Senior Care in Indianapolis, IN – May 5th is Hand Hygiene Day

Germ control is one of the most important concepts in any senior care plan. Preventing infection and illness keeps your elderly parents healthier which helps them live stronger, more active, happier lives. While cleaning surfaces and preventing visits from friends and family who have symptoms of illness are important parts of keeping the germs out of your parents’ home and bodies, one of the most basic ways to keep your parents healthy is keeping their hands and the hands of everyone in the home clean.

May 5th is Hand Hygiene Day, a fantastic chance to team up with your aging parents’ home care provider to implement clean hand practices that help prevent illness and infection. These simple behaviors make a dramatic difference not only in keeping your parents and their care team healthy, but also in helping them recover from sickness, wounds, or surgical procedures.

Use these hand hygiene tips to make your parents’ home a cleaner, healthier, germ-fighting space:

• Know when to wash your hands. Most people should wash their hands several times a day to get rid of germs, bacteria, and contamination from routine activities. Make sure you, your elderly parents, and your parents’ in home health services provider wash your hands before activities such as preparing food, eating, inserting or removing contacts, dressing wounds, or distributing medication. You should also wash your hands after activities such as treating wounds, interacting with a sick person, shaking hands, preparing raw poultry or meat, interacting with pets or their belongings, blowing your nose, taking out the garbage, cleaning the home, or touching your face or hair

• Take your time. A quick rinse under the faucet is not going to do much good for your hands. Take your time to lather your hands for at least 20 seconds, focusing on rubbing around your wrists, in between your fingers, and under your nails. Rinse your hands thoroughly and use the cloth you dry your hands on to turn off the faucet in order to prevent re-contamination

• Stick to regular soap. Stores are full of soaps that advertise themselves as being antibacterial and supposedly better for washing your hands. The reality is that these soaps are actually no more effective at germ control than just your normal soap. In fact, using antibacterial soaps can actually lead to the bacteria evolving and becoming more resistant to these antibacterial agents in future generations – which only take a few days to reproduce. This means your reliance on these soaps can actually make it harder for you to kill and fight off these germs

• Use hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizing gel is not the same thing as antibacterial soap. While antibacterial soaps contain potentially dangerous and not eco-friendly ingredients, most hand sanitizing gels are comprised primarily of rubbing alcohol. This is highly effective at killing germs, making it a good choice for quick cleanings before and after interacting with a sick or vulnerable person or dealing with an open wound

• Moisturize. Frequent washing and sanitizing are hard on your skin. The continuous exposure to water and other ingredients dries out your skin, making it more vulnerable to splits, scratches, and other problems. Compromised skin can allow in bacteria, leading to fast-growing infections. Be sure to apply alcohol-free moisturizer throughout the day to counteract the drying effect of washings and keep your hands comfortable and healthy.

The professionals at Great Care are available to talk with you and your family about all of your home care needs. Great Care is a non medical in-home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in Indianapolis, IN and the surrounding areas. Call (317) 595-9933 for more information.