great guidelines to follow in your own home. Your home bed sheets also accumulate dirt and dead cells, so it is a healthy practice to launder or change your bed sheets weekly or biweekly.
Additional Considerations When a Loved One Is Moving to a Nursing Home
Did you know that hygiene malpractices in nursing homes cause over 1.5 million infections annually? This is alarming, considering that nursing homes are supposed to be 24/7 healthcare facilities for people who need constant and long-term supervision.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many alternatives to nursing homes, as not everyone has the time, resources, or expertise to look after someone all day. Additionally, not many people can afford to hire an all-day nanny, so nursing homes are the best option most people have.
While you may be unable to control how well health and safety procedures are followed in a particular nursing home, you certainly have control over choosing the right nursing home for yourself or your loved one. That said, here are several things you should consider while choosing a nursing home for yourself and your loved one:
- What health and safety procedures do they follow?
- What emergency first-aid resources and expertise do they have?
- Is there a hospital nearby?
- What is the nurse-to-resident ratio?
- What food options are available, and how many meals a day are covered?
- What entertainment activities are planned for residents?
- Have past residents had a good experience with this nursing home?
Additionally, you can always buy resources and equipment for your loved one that their nursing home doesn’t provide.
I recommend that you get this Corded Handheld Bed Vacuum Cleaner with Hepa Filtration (available on Amazon.com) and bring it to your loved one’s nursing home. You can ask the nurses to use this device to keep your loved one’s bed sheets clean on a daily basis. This vacuum removes 99% of allergens from fabrics and features a pulsating pad that helps the roller brush capture debris, including crumbs, hair, and dust. It also is easy to clean, and the filter only needs to be replaced twice a year!
Bed rails aren’t allowed in nursing homes because they may cause injuries. Check out my complete guide to learn more. This is Why Bed Rails Aren’t Allowed in Nursing Homes
Final Thoughts
Generally, nursing homes follow the practice of changing their residents’ bed sheets as often as once every week. Yet sheets may be changed sooner if the need arises. It’s important to ensure that the nursing home you chose for your loved one implements this rule and other measures to maintain hygienic conditions.
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