by
Les May
THE
Care Quality Commission identified 3,200 deaths of
elderly people who were receiving care in their own home in the
twenty eight day period 10 April to 8 May. This figure is
about 2000 more than the average number of deaths for
the same period in the past three years. I am sorry to have to say
that this jump in the numbers does not surprise me.
My
wife and I are both in this age group. For our own protection we
closed our door to the rest of the world on 21 March. Two kind
friends drop off food about once a week and we get occasional
deliveries from a supermarket. Milk is delivered to us three times a
week. Post arrives most days.
Before
anything is allowed into the house it is either sterilised or
quarantined for three days. Cans and bottles are sprayed with
diluted bleach, left for ten minutes, then washed bleach free.
Anything which is double wrapped, and most foods from supermarkets
are, has the outer packing cut away with scissors, the food tipped
out and the packaging goes straight into the outside bin. Other food
is quarantined. Post which has come from a mailing list and will
have been machine handled has the end of the envelope cut away, the
contents tipped on to the floor and the envelope goes straight to the
paper bin. After the weekly waste collection the handles on the bins
get the bleach treatment. Hands which have touched anything which
might be contaminated get the
Lady Macbeth treatment.
Pedantic,
careful, we don’t mind what you call us, we just intend to remain
safe.
One
of my neighbours who is much
the same age as I, has been
receiving ‘in home’
care since being discharged from hospital. There has been a regular
stream of people involved in that care going in and house. I watch
them. Some put on face masks, aprons and gloves, and some do not.
Some come in clean white uniforms; most do not; they
come in ‘clobber’
wearing backpacks. I have struck up conversations. If they come
with some kind of PPE I mention how seldom this happens. I can
usually guess, but ask politely, ‘are you Care Service or
NHS’?
Yesterday
I tried this with someone I could tell was from the NHS. When I
mentioned how seldom people from the Care Service come with proper
PPE the response was ‘We keep trying to get into their
heads the importance of infection control’.
Trying, but failing, it would seem.
Thankfully
it is not my wife who is receiving ‘in
home’ care. If it
were I would not let the buggers in the house until they matched the
standards of infection control
I impose on myself.
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1 comment:
Les I read with interest your extensive efforts, trying to stay safe during the virus crisis. We can go too far with such measures,defeating their objective and even having reverse effects. Before this crisis, some time ago American studies indicated that cleaning your house too much could undermine childrens' immune systems. Recent studies clearly show that adults immune systems are just as vital as kids. Observe the ways in which various medical treatments, anti cancer for one, have that exact result- the immune system is by passed; put into suspension. Of course we must be careful but not to go too far with it.
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