Wound Care Must-Haves for Family Caregivers

When you're a family caregiver, wound care isn’t a bonus skill, it’s a survival one. I wasn’t trained. I learned by screwing up, Googling at 3AM, and bleeding through budget supplies. If you’re in the trenches, these are the tools I wish I had from Day One.

🧤 1. Nitrile Gloves (Get the Good Ones)

Cheap gloves tear, powder your hands, and betray you when it matters most. Get these instead:
👉 Caring Nitrile Gloves – Medical Grade, Latex-Free (Amazon)

🩹 2. Sterile Gauze Pads in Multiple Sizes

Don’t rely on one size. Stage 1 needs aren’t Stage 3 needs. These won’t disintegrate on contact:
👉 100pc Sterile Gauze Pads — 4x4, Non-Adherent, Durable (Amazon)

💧 3. Fragrance-Free Wound Cleanser Spray

Don’t use peroxide or alcohol as they kill tissue. This spray protects while it cleans:
👉 Medline Skintegrity Wound Cleanser – 16oz Spray (Amazon)

✂️ 4. Medical Scissors + Paper Tape Combo

You’ll need reliable scissors and tape that doesn’t rip skin off. These work:
👉 Bandage Scissors – Non-Stick, Sharp Tip (Amazon)
👉 3M Micropore Paper Tape – Hypoallergenic (Amazon)

🪑 5. Pressure-Relieving Surfaces

Wound care means preventing wounds too. These help distribute weight and reduce sore formation:
👉 Alternating Pressure Mattress System (Amazon)
👉 Gel-Infused Memory Foam Cushion – Wheelchair/Bed Use (Amazon)

🧴 6. Barrier Creams & Incontinence Support

Keep moisture from breaking down skin in high-risk areas. These are staples:
👉 Protective Barrier Cream – Zinc Oxide Based (Amazon)

🔥 Final Thought:

None of this was built for you. Not the job, not the tools. But these help bridge the gap. They don’t replace sleep, but they might spare you one more ER trip, one more skin tear, one more crisis.

I wrote The Unmedical Manual for Caregivers to offer more of this — not theory, but real answers from someone who lived it.

📘 Get the full guide on Amazon here.
Your back-up manual when there’s no one else to call.