It’s easy to remember to take the proper steps to protect your aging loved one’s skin during the warm summer months to avoid overexposure to the sun and increasing her risk of developing skin cancer, but many people forget that even though it’s colder in the winter months, the sun can still damage the skin. Being out in the snow with its reflective properties can increase the amount of exposure to the sun’s rays, and the cold, dry winds of winter can make skin more sensitive and be damaged more easily. A personal care at home provider can help with many of your loved one’s personal needs such as bathing, grooming, or any other personal care tasks.
How to Protect Skin from the Sun in the Winter
- Don’t forget sunscreen. While most of the body will probably be covered up with clothes and protected, the sensitive skin on the face, neck, hands, and ears is often still exposed, especially if the weather isn’t unbearably cold. Sunscreen is still the best way to protect those exposed areas of skin.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat. A hat with a wider brim can help protect the face, eyelids, ears, and nose from too much sun exposure.
- Wear protective sunglasses that block UV rays.
- Consider going out when the sun is lower in the sky to reduce its strength and damaging rays.
Skin Cancer Symptoms to Watch For Year-Round
Skin cancer can begin to develop year-round, so regular checks are important to catch any changes to the skin before they progress too far.
There are two types of skin cancer, and each has similar yet different symptoms.
Basal cell carcinoma is often found on areas of the body that typically receive a lot of exposure to the sun such as the face, neck, arms, legs, ears, and hands.
Symptoms include:
- A sore that doesn’t heal and often bleeds repeatedly.
- A skin patch that appears rough, flat, and like a scar.
- A bump that is pearly in color and waxy feeling.
Squamous cell carcinoma is also common in parts of the body that receive high sun exposure. Occasionally, squamous cell carcinoma can appear in areas that are not exposed to a lot of sunlight. This is often the case for people with darker skin tones.
Squamous cell carcinoma looks like:
- A firm, red nodule.
- A painful and itchy skin lesion.
- A crusty or scaly lesion that has an irregular border.
When Your Loved One Needs Help Checking Her Skin
Even the most flexible person is going to struggle to check certain areas of their body for skin changes. Twisting around in front of a mirror doesn’t provide the close-up look that is needed to see if something has changed. A personal care at home provider can help your loved one check for cancerous growth regularly so that if anything appears, it is caught immediately.
Having someone help with personal care at home is one way your loved one can continue to stay on top of her health and address any concerns that may arise right away. You don’t want your loved one to have to wait each year until her annual physical for a full-body check, especially if skin cancer runs in the family or if your loved one has had it previously.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Personal Care at Home Services near Ridgefield CT, please call and talk to our friendly and dedicated staff. (203) 744-8380
Home Care Advantage provides quality Non-Medical Home Care for seniors and families in Danbury, Bethel, Easton, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Southbury, Weston, Westport, Wilton, and surrounding areas.
With over 25 years of healthcare experience working with seniors, our model and approach to non-medical home care services are straightforward, providing you with the compassionate care you deserve. Providing care from the heart is what we are all about; we proactively work with you and your family to develop a care plan designed to meet your specific need for assistance and budget.
In addition to having an extensive work background in healthcare, my recent educational experience allowed me to earn my Doctorate Degree in public healthcare. This achievement enhanced my knowledge of the ever-evolving healthcare delivery system and heightened my awareness that you cannot go it alone to get the best outcome. Additionally, I have seen how some of my family members struggled and were overwhelmed with ensuring that their parents were safe and their needs were met. They did not know who to trust or where to turn for reliable and affordable help. I have made it our mission to be part of the solution allowing seniors to remain independent and be treated with the respect they deserve.
We are committed to providing excellent care for our clients, just as we would care for members of our own families. Please be assured that I will use my knowledge and background to protect and be a trusted resource for seniors and their families.
You can be confident that our caregivers are carefully screened, dependable, and selectively chosen to meet the specific needs of our clients. They are experienced and highly trained to provide excellent quality care and follow a strict professional code of conduct and ethics.
Our caregivers are competitively paid directly by our agency; there is no additional charge to you. Home Care Advantage files Social Security/Medicare, Federal and State Withholding Tax, and Unemployment Insurance for our employees. Workers’ compensation insurance and a fidelity bond cover the caregivers and supervisory staff.
Our caregivers are here for you and will work hard to assist you with your specific needs in the comfort of your own home. It is said that “Home is where the heart is.” Let Home Care Advantage provide care that will enrich your life and help you maintain an independent lifestyle in the comfort of your own home, “where you want to be.” Call us now! We look forward to working with you and your family.
Dr. Beverly J. Ruekberg, DHP, MPH, MA, Ed.
President/Geriatric Care Manager
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