When you were younger, cuts and bruises would heal within a week or two with minimal management. As you grow older, the healing process slows and some injuries may not fully recover. Thinning skin, reduced fat and muscle mass, and weaker immunity can make even minor wounds more prone to infection and taking longer to heal.
As a result of these changes, seniors require more specialized and attentive wound care. This could mean a healthcare professional selecting the right dressing and scheduling daily changes after joint replacement surgery or regular monitoring of diabetic or venous ulcers.
Avon Health Center integrates comprehensive wound care into all our services, helping patients heal efficiently while reducing risk of chronic wounds, infections and serious complications. Learn more about our approach.
Challenges of Wound Healing for Seniors
With age, the skin becomes more fragile and susceptible to tears, infections and dryness. Impaired barrier function also reduces moisture retention, making the skin less resilient and slowing the healing process.
When you add chronic health conditions, post-surgical recovery or limited mobility to the equation, risk of injury increases significantly.
For long-term care patients, who may spend extended periods in a bed or wheelchair, these challenges are even greater. Several age-related factors further impact wound healing and tissue repair, including:
- Poor circulation due to cardiovascular conditions, varicose veins and diabetes.
- Nutritional deficiencies, such as insufficient protein, zinc or vitamin C – essential for tissue repair.
- Physical inactivity, which slows recovery after surgery and affects overall healing.
- A weakened immune response, which reduces the body’s ability to fight infections.
Benefits of Wound Care for Older Adults
Proper wound management goes beyond cleaning and bandaging. It’s about preventing complications and optimizing recovery. Over time, this approach:
- Lowers hospital readmission rates
- Helps control costs for managing chronic wounds
- Reduces risk of infection, necrosis, amputation and permanent disability
- Lessens scarring
- Improves pain management and comfort, enhancing overall wellbeing
- Helps prevent and manage diabetic, venous and pressure ulcers
- Reduces risk and improves the response to venous, diabetic and pressure ulcers
Our Services
At Avon Health Center, our experienced medical team takes a personalized approach to wound care, ensuring each patient receives the best treatment for their condition. We are proud to have a wound-certified RN on staff at all times and consult with a prominent Wound Care Specialist who makes weekly rounds to assess and treat complex cases.
Our comprehensive wound care services include:
- Individualized wound care plans, tailored to each patient’s needs, lifestyle and medical history
- Specialized wound dressings, chosen based on wound type, size, depth and discharge
- Regular dressing changes and cleansing to prevent infection and preserve skin integrity
- Assessment of skin conditions, including rashes, growths and infections
- Debridement to remove dead tissue and manage bacterial load
- Abscess and wound drainage to control fluid buildup
- Negative pressure wound therapy to accelerate recovery
- Antibiotic therapy to stop or manage infections
- Compression therapy to improve circulation and reduce swelling
- Comprehensive hygiene management, considering nutrition, skin moisture, medications and chronic diseases
We prioritize effective healing while reducing complications. Whether you’re recovering from surgery, managing a chronic condition or need specialized wound care, our team is here to help.
