When Should You and Your Senior Be Washing Your Hands?
Right now during the coronavirus pandemic you’re probably hearing a lot about washing your hands and your senior’s hands. That’s because hand washing is amazingly effective at preventing germs from entering the body and causing illness, even Covid-19.
All the Normal Times
There are a whole host of times when hand washing is appropriate and expected. Those are times such as before and during food preparation, before eating anything, and before and after helping someone deal with a wound. After going to the bathroom and after blowing your nose are others. Think about anything that might make your hands dirty or germy and those are the times when hands need to be washed.
After Being Out in Public
The novel coronavirus is highlighting other times when you should be washing your hands more often, though. After being out in public is a great example. When you or your senior go out in public, you touch things like door handles, shopping carts, and screens that other people have touched. There’s no way to know for sure when those items were last disinfected, so it’s important to wash your hands when you come back home.
Before Touching Your Face or Anyone Else’s Face
Before you touch your own face or anyone else’s it’s a good idea to wash your hands. This is a good practice in general, but now with the coronavirus pandemic it’s especially important. When you wash your hands well before touching anyone’s face, including your own, you’re decreasing the likelihood that you’ll introduce germs to their mouth, nose, or eyes that can make them sick.
Often throughout the Day
During the pandemic, it’s more important than ever for you and your senior to wash your hands throughout the day. If it’s been a little while since you washed your hands, chances are good that you’re due again for another round of soap and water. Using games and songs may seem silly, but it’s a way to make hand washing a little more entertaining and keep it from becoming a chore that you just don’t want to do anymore.
Hand washing is one of the most important things you can be doing right now to help to reduce the spread of germs. If you’re not with your senior, it can be a good idea to hire elder care providers to check in on her. They can help to make sure that she has what she needs and that she’s washing her hands properly.
If you or someone you know needs help with elder care in Comstock Park, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
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