Staying Healthy (and Keeping Others Healthy) When Visiting Nursing Homes or Hospitals

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It’s almost winter, which means colder days, preparing for snow and an increased risk of colds and other illnesses.  While most of us can recover after a couple days of rest, common illnesses can take a toll on the elderly and infirm.  Illnesses can spread rapidly throughout a patient population even in the best and cleanest of facilities.  Take some precautions if you are visiting someone in the hospital or nursing home (which I do frequently):

  • Do not visit if you are sick. Do not bring small children to visit if they are sick.
  • Wash your hands before going for the visit.
  • Use the hand sanitizer at the check-in desk on your way in to prevent carrying germs in, and on your way out to prevent carrying germs out of the facility.
  • If you find yourself having to cough, use the crook of your elbow to cover your mouth, not your hand.
  • If you sneeze, use a tissue and wash your hands.
  • Wash your hands again when you get back home. (Do you see a theme here?)
  • Follow the instructions of the facility if they are having an outbreak of an illness and request that people don’t visit.

A few minutes of prevention will go a long way towards protecting you, your loved ones, and the other patients in the facility from the risk of illness.

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