Care Assistant/Nurse Health/Hygiene tips

[mizfiesta]

I will soon be starting a job as a care assistant where I will be coming into contact with body fluids/waste etc. Someone recommended using some sort of hand spray/wash between clients or when finishing my shift to make sure I wasn't carrying any unwanted and potentially nasty bugs on my hands but I'm not sure what to look for - can anyone help? Also any tips on keeping myself safe, healthy and bug free after carrying out my job would be appreciated.

[Illyria54]

Ah that's different, I did home care as well on my days off, I carried a bottle of Carex around with me, but have to say that the majority of people I visited were very clean, I had one lady who came out of hospital with MRSA, obviously I had to wear gloves and wash thoroughly after assisting her, I also helped someone with HIV, again the obvious extra care with washing as necessary.
I loved my time doing care work, I hope you enjoy it also.

[annie0000]

My husband works as an ambulance driver transporting elderly and infirm patients to and from hospital - he doesn't always have access to a sink, so he uses the antibac gel all the time. Also remember that your uniform can harbour germs. He alsways removes his as soon as he gets home - he wont touch any of us until he does - he then showers and changes. He washes his uniforms seperately from the family wash and always at 60 degrees.

He also keeps tissues in his pocket to turn door handles with.

Good luck in your new job.

I guess it goes without saying to make sure that your hands are thoroughly clean before having food or serving food.