Winter Illness: How to Prepare Your Care Home

We all know that as we approach the middle of winter the onset of winter illnesses is about to begin, if it has not already. For healthcare organisations, winter is a busy time, as it is the time of year when there is a spike in sickness, particularly in older people.
 

It is crucial that you are prepared for this, as in a care home environment, any illness spreads like wildfire due to the close living conditions of your residents and team members. Although winter can be a difficult time for care homes, it is important to remember that there are ways that you can reduce the risk that your residents will fall foul to some of the most common winter illnesses around.

Bearing that in mind, the question is what steps do you need to take to prepare for winter illnesses and prevent them from causing mayhem in your care home?

 

Get everyone vaccinated
 

Doctors recommend that anyone who is seen as being vulnerable, including people over 65 years old, people with disabilities, people who work in care homes, and anyone who works in healthcare, should get a flu vaccination. Bearing this in mind, it is vital to ensure that all residents and staff are vaccinated against flu.
 

Did you know that the most commonly diagnosed respiratory infection in care homes is flu? Although flu is not nice for anyone to catch, for people who are vulnerable, such as the elderly, flu can be fatal. This is particularly true for anyone who suffers from breathing problems or a heart condition, two health complaints that are common for seniors.
 

Having everyone in your care home vaccinated against flu will help to prevent a flu epidemic spreading through your care home. Our immune systems become weaker with age, which is why when it comes to vaccinations, they really should be a priority for older people who have weakened immune systems or are frail.

 

Make hygiene a priority
 

The number one cause of the spread of winter illnesses, such as the winter vomiting virus or flu, is a lack of hygiene. Ensuring that your care home team take hygiene seriously when it comes to illness prevention is crucial. If you have not already trained your team on the steps that need to be taken, it could be worth investing in adequate training for them, or even a refresher course.
 

To reduce the risk of flu, use the NHS motto ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ for tissues. Don’t allow residents to use cotton hankies, as these are full of germs and bacteria and will make the spread of illness much more likely. Instead, set boxes of tissues around your care home, so that residents who need to cough or sneeze can use those. Give each resident an antibacterial hand gel to use after coughing or sneezing and before eating, to help reduce the risk of infections like flu and sickness bugs from spreading.
 

Request that your team members wipe frequently used surfaces, from armchair handles and coffee tables to doorknobs and remote controls, twice a day. This will help to reduce the chance of infections spreading from one person to another.

 

Put a ban on sickness
 

Implement a policy that says no one who has been ill in the past 72 hours can enter your care home. It might be upsetting for visitors not being able to see their loved one, but if you want to prevent the whole care home becoming sick, this is a rule that needs to be implemented.
 

There you have it, a guide to everything that you need to know about how to prepare your care home for winter illness.