When you’re planning to visit your loved one in a nursing home, make sure you’re not bringing more than good cheer with you.
People staying in these facilities may more easily catch illnesses that you bring with you on your visit or get sicker than usual from the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So, keep everyone safe and healthy by following these recommended simple tips:
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- If you have a cold or the flu, stay home. Nursing home residents and hospital patients can be at higher risk for infection. Therefore, if you aren’t feeling well, a phone call is a better way to let them know you care; if possible, you can set up a later time to visit when you are well.
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- Clean your hands. Many types of illness, from the common cold to more serious infections like Clostridium difficile and VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci), are spread when people fail to wash their hands properly. When you visit a nursing home or hospital, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 15-20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before hugging or touching the people you are visiting, and especially after using the restroom and before eating. Make sure your children wash their hands as well. Some rooms are equipped with alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers, too; look for them near the door or bathroom. If your loved one must follow doctor-ordered special germ-prevention rules (called “contact precautions”), follow instructions from the nursing staff and clean your hands when leaving.
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- Check visiting hours, and consider calling ahead to plan your visit. Not only will you ensure that you’ll have enough time to visit with your loved one without interfering with medical treatments or other activities, but you will also give them time to anticipate and look forward to your visit.
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- Visiting in specialized care. If you are planning to see someone in specialized care, call ahead to make sure you understand their visiting hours and regulation. They may differ from those in the rest of the facility.
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- Visiting with children. Children bring a special kind of cheer to nursing homes and hospitals, so certainly bring them along, but do check with the facility to make sure children are allowed and under what conditions. You may want to prepare them before the visit by explaining what they
might see and answering any questions they may have. If your child is sick, leave him or her with other relatives or friends while you visit.
- Visiting with children. Children bring a special kind of cheer to nursing homes and hospitals, so certainly bring them along, but do check with the facility to make sure children are allowed and under what conditions. You may want to prepare them before the visit by explaining what they
For more on nursing home safety, or if you suspect any nursing home injuries or abuses, visit our website or call the Daytona nursing home injury lawyers of Zimmet & Zimmet today at 386-255-6400.
