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

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.