Title: Explain why the elderly are so susceptible to infection.
Course: Nurse Aide (14051) > Section: Unit III: Infection Control

Explanation should include how

- the immune system becomes weaker with age
- skin becomes thinner and tears more easily
- limited mobility increases the risk of pressure sores and skin infections
- decreased circulation slows the response of the blood to an infection
- decreased circulation slows wound healing
- catheters and feeding tubes are portals of entry for pathogens
- dehydration increases the risk of infection
- malnutrition decreases the body’s defense mechanisms against infection.