In this section, we present how you can quickly and efficiently help an elderly person change their underwear, while ensuring the patient’s right to privacy.
Changing the underwear (e.g. the nightgown)
Have a clean underwear ready at night
Bend the older person’s legs in the knees, ask them to lift their buttocks. If that is not possible, lift the buttocks one by one and move the nightgown up:
Lift the person or ask them to sit down (they can hold on to a bedside or rehabilitation ladder) and slide their the underwear up to their shoulders:
Remove the underwear from the nearest hand (if you are standing on the left side of the person, it will be their left hand), then over the head and from the distant hand:
Put on fresh underwear, wrinkling it from the back side, over the head, over the distal arm, then over the near arm. Slide the underwear down and align it:
Images: Fundacja TZMO
Tip
It is best to change the underwear of an elderly person during the daily toilet so as not to unnecessarily expose him to a cold.
Changing two-piece underwear (e.g. pyjamas)
Undo the pyjamas buttons and untie the strings on the waistband (if any)
Bend the person’s legs at the knees and ask them to lift their buttocks. If this is not possible – lift the person’s buttocks with one hand one by one, and with the other, slide the shirt upwards as in the case of changing the shirt:
Lift the person around him with his arm to the opposite shoulder, remove the blouse from the closer hand, then from the distant hand:
Put on a clean pyjamas blouse – put the blouse sleeve on the distant hand, then on the closer hand:
Lift the person up as if removing the blouse and align it on the back:
Put the person down, fasten the buttons on the pyjamas blouse
Support the person’s buttocks with one hand and with the other hand slide the pyjamas bottoms down and remove them:
Put on clean pyjamas bottoms, fold the trouser legs over the feet and slide them up to the buttocks of the person:
Lift the person’s buttocks as if removing pants (or ask the person to bend their legs at the knees and lift their buttocks on their own), pull the pants to the waist, fasten buttons or tie a ribbon on the person’s pants, pull the blouse over the buttocks:
Adjust the pillows and, if necessary, secure the bed with a bedside ladder:
Images: Fundacja TZMO
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