The Covid-19 pandemic is still going on as we all know. It is still very important that everyone washes their hands and takes safety precautions to prevent or at least keep the spread of Covid to a minimum. Proper hand washing tips should still be shared to remind people to prevent the spread of germs. However, it is also important to note that flu season is here now, as well. Proper hand washing can help to reduce the spread of flu germs, too.
Take the Proper Steps
It is important that you and your elderly loved one are taking the proper steps to wash your hands. The steps that should be taken include:
- Use warm water to wet your hands
- Cover hands with soap (get in between fingers and under nails)
- Scrub hands completely for 20 seconds minimum
- Rinse your hands with warm water
- Dry hands and put the towel in the dirty clothes
It is crucial that people in the home aren’t sharing a towel. If your elderly loved one needs more hand towels, you or an elder care provider can go to the store to get more towels for their home.
Washing Long Enough
It is very important that you and your elderly loved one are washing your hands long enough. Just washing hands for a few seconds isn’t going to get the germs off. Depending on which health website you look at, they may have different recommendations for the length of time to wash hands. However, it is crucial that you and your elderly loved one are washing your hands for no less than 20 seconds. Even if they are going to use hand sanitizer, it should be rubbed onto the hands fully, not just applied quickly.
When to Wash Hands
Another thing to keep in mind is when you and your elderly loved one should be washing your hands. The times that it is a must to wash your hands to help prevent the spread of germs are:
- After using the bathroom
- When getting home from a public area
- Before eating
- After getting groceries
If you and your elderly loved one can wash your hands during these times, at the very minimum, it can reduce the chances of getting Covid-19 and the flu.
Conclusion
These are some of the proper handwashing tips for you and your elderly loved one during the Covid pandemic and flu season. Doing these tips all year round would be the most effective and helpful.
Sources
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html