GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Health facilities in the Garden Route on Wednesday 15 October focused on hand hygiene to increase awareness and understanding about its importance as part of International Handwashing Day.
“We do demonstrations of washing hands for patients and show them how to do it for 20 seconds in an attempt to improve hand hygiene in our communities," said assistant auxiliary nurse Genevieve Lindoor from Conville Clinic.
“Although most of our clients are well aware of the importance of clean hands, we do still see clients with dirty hands and nails.”
Lindoor has been at Conville Clinic for 20 years of her 30-year career and has seen thousands of hands.
“Remember to wash your hands before touching your eyes, nose or mouth, before and after changing a child’s nappy and after using the bathroom, before and after preparing food, after touching any surface in a public area like a communal kitchen, a lift or staircase railings, and after touching an animal,” said Lindoor.
Lindoor has been at Conville Clinic for 20 years of her 30-year career and has seen thousands of hands.
Other tips for hygiene:
* Have a paper towel ready, if possible, before starting to wash your hands.
* Remove jewellery like rings before the time.
* Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds (remembering to wash between your fingers, the back of your hands and the cuticles and nails).
* Dry your hands with a paper towel. Close the tap with this towel before throwing it in the bin.
As part of COVID-19 prevention, hand hygiene has been put in the spotlight.
“It makes me happy to see how quickly children have become accustomed to sanitising their hands. We must not get complacent now and remember that clean hands play a big role in warding off illnesses such as COVID-19," said Lindoor.
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