What Skin Complications Can be Caused by Diabetes?
When thinking about the impact that diabetes can make on a person’s life, most people immediately think about high blood sugar and dietary changes. As a family caregiver, however, it is important to understand that the disease impacts the body in many other ways. Your parent may experience symptoms and complications that widely affect their health, well-being, and quality of life. This makes it critical that you recognize these issues and take the proper steps to either reduce the risk that your parent will experience them, or manage them effectively. Some such complications involve your parents skin. Elderly adults already have skin that tends to be thinner and more vulnerable than younger adults, making them more likely to experience damage and infections. If your parent is living with diabetes, their skin could be at even more risk, requiring further care.
Elder Care in Lake Forest IL: Diabetes and Skin Complications
Some of the skin complications that can be caused by diabetes include:
- Bacterial infections including styes, carbuncles, infections around the nails, and boils.
- Fungal infections such as yeast infections, ringworm, and others that can lead to itchy, painful inflamed rashes.
- Localized itching.
- Discolorations characterized by round or oval brown spots.
- Changes in the blood vessels that can lead to itchy, painful spots on the skin that can open and lead to infections.
- Diabetic blisters.
- Digital sclerosis.
Fortunately, the skin related complications of diabetes, including dryness, itching, and the more serious infections, can be prevented through proper care of the skin. If your parent has diabetes, talk to the doctor about how to change their normal skin care routine to help prevent these skin complications and help your parent to feel more comfortable. If you feel that they might be experiencing an infection or other skin complication, do not hesitate to get in touch with your doctor so that they can get the proper care before the condition worsens.
If you have been looking for a way to enhance your aging parents lifestyle and improve their quality of life as they age in place, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting elder care for them. An elderly home care services provider can be in the home with your parent on a schedule that is fully customized to them and their needs. This means that they will have access to the care, support, and assistance that is right for them according to their individual needs, challenges, and limitations. The highly personalized set of services provided by an elderly home care services provider is tailored to helping your parents stay healthy, safe, comfortable, and happy while also pursuing a lifestyle that is as independent, active, engaged, and fulfilling as possible throughout their later years. These services can include safe and reliable transportation, assistance with running errands, help with activities of daily living and personal care tasks, meal preparation, medication reminders, and more.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Lake Forest, 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.
Sources
https://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/skin-complications.html
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