How to Roll Someone Over in Bed

Moving and handling people in bed who are less able can be somewhat tricky to individuals who are not trained. It’s incredibly important to adopt the correct practices in order to prevent any physical strains on both the individual and the carer.

Rolling someone over in bed is a prime example of how people can get hurt if it’s not done properly, so we’ve put together this guide with our physiotherapist Padraig to help you roll someone over easily and safely. This is a 2-carer scenario that will cover rolling both ways.

Rolling to the Left

Step 1: Make sure the person in bed isn’t too close to the edge, and have a carer stand at either side of the individual, and drop the cotside bumpers (if the bed has them).

Step 2: The individual should turn their head to the left, and put their right arm across their body. The carer stood on the person’s left-hand-side should then lean across and place their hand under the person’s right shoulder.

Step 3: The same carer (on the left-hand side) should use their other hand to slightly bend the person’s right knee. This will give them good leverage to pull from.

Step 4: The carer should then facilitate the roll from the right shoulder and right hip. This should leave the person in bed in a comfortable, secure position on their side.

Step 5: If the person would like to go back on to their back, simply gently roll them back over.

Rolling to the Right

Step 1: Like before, make sure that individual isn’t too close to the edge of the bed and have a carer stand either side of the bed, and drop the cotside bumpers (if there are any).

Step 2: The person laying down should turn their head to the right, and their left arm across their body. The carer stood on the person’s right-hand-side should then lean across and put their hand under the person’s left shoulder.

Step 3: The same carer (the one on the right-hand-side) should then use their other hand to slightly bend the person’s left knee. Again, this will give the carer a strong, secure position to pull from.

Step 4: Gently pull on the individual’s shoulder and hip to facilitate the roll to the right. The person should then be comfortably positioned on their right-hand-side.

Step 5: Just like before, if the person wants to go back to their original position, just gently roll them back over.

Summary

These steps may seem simplistic, but they’re incredibly important for facilitating a safe, comfortable roll for the person in bed. This technique also protects the carer from sustaining any injuries when physically moving the individual.

This method is an easy, efficient way of ensuring comfort and safety for all involved — so rolling someone over in bed can be safe and easy for anyone! If you want any further advice on how to roll someone over with just one carer, then this video from Marie Curie is particularly helpful.