At 77 , Betty would love to slip into her pool on a warm
summer night or go for long walks at dawn like she
used to. Age doesn’t hold Betty back, but leg ulcers are
affecting her lifestyle.
“It’s such a drag to have ulcers on your leg continually,”
Betty said. “And it can be absolutely excruciating. It would
be marvellous if someone could find a treatment so it
would heal quickly and stay healed.”
Around one per cent of Australia’s population suffers
from leg ulcers and older people are at greater risk.
Improving the quality of life for Betty and other leg ulcer
sufferers is the driving force behind some major research
initiatives at IHBI.
Working through the Spiritus Care Service’s
‘Leg Club®’, IHBI researchers test different types and
methods of bandaging to promote faster wound healing in
patients like Betty.
“Right now I can barely feel that I’ve got an ulcer, the
treatment is working so well,” Betty said.
IHBI researchers are advancing our understanding
of the physical factors that promote healing of ulcers.
An IHBI team is looking at exactly what happens to the
wound during compression bandage treatment.
This team
is determining the relationship between wound healing,
compression and oxygen levels, cellular changes and
bandaging techniques.
This research is part of the Human Health and Wellbeing Domain
dementia, obesity, diabetes, schizophrenia, addiction, melanoma,
treatment and care...
IHBI researchers are working towards better health care for people from all walks of life.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, we are experiencing unprecedented increases in preventable
physical and psychological diseases. It is critical to develop and evaluate interventions to
prevent disease, promote health and improve care.
IHBI’s Human Health and Wellbeing research focuses on:
- improving the standard of health care
- making care outside of traditional hospital environments possible
- empowering people to manage their own chronic health problems.
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