On a busy day, I'll bet I clean my hands 5-10 times an hour. Either by washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer. The other two things I need to do to keep from catching colds from my residents (and yes, I have one now) are to stop breathing and stop touching my face.
Since breathing is necessary if I'm going to continue to help folks today, I need to learn not to touch my face. I worked with a girl years and years ago who said that she stopped touching her face and her complexion cleared up and she thought it had been a couple years since she'd had a cold. Sounds wonderful, but we touch our faces all the time. To rub our eyes or noses, to cover a cough or sneeze (actually, I use the crook of my arm for this now, but still) to cover a yawn, to rub a headache. And every time we do it, we expose ourselves to other people's little nasties.
I have tried to stop touching my face. I truly have. But usually by the time I realize what I'm doing, I'm in mid-rub. And then, it's too late, so I might as well just keep doing it, right?
Yeah, right. That's the same logic that gets us in trouble with food, alcohol and other things that are not good for us.
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2 comments:
I carry around one of those travel size bottles of hand sanitizer and use it OFTEN- even when I have no need to do so. Keeps my hands cleaner than they probably need to be. A co worker of mine uses the stuff on her face when she's working- she will rub the gel over her entire face every so often. She never gets sick...
I hadn't thought of putting sanitizer on my face. But it makes sense when I think of all the times I get hugs and kisses from residents. It would help prevent them from getting sick, too.
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