At some point in our lives, we all manage to injure ourselves. While the normal bruise is unsightly and painful to the touch, it usually heals fast, and life goes on. However, when it comes to elderly skin bruising, we should pay more attention to understanding it and how to prevent it.
Here is all you need to know about elderly bruising, as well as what you can do to avoid it.
Factors of Elderly Skin Bruising
The force of a strike or injury, which usually occurs on the arms or legs, breaks tiny blood vessels (capillaries) on the skin’s surface, resulting in bruises. When this happens, blood seeps from the vessels and leaves a black-and-blue stain on the skin. The blood is eventually absorbed by your body, and the mark fades.
Harder hits usually result in greater bruises. If you bruise easily, even a tiny bump, which may be unnoticeable at first, can result in a substantial bruise.
Detecting the Cause of Bruising
Although most bruises are the result of a bump or a fall, there are other reasons why you may get bruises more frequently than you think.
- Medications
Several typical reasons for bruising in the elderly include a variety of beneficial drugs. Anticoagulant drugs, for example, which thin the blood to prevent heart attacks and strokes, might increase the risk of bruising. Other prescription and over-the-counter drugs are also known to cause bruising. For example, Cortisone medications, ibuprofen, and aspirin, etc.
- Deficiencies in Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin C and iron deficiencies can also cause weaker vessel walls. You may need to adjust the limits, from restricted appetites to specialist diets, to ensure that you acquire the nutrients you need to live a healthy life.
Preventing Elderly Akin Bruising
In most situations, bruising requires just minor treatment. The body generally absorbs the blood and the bruise fades on its own, but the markings can take anywhere from a few weeks to many months to fade. Severe bruising, abrupt bruising with no recall of a bump or fall, unusual bleeding elsewhere, or bruising more readily after taking a new medicine should all be treated by a doctor. Here are some things you can do to help prevent bruising:
- Get help with getting up from a chair
- Make sure your home is well-lit.
- Removing any fall hazards from your home
- Learn about the possible adverse effects of the drugs you’re taking. If a drug makes you dizzy or tired, tell your doctor or pharmacist.
- Using canes or walkers to provide directed assistance
Caruth Haven Court Provides Professional Health and Wellness Care
There are treatments for the different types of bruising. If you have a bruise that would not go away, contact your physician as soon as possible as bruising can suggest other health issues. As they say, prevention is better than cure and optimal quality of life is central to our medical and therapy services. We aim to help you rehabilitate while you regain your independence and confidence in carrying out daily living activities. Depending on your needs, our therapists can curate a rehabilitation plan just for you.
