Skin care is a very important, yet often overlooked aspect of senior care. Senior citizens, especially in those with Alzheimer, dementia, or other physical or mental ailments, it is difficult for them to care for their hygiene and skin properly. Dry/flaking skin, skin tears, and bruising become very common as the skin begins to weaken, lose elasticity and dry out with age. Here at The Promised Land Adult Family Home, we take pride in our ability to maintain and even improve the skin condition of our elderly residents.
The first and most obvious step in maintaining skin health and moisture is applying lotion to the skin. We apply lotion to our residents skin at least 2 times per day and more often if necessary. If we notice any areas that appear to be extra dry or irritated we have thicker creams and balms, which we can apply to help keep the area properly moisturized and protected. In my previous point I mentioned, “properly moisturized” and what I meant by that was having the skin wet can be detrimental to the skins condition. This is important to recognize especially for our residents who experience incontinence (accidental urination or soiling) because those areas that come in contact with the wet brief can experience very quick skin deterioration if not cared for properly. Special creams to help keep this moisture off of these more at risk areas are essential to prevent bedsores and skin irritation. Bedsores are a common thing in larger facilities such as nursing homes and larger memory care facilities due to the sheer number of residents that live in the building versus the number caregivers available to monitor them. This is why the low caregiver to patient ratio is so important at smaller facilities like our adult family home. We have the time and personalized care regimen to allow us to catch these symptoms and address them more swiftly.
Another key aspect of our skin care regimen is our skin washing techniques. We either shower or towel bath our residents every day. This helps us to ensure that their skin is clean and free of any irritants that could cause dry skin or irritation. The combination of frequent cleaning and moisturizing allows us to keep our residents skin looking clean and smooth.
One more reason our residents’ skin is so clean and smooth is that we encourage hydration to the highest level possible. Dehydration is very common in seniors, and that is why we make it our mission to track, encourage, and assist in the consumption of the adequate amount of fluids each of our residents need. Dehydration often can lead to dry skin because it inhibits the proper oil secretions and perspiration necessary for proper skin health.
By carrying out all of my aforementioned techniques, we ensure that each and every one of our seniors in our care has the best skin condition possible. We have residents who are over 100 years old who still have a near wrinkle free appearance! If you want to ensure the health of your skin or that of a loved one, make sure to follow these steps. If you need assistance with care and are looking for the absolute best care possible, make sure to contact us. You can find our contact info on our home page.
Thanks for reading!
The Promised Land Adult Family Home
Bothell, Washington
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