The bittersweet memory of supporting his elderly grandmother who was left immobile due to a pressure ulcer gave Russell Jones the inspiration to set up Pressure Ulcers UK.
“My grandmother raised me after my mother died and I remember as a child having to do things like the shopping because she was unable to walk,” remembers Jones. “Pressure ulcers can leave someone in a lot of pain and, depending on their size and grade, they can affect every aspect of someone’s life and their family too.”
In response to his earlier experience, Jones and fellow trustees Ruth May and Jacqui Fletcher of the Charity Pressure Ulcers UK are about to embark on an awareness campaign to educate the general public and the care sector about how they can help prevent the condition.
The small team will work closely with healthcare professionals to develop a campaign they can take into care homes to prevent incidence of pressure ulcers. “Through a more co-ordinated approach we hope not only to reduce the number of people who develop the ulcers, but also reduce the financial burden on the NHS,” he says.
