What Do You Know About Treating Eczema?
The key to keeping your elderly loved one happy and healthy when they are diagnosed with eczema is properly managing the symptoms. If you are interested in minimizing the irritating symptoms of your aging relative’s skin condition, it comes down to applying proper medicine, avoiding triggers, and implementing a proper skin care routine. National Eczema Week, held every September, is an ideal time to gather more information and learn about the latest in treating eczema in seniors.
Senior Care in Northbrook IL: Treating Eczema
The first step in treating eczema in your aging relative is to get a support team together that can assist them in managing the condition. This includes a doctor, who can prescribe topical steroids and other medication to help minimize the condition. Family members, friends, senior care providers, and others that help take care of your elderly loved one all need to be on the same page when it comes to managing eczema symptoms properly to avoid flare-ups.
Eczema can be unpredictable and even the slightest trigger can cause it to flare up. That’s why it’s so important that you and others know about the specific triggers and help your elderly relative avoid them. Here are some of the most common triggers for eczema:
- Long, hot baths or showers.
- Dry air and extremely hot temperatures.
- Cold wind on exposed skin.
- Synthetic material in clothes.
- Itchy fabrics like wool.
- Perfumed cleaners like laundry soap and fabric softener.
- Perfumed body care products like soap, makeup and lotion.
- Dehydration and poor nutrition.
A doctor can prescribe medicated creams and ointments designed to treat eczema and restore it to its original protective state. However, there is no cure for eczema, so family caregivers, senior care providers and the elderly adult must all work together to understand how to apply the medications to the affected areas to ease the symptoms.
The most effective way to treat eczema is to avoid triggers and create an environment where the skin is as moist and clean as possible. For example, senior care providers can apply a thick moisturizer to the aging adult’s skin within three minutes after getting out of the bath or shower to seal moisture in. Running a humidifier regularly can also help elderly adults keep their skin from drying out.
Seniors should wear light, breathable fabrics like cotton and get their clothes washed with non-perfumed detergents. Senior care providers can also encourage the elderly person to drink plenty of fluids and eat a nutritious diet to keep the skin healthy from the inside. Finally, the aging adult should avoid extremely hot and extremely cold weather as that can stress the skin out and make the eczema worse.
Seniors are susceptible to eczema, but a proper skin care regimen and overall health and wellness efforts can keep the problem to a minimum. If left untreated, eczema can seriously impact your elderly relative’s health and comfort. Use National Eczema Week to look for even more ideas on how you can work with your loved one on treating their eczema.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Northbrook, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.
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