Skin Dryness in the Elderly Staying in a Nursing Homes and Affecting Factors

Objective: This study is a descriptive study conducted to examine skin dryness, pH level, skin turgor and the affecting factors in the elderly staying in nursing homes.Method: The study population was composed of 53 elderly who stayed in a care and rehabilitation center. 50 elderly who met the participant selection criteria and who gave their consent to participate were included. Elderly Information Form and devices that measure skin moisture and pH were used as the data collection tools. Descriptive statistics, Man-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation test were used.Results: The results of the study revealed that the rate of arm dryness in the female elderly was higher compared to the male elderly and that skin turgor duration was longer in the elderly with cardiovascular diseases. When the relationship between water-fluid consumption of elderly and skin turgor duration was examined, it was seen that the duration of skin turgor extends as water-fluid consumption decreases.Conclusion: Dry skin was observed in all the elderly staying in the nursing homes; the duration of skin turgor extended; and skin pH was at normal levels. It was further revealed that daily water-fluid intake of the elderly affected the duration of skin turgor.