Wound Care Management

Care workers play an integral role in skincare and wound management for their clients. With aging, the older person becomes more susceptible to pressure injuries and skin tears that can lead to chronic wounds. This could be due to loss of skin elasticity, limited mobility, loss of sensation, neurological impairments, poor nutrition, and poor circulation.

Care workers may participate in skin/ wound assessment and play an active role in wound management along with the specialized nursing and health professionals.  It is integral for care workers to undertake evidence-based learning to develop or upgrade their skincare and wound management knowledge.

Wound care and what you need to know

Knowledge of appropriate wound care is incredibly important, whether for yourself or a loved one. The correct treatment of a chronic wound can make all the difference in maintaining comfort at home or avoiding life-threatening outcomes.

The causes of chronic wounds

The natural ageing process impacts the body’s ability to heal itself quickly. That’s why your bruise from bumping into a door handle or a cut from a branch scratching you in the garden could last weeks, instead of just days.

This is because the healing process is slowed in older people. The normal healing process includes three stages – the inflammatory, fibroblastic and maturation stages – but in old age, these are slowed and delayed. 

Even the final maturation stage, where the healed skin strengthens and scars fade, can take years for a young person to complete, let alone the time it could take for older people, which is why understanding proper wound care is important. 

Most chronic wounds are caused by trauma to the skin, burns, bedsores, skin cancer or infection. There are also a number of diseases that increase the likelihood of chronic wounds and delay the healing process further, including diabetes, cancers, heart disease or venous leg ulcers. 

Diabetic foot disease is one of the most impactful diseases of all, affecting roughly 50,000 annually, while 300,000 other Australians with diabetes have risk factors for developing the condition.

Chronic wounds do have wide-ranging impacts. Not only are they painful, but they can cause decreased mobility due to the pain, which in itself could lead to bedsores or other health complications.

As a result, early intervention by a healthcare professional can avoid chronic wound deterioration. But it also helps to understand the principles behind proper wound care for ongoing management and treatment at home.

Pinnacle Training Hub is passionate about training and can help train staff in wound care management for better outcomes for patient, keeping them at home where they want to be.