As seniors age, physical health issues may develop that prevent them from getting around as well as they used to. This might include struggling to do some basic tasks around the home, like laundry. Clothing, linens, towels, cleaning rags, reusable diapers – laundry has a way of piling up. This often-dreaded chore is one of the ways we help maintain a clean and healthy household.
Studies have shown that skin, blood, feces and saliva-borne pathogens can be transmitted by laundry. Laundry collects human bodily waste, in addition to food and dirt from normal daily activities. While respiratory viruses that cause colds and flu only survive a few days at most, viruses that cause diarrhea can survive for weeks. We leave tons of goodies for bacteria to eat in our clothing and linen.
Germs survive better when they are surrounded by dirt, skin cells or bodily fluids – such as mucus and saliva. This is why using deeper cleaning detergents with a wide variety of cleaning ingredients such as enzymes to break up dirt and organic matter and washing certain items more frequently, like sheets, towels and pillowcases is recommended.
HOW THIS CAN HELP SENIORS:
Set up a laundry schedule
When it comes to laundry, you’ll want to set up a schedule. Gather all laundry, sort it, then wash and dry it throughout the day. You can strip the sheets, pillowcases, and blankets to get those washed weekly as well. Making the bed along with folding and putting away clothes is the final part of the task.
A compassionate, experienced service provider can make laundry a breeze
Seniors with physical limitations depend on others for help, such as family members and friends. However, to ensure your loved one gets the best help, consider hiring a trained, compassionate, experienced company or person to help out with laundry. It just may alleviate the stress and labor off of your loved one, while ensuring that it still gets completed well.
Avoid Contamination
If someone is sick in your home, it is possible that the laundry may be contaminated. Exposure to germs can occur while handling dirty laundry or transferring wet laundry from the washer to the dryer. washing your hands after handling soiled or wet laundry, even in healthy households, is a good idea.
QUICK TIPS FOR ENSURING A SAFER HOOME FOR SENIORS:
TIP #1 – Medication. Never try to heat your home with your stove, oven, or grill since these can give off carbon monoxide–a deadly gas that you cannot see or smell.
TIP #2 – Cleaning products poisoning. Never mix bleach, ammonia, or other cleaning liquids together when you are cleaning. When mixed, cleaning liquids can create deadly gases.
TIP #3 – Avoid abuse. Do not share your personal information, such as social security number, credit card, bank information, or account passwords, with people you do not know who contact you.
TIP #4 – Prevent unnecessary falls. Always wear shoes with traction and make sure throw rugs have non-skid backing.
Poor transportation service is the worst! Find out the benefits of solid transportation services in the next WellNest article.