Skin & hair · 5 min
Hands and nailsafter a day of caring
Your hands wash, lift and hold all day. Five minutes at night gives them back a little of what the day took.
When you look after someone, your hands do a great deal of it. They help someone to stand, they change a bed, they wash and wash again between jobs. That much washing is the right thing to do, and it is hard on skin and nails. Sore hands make the work harder and the touch less easy, so looking after your hands is part of looking after them.
The steps
Four small steps,in your own time.
At the end of the day, wash your hands once more in lukewarm water, not hot, and pat them dry with a soft towel, between the fingers too.
While they are still a little damp, rub in a thick, plain, unscented cream, working it into the knuckles, the backs of the hands and around each nail.
Look at your nails. If any are long or catching, trim them straight across and smooth the edge with a file. Leave the cuticles alone.
Sit for a minute with your hands resting open in your lap, and let them be still.
The reason
Why it helps
Each wash lifts a little of the skin's own oil, and when you wash many times a day there is no time for it to come back. Cream on slightly damp skin helps hold water in, and the night is the longest stretch your hands get to mend. Short, smooth nails catch less, and are kinder to the skin of the person you care for. The minute of stillness is for you: hands that have held someone all day deserve a rest.
A gentle variation
Keep a tub of the same plain cream by every sink you use and one in your bag, and use a little after the longer washes during the day. On a very sore night, put on a generous layer and sleep in a pair of thin cotton gloves.
WE · TRIBE
Try itwith someone.
Offer the same five minutes to the person you look after, if they would like it: warm water, a soft towel, a slow hand rub. Check first with their care team which cream is right near their skin, dressings or lines. Then let someone do yours.
Try it today
Tonight, wash your hands in lukewarm water, pat them dry, rub in a plain unscented cream while they are still damp, and trim any nail that catches.
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