Questions?
Who is most likely to get an infection?
There are several types of people who are more likely to get infections:
- Infants
- Adults over the age of 65
- Persons with poor nutrition
- Persons who have chronic disease (e.g. diabetes, cancer, asthma, chronic heart or lung disease)
- Persons with open, healing wounds (e.g. a person recovering from surgery)
- Persons who have had a traumatic injury
- Persons who have been long term smokers
How long does a person need to wash their hands?
Take at least 15 seconds to soap and lather your hands (Long enough to sing the happy birthday song twice). Be sure you clean all surfaces of your hands and fingers. Then rinse well. If using a hand sanitizer, cleanse all surfaces of the hands thoroughly and allow the sanitizer to dry completely.
When caring for someone, when is the best time to wash the hands?
- Before eating and preparing food
- Before you give care to a person
- Between any changes of gloves
- After you touch any body fluids like saliva, urine, or drainage from a wound
- After you finish caring for the person
- After plaing with pets and small children
When I care for a family member, how do I know if something has germs on it?
- Everything has germs on it
- Anything that becomes soiled from body secretions or discharges, such as clothes or linen contains germs.
- Place soiled Kleenex and wound dressings in a plastic trash or grocery bag.
- Wash soiled sheets, towels, and wash cloths separately from your clothing, use hot water and chlorine bleach if possible.
What is a normal temperature?
The normal range of a person’s body temperature is 96.8º to 100.4º Fahrenheit, or 36º to 38º Centigrade. A single temperature reading does not indicate a fever. Repeated readings above 100.4 Fahrenheit (38° Centigrade) with an oral thermometer, or 101.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38.5° Centigrade) with a rectal or ear thermometer should be reported to the doctor.
Most doctors will not treat an adult’s fever until it is over 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit (39° Centigrade) . However, call the doctor for any fever that lasts longer than 48 to 72 hours, especially in older adults.