Back to: Basic CPR/AED & First Aid (Clone)
Your skin becomes more fragile with age. This raises the risk of cuts, scrapes and wounds in older adults. In some cases, these injuries become infected. While older age itself doesn’t cause infections, many older adults have chronic health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. These conditions can lower their immune system’s defense against infections.
If the wound is not healing properly or if showing any signs of infection, seek medical attention. Common signs of infection are, swelling, redness, pain, and the appearance of a white or yellow substance. Remember that older people have thinner skin and are more susceptible to skin infection diseases, and their skin may not heal as fast.
Wounds:
Types of ulcers include pressure ulcers, vascular ulcers, and neuropathic ulcers.
Potential interventions for prevention of pressure ulcers include: repositioning, nutrition, moisturizing dry skin, or by preventing damp skin due to incontinency.
Important: Wounds must have a Physician order and must be cared for by a Licensed Professional.
Important: Follow your State’s Regulations pertaining to wound care and staging of wound.
Skin Tears – First Aid:
Skin tears are seen on the extremities, usually the arms, hands, and lower limbs. Skin tears cause significant pain and adversely affect quality of life. Main cause are mechanical trauma often from wheelchair injuries, removal of adhesive tapes or dressing, transfers and falls.
- Important: Communication – Physicians, Home Health, Staff and Responsible Party.
- Important: Documentation of incident, notification, plan of care.
- Important: Follow Physician orders/Care plan, Regulations
- Important: Knowledge of allergies to tape, etc. when providing first aid.
- Important: Properly trained staff perform First Aid.
