[?] Subscribe To This Site

What's New?

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Preparation

Coping

Government

Information

Flu Prevention for In Home Care

Flu prevention for in home care, for pandemic flu , presents its own challenges. Most people will not have the same equipment or supplies as a hospital and will have to make do with what they have...

Flu virus (any kind) is spread easily by casual contact with infected persons or contaminated items. You can also get flu by being in the path of a sneeze or cough.

Swine flu patient and in home care. Photo courtesy of Los Marcianos Moriran

Photo courtesy of Los Marcianos Moriran

Ninety percent of the time, a person who gets the flu has touched their own eyes, mouth or nose with a hand that has flu virus germs on it.

As a caregiver, you are being exposed constantly to flu virus germs. Your very best defense against the flu virus, whether swine flu , bird flu or seasonal flu , is to be compulsive about cleaning and disinfecting everything in the sickroom and in your house.

Sick Room Precautions

Clean everything that is used in the “sick room” with bleach to kill the virus. Use bleach on the vomit pail, glasses, dishes, silverware—everything! Let dishes sit in the sink with bleach and water for 5-10 minutes. Then rinse them to remove the bleach.

Use bleach to wash the sheets and pillowcases and the night clothes of your patient. Don’t worry about the color of the linens or clothing—bleach them anyway. It’s far more important to disinfect everything for flu prevention than to worry about bleaching colored clothes!

Caregivers Should Protect Themselves

Caregivers need to take special precautions to protect themselves from the H1N1 swine flu virus :

Wear vinyl or latex gloves Home Depot, Costco or Lowes have them in boxes of 100.
Wear a face mask to protect yourself. 3M makes a mask, N95 that is a respirator that protects against airborne pathogens. This is the kind of face mask that you want to get.
Don’t use a common sanding mask for dust from Home Depot or Lowes! It won’t protect you from the virus.
Use a new mask and gloves each time you go into the sick person’s room and dispose of the used ones in a trash can at the bedroom door. DO NOT open and close the door with the soiled gloves on your hands! (This is a sure way to spread the virus).
Use glasses or goggles to protect your eyes from coughs or sneezes. You can use swim goggles if you have them.
Make a conscious effort NOT to touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Hang signs on the refrigerator or on the bathroom mirror. Put reminders on your fingers. Do whatever you have to do to remind yourself not to do this unconsciously. You can easily contract a virus by touching your mucous membranes with your finger if you have germs on your hands.
Wash your nostrils 2X a day with antibacterial soap to eliminate any flu virus germs.
If you wear contacts, consider wearing glasses instead of your contacts until the bird flu crisis is over so that you avoid touching your eyes and contaminating yourself with the virus when you put your contacts into your eyes or take them out.
Flies - Flies can carry flu viruses from infected fecal matter or body fluids and then sit on your food or glass. Kill flies immediately and dispose of them so that other flies don’t find them.

Caregivers Need Rest
for Flu Prevention

While taking care of a pandemic flu victim is selfless, you do need to consider yourself, also. Lack of sleep will make you more susceptible to getting the flu.

Avoid sleeping in a room with someone who has the flu. The sick person will keep you awake, and the virus is easily spread through the air. The US military in Iraq recently ordered servicemen to sleep head to foot as a way to promote flu prevention.

Try to get some sleep. Have someone relieve you at night or take turns getting up to check on the sick person. If there is no one else to help you, set your alarm for a couple of times during the night so that you don't lie awake waiting for the next time to check on your patient.

If you set the alarm, you will be able to relax and get some sleep – but still check on your patient a couple times during the night.

While in home care for a person with pandemic flu is not a picnic, you can protect yourself and other family members from the flu if you use precautions and strictly adhere to them. Don't let your guard down. Being careful about coming into contact with the virus is your best protection and your best chance for flu prevention.