Why Face Masks and Disposable Aprons Should be Minimum Requirements in Aged Care

Nursing homes and Aged Care facilities are vulnerable to the spread of infection particularly between at-risk members of the community. The salient reason for this is that the residents in Aged Care homes are elderly, potentially sick and frail. They are often afflicted with serious chronic conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to infection and exacerbate the effects of even mild pathogens. This means that infections can spread more easily and have a serious impact on people in Aged Care homes.

Aside from the susceptibility that many of the residents have to infection, there are other reasons why pathogens spread so easily through Aged Care facilities. The first is that many of the patients require assistance with everyday activities such as eating or bathing, which means that they are in constant physical contact with Aged Care workers. This makes it easier to spread diseases between workers and patients and vice versa. Healthcare workers in nursing homes also often come into contact with infected fluids such as saliva, mucus, faecal matter and blood.

This constant physical contact with patients and bodily fluids means that the risk of transmitting infections between individuals is high. That’s why personal protective equipment should be a minimum requirement for healthcare workers in Aged Care facilities.

Two pieces of equipment that should be minimum requirements in Aged Care are face masks and disposable aprons.

Face masks are some of the most important pieces of protective equipment available to Aged Care workers. They act as a physical barrier between the wearer and infectious droplets produced by sick patients through coughing, sneezing or speaking. Worn over the mouth and nose they are designed to protect the respiratory tract from infection.

Aside from protecting the wearer, face masks also protect the people around them, catching potentially infectious droplets and stopping them from being transmitted. This is particularly useful in the healthcare setting where workers may not know they are infectious, acting as a safeguard for the people they are taking care of.

In situations where there is a risk of spraying or splashing infectious fluids, healthcare workers should also wear face shields in conjunction with face masks. Face shields are clear visors that protect the eyes, mouth and nose from infection through direct contact with droplets or splashes.

One of the ways that pathogens are spread through Aged Care facilities is infected fluid soiling skin or clothing and then being passed on to the mucus membrane of workers or patients. This indirect transmission can be hard to detect, which is why wearing protecting clothing can be so important. A disposable apron acts as a barrier that catches infectious fluids and stops them from coming into contact with skin and clothing. Once the healthcare worker completes their interaction with an infected patient this apron can then be disposed of, ensuring that infectious substances are not spread through the Aged Care facility.