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Prevalon® Pressure-Relieving Heel Protector, the #1 brand of heel protection, has proven clinical and financial outcomes that show its effectiveness. But it can also make a difference in the quality of life for your patients. Below is a story from an experienced wound care nurse about how Prevalon eliminated her loved one's pain and potential for infection.
Dear Sage Products,
I have been a wound care nurse for over 17 years, and for the first time I'm trying to prevent pressure ulcer development on a family member on hospice. My mother-in-law has put up an incredible fight against renal cell cancer for the past 20 years. However, in the last month the cancer has spread rapidly and she has had a rapid decline. She went from being able to walk and move herself in bed one day, to the next day calling us to say she could not get out of bed.
She can now only lay flat on her back in bed due to the pain and location of the tumor. However, the one complaint she continued to have was that her heels hurt when in bed despite being on a low-air-loss bed and aggressive pain medications. The pain was so bad that she was unable to sleep for more than an hour at a time, and it was affecting her appetite.
As a wound care nurse, I know the heels are the most vulnerable area for pressure ulcer development. Hospice tried floating her heels with pillows in conjunction with foam heel pads, but this made her more uncomfortable so she refused these interventions. The other complaint she had was that her right leg (which has a large tumor on it) would rotate outward, causing more pain. She was beginning to develop a callus on the outer aspect of her right heel. When the hospice nurse communicated the situation to me, I immediately requested the Prevalon Pressure-Relieving Heel Protector made by Sage Products. I knew this product would get her heels completely off the bed, and the leg stabilizer wedge would help with the rotation of her right leg.
My mother-in-law was very skeptical about trying Prevalon because all the other interventions hospice had tried caused her more pain, but we convinced her to wear them. The next morning I got a call directly from her stating she had slept through the night and that she just ate her entire breakfast and requested seconds. She loves the boots! Prevalon has completely eliminated her heel pain. The leg stabilizer wedge has kept her right leg from rotating, and her callus is now gone. She also has gained 5 pounds in the last two weeks due to the fact that her appetite has returned since the pain is gone.
I truly believe that Prevalon has slowed her decline and improved her quality of life by simply eliminating her pain, which in turn brought her appetite back. Prevalon has eliminated the risk of developing pressure ulcers on her heels, which contributed to further pain, the potential for infection and the need for expensive, painful dressing changes.
My mother-in-law and I want to thank Sage for this wonderful product!
Sincerely,
Jeri Lundgren, RN, CWS, CWCN
"As a nurse, I know that keeping pressure off heels is a difficult thing. After surviving an 18-day coma and 'awaking' with bilateral heel pressure ulcers, I can speak first hand about how painful they are and how difficult it is to find a position for your heels to relieve the pain. I'm so glad I discovered Prevalon®. It really works! Not only did Prevalon relieve my pain while keeping the heels elevated but it did not cause me to become hot and sweaty (like some other products). It also prevents foot drop while being very comfortable to wear! Wound care nurses love this product for its prevention purposes. Trust me when I say, your patients will love it, too!"
Sherrie Dornberger, President, National Association Directors of Nursing
Administration/Long Term Care (NADONA/LTC)
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