~~~~~~ Senior Solutions ~~~~~~
Preventing Illnesses the Old Fashioned Way: Hand Washing
All of my elderly clients require advocacy in one way or another as they interact with the health care system. On my way to a client visit the other day I heard Dr. Michio Kaku a professor of theoretical physics from City University in New York mentioning the importance of hand washing as it relates to preventing illness. As a frequent listener of Dr. Kaku’s radio program Explorations, I thought, “Gee. Even Michio’s talking about how important hand washing is”! (http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=24659)
For years, hand washing has been accepted as one of the most effective ways to help decrease the possibility of spreading germs from one person to the next. How many times were we as children told to “Go wash your hands”? It is the reason surgeons “scrub” for 15 minutes before they do surgery. In 28 seconds, search engine Google came up with 44 articles related to preventing the spread of disease through hand washing.
A recent article found on the MSNBC web site discusses the importance of hand washing, and studies done by Kaiser Permanente. To read the full story click on the following link - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22827499/#storyContinued
Despite the abundance of available information based on scientific study, the availability of soap and water throughout the United States, the creation of alcohol based hand sanitizing solutions, signs that remind people to wash their hands, being taught as children that washing was part of good hygiene, and our mothers hand washing mantras, we still as a people don’t wash our hands as much as we should.
We have been told of resistant types of bacteria such as MRSA, and warned not to take antibiotics unless we absolutely have to. Let’s begin to advocate on behalf of ourselves, and on behalf of our elderly loved ones and children. All we have to do is ask members of our health care team to please wash their hands if we don’t see them do it when they come in to see us.
Healthcare professionals get sick too! I’m sure they’d want members of their own health care team to wash their hands before any interactions begin. Hand washing is such a basic, inexpensive, and easy way to protect ourselves from catching something that could make us sick, sicker, or even be our cause of death.
Hand washing alone can help bring down health care costs. It’s something we can all do to help. We should not assume our health care professionals have washed their hands if we do not see them do it. We understand they’re busy, and we sometimes assume they’d never go from patient to patient without washing or using an alcohol based hand-washing solution first. How can we be sure they do?
The only way we will be able to help stop the spread of disease is by asking, “Have you washed your hands”? If you haven’t seen them do it, you can request they do before they begin any physical evaluation or assist you in any way.
BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE! Insist that health care providers, whether doctors, nurses, EKG technicians, phlebotomists, physical therapist, or any other member of your health care team, WASH THEIR HANDS FIRST!
HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF DISEASE!