The Night Turn Has Two Answers: Do It Yourself or Put a Second Pair of Hands on the Night Sheet

The night turn is the line on the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. sheet that gets written last and done first, usually by a tired man in a dim room. Before you decide who does it, give it its own line with a start time, an end time, and a name in the box. The word 'nights' on the sheet is not a job. A line that says 'turn her, 10 p.m. and again at 2 a.m., you or helper' is.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Get the schedule from her care team

Ask her care team how often she should be repositioned overnight and what they want you to watch for on her skin, her breathing, and her comfort. Write their answer on the sheet in their words. Your guess about the interval is not the plan, and neither is what a neighbor did for a relative.

Test your own night before you commit to it

Ask yourself three plain questions. Can you turn her alone at 3 a.m. after a day of transfers? Can you do it without hurting your back? Can you still do it on the fourth night in a row? If any answer is no, the night turn needs a second person, and you should decide that now rather than after a bad week.

Option one: you do it, with the setup checked

If you keep the night, make the setup do some of the work. Check that the bed height lets you reach her without bending deep. Keep the pillows, the wedge, and the light switch within reach of the side you stand on. Put a small lamp or a night light where you can see her face without waking the house. Write the turn steps on a card on the nightstand so you do not have to remember them half asleep.

Option two: a hired non-medical caregiver sits the night

A hired helper can be booked for the night or for a block of it. Before you sign anything, ask the agency four things. What does its training cover for repositioning and transfers? Will the helper turn her, or only stand by while you do? What is written as the helper's scope, in the agreement and in the notes on the sheet? When a turn cannot be finished, who does the helper call, and do they wake you? Medication stays with you, her doctor, and the pharmacist, so the scope should say that too.

Split the night if the work is split

Many families find the night works better in two parts. You take the first half, and a helper covers the second, or the other way around. Write the handoff time on the sheet, the one thing each person must tell the other, and the phone number to call if a turn goes wrong. If any turn needs two people, a single hired helper may not be enough, so confirm that before booking.