Geriatric Trauma Book: Skin

There are a number of physiological changes that occur with aging that make the older adult more susceptible to traumatic wounds, as well as pressure ulcers following a traumatic injury. Nursing care of wounds in the older adult trauma patient should include control of comorbidities, particularly those that may inhibit wound healing. Additional risk factors for the older adult that can impair the wound-healing process include dehydration, malnutrition, unresolved pressure/shear and friction, excessive skin moisture, pruritus and dry skin, increased levels of wound exudate, and inappropriate management of wound exudate [1].