Your loved one may not have given much thought to his nail care throughout his life. Maybe he trimmed them occasionally and cleaned under them with a knife, but it was never at the forefront of his thoughts to keep his nails healthy so that he’d stay healthy.
Healthy Nails Promote Overall Health
Fingernails not only need to look good so that a friendly handshake is less embarrassing but they also should be well-maintained to help protect a person’s overall health.
Five Reasons to Support Healthy Nails
- Nails reflect what’s going on in the body. Nails can demonstrate if your loved one is missing certain important nutrients in his diet or sometimes even if he’s battling a health condition such as liver and heart conditions.
- Nails protect fingertips. A strong nail can protect the tips of the fingers from injuries from blunt force, burns, and scrapes.
- Clean nails prevent infection. The flip side of this is that dirty nails harbor bacteria and can lead to more illnesses and germs entering the body.
- Long nails can scratch and catch on items. Keeping them trimmed protects your loved one from accidental injury.
- Healthy nails boost self-confidence. Your loved one may say he doesn’t care how his nails look but clean-looking and well-groomed nails can boost his confidence in social situations.
Top Tips for Caring for Nails
Once you convince your loved one that nail care is important for him, then it’s time to schedule it. Nails should be attended to at least weekly if there are no issues, and more frequently if there are any injuries or health concerns. If your loved one cannot care for his nails on his own, you might consider having it added to his personal care at home. Having a provider come to the house to provide personal care at home can help your loved one be more accepting of a regular nail care routine.
Steps Personal Care at Home Attendants will Perform for Nail Care
- Weekly review of the nails. Since nails indicate other health issues, reviewing them for color and consistency is important each week. It can be an early indicator of something more serious going on.
- Caring for the skin around the nail beds. Age often makes the skin more susceptible to tears and injury, and that can affect the skin around the nails. Hangnails refer to the skin around the nail when a bit of it gets torn loose and dangles from the cuticle. These annoyances can be painful and could become infected. Weekly cuticle care will help prevent hangnails.
- Trimming nails. Nails should be kept short but not too short. A personal care at home provider will trim them straight across and then gently file any sharp corners away so they look nice and reduce the risk of scratching or catching on anything.
- Cleaning nails. Cleaning under and around the nails prevents bacteria from entering the body.
- Moisturizing the hands and nails. Skin and nails can dry out as a person ages, resulting in split nails and cracked fingertips (especially in the winter months). A personal care at home provider can apply moisturizer each week to keep the fingers in good shape.
One added side benefit of having someone come to the home to provide nail care is the benefits your loved one will receive from the human touch. Having someone hold and massage the hands is a great human connection point.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Personal Care at Home in Smithtown, NY, please contact the caring staff at Help at Home today at (631) 859-3435
Help at Home is a top provider of home care services in Islip, Babylon, Huntington, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Hempstead & Oyster Bay, and surrounding areas on Long Island & NYC. We serve Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties.
Whether you or a loved one is recuperating from an illness or a senior requiring care, we can help. Help at Home is committed to providing quality home care at affordable rates. Helping a patient remain in the comfort and security of their home is our goal. We are the best alternative to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Help at Home caregivers
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