Infection Control in Home Care

Infection control in home care can be difficult. Home health aides never know what they might encounter at each visit. The single most important thing you can do to prevent spreading germs from client to client is to wash your hands! But there are other ways to prevent infection in specific situations:

Body Fluids & Bathrooms: If you use an antibacterial cleaner, be sure to follow the directions on the container carefully. Some of them need to be left on a surface for up to two minutes before being wiped away. (And, remember...diluted bleach needs to stay on a surface for 10 minutes to disinfect it properly!) If “accidents” are a common problem with clients, suggest that the family buy an enzyme-based carpet cleaner (available at pet stores). The enzymes “eat” the bacteria in urine that cause odor.

Laundry: To “disinfect” laundry, use water that is at least 140 degrees F. Even when using hot water, it’s best to wash heavily soiled items separately. To keep germs from building up on damp laundry, dry it (or hang it to dry) as soon as the wash cycle is finished. Be sure to wash your hands after touching or sorting any dirty laundry—and after transferring wet laundry to the dryer.

Used Needles: While home health aides are not supposed to handle “sharps”, studies have shown that clients often leave used needles and syringes for their aides to dispose of. Your agency may provide sharps containers for clients. If not, help the family arrange for disposal at a drop-off collection site, through a mail-back service or a special waste pick-up.

Household Pests: Keep kitchens and other rooms as free of food as possible. Wipe all kitchen surfaces with soap and water to get rid of spills and grease. Tell your supervisor and/or your agency’s social worker about any pest infestation in a client’s home. Pests can be dangerous, especially for the elderly and people with respiratory problems.

Kitchen Germs: When you clean the kitchen, work from high to low—with the floor being the last surface you clean. (However, if the dirty water used to clean the floor has to be emptied into the kitchen sink, clean the sink last.) Remember that germs can hide and multiply easily on your client’s can opener, faucet and kitchen sponge or dishcloth. To keep from spreading germs around when you mop, rinse the mop often. If a floor is very dirty, dump the mop water several times and continue with clean rinse water.

Food Safety

CLEAN: Wash hands and surfaces frequently.
SEPARATE: Don’t cross-contaminate.
COOK: Cook foods to proper temperatures.
CHILL: Refrigerate foods promptly.

Pets: Have clients wash their hands thoroughly with soap and running water after contact with animals. This is especially important before preparing or eating food. Be extra cautious around reptiles, baby chicks, ducklings, puppies and kittens. Young animals are more likely to spread infection. Be sure that you wash your hands after contact with a client’s pet, its feces and/or dog treats. (Some treats may be contaminated with salmonella.)

MORE HOME CARE INFECTION CONTROL TIPS

If part of your care plan is to clean the client’s living space, try to think outside the box. Germs may be hiding in places you’re not cleaning. For example, studies show that these common items are usually dirtier than a toilet bowl: the kitchen sink, the telephone receiver, doorknobs, the television remote control and the top of a desk or bedside table.
A great way to disinfect a sponge is to put it through the dishwasher every other day. No dishwasher at a client’s home? Be sure to allow the sponge to dry out between uses and discard it after three weeks.
Washing sheets cleans them of dust mites and other allergens. It takes a professional pesticide treatment and professional laundering at high temperatures to get rid of bed bugs.
Remember that a good disinfectant cleaner should state on the container that it kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria.
When the weather allows, let some fresh air and sunshine into your clients’ homes. The fresh air offers extra oxygen and reduces stuffy odors. And, the heat from the sun is nature’s way of killing germs!