The Importance of Making Hygiene a Priority for Your Residents

If there’s one thing that’s crucial in care home environments, it’s cleanliness. The fact is that as we get older, we become more prone to bacteria, which is why seniors are more at risk of a range of infections and diseases. Seniors aren’t as resilient as they once were when it comes to their health, which is why they are more prone to the spread of infections.

A clean care home isn’t only crucial for keeping your residents safe, it’s also important in terms of aesthetic appeal. You see where you live has a big impact on how you feel mentally and on your wellness, which is why it’s so important for your residents to live in a clean environment. A hygienic care home is also important for visitors, as no one wants to visit a care home that isn’t clean. This is also important when it comes to people choosing a care home, as no one is going to select an environment that doesn’t look and smell clean for their loved one.

To ensure that your care home is always at its best, in terms of hygiene and cleanliness, below are some useful tips to take note of.

Creating a homey environment

When it comes to creating an environment that looks and feels clean, this is vital in terms of how ‘homey’ your care home feels. When families are looking for somewhere to place their loved one, what most people look for are places that look and smell like home, and are as clean as their own home would be.

The reason that this is vital is because how a care home smells and how clean it looks is an important part of how homey it feels. Then there’s the fact that the environment in which we live can have a huge impact on our wellness and state of mind, which is why it’s so important to keep on top of care home cleanliness to help aid aesthetic appeal.

Various studies have shown that when care home environments (and other healthcare environments) smell like home, people feel more at home in them. The way that this can be achieved is by using scented cleaning products and air fresheners. It’s little touches like this that can help to ensure that residents feel at home.

Preventing the spread of infections

In care home environments, infections spread like wildfire, this is because everyone lives in such close proximity, and also because seniors are often more prone to infections due to having weaker immune systems. Not only is infection control vital for the health of your residents but also when it comes to showing families around who are looking for a care home for a loved one.

The fact is that research shows that 97 percent of people will choose a care home based on how clean it is. When it comes to determining how clean a care home environment is, it all comes down to how clean it looks - first impressions are everything. Dettol Multi-Action Green Apple Cleaner can be used to leave communal areas, as well as each bedroom, smelling fresh and fruity. When there’s a fresh, clean scent in the air, this tells visitors, as well as your residents, that you’ve gone the extra mile when it comes to cleaning. This gives them confidence that your care home is a clean and safe environment in terms of infection control.

Making personal hygiene a priority

In a care home environment, ensuring that all residents are kept clean is vital for a number of reasons, including their wellness. A lack of hygiene can not only facilitate the spread of infections, it can also lead to health problems such as skin complaints, and can cause discomfort. A lack of hygiene care in care homes can also lead to low self-esteem in residents, along with embarrassment.

For more people, washing is a private activity. However, for people living in care homes with a lack of mobility or another health problem, sometimes help is needed keeping clean. When it comes to helping a resident in your care home with personal hygiene, the most important thing is to be sensitive to how they might be feeling and to help them keep their dignity. To help to make the experience a more positive one, little things like playing music, using scented bath products, and chatting in a friendly manner to distract the resident can help to keep them calm and prevent embarrassment.

Hygiene is a vital part of running a successful care home, and is something that it’s crucial to get right.