With a growing population of Americans aged 65 or older, it is important to know which skin changes are normal and which are abnormal in aging skin and what to do in terms of treatment, education, and prevention of skin tears and other skin injuries.

In this guide, geriatric wound care expert Holly Hovan discusses the risk factors for compromised skin integrity related to the aging process and provides best practice preventive and therapeutic strategies, including appropriate bandage selection. She then describes the promising early results of a nurse-driven skin tear protocol.

Wound care professionals, especially nurses who treat long-term care facility residents with comorbidities that affect wound healing, will find this guide helpful to prevent or treat skin tears in vulnerable older adults.

This white paper discusses the following topics: