GET IN THE DRIVING SEAT OF YOUR OWN WOUND CARE

A pressure sore is not something you can simply hand over to doctors and nurses and expect them to fix.

They have a critical role to play.

But so do YOU.

You are not a passenger on this journey.

If you developed a pressure sore, understand…

• How it happened

• What is happening underneath the skin

• What is stopping it healing

• What you need to change

A wound doesn't heal because somebody puts a dressing on it.

It has to rebuild damaged tissue. And with a pressure ulcer, what you see on the surface is only a fraction of what is happening underneath.

GET INFORMED… GET INVOLVED… TAKE RESPONSIBILITY...

• UNDERSTAND PRESSURE

Work out what caused the damage. Pressure? Shear? Sitting too long? Poor positioning? Equipment? Transfers? It needs addressing.

• UNDERSTAND YOUR WOUND

How deep is it? Is there undermining or tunnelling? Is bone involved? Infection? Osteomyelitis? What does the exudate tell you? Ask what these things mean.

• UNDERSTAND HOW HEALING WORKS

The objective isn't to get skin to close over the top. Deep wounds need to heal from the depths and outwards, then let the skin close over the new and healthy tissue. Surface closure doesn't mean the underlying problem has been resolved.

• ASK QUESTIONS

Why are we using this dressing? What are we trying to achieve? Is the wound getting smaller? What has changed since last month? What could be preventing progress?

• DO YOUR RESEARCH

Go online and read information. Use that knowledge to have conversations with the professionals treating you. Being informed doesn't mean pretending to be a doctor. It means becoming an active member of your own team.

• TAKE PRESSURE RELIEF SERIOUSLY

Every hour sitting on your wound is a decision. "But I need to get in my wheelchair..." doesn't change what pressure does to healing tissue.

• STOP NEGOTIATING WITH THE WOUND

Your body doesn't care that you're bored, frustrated or fed up with bed rest. Put pressure back onto fragile tissue too early and you risk damaging weeks or months of healing.

• TAKE NUTRITION SERIOUSLY

Your body needs protein, energy, fluids, vitamins and minerals to heal and manufacture new tissue. Find out what you need. Make sure you're getting enough. What you put in your mouth is a major part of wound care that only you control.

• STOP LOOKING FOR EXCUSES

Don't turn avoidable choices into unavoidable circumstances.

NO ONE CAN MAKE THESE DECISIONS FOR YOU...

• You decide whether you follow the pressure-relief plan

• You decide whether you eat what your body needs

• You decide whether you ask questions and get informed

• You decide whether you speak up

• And ultimately, you decide whether you're going to be a passenger in your own recovery… or an active member of the team fighting for the best possible outcome.

GET IN THE DRIVING SEAT OF YOUR OWN WOUND CARE.

Nobody has more invested in the outcome than you.