Halton resident Linda Moss made an appearance on YourTV’s Savvy Seniors last night, Nov. 18, to spread awareness of pressure wounds and the importance of preventative care ahead of Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention Day on Thursday, Nov. 21.
A pressure wound, also known as a bedsore or pressure ulcer, is damage to an area of the skin and tissue as a result of long-term pressure, such as being in a hospital bed for an extended period of time.
Moss, who is on the board of directors for Wounds Canada, became an advocate for pressure injury awareness after her father, Bob Wilson, suffered an unstageable pressure injury while in the hospital recovering from a fall and passed away in 2019 after his wound became infected.
“When you’re in the hospital for one particular issue, other problems can also arise,” she said. “Our dad was developing a pressure injury, unbeknownst to the caregivers (Moss and her sisters), and by the time we knew about the pressure injury it was too late, it was unstageable, and our dad was moved into palliative care.”
Despite the difficulties of dealing with the pressure wound and her father’s passing, Moss took the loss as motivation to help other families avoid feeling what she had felt.
“With every tragedy, there’s always a lesson learned and a few teachable, positive movements forward in change,” she said. “It’s not about what happened, but about how we prevent this from happening again.”
Wounds Canada is an organization that provides education and resources about pressure wounds and other skin-related health problems. Wounds Canada CEO Mariam Botros and Education and Policy Director Dr. Irmajean Bajnok will be joining Moss on Savvy Seniors.
Moss has been working with Wounds Canada for several years and appreciates what the organization has helped her accomplish in raising awareness.
“Wounds Canada is an amazing organization that basically wrapped their arms around me and taught me a lot,” Moss said. “I’ve been able to use my voice through their platform to tell our story and get the word out there. They’re fantastic resource for pressure injury prevention and education.”
Moss represents caregivers through her role on Wounds Canada’s board of directors, who are vital parts of pressure injury prevention. Caregivers play a number of roles when it comes to patient care, and can sometimes save lives.
“We’re free labour,” she said. “We are an extra set of eyes, ears, voices and helping hands to the medical teams and patients. We are more than just visitors.”
Moss’s experience dealing with pressure injuries within her own family has led to years of advocacy as she spreads the word on how to avoid suffering bedsores and the dangers that can come from leaving the problem untreated.
“If you’re immobile, you and your caregiver need to be able to advocate,” she said. “Get your skin checked and make sure that you are preventing a pressure injury from happening because once it starts, it can get worse really fast. Communication is key in these circumstances and it’s important that you align with your health care team to go over your care plan.”
Moss also said that the healthcare system in Canada should be updated to ensure that preventative care is being administered.
"It's time that procedures, protocols and policy is changed within our Canadian healthcare system,” she said. “Institutional culture needs to be shifted, a consistent and collaborative care plan upon admittance is key in prevention.”