Cut risk of infections for folks with limited mobility

If you care for someone with restricted mobility, you know that because they have limited exercise options, their immune systems may be weakened, raising their risk of developing infections. Here are some tips to help reduce that vulnerability:

1. Don’t allow close contact with anyone who has a contagious condition. That means, if Cousin Gertie has a cold, she should not be allowed to come close to the patient. And even if she agrees to stay several feet away, she should wear a surgical mask.

2. Sorry, but you also need to limit contact with children. This is because youngsters pick up germs from each other at school or in the playground, and carry them wherever they go. However, this doesn’t mean that hugs and kisses should be banned. Not at all. But it does mean that children should wash their hands with soap and water before touching Grandma. And, of course, they should be symptom-free: no sniffles, no coughs, no fever.

3. Wash your patient’s face and hands after she’s been in contact with others to help minimize the microbe population that might enter the body, especially through the eyes.

4. Keep your patient’s inoculations up to date. For example, it was once assumed that one shot of pneumococcal vaccine would supply lifetime immunity against a form of bacterial pneumonia. We now know that booster shots are recommended every five years.

5. Screen your windows to keep out mosquitoes or other germ-carrying insects.

6. Laughter and music help build a strong immune system. So, have a good stock on hand of VHS tapes and DVDs that can keep your loved one entertained.

7. Maintain a smoke-free environment, and make sure her diet provides all the nutrients needed for a healthy immune system — and no foods that would deplete it.