If you are living with older adults at home, you definitely want to make sure that you can monitor them all of the time. Of course, your own situation won’t permit you to do so, especially because you have other things to attend to. With this, you know that they may be prone to skin bruises, and it will hurt seeing them in that condition. Your doctors may fully explain why this happens to them, but you need to understand how to minimize its occurrence. Yes, it is common in adults their age because their skin gets thinner by this time, but that does not mean they should suffer from it. Here is how this can be prevented:
Check on What They Wear
Getting their skins exposed can be one of the deterrents to having bruises on their skin. If you want to make sure they are free from the problem, make sure you instruct them to wear long pants and long sleeves, most especially if they are performing activities that can puncture or injure their fragile skin.
Let Them Live a Healthy Lifestyle
What has that got to do with skin bruising? If your loved ones smoke, then that can make their skin reduce collagen production. This can make them prone to bruising. There are also medications that increase the likelihood of this problem. Check with the doctor though if they can stop taking medications such as NSAIDs, anticoagulants, corticosteroids, and aspirin. Make sure that their diet is filled with vitamin C sufficient for their age as well.
Inspect the Home
This is one thing you must never forget if you want to make sure that your loved ones won’t suffer from bruising. Are there safety hazards that can make them trip or fall? If there are, these hazards must be removed from the place.
It is also important to check the same things if you will move them into a retirement community. The place must offer your loved ones a haven where they will feel safe. Check that the amenities offered are fit for their age and needs. Ask if there is someone who will assist them just in case they need to perform physical activities for their health and wellbeing.
Things You Must Do when Healing Bruises
You can minimize the risk of skin bruises, but time and again, your loved one may suffer from cuts and burns that can be quite irritating for them. When you have noticed that they have one, then you need to take extra care of their fragile bodies.
Applying a cold compress to the affected area will be important in order to reduce blood flow. You can do this for 20 minutes, and you will see that this will reduce the size of the bruise, and decrease inflammation too. Make sure that you wrap the affected area with a compression bandage in order to lessen swelling. The area must be elevated too.
If the bruising is something that you cannot handle on your own, it pays to go to a doctor so that your loved ones will get the medical attention that they need. You must go to a medical provider as well if you think the bruises developed without any apparent reason.
