Why is it important for a nursing assistant to maintain good personal hygiene?

5 Reasons Why You Should Care About Personal Hygiene

Do you tend to be fairly blasé about washing your hands? Not so fast – you could be contributing to illness, infections and even antibacterial resistance! These five reasons are sure to convince everyone of the importance of personal hygiene.

Reason 1: Good hygiene saves lives.

Inadequate sanitation and hygiene are responsible for a huge amount of preventable deaths – in fact it’s believed that adequate hygiene could save around 8 million lives around the world. Good hygiene practices can reduce the risk of contracting gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, including influenza and salmonella.

Reason 2: Effective hand hygiene can reduce sick days and lost productivity.

Good hand hygiene also has a significant benefit towards business productivity. One German study found that using hand sanitiser significantly cut down the number of sick days that employees took off from work because of colds, coughs, fevers or diarrhoea. That means having hand sanitiser dispensers and a personal hygiene checklist in your workplace is a very good idea.

Reason 3: Hand hygiene could be crucial in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

The World Health Organization has stressed the role of hand hygiene in managing antibiotic resistance and the development of ‘super bugs’. It’s believed that at any given time, 7-10% of patients undergoing treatment will acquire at least one health care-associated infection. If medical and care staff can perform best practice hand hygiene then they can drastically cut these infections and the resulting dependence on antibiotics.

Reason 4: Great personal hygiene makes you a great role model.

With all of these reasons to keep your hands as clean as possible, it’s important that we pass on effective hygiene practices to the next generation. Be sure to teach kids in your life the value of washing their hands regularly and after going to the bathroom. We have some fun classroom activities that can help with this.

Reason 5: Personal hygiene makes you more attractive to other people.

It’s no secret that good hygiene will help our social standing. After all, meeting someone with clean clothes and scrubbed fingernails will be much more pleasant that meeting someone with grubby hands and clothes.

Research has indicated that clean and bright teeth make you more attractive to the opposite sex, and we’re guessing the same goes for general hygiene too.

For assistance with hand dryers, paper towel dispensers and washroom consumables for your commercial washroom, contact the Davidson Washroom team today.

Personal hygiene is how you take care of your body. Maintaining hygiene practices reduces the spread of illness and risk of medical conditions caused by not taking care of yourself. It also increases self-confidence and positively impacts personal relationships. Keep reading for hygiene practices that help contribute to your overall health and wellness.

Best Hygiene Practices for You to Incorporate in Everyday Life

Wash Your Hands Frequently: Hand washing is one of the most effective ways to maintain personal hygiene and stop the spread of disease. You should be washing your hands frequently throughout the day and especially after tasks such as taking out the garbage, using the restroom, blowing your nose, coughing and coming into contact with someone who may be sick. In order to benefit from washing your hands, you need to make sure you are doing it properly. Remember these five steps to washing your hands:

1. Wet your hands with clean water and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them thoroughly with soap.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
4. Rinse your hands well.
5. Dry your hands with a towel or air dry.

Bathe: While older adults don’t necessarily need to bathe daily, it is recommended to shower or take a bath at least twice a week. Similar to washing your hands, washing your body removes dead skin cells and dirt and is a preventative measure to reduce the risk and spread of disease.

Wear Clean Clothes: After wearing clothes, wash them with a detergent and dry them immediately after rinsing. Dirty clothes could harbor bacteria that leads to body odor or could even result in a skin infection.

Brush and Floss Your Teeth Daily: Oral hygiene is crucial to keep in mind when considering personal hygiene practices. Brush your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, and floss at least once a day. Also be sure to maintain regular dental checkups.

Get Restful Sleep: Getting enough sleep is essential to our overall wellbeing. It is recommended that all adults should get at least seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

Create a Routine: In order to maintain good personal hygiene practices, it’s best to create a routine. This way, you’ll make a daily list of things you need to do to stay clean and healthy and make sure you continue to practice proper personal hygiene.

Learn More About Wellness at The Oaks at Denville

At The Oaks at Denville, our continuum of care addresses all aspects of wellbeing. With daily activities and onsite amenities through LivWell, our award-winning holistic wellness program, you can learn healthy lifestyle tips to achieve your own personal goals. You’re able to improve on your wellness by engaging in your choice of activities and programs.

Learn more about ways to improve on wellness in our senior living community by contacting our team today.

Why is it important to maintain good personal hygiene?

Why is it important to consider the cleanliness and personal hygiene of a caregiver?