I noticed that my grandma's aides often use nitrile gloves when helping my grandma in the bathroom. I never use gloves. Should I start wearing gloves? I'm especially concerned when I help my grandma on the toilet and when I cut the cuticles on her hands and feet during manicures and pedicures.
Can I get sick if I touch her urine or feces or, in the case of doing her cuticles, her blood?
I guess I hesitate to use gloves because not only are they expensive and bad for the environment, but because I don't want my grandma to think that I'm disgusted by her. Unlike her aides who are "strangers," I'm family and I don't want her to feel any distance from me, especially given her embarrassment during these very intimate, but necessary, interactions.
Thank you for reading my question! I look forward to hearing feedback!
Use gloves.
You put gloves on every time you help grandma in the bathroom. Or when you help her wash up. Or if you're applying any medications to her body. ALWAYS wear gloves.
The not wanting her to feel any distance between the two of you. Take a minute and think about that statement and what it sounds like.
If the aides 'often' wear gloves when helping grandma, that 'often' has to become an 'ALWAYS' as in today.
People can get sick when they don't take the proper precautions when doing personal hygiene care for another. Please start wearing gloves.
About your grandma feeling distance from you, or that she's thinking she's repulsive, or that you don't like her well enough to wipe her with your bare hands - please don't think about that. Being family doesn't mean you have to put yourself in danger. Your goal should be to provide best patient care for your loved one, not worrying that you're going to hurt her feelings. Explain to yourself - and her if necessary - that you are following approved health protocol for home nursing care. Then do it. You're a caregiver. You must protect yourself in order to keep taking care of grandma.
She's lucky to have such a caring granddaughter.
I can’t imagine cooking, serving or eating food without washing my hands.
I like how Japanese restaurants serve hot towels to guests before eating.
I always just washed my hands really well when I was done with his care.
But I don't have a germ phobia either and never have. It takes a whole lot to gross me out.
Of course when the hospice nurses or aides came to the house they always wore gloves and they should.
Bottom line is that you should do whatever you're comfortable doing.
I am obsessed with hand washing. I use warm water and soap. I’m not much on hand sanitizers. I prefer soap and water.
I think about the Asian and Arab cultures that take off their shoes. Our streets are absolutely filthy.
Look at how many people follow the ‘5 second’ rule. Some people think if they drop something and pick it up off the floor because it’s only been there a a few seconds it’s okay to eat. Nope, for me it goes straight into the trash! My floors are clean but I don’t eat food if I drop it on the floor.
I do take off my shoes in my home. It’s comfy to be barefoot.
Please don’t laugh but I rinse off the top of cans before opening them! I read there are rats in warehouses and they leave poop droppings on the cans!
So, I rinse them. I’m super fanatical!
My daughters laugh at me. Here’s what I have told them? Have you ever been sick from my cooking? They say no. So, I think that our neurotic behavior is justified! LOL 😆
Use gloves when applying a barrier cream or even a lotion. (I always used gloves when putting a lotion on my husband because it made my hands slide more easily over his thin skin. Also the lotion was absorbed into his skin not mine.)
Using gloves is not a substitute for handwashing. You still have to wash hands when you remove the gloves.
If grandma is on Hospice Hospice will provide gloves for your use and for the staff as well as any caregivers you have.
As far as cutting her cuticles and nails..I hope there is not any blood that you might con=me in contact with so using gloves then is up to you.
For those living together and exposed daily to others, good hand washing suffices for many things, as in GOOD hand washing. Rubbing is what kills germs, bacteria and etc.
Glad you are thinking of the environment, but wow, I fear it is too late. When I look at daily garbage days on our street I pretty much know it is over for mankind, sooner than we think. So protect yourself.
As to RNs and visiting medical, if they aren't gloving they are being negligent. So imagine the numbers of gloves for them. Wish there was a better answer. Pretty much isn't.
There are gloves made out of Latex that people are allergic to. There are those with powder inside and some without.
You cut her cuticles or do you mean nails. If you mean cuticles, you do not cut them. They get thicker. Also, because they bleed, infections can set in. Sometimes nail files are rounded at one end. This is for pushing the cuticle back. There is also a small tool that does this. Soak her hands first and then just push the cuticle back. This can be done after a bath. Just use the towel to push the cuticles back. Haven't used polish in years but there used to be a cuticle remover you could use. When it comes to her feet, a podiatrist should be cutting her toenails. They tend to thicken as we age. I actually broke a clipper on my DHs nails. No aide or Nurse should be doing toenails. Again, infection could set in.