Keeping Elderly Skin Healthy

And Other Elderly Skin Care Tips

The skin of the elderly is highly prone to a number of diseases and disorders because of its decreased elasticity, thickness, and because of certain illnesses the elderly tend to have. One of the most common problems that affects the skin is congestive heart failure, which is the inability of the heart to expel sufficient blood to keep pace with the metabolic demands of the body. In the healthy individual, the heart can tolerate large increases of workload for a considerable length of time, but in an elderly person who has this problem it can have a negative effect on the skin's ability to heal. Because of these reasons, it is critical to keep elderly skin healthy and protected. There are many other causes for compromised skin including incontinence, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and treating wounds.

Elderly Skin Care, Elderly Skin

The good news is that some skin problems can be prevented by adhering to a few basic principles. One of the most important steps is making sure that your elderly loved one has a highly nutritional diet. If there is a suspected problem, a consultation with a dietician may be recommended. The dietician can work with both the elderly patient and the caregiver to determine the best way to increase the nutritional value of the elderly person’s diet, and thereby improve the condition of his or her skin. If supplements are called for, there is a wide variety of nutritional supplements in easy to use forms, such as puddings, powders and juices, which help enable easy digestion.

Direct care of the skin is especially crucial as well. Usually a three step process to maintain healthy skin is recommended – remember CMP - Cleanse, Moisturize and Protect. There are a number of products that can be used to care for the skin of the elderly.

Cleansing - Everyone needs to keep their skin clean to be healthy, and the elderly are no exception. Using a gentle foam cleanser is recommended to remove residue. Studies show that skin that is regularly and gently cleansed is less likely to breakdown and have problems. The CareGiver Partnership offers only professional grade skin care products used by medical professionals.

Moisturizing - After cleansing, the next important step is moisturizing. Due to the natural process of aging, and sometimes because of certain diseases or conditions, the elderly tend to suffer from extremely dry skin. Using a healing moisturizer is recommended.

Skin Protection – After the skin is cleaned and moisturized, a protectant should be used, especially if incontinence is involved. If left untreated, incontinence can cauase the skin to quickly break down, and numerous problems arise as a result. This is especially crucial since all elderly skin is far more fragile than someone who is younger. You can check some of the medical grade products used by professionals.

Problem skin - The elderly are also much more susceptible to having problems with their skin including eczema, rosacea and psoriasis. Products to treat these problems can be found at http://www.caregiverpartnership.com/lp-triderma.aspx.

Wound care - This often becomes an issue for the elderly. This is especially true if your loved one is diabetic. Many diabetics have a very difficult time healing, and often need extended care for their skin. In addition if a senior has had surgery or other medical intervention, then skin can need extra care while healing. Your loved one may need products that can help with the relief of general skin irritations, pressure sores, diabetic ulcers, burns (including radiation from cancer treatment), and any other skin irritation. At www.caregiverpartnership.com they offer a wide variety of products and helpful resources that can help with these special circumstances.

 Lynn Wilson founded The CareGiver Partnership based on her experience in caring for loved ones as well as providing the highest level of customer service. She takes pride in offering personalized service that helps her customers find solutions. Now that her children are grown, Lynn enjoys spending time with her granddaughter while also helping to care for her mom. To find out how The CareGiver Partnership can serve you, call 1-800-985-1353 M-F 9-4 CDT.

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