MDS Alert

Restorative can help the resident with this technique.

Not all strategies for sitting up in bed work equally well.To be the most "ergonomically efficient" in sitting up in bed, the resident should roll onto his shoulder, placing his opposite hand on the bed surface,says Cheryl Field, RN, MSN, CRRN, a consultant with PointRight Inc. in Lexington, Mass. Then he should use the arm muscle to push up into a sitting position. "If someone has hemi-weakness due to a stroke, you always have them push up with their strong side into a sitting position on the bed," Field adds.

"Restorative nursing can help the person learn how to go from a lying to a sitting or sitting to standing position when getting out of bed," adds Field, noting it's not a technique that comes naturally to people.