Eczema and the Elderly - Skin problems in seniors

Eczema and the Elderly - Skin problems in seniors

Eczema is a challenge for every age group due to the itching, redness and uncertainty of healing. However, there are additional challenges for older people. One area is that due to arthritis, many older patients cannot open caps for creams and lotions. If there are problems with shaking due to Parkinson's disease, anxiety, or other conditions, applying cortisone creams or moisturizing lotions may also cause problems. Memory problems can also affect treatment as one may not remember whether the skin cream was rubbed into the skin or not.

Other issues may include whether or not the rash itself is eczema. For example, many seniors take medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and antibiotics for infections. People may get a rash from an antibiotic or other medication that may be suspected to be eczema. It is not always easy to diagnose eczema.

If the rash is not eczema, the question is whether cortisone cream is difficult to tolerate due to skin thinning or conflicts with other health problems.

Assuming the rash is correctly diagnosed as eczema, it is helpful to understand the reason why it occurs. For some people, contact dermatitis with items such as nickel or ingredients in personal care products may be the problem. Others may experience distress due to nummular eczema, discoid eczema, or winter eczema.

Make sure the older person in your life has someone to help you apply the lotion and take them with you for follow-up visits at the doctor's office. Because rashes are difficult to diagnose, it is important to ensure that the rash is not due to a medication reaction. If your parents or loved ones tell you that it is nothing and choose to ignore it, continue to monitor the situation until it is resolved.

Inspired by Dee Cohen