91 year old grandma with scabs on face?

[hillview]

My 91 year old grandma arrived yesterday to stay with us for 3 weeks (long stort). I saw her about a month ago and she was fine except for some dry skin on her chin (which is chronic -- I got her some aquaphore which she often forgets to use). When she arrived she has about 6-7 scabs on her face which she picks at. She doesn't know how she got them. She lives on her own and my worthless uncle looks in on her from time to time. Any idea what the scabs could be from? I know she didn't fall. They are each maybe between a dime and nickle sized with one about the size of a quarter. They look awful.

TIA
/hillary

[TwinFoxes]

Mosquito bites she kept scratching would be my guess. I'm sorry to read about this, I remember some of your other posts re: your grandma. Will she let you take her to the doctor's?

[ThreeofUs]

Dry skin patches that she's been scratching.

Sounds like she needs good care. :hug:

[hillview]

Thanks ladies. We are going to have a dermatologyst take a look at the pictures today. I am concerned they could be skin cancer BUT that seems unlikely since they weren't there a month ago right? I think I will get some neosporen and some hard to get off bandaids and see if we can get them to heal. 3 weeks should be enough time?
/hillary

[wellyes]

Old people faces are very very delicate. I would not assume cancer, truly. It's actually not uncommon to have scabby skin at that age. But it is very uncomfortable. Poor lady.

[ThreeofUs]

Thanks ladies. We are going to have a dermatologyst take a look at the pictures today. I am concerned they could be skin cancer BUT that seems unlikely since they weren't there a month ago right? I think I will get some neosporen and some hard to get off bandaids and see if we can get them to heal. 3 weeks should be enough time?
/hillary

Neosporin and aquaphor would be great for her face. But use small amounts and watch for any reaction because...



Old people faces are very very delicate.

Very true. Skin gets so thin.

[nrp]

Thanks ladies. We are going to have a dermatologyst take a look at the pictures today. I am concerned they could be skin cancer BUT that seems unlikely since they weren't there a month ago right? I think I will get some neosporen and some hard to get off bandaids and see if we can get them to heal. 3 weeks should be enough time?
/hillary

I think the Neosporin and Aquaphor are good ideas. I'd be careful of bandaids, as they could cause more damage to her delicate skin when you take them off.

[artvandalay]

Old people faces are very very delicate. I would not assume cancer, truly. It's actually not uncommon to have scabby skin at that age. But it is very uncomfortable. Poor lady.

:yeahthat: Sorry to hear this, I hope she gets better soon.

I think she just needs to keep her face very moisturized. The aquaphor should help, but if not, she might have to put something under the aquaphor.

[mom2binsd]

I work in nursing homes and skin tears and other skin ailments are one of the most common problems. Like others have said, older skin is not like ours, and is very susceptible to scabbing etc. As well, she may have just been scratching/picking at it without realizing what she was doing.

Sounds like she may need to move into an assisted living situation, she could still maintain her independence but have more reliable people checking on her (and the added social stimulation that is so lacking if she's living alone). Is that a possibility? Often moving into an ASL apt will prevent any type of serious issue like a fall etc. and can be very beneficial.

[hillview]

I work in nursing homes and skin tears and other skin ailments are one of the most common problems. Like others have said, older skin is not like ours, and is very susceptible to scabbing etc. As well, she may have just been scratching/picking at it without realizing what she was doing.

Sounds like she may need to move into an assisted living situation, she could still maintain her independence but have more reliable people checking on her (and the added social stimulation that is so lacking if she's living alone). Is that a possibility? Often moving into an ASL apt will prevent any type of serious issue like a fall etc. and can be very beneficial.

Welcome to dysfunction central on this point. YES she does need to. No her son (and my grandma) won't let her. So far she has been independent enough that it isn't a battle I can win. Given this new info (also that when she got here she clearly had not showered in days -- EWWW) I think I will hire someone to come visit her once a day to help her with daily tasks. I had wanted her to come live near me in an assisted living facility but lost that battle. So we purchased the condo that my uncle put into foreclosure (he took out a HELOC and didn't pay it OR the mortgage for 2 years) please don't get me started on this rant -- oops too late!

Thanks again for your advice!!
/hillary

[ThreeofUs]

Does your uncle have custody or some other hold? I'd get a lawyer and get her out of his clutches - good basis would be fiscal malfeasance and neglect. She needs and deserves better care.

[hillview]

Does your uncle have custody or some other hold? I'd get a lawyer and get her out of his clutches - good basis would be fiscal malfeasance and neglect. She needs and deserves better care.

I could do this. I have excellent documentation indicating he is a jerk. However she ADORES him and would NEVER want to leave where she lives. She would fight tooth and nail if we made her do something and she has a wicked temper. She has no money (he took it all) so right now DH and I are paying her mortgage and any other expenses. The whole thing is just terrible. ARGH.

[MamaMolly]

:grouphug: she is lucky to have you. Keep your chin up!

[ThreeofUs]

Oh, I'm so so sorry! How terrible. She is very very lucky to have you.

[elektra]

Here is a link that may help you in finding someone to help care for her. http://www.alz.org/carefinder/index.asp?type=homepage
There are options to have someone come in and help her. Based on her bit of a feisty personality ;), it might make sense to also look into a house keeper situation. A challenge with nursing-type caregivers (some are not actual trained nurses but still have training to care for the elderly) is that the person/patient is. resistant to the help and will not let anyone help them with personal care. Unfortunately, they often do not realize that if they do not accept that help, they will need to go into some kind of a facility in order to get proper care. :(
Has she started any new medication that may have anxiety or agitation as a side effect? It sounds to me that for whatever reason ( dry skin, medication side effect, bug bites, anxiety) she has some irritation on her face and now she just keeps picking at it since her skin is so delicate.

[hillview]

Thanks all! There is a woman in her building who I met last month when I was there who used to care for the elderly (and is now retired with her husband). She could visit my grandma easily and we talked about her doing this. Once grandma goes home we will hire her. She can make sure her face heals, make sure she eats (grandma doesn't eat a lot unless someone is with her) and check that she is ok. She is on no medications at all. She is very fiesty and has always been very very difficult (although she listens to me and tells everyone I am her favorite etc etc). Thanks again all. Really appreciate your support.

/hillary

[geochick]

My grandmother had these. She used to pick at her face. She was pretty lonely, and I think she picked at her face out of boredom. She didn't even realize she was doing it.

[crayonblue]

DH's grandma got confused and was putting hemorrhoid cream on her face. Make sure she isn't using something that breaks her face out.

[hillview]

My grandmother had these. She used to pick at her face. She was pretty lonely, and I think she picked at her face out of boredom. She didn't even realize she was doing it.

THIS! I think this is the case. Did you figure out what to do?? We made a derm appt but they cannot take her til Oct 4th. Trying to figure out what to do til then.

[geochick]

My mom took care of her more than I ever did, I'll have to ask. I think she just kept trying to keep her hands busy. She'd gently move her hands to her lap when she'd catch her doing it. The problem is my grandma was alone a lot.

[geochick]

http://www.agingcare.com/Questions/How-do-we-get-Mom-to-stop-picking-at-her-face-Weve-tried-everything-138162.htm

[ellies mom]

THIS! I think this is the case. Did you figure out what to do?? We made a derm appt but they cannot take her til Oct 4th. Trying to figure out what to do til then.

One of my nursing instructors told me that one place she worked gave the older patients that fiddled the grown-up equivalent of a tag blanket or "dress me" doll. I guess it was a square of fabric with little things to do to keep their fingers busy, such as buckles and buttons and different textures. She also told us that when she was was in the hospital setting, she would occasionally give those same types of patients a bunch of washcloths to fold. When they finished one batch, she unfold them and bring them back. She claimed it worked wonders. (these were the type of patients who would fiddle with their IV sites and such, so rather than restraining them, they would occupy them)

Does she crochet, knit or sew? Maybe she could use a hobby to give her fingers something to do and keep her more occupied.

Best of luck to you both. It is very frustrating trying to deal with these types of issues. As adults, we are used to having a certain amount of control to fix problems and then when something like this comes up, it sucks to have your hands tied and be unable to really fix the problem. Especially, when it involves someone you love.

[geochick]

Ellies Mom got me thinking. My sister's mother in law is going blind, and suffers from boredom. My sis sent her an entire collection of Sing a Ma Jigs last Christmas. She LOVES those things. They have texture. They interact. They keep your hands busy, and they're fun.

[longtallsally05]

I think the Neosporin and Aquaphor are good ideas. I'd be careful of bandaids, as they could cause more damage to her delicate skin when you take them off.

:yeahthat: As we age, we lose subcutaneous fat and skin begins to tear more easily. I've seen horrible skin tears from bandage removal and even with pressure from an IV cuff (shudder...). Maybe try Neosporin or Aquaphor without a bandaid?

[ellies mom]

Ellies Mom got me thinking. My sister's mother in law is going blind, and suffers from boredom. My sis sent her an entire collection of Sing a Ma Jigs last Christmas. She LOVES those things. They have texture. They interact. They keep your hands busy, and they're fun.

I normally hate toys that make noise but I'm obsessed with those Sing a Ma Jigs. I haven't bought any but I can't help but play with them in the stores.

There is a woman on Ravelry who took up loom knitting when she started losing her sight. She has come up with a ton of patterns that you would never guess came from a loom. Maybe she would also enjoy something like that.