Reasons Your Senior’s Wound Isn’t Healing
Whether the wound in question is one from surgery or an injury, your senior needs to be able to heal quickly and completely. If that wound is taking longer to heal than it really should, there could be a variety of different factors affecting that process. Hiring home health care providers to oversee the recovery would be beneficial.
Here’s what might be going on and what home health care aides can watch out for.
Home Health Care Essex County NJ – Reasons Your Senior’s Wound Isn’t Healing
Poor Circulation to the Wound
Blood flow is crucial to healing wounds. If your elderly family member naturally has poor circulation or battles circulation issues because of health conditions, she may have a more difficult time with wound healing. Circulation is so important because it helps to ensure that blood flow in the area is bringing nutrients to the wound and carrying waste and fluids away as the swelling recedes.
Too Much Swelling
Speaking of swelling, some is always to be expected with a wound. But there is such a thing as too much swelling. This happens when fluid, primarily blood, collects in the area. Too much swelling reduces the amount of oxygen your senior’s body can get to the wound. Compression therapy, ice, and massage can all be beneficial in reducing swelling. If the area around the wound suddenly starts to swell, it’s possible that she’s dealing with an infection.
Lack of Nutrition
Your elderly family member’s body needs all the nutrients it can get when it’s healing an injury. Protein in particular is crucial so that her body can rebuild tissues. Having home health care providers watching out for your senior and making sure that she’s eating healthy meals regularly is something that can really speed up her healing process.
Other Health Issues
If your senior’s health is poor in general, her body is already working hard. Dealing with an injury just strains those resources even further. Some health issues, like diabetes, affect wound healing even more. Keeping blood sugar and other variables under better control is incredibly helpful in healing wounds. All of that is easier with the help of home health care providers.
Reinjuring the Wound Site
Continuing to injure the wound site or even the area around the wound is going to slow down healing a bit, too. That’s why it can be so helpful to have someone there with your senior to make sure that she’s able to safely walk and shift position as needed. Reducing reinjury is crucial in making sure that your senior is able to heal quickly.
Infection in the Wound
Infections in a wound happen when bacteria get into the wound itself and multiply. The body’s immune system is forced to choose between healing the wound and fighting off the infection. Typically, the battle against the infection is a higher priority, causing the wound to heal much more slowly than it should. Signs of infection include redness around the wound itself, discharge coming from the wound, and swelling that won’t respond to treatment.
Home health care services can help your senior with all of these issues and more. Their experience can make wound management safer and easier for everyone involved, including your elderly family member.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Home Health Care Services in Essex County NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris, and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.
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