Giovanni, I'm so glad you made it to home
and you're settling in well.
Well, I'm glad you're here.
Lucky for me my sister Veronica is here to help me.
I think we're both a little nervous
that we are going to forget
something or do something wrong.
Well, I am going to show you some things
that should make you more confident
about how to look after the wound
and how to prevent this wound in the future.
Okay. >> Okay.
Having diabetes can reduce sensation in the feet
and increases the risk of developing foot wounds.
This video will tell you how to treat them
if they occur and give you guidance on how to reduce
the risk of recurrence in the future.
So one of the thing I want to do is to make sure
that every night you check your feet,
want to check that for any signs of infection
or any swelling, edema and to make sure
you check in between the toes as well.
Okay. >> And also you want to make sure
before she puts her shoes on,
she's going to wear socks and shoes every day
and make sure your shoes fit well.
So you're going to check the shoes
to make sure there's nothing left inside, >> Okay,
or any rough edges or anything like that. >> Right.
Okay. >> But sometimes no matter how careful you are,
foot wounds still happen.
If you notice a new wound, make an appointment
to see your health care professional.
To make sure you are prepared, it is important
to always have on hand ribbon gauze, wrap gauze
and tape whereas silicone dressing to cover the wound.
You will also want to get something called
an offloading boot which is a boot with a cut out
from your healthcare professional.
This takes the pressure off the wound
when you are walking.
First there are a few things you need to do
very routinely to make sure that you keep
her foot healed, Follow the same sequence each time
you change the wound dressing.
First, wash your hands thoroughly
and put on a fresh pair of gloves.
Remove the old dressing carefully placing it
in a plastic bag for disposal.
Cleanse the wound and pat dry.
Remove gloves and place in zip bag for disposal.
Wash your hands again before applying
a clean dressing.
You may want to wear gloves
if there is discharge from the wound.
Wash hands once more when finished.
You might cover the bed or other surface
with a towel for protection.
Remove the old dressing carefully
and place in a zipped plastic bag
for proper disposal in a baggie.
It's safe to be placed in your household garbage.
And then you can look at the wounds
to see if there's any redness, swelling
or any excess discharge.
Signs of infection include redness,
swelling, change in wound discharge,
fever, chills or increased pain.
If any of these are present,
contact your health care professional.
Hopefully it doesn't hurt.
If it does or start to get painful,
that might be a sign of infection.
After a shower or washing the wound
with saline spray thoroughly dry the foot.
Obviously if you have a shower
you don't need to use the saline spray. Okay.
And you could dress right after the shower.
If the wound is deep you will pack gauze
lightly into the wound to loosely fill that space.
When you fill the wound you're just going
to lightly fill it. Okay.
So just the inside of it because the principles
of wound care have to do with keeping
the inside moist and the outside dry
then secure with a dressing on top.
Here we go. Okay?
Plays a sock on the foot and makes sure
the offloading boot is in place for walking.
Okay.
You don't have.
Sandals or flipflops. >> Flipflops.
No. >> Keeping the toes covered this summer.
Got it. >> And the foot protects it
and how often do I change it or when do I change.
It's important to change it every three to five days.
Okay. >> But if she's taking a shower everyday
she can change it immediately after shower.
If you're taking a bath make sure
you don't let it soak in the bath tub.
How do I keep my foot elevated?
It's important to keep it elevated part of the day.
But the main thing is that when you are up walking
that you're protecting
the bottom of your foot and the wound
so always wear the boot. >> so always wear the boot.
Any other questions for me?
No it feels a lot better.
Don't hesitate to call if anything comes up.
Okay, we will do that.
Thank you so you much. >> Thanks.
Be sure to consult with your health care professional
if you have any questions or concerns.
[For more information, please visit]
[www.aarp.org/nolongeralone]