New Jersey Certified Homemaker-Home Health Aide (CHHA) · Master Personal Care Skills
Bedmaking and Comfort
On this page 6 sections
In 30 seconds
Rest and sleep are when the body repairs itself and the mind sorts out the day, so a client who sleeps badly heals more slowly and feels worse. Pain, noise, light, worry, a new routine, and needing the bathroom at night are common reasons sleep gets disturbed. The CHHA promotes sleep with small, steady habits such as a calm evening routine, a quiet dark room, and a bed that is clean, dry, and smooth. Positioning the client comfortably, with pillows placed for support, can also help blood move and make breathing easier.
Why this matters
Rest and comfort are part of healing, and a well-made bed and good positioning support both.
The college version
In normal terms
- Sleep lets the body fix itself and the mind reset, so good rest is part of getting better.
- Pain, noise, worry, and changes in routine are the usual reasons a client sleeps poorly.
- A smooth, clean bed, a quiet room, and a regular bedtime routine all promote sleep.
- Supporting the body with pillows and raising the head as the plan of care directs can make circulation and breathing more comfortable.
Concepts in this outline
- Positioning for comfort. — Supporting the client's body with pillows so nothing aches or presses, and changing the position often for clients who cannot move alone.
- Rest and sleep. — Rest is a calm, still state while awake; sleep is the deeper state when the brain shifts modes; both are part of healing.
- Functions of rest and sleep. — The repair, energy-building, germ-fighting, memory-sorting, and mood-calming work the body and mind do while resting.
- Factors affecting sleep disturbances. — Pain, noise, light, temperature, worry, nighttime bathroom needs, routine changes, and an uncomfortable bed, which can all keep a client awake.
- Promoting sleep. — A steady bedtime routine, a quiet dark room, a bathroom trip before bed, and a clean, dry, smooth bed that help a client sleep.
- Circulatory and respiratory comfort positioning. — Raising the head of the bed or propping the legs, as the plan of care directs, so blood flows well and breathing feels easier.
Eli explains
The same idea, in plain words
Explain it like I’m 10
Think about a phone that has to charge overnight. If the cord is loose or the phone keeps buzzing, it starts the day at half charge. A person is like that phone. Sleep is when the body charges up.
Rest and sleep are close cousins. Rest means the body is calm and still, even if the eyes are open. Sleep is deeper, when the brain switches into a different mode. The functions of rest and sleep are the jobs they do. During sleep the body repairs muscles and skin, fights germs, and builds up energy. The brain sorts memories and calms feelings. A sick or older person needs this repair time even more.
Lots of things can unplug the charger. These are the factors affecting sleep disturbances. Pain is a big one. So are noise, bright light, a room that is too hot or too cold, and worry. Needing the bathroom at night breaks sleep too. A new routine, a new bed, or a new caregiver can throw a person off.
The good news is that a CHHA can fix many of these. Promoting sleep means the simple habits that help a client fall asleep and stay asleep. Keep the same bedtime each night. Dim the lights and turn off the television. Offer a trip to the bathroom before bed. Keep the room quiet. And make the bed right. A clean, dry, smooth bed with tight sheets is one of the best sleep tools there is. Wrinkles and crumbs under a body that cannot shift can hurt the skin.
Positioning for comfort means placing the client's body so nothing aches. Pillows go under knees, behind the back, or between the legs to take pressure off. The CHHA changes the position often for a client who cannot move alone, so skin does not get sore.
Some positions do more than feel nice. Circulatory and respiratory comfort positioning means placing the body so blood moves well and breathing is easier. Circulatory means the blood, and respiratory means the lungs. Raising the head of the bed can help a client who feels short of breath lying flat. Propping up the legs can help blood flow back up. The plan of care is the nurse's written list of what the CHHA does for this client. It says which positions to use, and the nurse shows the CHHA how. A comfortable client charges up fully and wakes ready for the day.
Worked example
Grace arrives at Mrs. Fontaine's home in the early evening and starts by changing the sheets, pulling them tight and smooth so there are no wrinkles under her. She helps Mrs. Fontaine to the bathroom, then into bed, and raises the head of the bed the way the plan of care directs because Mrs. Fontaine breathes more easily that way. She tucks a pillow under her knees and another behind her back until everything feels right.
Then Grace dims the lights, turns off the television, and closes the curtains against the streetlight, because Mrs. Fontaine sleeps better when the room is dark and quiet. Mrs. Fontaine mentions she has been waking up several times a night with a sore hip, so Grace writes that down and reports it to the nurse the next morning.
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