As the winter months approach, it’s a good idea for you to review your aging relative’s skin care routine. As a family caregiver who helps a dependent senior, it’s important to look at all areas of their health and wellness. With a good skin care plan in place, your elderly loved one can remain comfortable with moist and supple skin instead of cracked and dry skin.

Winter weather can be quite harsh on an elderly person’s skin due to extreme cold outside and dry, warm air inside. Elderly adults also lose the ability to retain a lot of moisture in the skin, which can lead to itchy dryness and painful cracks. From the hands and feet to the face and lips, their entire body needs attention during winter. Seniors who rely on family caregivers and elderly care providers are especially dependent on their supporters to help them with wise winter skin care.

Create an Atmosphere that Promotes Healthy Skin

Winter is harsh on the skin because seniors are exposed to both cold air and warm air, often to extremes. You can create a friendly indoor atmosphere by making sure the area is warm but not harsh. Start by setting the thermostat to a moderate temperature to avoid high heat blasting all day. Consider running a humidifier to put some moisture into the air. Finally, bundle up your aging relative properly if they need to go outside. This includes protective gloves and a scarf around the lower part of the face.

Create Healthy Skin Habits

It’s not just harsh weather that can wreak havoc on your elderly adult’s skin. There are likely several ways that you are adding to the problem. For example, hot showers and baths can aggravate dry winter skin. Instead, help your aging loved one take lukewarm ones. Scrubbing the skin dry with a towel after is another way to rob the skin of precious moisture. Pat the skin dry to preserve it. Finally, hydrating from the inside is an excellent way to have healthy skin, so encourage your elderly relative to drink plenty of water.

Create a Moisturizing Skin Care Regimen

In the winter, your aging loved one’s skin needs extra moisture, so you and the elderly care provider can develop a moisturizing skin care regimen that will keep their body’s largest organ healthy and supple. Invest in a quality moisturizing cream that is fragrance-free and dye-free. When they get out of the shower or bath, apply the moisturizer right away. Seniors should also moisturize their hands after every wash, as the hands are most likely to be dry and cracked. Don’t forget a lip balm to protect against chapping and cracking.

Healthy skin is so important to an elderly person’s overall health and wellness. With your help, and support from elderly care providers, family members and others who help care for your aging relative, they can be comfortable throughout the winter months with supple skin instead of the irritation and pain of dry, winter-blasted skin.

If you are considering elderly care in Lynchburg, VA for an aging loved one, please talk to the caring staff at Acti-Kare of Blue Ridge. Call 888-451-5273. Our office provides senior care and home care services in the following locations including Blue Ridge, Lynchburg, Salem, Roanoke, Smith Mountain Lake, and Bedford in Virginia.