Nail Care

Excerpted from The Comfort of Home: A Complete Guide for CaregiversTM

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When providing nail care, you can watch for signs of irritation or infection. This is especially important in a person with diabetes, for whom a small infection can develop into something more serious. Fingernails and toenails can thicken with age, which will make them more difficult to trim.

  1. Assemble supplies -- soap, basin with water, towel, nailbrush, scissors, nail clippers, file, and lotion.
  2. Wash your hands.
  3. Wash the hands of the person in your care with soap and water and soak the hands in a basin of warm water for 5 minutes.
  4. Gently scrub the nails with the brush to remove trapped dirt.
  5. Dry the nails and gently push back the skin around the nails (the cuticle) with the towel.
  6. To prevent ingrown nails, cut nails straight across.
  7. File gently to smooth the edges.
  8. Gently massage the person’s hands and feet with lotion.

NOTE: If other members of the household are using the same equipment, clean the nail clippers with alcohol.

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2 Comments

about 1 year ago

Hi Tessa52, This article does address both fingernail and toenail health. However, if you would like to know more about toenail health you can ask one of our experts a question in the Ask and Answer section (http://www.caring.com/ask). You may also find the good information about toenail health in the article "18 Things Your Feet Say About Your Health" (http://www.caring.com/articles/what-your-feet-say-about-your-health).


about 1 year ago

what about the toe nails?


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