The Best Things Seniors Can Do To Avoid Skin Cancer
Personal care at home services can help keep your senior from getting too much sun.
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and with summer on the way, now is the perfect time for seniors to take steps to protect their skin.
Skin cancer is very common among seniors. In fact, age is one of the risk factors for skin cancer, and the risk of developing skin cancer increases as people age. According to studies, most cases of skin cancer occur in seniors who are older than 65. But less than half of all seniors are taking steps to protect themselves from skin cancer.
You should talk to your senior parent about the things they, and personal care at home caregivers, can do to lower their risk of developing skin cancer like:
Wearing Sunscreen
The absolute best thing seniors can do to protect themselves from developing skin cancer is to wear sunscreen every day—even on cloudy days and even in the winter. Seniors need to wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 every single day.
Your senior parent may not be wearing sunscreen because it’s hard for them to apply it. Seniors with poor grip strength may not be able to squeeze a tube of sunscreen easily or work a pump. Personal care at home services for seniors can help. When seniors have personal care at home, they have someone with them to help with things like applying sunscreen, washing their face, and brushing their teeth daily.
Keep It Shady
If your senior parent likes to go outside when the weather is nice, they should stay in shady areas. You can put a sunshade or a pergola up in the yard for them so they can enjoy the outdoors without being in the full sun for hours. Seniors should also only go outside between 8 A.M. and 1 P.M. before the sun’s rays are the strongest.
Wear Protective Clothing Outside
Seniors should always wear protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts, pants, wide-brimmed hats, and sunglasses with UV protection when they are outside to shield their skin and eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Light layers of natural fiber clothing like cotton or linen will protect your senior parents’ skin without making them too warm.
Check For Changes In The Skin
Seniors need to regularly look for new moles, freckles, or growths. They should also monitor existing growths for any changes. It’s helpful for seniors to have personal care at home services because a care provider can check areas of the skin that your senior parent can’t see.
Make An Appointment With A Dermatologist
Seniors should have regular skin examinations by a dermatologist, especially if they have a history of sun exposure, sunburn, or skin cancer. Your senior parent should be seeing their dermatologist at least once a year to make sure there haven’t been any changes in their skin that might be caused by cancer. If the dermatologist sees something that looks suspicious, they can test it immediately.
Early detection and treatment increase the chances that your senior parent will be just fine, and personal care at home caregivers will help diligently observe any issues and inform their medical team.
If you or someone you know needs Personal Care at Home in Daphne, AL, please contact the friendly caregivers at Hughes Home Care. We provide quality and affordable care for your elderly loved ones in our community. Serving Mobile & Baldwin County. Call us today at (251) 517-9901
Sources:
- https://www.ncoa.org/article/skin-cancer-signs-symptoms-and-ways-to-stop-cancer-before-it-starts
- https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/older-adults-protect-skin-sun.htm
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