Keeping skin issues at bay.
We have been fairly successful at keeping skin issues under control with my 96 year old mother since it is so difficult to keep them bathed daily or even several times a week.
After the bath and a good towel drying, we use the hairdryer to eliminate moisture in every nook and cranny of her body. The bonus here is that it keeps her from feeling cold when the air hits her moist body.
Then, for the inevitable yeast/fungal rashes that pop up from time to time, we use a feminine yeast control product including under the breasts where moisture can get trapped and the germs can easily reproduce.
Finally, a good rub down with the favorite moisturizer, we use Jergens body butter with shea and oatmeal. I think the shea actually creates a skin barrier to help retain moisture. Have found the most expensive moisturizers and body butters just don't work that well on old skin. This works for us.
So far, we've had good results. It's really tough keeping their skin from breaking open and bruising easily, but at least this regimen, simple as it is, seems to keep the rashes and other skin issues under control.
Hope this helps someone.
The nurse told me to first and foremost, *make* her shower every other day, at least, as long as she's able to get in and out of the shower. She said the act of showering will help keep her aware of herself and of her body, and will make her feel like she's doing something important towards her own care. Then, once she's dried off, we put anti-fungal cream (like athlete's foot cream) in all her skin folds. Then - and this is very important - in the skin fold on her abdomen, where her panniculus lays over her legs, after putting the cream in that fold, we put a white handkerchief, folded long and narrow. This prevents the skin-on-skin contact inside that skin fold that causes the moisture and bacterial/fungal growth.
I'd never heard of such a thing, but it works. As long as I keep after the situation with those steps, there's no odor and no bacterial/fungal growth in the skin folds.