News
Stop the Pressure Day 2021- 18 November
Pressure ulcers can cause significant pain and distress for patients… they also cost the NHS in the region of £1.4 million every day – according to NHS England
40% of our members said ageing with an SCI and skin management, including accessing information on pressure ulcers, was a major concern, in our recent ‘What Matters’ report
5% of calls to SIA’s support line were specifically about skin management and pressure ulcers (September 2021). When the worst happens and a person sustains a spinal cord injury, one of the last things they consider is pressure ulcers
When the worst happens and a person sustains a spinal cord injury, one of the last things they consider is pressure ulcers. But here at the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA), we know that pressure ulcers can quickly become a very serious problem for a person with a SCI. And although they may start small, pressure ulcers can be devastating – and occasionally deadly.
A pressure ulcer is localised damage to the skin and/or underlying tissue, primarily caused by prolonged pressure in a specific area, which results in an ulcer. The ulcer can be present as painful intact skin or an open ulcer, and sometimes requires months of bed rest.
We’re leading the way with this year’s ‘Stop The Pressure’ campaign. We’re talking about this sensitive topic in order to help every SCI person have up-to-date knowledge on managing their own skin, plus access to the healthcare services that could help them.
Look out for:
- Our virtual café on Thursday 18 November at 1pm on ZOOM dedicated to education about pressure ulcers, with SCI Nurse Specialist Damian Green
- Plenty of educational content on social media about how to prevent and treat pressure ulcers
- Advice from our member Jamie Rhind about his experience of having a pressure ulcer
So get involved!
Follow us on Twitter @spinalinjuries and send us your experiences of pressure ulcers using the hashtag #STP2021.
If you want to get involved with our red dot campaign, download the red dot and then share with your friends and family.
Resources
Top tips for preventing pressure ulcers
read more about general skincare