Healthy Hints

Participating in health activities and getting information about health  can aide in promoting group discussion, and potentially lead to healthier behavior. Try an activity focused on a health issue with your group and everyone may benefit. Need a brochure or more information? Visit our Company information page. To order from Therapy Resources Inc. visit our Store page.

Handwashing Awareness

Admit it you don't think much about washing your hands, how you wash them, when you wash them or whether you wash them well. This time of the year with the flu season upon us and with the other concerns about germs that have been at the forefront recently, good hand washing has much added importance. 

 Nurses, especially can tell you that the quickest way to spread many illnesses from person to person is contact. Someone with an illness or germs on their hands touches someone else, then that person comes into contact with someone else and so on. Not only can you pick up germs from other people, but also dirty surfaces, animals, contaminated food, and yourself. The Center for Disease Control has a page about this; Handwashing | CDC - An Ounce of Prevention: Keeps the Germs Away; Handwashing. Get germs from yourself? Yes, you can, one obvious and easy way is by not washing your hands or not washing them well after you use the bathroom. A survey and observational study conducted for the American Society of Microbiology found that while 91% of the men and women stated that they washed their hands before leaving the restroom, when the observational study was conducted only 83% of the people actually did wash their hands. Read about that here at Washup.org; Washup. and get a poster and brochure that you can download and use to promote good hand washing. CNN also has an article about a study done in 2000. Here's another poster from Ohio State to help you promote good hand washing. 

Activities and Group Activities

Try the following before you continue on and read the guide below: 

Try a short hand washing quiz from microbeworld.org to see how much you know about washing your hands.Handwashing; Quiz

Everyone wash your hands and try using Glo Germ to find out how well you did. Web site: Glo Gern 

There are guidelines at a number of places including Engender Health which has a pdf file. Engender Health 

Now here are some guidelines: 

When to wash your hands:

Before you eat

After using the bathroom

Before and after you handle food

After touching animals or anything associated with them like their toys and waste.

When you have contact with someone who is sick. 

Whenever your hands get dirty. 

How to wash your hands: 

Wet your hands thoroughly under running water. 

Apply soap, either liquid or clean bar soap.

Scrub vigorously, work up a good lather. Both things are important; Friction to loosen the dirt and germs and lather to rinse them away.

Make sure you scrub all the surfaces; palms, back of hands, fingers and in between them.

Continue for at least 15-20 seconds. Sing either "Its a Small World" or "Happy Birthday" (to yourself please :o) to gauge the time.

Rinse thoroughly starting at the fingertips and going toward the wrists. 

Dry your hands on a clean towel. In public use the paper towel you dried with to turn off the faucet. 

Those are the basics if you want more technical information try reading the CDC guidelines for hand washing and infection control or taking the Infection Prevention Online course (Course). Both are more directed at healthcare providers. 

Group Activities:

Learning to wash your hands well is a good activity for just about any age group. From very young children, through adolescents to the oldest adults. Assess your participants and adjust the instructions to their level of ability and need.

Some Ideas: 

Read the above article and follow the links as a web tour. 

Print out the brochure and posters and use them with the group.

Try the quiz and the Glo Germ test. 

Have everyone practice hand washing and repeat the Glo Germ test. 

The animation above gives a little routine to help everyone remember the steps to good hand washing. Practice repeating that. 

Consult with your health care providers about the programs and health related activities that would be best for your clients

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