Welcome to the first of a weekly educational e-mail on how to care for yourself and your loved ones. Tips to Preventing Pressure Ulcer in the incontinent adult: Skin breakdown is a huge concern that often happens in the immobile bedridden older adult. Each year, over 2.5 million older adults in the U.S develop pressure ulcers. These skin breakdowns can be very painful, and often associated with a risk for serious infections. Three things you can do to prevent pressure ulcers: Rotate the adult’s position every 2-3 hours. This reduces pressure at the area at risk, maintains muscle mass and general tissue integrity and also ensures adequate blood supply to the area at risk Keep the brief/pull-up clean and dry. This means changing the brief/pull-up at least every 3-4 hours, this largely depends on how frequently the individual has incontinence episodes Use a barrier skin protectant cream. Applying a barrier cream to the area helps to prevent skin breakdown. Moisture from sweating, urine, and other contaminants can expose the skin to tearing. Barrier creams help to keep out these contaminants and also reinforce the vulnerable skin. Until next week. Please e-mail us with any questions on preventing and managing pressure ulcers in older adults. Thank you, Grace Akin. RN, BSN, FNP

Research studies show that over 53 million adults in America are primary caregivers for elderly chronically ill or disabled loved ones. Caregiver burnout is very common among this population. In fact, in a national survey, 40% of caregivers reported being emotionally distressed and depressed. In today’s article, I hope to educate the caregiver on warning signs of caregiver burnout and things to do to prevent it. 5 signs you’re experiencing caregiver burnout You feel overwhelmingly fatigued throughout the day and not sleeping 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night Isolating yourself by withdrawing from or losing interest in activities and people you once enjoyed engaging with Finding yourself being unusually angry, impatient, and short-tempered at people around you Unwanted changes in eating habits leading to excess weight loss or weight gain Neglecting your own physical and emotional needs due to lack of time for your self-care. 5 things you can start doing now to mitigate caregiver burnout Prioritize your physical and emotional well-being. Eat well-balanced meals, exercise, & don’t skip your doctor’s appointments. Taking care of yourself is a must and allows you to be at your best to care for your loved ones. Get enough sleep on a nightly basis. This is a must and should be non-negotiable. Create two or three 15-minute blocks in your day for “ME TIME”. During this time you can meditate, take a walk, pray, listen to music, or do whatever else you enjoy doing that refreshes you. Utilize your support system. This means asking for help when you need it, we all need somebody to lean on! Have a clear schedule for each day. When you have a clear agenda for your day allows you to feel empowered to take on the task of the day and feel very accomplished at the end of that day. - WONACE