Elder Care: Preventing Pacemaker Phone Check Wristband Pinching

In home care for an elderly family member sometimes involves finding solutions for problems the experts haven't considered.

The Problem: Pinching Expandable Wristband

When my mother first had her pacemaker checked at home, we were thrilled. The two-plus hour trip to the cardiologist's office for a check exhausted her.

However, our initial enthusiasm for the convenience of in home care soon turned to frustration. Despite careful positioning and all the technician's suggestions, the checks took longer than anticipated. She told us the tracings showed too much artifact, probably from poor connections.

Unfortunately the technician had no other recommendations to fix the problem.

The Solution

In searching for the cause, we noticed the wristbands were most comfortable when placed at her wrist in the unexpanded position. Moving them up her forearm enough to make better contact led to them pinching her skin. No one wanted to cause her pain or injure her skin, which was fragile. The wristbands were heavy, more like a watchband for a large person than a small elder.

My sister suggested crafting a wrist protector that could be placed under the expandable wristband, both protecting the underlying skin and allowing better contact with the square contact part of the wristband.

We tried a pair of old socks to see how they worked. They successfully improved the contact, solving the problem. We still needed to be careful when placing the wristbands, however they no longer pinched as easily.

How to make a wrist protector

Materials:

One pair of soft cotton anklet socks with cuffs large enough to fit comfortably on the patient's wrists

One pair of scissors

Fabric adhesive (such as Fray check®) or white glue (such as Elmer's ®) to keep the cut edges from raveling.

Directions:

1. Cut off the cuffs of the socks just above the heels.

2. Fold the cuffs lengthwise, and make a small horizontal slit in each cuff at least 1 inch from one end. This slit will stretch around the square contact part of the pacemaker box wristband. You may first want to make a small cut, then checking it to see if it needs to be enlarged.

3. Treat the cut threads with the adhesive or glue. Stretching the sock slightly on a suitably sized jar while drying helps keep from gluing the ends of either the cuff or the slit together. Allow the adhesive or glue to dry thoroughly before wearing.

Wear the wrist protectors like wrist warmers. Slide them on the wrists first, and then carefully slide the expandable wristband over them. If not carefully placed, the wristbands can still pinch delicate skin. The only part of the metal expandable wristband touching the skin is the square contact point, which doesn't expand. The contact point fits inside the wrist protector's window-like slit.