Health Protection Steps To Take When Caring for Elders

Your top priority is to keep your elder loved one and family as healthy as possible. This means keeping everyone protected from viruses and contagious sickness. You want to do the right thing even though some messages about how germs spread are confusing. Health protection means having:

• The equipment and house set up to reduce the risk of contagious illnesses.
• Being sure family and other caregivers have the supplies needed to provide safe care.
• A sense of security and trust about the caregivers you hire.

Your family caregiver role is different than that of hospital staff. Yet you are serious about being as careful as possible. You want to be sure that anyone entering your home does not have an infectious illness. You also want to have current, reliable information. That way you know your family will stay as healthy as possible.

Topics Include:

• How can I prepare my home or my parents’ home to be safe from viruses?
• How can I select caregivers who will keep my loved one safe from contagious illnesses?
• What supplies and equipment help to protect older people from viruses?

What Are the Steps to Take to Prepare My Home or My Parents’ Home to Be Safe from Viruses?

Fortunately there is a lot of information on how elders can be as safe as possible at home. This includes protecting them from viruses. The first step is to plan for a safe physical layout for your elderly loved one. This means taking steps that ensure their safety, such as:

• Good lighting and furniture that an older person can use comfortably,
• Being able to move from one space to another without tripping hazards,
• Features that improve safety such as handrails in the tub and by the toilet, and
• Installing accessibility ramps if needed.

Making these and other changes gives you the option of having your elder live at home rather than in a facility.

Your Loved One Has Their Own Bedroom and Living Space if Possible

Another option that promotes safety and protection from communicable illness is for your loved one to have their own space. This aids them by:

• Providing them with a sense of independence,
• Having what they need close by,
• Being able to efficiently adapt the space to their changing needs, and
• Being more easily confined if they or another family member becomes ill.

Consider if the Elder Can Have Their Own Bathroom

In some situations, having one’s own bathroom is a luxury. With an older person it means greater safety for:

• Toileting, as equipment can be added that helps with sitting and standing,
• Bathing, as the tub/shower can have safety handles installed, and
• Decreasing the chance of viral infections spreading to others.

Of course, adding or altering a bathroom can be costly. Sometimes there is not enough space to add even a half bath. When that happens, it’s time to consider the use of a commode. The benefits of this are:

• They are safe and durable,
• A commode is easily moved from one room to another, /li>
• It is for personal use, thus reducing cross contamination, and
• Is affordable.

How Can I Select Caregivers Who Will Keep My Loved One Safe From Contagious Illnesses?

Along with living space, safely hiring caregivers who will assure your loved one’s safety is a top consideration.The UCARENET Family Resource Center has several articles that offer helpful information.

• This article offers 5 Safety Tips to look into when hiring caregivers.
• This 9 Step Guide shares a lot of information you might not have thought of as being part of the hiring process.
• Learn about the 12 Questions that are key to hiring the best caregivers you can find for your loved one.
• There are other articles to read about hiring caregivers.

Please be sure to check out UCARENET’s other articles and blogs! They contain information based on the experiences of other families seeking the best care for their elder loved ones.

Steps for Limiting the Spread of Infection

The steps you take to prevent or limit the spread of infection include:

• Having the right equipment and supplies that make a barrier between viruses or bacteria and people,
• Following processes to avoid germs moving from person to person or from one surface to another, and
• Restricting anyone who might have certain infections from entering your loved one’s home.

We’re going to cover each of these topics in enough detail for you to feel prepared. This includes linking reliable sources for more information.

What Supplies & Equipment Should I Have to Protect Everyone?

Getting the right supplies and equipment to protect people from infections is an investment. That’s why it’s important to know what to buy. Some of the equipment may be something you buy once or twice. Supplies are the things you’ll use frequently so you may want to have some stored away.

Supplies to Have On Hand

There are certain things needed to protect people from COVID-19 and other viruses, like the flu. These are to be used by all ages, though usually not by young children, like those under two years old. The supplies listed here may not be 100% protective. The point is that their use greatly reduces a virus’s ability to move from person to person.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment is called PPE for short. You may be familiar with the PPE worn in health care settings, such as hospitals. In this article, the PPE refers to the supplies that protect you and your loved one.

• They create a barrier to keep the virus from being inhaled or getting onto your skin.
• The PPE supplies most often used for home care include masks and gloves.
• In some situations, gowns may be good to have on hand. Those can be useful if you are caring for someone with C. difficile, a contagious bowel infection that causes bouts of diarrhea.

Information About Masks

Masks help to protect people from air-borne contagious illnesses. That’s because COVID and flu viruses can be inhaled. Caregivers and visitors wear masks at your elder family member’s home to:

• Protect themselves and others from getting infected,
• Keep any potential infections contained, including COVID, and
• Show respect for another’s health and peace of mind.

There are different types of masks to have on hand for people who visit your loved one. If your elder lives with you, it’s best to require that anyone entering your home wears a mask.

• The wisest choice is to buy single-use masks. They are disposable so viruses are less likely to move from person to person.
• It’s best to buy masks that fit well to ward off airborne viruses.
• This mask use web page from the Canadian government gives details for wise mask use.
• Remember, wearing a mask adds more protection even for people who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 or other virus. That means you want to wear a mask in public as suggested on that web site.

Information About Gloves

The information you may read about glove use does not always agree. One caution about using gloves a lot is that it’s easy to get a false sense of security. One example is: Wearing gloves while washing another person’s face and then touching your own face. The following describes ways to stay safe while providing care:

• Get in the habit of washing your hands a lot. That means:
  • After helping a person move from chair to bed,
  • Regularly washing them while doing routine chores, and
  • Doing so while handling food.
• It’s a good idea to wear gloves when you may come in contact with another person’s body fluids such as:
  • Handling soiled laundry,
  • Picking up and washing dishes they’ve used, and
  • Cleaning surfaces such as the toilet and bathroom sink.
• After you remove and dispose of the gloves, wash your hands well with soap and water.
• Read the page linked above for more advice.

Consider wearing gloves to keep from transmitting viruses when:

• You are likely to come in contact with a body fluid, including sputum.
• Another person is not wearing a mask.
  • One example is eating a meal. When a caregiver is helping someone to eat, they may choose to wear gloves.
  • Another is during toileting or bathing, times when a caregiver is likely to come in contact with body fluids.
  • The gloves can protect both your loved one and their caregiver.

Note: Gloves need to fit well to be protective. That means having the sizes needed for you and the caregivers coming into your home.

You don’t need to use gloves when out doing errands or having coffee with friends. Wearing gloves during times like those won’t add to your safety. The best way to protect yourself is washing your hands a lot. Remember that applies to preventing influenza too. Keep hand sanitizer hand for:

• Hand cleaning when soap and water aren’t available, or
• You feel that sanitizer is your safest option, such as being faced with a dirty sink.

Information About Gowns

Gowns are used to protect someone who is ill and their caregivers. Gowns are less likely to be used in home settings. They’re most likely to be used if:

• A person who is ill has a weakened immune system, and
• Someone is sick with an illness that others can catch easily.

It’s best to talk with your loved one’s doctor if they think that gown use will add protection for your loved one and/or others.

Thermometers & Self-Testing Kits

Thermometers and self-testing kits are two items important for keeping your loved one safe. This includes:

• Identifying people who may be sick with a communicable illness, and
• Determining if your loved one may be ill and needs to visit the doctor.

Thermometers

The no-touch types are quite reliable. They also offer protection as they don’t come into contact with a person’s skin. This Canadian company describes several thermometers, their prices, and where to buy them: https://www.finder.com/ca/infrared-thermometers. You can also:

• Talk with your doctor’s office to learn if there is one they prefer, and
• Do the same with your local pharmacy as they may sell devices you can depend.

Follow recommended guidelines for what is considered to be an elevated temperature. These are easy to follow: Help the Patient Manage Their Symptoms. Remember that a person may have influenza or other illness that’s causing symptoms, including fever.

Self-Testing Kits

The self-testing kits are called Rapid Antigen Tests. These are the COVID-19 tests that can be done in a matter of minutes. You can do one on yourself or your loved one. Caregivers and friends can do their own at home before visiting if they have symptoms of a virus. These can be mild and still lead to serious illness, including the flu.

The Rapid Antigen Tests can sometimes result in a negative reading even if a person has COVID-19. If the test is positive OR your loved one, their caregiver, or household member feels ill, it’s best to call your doctor’s office.

They’ll likely advise that the person who may be ill:

• Goes to the office for a visit, or
• First takes a PCR test and goes into quarantine while waiting for results that can take two days.

Note: The doctor’s office or your local hospital can advise you where PCR tests are available.

Having a supply of self-testing kits on hand means that you and your senior member have an added measure of security because of the ability to test for COVID-19. You can:

• Test yourselves if you have possible COVID-19 symptoms,
• Follow health care guidance about self-quarantine, and
• Request anyone entering your home to test themselves if they have symptoms like headaches, body aches, chills, sore throat, and extreme fatigue.

This Government of Ontario Rapid testing for at-home use web page has clear information about rapid tests and COVID-19 risks. Please refer to your Provincial Government’s site for how to get rapid antigen tests in your area.

Illness Screening Setup in an Entry Area

An illness screening area in your home’s entry helps to reduce communicable illnesses from coming into your living space. This is where you can request people who are about to enter your home to be screened for COVID-19. That begins with taking their temperature and asking if they have any signs of illness or have had a recent exposure to flu or COVID. The supplies you need for this space include:

• Disposable face masks
• Tissues
• Hand Sanitizer
• A waste basket with a lid and plastic bags for disposal
• Thermometers and self-testing kits
• A table or cabinet that’s used just for testing
  • This should be with a surface that can be disinfected, or
  • Covered with plastic sheeting that can be disinfected.

Cleaning Equipment & Supplies

Using household chemicals safely means balancing common sense with:

• Regular cleaning practices, and
• Choosing the best product for the cleaning task.

The Canadian Government site Use household chemicals safely list ways to stay safe, such as:

• Not mixing bleach with other household cleaners,
• Protecting yourself with goggles and gloves when using cleaners (it’s a good idea to have heavy duty gloves for this task),
• Knowing which symbols mean danger, and
• Following best storage directions for hazardous items in order to protect children, pets, and everyone else.

Steps to Take Before You Shop

Shopping for household cleaners that reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses can make a person dizzy. It’s best to be prepared and have a list to guide you when you head to the store.

• Read the entire page to learn what you’ll need to have on hand.
• Then go online to look for products that are good for home use.
• Make a full list in case your first choice is out of stock.
• Add recommended wipes to your list for quick touch ups.

Hard Surface Disenfectants & Hand Sanitizers

The lists for cleaning hard surfaces most often include those used in healthcare facilities. The recommendation for homes is to:

• Frequently clean hard surfaces that are used regularly, such as kitchen and bathroom counters and doorknobs or levers, and
• Rely on products sold to clean or bleach surfaces or dishes.

Hand washing and staying healthy lists the detail for ridding your hands of viruses and bacteria. As you read the instructions, take particular note to:

• Use running water that is comfortably warm to hot and not scalding,
• Use soap, preferably from a dispenser to reduce cross-contamination,
• Washing thoroughly, using scrubbing motions as suggested for at least 20 seconds,
• Rinsing and drying your hands thoroughly, and
• Turning the water off with a single use paper or cloth.

That same page describes the use of hand sanitizers. You can consider these as a line of defense when running water and soap are not available.

• The product should be alcohol-based that’s at least 60% alcohol.
• It should be easily dispensed.
• Use the same scrubbing motions as you would with water, being sure that all surfaces are covered.
• Allow the product to dry thoroughly before touching anything.

In Closing

As you can see, there is a lot involved with planning safe, healthy home care for your loved one. At the same time that you’re learning how to protect their health and well-being, you are gaining information to use with your whole family. It’s likely the most important thing you will do in the coming weeks.