Care Training Online

Enabling Caregivers To Be The Best They Can Be

Self Care

It’s the little things that count.

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Having just spent time in hospital with a fractured pelvis, I am reminded again of the little things that make recovery easier. While I can’t fault the care, it is the little niceties that make it more bearable. I’m talking about somewhere to put your little bits of rubbish that accumulate around you.  Easily solved by putting a rubbish bag attached to your nightingale. Like pain relief being given on time so you can at least be more comfortable. When receiving care, have it all completed before the nurse goes on to the next person. Having to sit and wait to have your morning cares does not make the morning start well.

I have to say I am very impressed with the new grads too. The standard of care they delivered was exceptional. They were well organised in their day too which was very pleasing to see.

However, a lot has happened in a week hasn’t it with the World Wide Pandemic being declared. But again, it is the little things that count – like handwashing. Being sloppy around this very basic of practices is what can cause the harm. For those using Care Training Online, I have posted some updated videos on Virus’, what they are and how to combat them on the Infection Control topic.  I have also updated some videos on the Pandemic planning topic as well.

Back to the little things again. It is these that will keep you all safe. The gold standard for hand hygiene is soap and water. While many think that hand sanitisers will protect them, some pointers to remember are:

  1. Not all hand sanitisers are equal. They need to be at least 60% alcohol to be effective
  2. Hands need to be clean in the first place for hand sanitisers to work
  3. Even if using hand sanitiser, if you pick up the container, you are contaminating it as is everyone else who picks it up so it less likely to be effective.  On top of this hands needs to be washed frequently with warm water and soap as well, so soap and water is the best defence against cross infections.

So, nothing beats hand washing with soap and warm water, not cold water.  This article will explain more.

So how are you going to prevent the virus from getting into the facility or your home in the first place? Have some form of soap and water hand washing at your door. While warm water may be a bit difficult to provide in these circumstances, I am reminded of Ignaz Semmelweis, the father of Infection Control, who prevented postpartum woman from dying by having buckets of water and chlorinated lime in the wards. All his medical students had to wash their hands before they examined any women in labour and dropped the death rate to as little as .85%.  It worked in the 1800s, and it still works today so let us not be resistant to the importance of using soap and water and when not available, use hand sanitiser with a high alcohol content. 

Does having a lot of friends on social media actually build friendships?

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Very few people these days are not on some form of social media either as a really active user, an occasional user or an observer – you know someone who just scrolls down to see what is going on in the world or for their friends and family.  Some people use it as a way to promote products and services.  Some people use it as a way to promote social change but even then, there are consequences. Just look at this clip and you will see what I mean.

Now many people I know these days, are fed up with social media.  There is a lot of rubbish on it, especially the inane comments people make to something really serious. For example, someone may put up in a local page “Did anyone else hear that bang?” and then stupid replies come back that have absolutely no relevance to the question asked, “like my husband just farted!!” Now I know that is a bit crass, but this is what I talk about when I say people make these throw away comments. Something you might make in a group of friends but now has to be written and has now relevance or place on Facebook.

Like you probably, I frequently get friend requests on personal Facebook, but for me, I need to know someone well and want to share some of the things that happen in my life and in my family. However, it appears that some people want to build up a huge data base of friends but in the real world, how many friends can you actually maintain as friends? Well it turns out that research has broken it down and the number is 150. This predication “has been based on an equation that related to social group size of monkeys and apes to brain size’ according to Professor Robin Dunbar.  Listen to Kim Hills interview with Professor Dunbar.

While Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media platforms do have their place, they can also do a lot of harm. Now most people use it in a genuine way to communicate with people however there are some who don’t – they use it for illicit purposes or to create drama as a way to spice up a very mundane life. Few people even think about what may happen when they put up a post. They unconsciously write a response. 

However whichever way you look at it on the positive side, it is a great way to communicate with people. It enables you to get to a lot of people in a very short time and people can choose or not to look at what you post. I use it to promote the Clinical Update workshops and Care Training Online.

While it is a great tool, you do need to decide who you want to communicate with because whatever you put up on a Social Media site is there forever. Even if you delete a post, it is still there and can be found and used by someone who may not necessarily have well intentioned motives.

So be very selective on what you put up and never put anything up as a way of venting your frustration. While you may be angry at a person or situation, don’t put it up – you never know who may see it and what the repercussion may be! 

Also never post anything which you think might be funny, smart or clever to you – you know a throw away comment I mentioned before. You may live to regret your behaviour because there is a cost shame. Your actions, be it on social media, or within friendships, or in public life, there is a price to pay. Listen to Monica Lewinsky on the price she paid for her behaviour at the age of 23. The more public it is, the bigger the price but there is always a price. Follow how this happened on this clip.

So, here are some tips or don’ts if you like

  • Never write anything about anyone that you wouldn’t say to their face. The receiver of the written word will always put their interpretation on what is written. The message you intended may not be the message received.
  • Never upload anything about your employer. Why? Because many employers search Social Media to see what type of person you are. If you put negative posts about your current employer, do you think a prospective employer would consider employing you? I doubt it.  What if your current employer sees it? At the worst it could result in disciplinary action. You never know how people are going to see or react to a post
  • Never put up anything that could put your job at risk or have a negative impact on your current job. Just see what happens when online shame goes too far. 
  • Never upload any photos or comments about your residents.  I know a lot of great things happen in facilities these days, but you are actually breaching privacy by posting photos of your residents – no matter how positive the post may be. Some people do not want to have their photo on the web for everyone to see. While you may consider it a positive statement or marketing tool, permission does need to be gained first and then be careful because families may not like it.
  • Never upload anything about your colleagues unless you have permission and then be careful. While I don’t mind people seeing me on social media many of my friends are adamant, they don’t want to be. You have to respect this.
  • Be careful about posting snapshots of you on holiday.  It is not unusual for an unscrupulous person to find out where you live or know you and break and enter you home stealing from you. While it is great to share your stories with people and it is fun, just be careful as it may come back to bite you.

Finally, Social Media is a wonderful tool but be careful what you post. Check in to see if you are violating someone rights by posting it? Have you breached Privacy Law? Will what you post potentially affect future work prospects for work? Is what you post good for all? Is what you post the truth? Think before you post. Does it really need to go on for the world to see or do you really need to make that comment. Remember more is not best.  You can only keep up with a maximum of 150 friends and of course close friends are a lot less. Treasure your true friends. Invest time in them one to one, not as a faceless person, and they will invest time in you. It only takes 6 weeks for a friendship to lose traction. If you don’t keep in touch, you will be forgotten. It is a simple as that.

So, let’s use social media for good. Remember not all on social media is the truth and can do more harm than good.  Just take a look at this. So think before you post. What impact will it have on other people and their lives.  No satisfaction can be gained by destroying a person’s life.  It is as simple as that.

The Benefits Of Taking A Break

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This may be silly topic to start the year off with, but I am sure many of you are now experiencing the benefits of taking a break, albeit a short one, over the Christmas period.  It is very easy to just keep pushing yourself and wait for the “right time” to take a break, so as a reminder, I would recommend that the right time is to plan ahead to take regular breaks throughout the year so you prepare your body for a break. Stress has a nasty habit of creeping up on you as some of you will know. If you don’t take regular breaks, your stressed body will force you to take a break with illness. So in 2020 take care of you first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-5Ba-SmSbY

Look for more helpful videos on stress “Tit bits and other useful or useless information”.

I think the first time I really became aware of this situation was when I was a Charge Nurse and had clients in for respite care. Without fail, the person would come into care for a couple of weeks to give the home carer a break, but the home carer would become so unwell they couldn’t enjoy the break. More often than not it was usually with some viral infection, but it often rendered them incapable of being able to visit their loved one. They were forced to take a rest. 

You see soldiering on for long periods of time does not serve you. Being a martyr has few rewards, if any, because in the end your body, or should I say your emotions, are in charge and will force your body to rest. You see, everyone has a susceptibility to certain conditions: a tipping point within your body so this year, see how can you protect yourself from the susceptibility of certain conditions?

You see everything you do today, affects your DNA and has an impact on you at some stage later in life. Also, as you age, you become more susceptible to certain conditions. For instance, dry skin and orifices make it easier for bacteria and virus’ to enter the body. This is why moisturising the skin, nasal passages and eyes is so important. It helps to protect your body. Have a look at this research on chronic stress and the effects on longevity:

Have you ever been overseas on a wonderful holiday only to find you become sick either when you get there or when you get home? One article I read claimed that the quick turnaround of planes has led to substandard cleaning of the planes, so virus’ and bacteria stay on the surfaces, tray tables and arm rests. Having had one bad experience with being ill overseas, I now combat that by wiping down my tray table and arm rests as soon as I get into my seat. I then use a moisturising nasal spray and eye drops throughout the flight as well as drinking as much water as I can. So, keeping the skin, and mucous membrane in the mouth, nose and eyes does offer protection. You can read more in this article…

Now there is very good reason to keep your skin and mucous membrane hydrated all of the time to help protect your body against the many bacteria and virus’ that cohabit with us.  They are not going to go away. They have just as much right to be in this world as we do, and we need them. They are not all harmful to us but if we provide the right environment then of course they are going to make us unwell.

So let’s talk about some things that can help you to remain balanced and free from sickness.

  • Obviously the first thing is to take regular breaks throughout the year. While it may be desirable to take one long break, the reality is that you have to wait a long time to get that break. Taking shorter breaks more often, with at least one of them a 2 week break, will help.
  • Keep your skin and mucous membrane moist and well hydrated so drink lots of water, use nasal clear sprays and eye drops especially when flying but all year round too. As I said earlier, definitely more important as you get older.
  • Get plenty of sleep and rest. While I know sleep can elude many the body needs to replenish itself from the daily activities you conduct. If you cannot sleep, learn to meditate or study mindfulness techniques
  • Nourish your body with food that supports your body. Avoid take away foods that are loaded in salt, fat and who know what other additives. Add some raw food like salads to your diet.
  • Get some exercise.  Remember exercise is cumulative.  You don’t have to go out for an hours walk or pump away at a gym to get the benefits.  Three x 10 minute walks will do as much good as one 30 minute walk.  When you go shopping, park as far away as you can from where you are going to go and get your walk in that way.
  • Don’t let your inner voice run away with you. The quality of your self-talk will determine the outcome of your day. If you think of every day as being a blessing, and that all things that happen are just an event that will pass, then it will lower your stress levels. In essence don’t allow yourself to over-react to any situation. 

  • Take some time for yourself each day. Whether it is to read a book, sit in the sun, meet up with friends or meditate. This will rejuvenate you.  You know housework and other things we think are important will wait until you are ready.

Now with tongue in cheek, I have put this video up for you to see. The images I hope will give you a laugh – hardly appropriate to you no doubt, but the messages are good. So read the captions and smile!

So, take care of yourself. Don’t put your own health at risk by neglecting yourself. You are important. If your job is too stressful, then change it and find something else or get some support. You do not want to subject yourself to some long-term health condition because you put yourself last.