What You Should Know About International Infection Prevention Week

October 15 through 21 is International Infection Prevention Week. Though this observance was originally designed as a way to raise awareness of infections in healthcare settings, as a family caregiver, being aware of the risks of infection and what you can do to protect your parent is one of the most important things you can do to guard your loved one’s health.

Some things that you should know about International Infection Prevention Week include:

• One in 25 patients in hospital settings will develop an infection
• Infections can lead to sepsis, a life-threatening condition
• Pneumonia is the most common infection acquired in a hospital or other medical setting
• Urinary tract infections are extremely common among elderly adults and can cause symptoms that can mimic dementia, often leading to the senior not getting treatment for the infection for some time
• Approximately 65 percent of people who suffer sepsis are over the age of 64
• Even a small injury or seemingly minor illness can lead to a severe infection that can develop into sepsis
Infection can transfer from you as their caregiver to your parent and back to you and then back to your parent, making it critical to control infections and germs in all of your care tasks

Being a family caregiver for an elderly adult is challenging, and you may encounter times when you feel that you are not fulfilling all of your senior’s needs, or that they would benefit from additional support and care. Whether this is because you live at a distance or have a schedule that is so busy that you feel you are not able to be with your parent as often as you would like to be, or you have challenges and limitations that keep you from handling all of their care needs as efficiently as they need, this can leave you feeling stressed and like you are not giving your parent what they deserve. Fortunately, elder care can help. An elderly home care services provider can step in to fill any care gaps that might exist and offer your parent support, care, and assistance specifically tailored to your parent’s individual challenges and needs so that they can stay healthy, happy, comfortable, and safe, while pursuing as much independence as possible. This not only improves their quality of life, but also eases your stress and enables you to focus your time and energy on them in the best way possible.

https://www.cdc.gov/hai/surveillance/index.html
http://professionals.site.apic.org/
http://professionals.site.apic.org/iipw/

If you or an aging loved-one are considering in-home elder care in Meriden, CT, please contact the caring staff at Franciscan Ever There Care. Call today 203-630-2881.