It’s that time of year when everyone begins to feel the drying effects of living inside a home with forced heat that dries out the air and, inevitably, dries out the skin. For the elderly, this time of year can be especially tough on their skin, causing discomfort and, if not taken care of, even damage and illness. Helping your elderly loved one keep their skin moisturized during these cold months isn’t difficult, but it does require consistent care, and personal care at home providers can help.
Why Senior Skin Struggles with Dryness
While winter conditions alone are enough to dry anyone’s skin out, your elderly loved one also has additional changes that have occurred in their body that increase the risk of dry skin each winter and all year long.
As a person ages, their skin becomes thinner and less elastic, making it more difficult for it to stretch with movement and then return to its original shape and placement. This loss of elastin in the skin can make it much more common for it to dry out and crack.
Hormones can also contribute to a person’s skin becoming drier as they age, especially in women. Finally, the body tends to produce less oil and sweat as a person ages, further compounding the risk of dry skin.
How to Help Your Senior Keep Their Skin Healthy in the Winter
There are daily steps you can take to help your senior prevent extremely dry skin and give it what it needs each day to retain moisture and elasticity.
- Try to keep the air in your home as humid as possible by using a humidifier in the winter. A humidifier adds moisture back into dry air, helping to prevent your loved one’s skin from drying out. Since most humidifiers only improve the air of the room they are in, look to add them to rooms that are most commonly used by your senior, like their bedroom and possibly their main living room.
- Encourage plenty of fluids. Dry skin comes from the inside, and if your senior is always dehydrated, their skin will show and feel that. Many seniors forget to drink enough water each day because they no longer feel as thirsty as they did when they were younger. Set aside a large, full water bottle each day and remind your loved one to drink it all by the end of each day.
- Keep water temperatures neutral. No one wants a cold shower or bath in the winter, but overly hot ones can damage the skin. Promote temperate baths and showers by making sure the bathroom is warm enough to prevent your senior from getting too cold.
- Apply lotion or cream made for dry skin regularly.
Keeping Skin Healthy with Personal Care at Home for Your Senior
If your senior needs extra assistance with daily care, a personal care at home provider can help them stay on top of their skincare needs. A personal care at home provider can assist with applying lotion in hard-to-reach places. If your loved one’s personal care at home provider helps with bathing, they can ensure the water temperature isn’t too warm and that the products being used are moisturizing.
If dry skin is managed daily, it usually doesn’t cause any health concerns, so keep on top of it and keep your senior’s skin healthy.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Personal Care at Home in Highlands Ranch, CO, please contact the caring staff at Talem Home Care & Placement Services of Denver, CO, today. Call (303) 647-1800
At Talem Home Care & Placement Services of Denver, CO, we provide passionate, understanding, and flexible caregivers in Denver, Englewood, Lakewood, Aurora, Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Parker, Centennial, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Castle Rock, and surrounding areas in Colorado.
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