{"id":802,"date":"2017-10-06T18:10:55","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T18:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/?p=802"},"modified":"2017-10-06T18:10:55","modified_gmt":"2017-10-06T18:10:55","slug":"handling-needles-sharps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/2017\/10\/06\/handling-needles-sharps\/","title":{"rendered":"Caregiver Safety:\u00a0Handling needles and sharps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When handling needles and sharps, watch out for c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ontact with blood and body fluid. They can be infected with disease. Diseases carried in blood include <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">HIV<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the virus that causes <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">AIDS<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">hepatitis B and C<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which are incurable liver diseases. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2017\/10\/Dont-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"439\" height=\"419\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2017\/10\/Dont-6.png 669w, https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2017\/10\/Dont-6-300x286.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2017\/10\/Do-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"384\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2017\/10\/Do-6.png 670w, https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2017\/10\/Do-6-300x270.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You are at risk for HIV\/AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases if you<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are stuck by a needle or \u201csharp\u201d (an object that can pierce your skin) that has infected blood on it. It could be a needle that you are using for an injection, a diabetes stick, a discarded needle that accidentally sticks you when you are cleaning up trash, a razor, or a piece of broken glass.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are splashed in the eyes with infected blood.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Touch infected blood when you have a cut, open sore, or broken skin.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clients may also be at risk of getting an infectious disease from homecare workers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Tools<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use these things to make this work safer:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Disposable gloves.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A sharps container for throwing away used \u00a0needles or other sharps. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Tips<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you get a needle stick or a cut from a sharp, wash the area with soap and water. If the contact is with your nose, mouth, or skin, flush with water. If it is with your eyes, rinse them with clean water or saline. Contact your doctor as soon as you can.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you work for an agency or company, immediately report this accident to your employer. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Standard Precautions<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can\u2019t tell if people are infected with HIV or hepatitis B just by looking at them. Using \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Standard Precautions<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d means protecting yourself as if all blood and body fluids are infected. Use Standard Precautions whenever there is a chance of contact with blood or body fluids, including during tasks such as bathing, wound care, laundry, and toileting.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <\/span><b><i>Wear disposable gloves<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">every time you may be in\u00a0<\/span>contact with blood or body fluids. Ask the client about skin allergies to specific products. Use special gloves if either of you is allergic to latex or vinyl.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Make sure the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gloves fit<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Replace them if they get torn or damaged.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use new gloves <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">for each new client and each new task. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">NEVER reuse <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">disposable gloves. Throw away used gloves.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wash your hands before you put on gloves and after you take them off. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">NEVER touch your mouth or eyes <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">while wearing used gloves.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Turn gloves inside out <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">when removing them. Put them in a plastic bag and tie the bag for disposal.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <\/span><b><i>Wash your hands often.<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wash with soap and running water at regular times during your work.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Remove any <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">blood or body waste <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">from your skin or the client\u2019s skin by washing with soap and running water.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <\/span><b><i>Handle sharps with extreme care.<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Point sharps away from your body <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and discard them immediately after use into a sharps container. Never put sharps in a regular recycling bin or trash can.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Never reach into a trash bag! <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It could contain needles or other sharps.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Never recap a needle or touch the point.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <\/span><b><i>Cover cuts, sores, or breaks<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in your skin and the client\u2019s skin with bandages, unless the doctor says otherwise.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <\/span><b><i>Use bleach<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to carefully clean household surfaces that may have blood or body fluids on them. \u00a0Mix one part bleach to 10 parts water. Make this solution fresh each day\u2014and label it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <\/span><b><i>Get a vaccination<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to protect you from Hepatitis B (See find help section, below).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Talk it over<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You could say this: <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI always use gloves when I help clients take their blood sugar test (or another task that could expose you to infection). As homecare workers, we have to be very careful to protect \u00a0ourselves from serious problems.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Please check out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/2017\/10\/02\/caregiver-client-talk-safety\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How Caregiver and Client Should Talk to Each Other About Safety<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">for related tips for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">effectively communicating your concerns to each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Find help<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Disposable gloves are available at <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">grocery stores<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">drugstores, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">medical supply stores<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Check with your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">doctor <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">or <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">clinic <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">about getting a Hepatitis B vaccination.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you work for an <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">agency <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">or <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">company<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, ask your employer to arrange for free and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">confidential hepatitis B vaccinations <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">flu vaccinations <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">from an independent health care provider. If you are in a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">union<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, ask your union to arrange this. If you don\u2019t have health insurance, call your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">city or county health department <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to find out where you can get vaccinated.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To get a sharps container, contact your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">medical provider<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">drugstore<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, or <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">medical supply store<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ask them how to properly dispose of the used container. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>To do list<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supplies needed:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Disposable gloves <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sharps container <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bandages<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bleach <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other: __________________________________________<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Safety tips you will follow\/New ways to do the tasks:<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Issues you need to discuss:<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">People or organizations to contact for help, tools, or information:<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Building on the above \u00a0to do list, you can combine them with other to do lists from the other tips in this series \u00a0to create your own combined \u00a0<\/span><b><i>action plan for safety <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and keep it on hand to remind you both about staying safe. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reference: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others\u201d <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0by <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Center for Disease Control\u2019s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0*<\/h3>\n<p><span>Is caring your calling?\u00a0<\/span><span>We&#8217;re hiring qualified\u00a0<\/span><span>people committed to\u00a0<\/span><span><span style=\"color: #444444\">helping others.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span>We serve clients in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, mainly in Danville, Blackhawk, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, Castro Valley, Hayward, Livermore, and communities along the 680 Corridor\u00a0<\/span><span>of the East Bay.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #444444\">Learn more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/careers\/\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color: #444444\">You may submit an application <a href=\"https:\/\/my.peoplematter.com\/mja\/flhcamericanrivercaresolutions\/jobapp\/GetStarted?sourceCode=website&amp;jobOpenings=0c195747-9761-4edc-8c2f-a80b0100effb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/2017\/09\/29\/caring-carers-caregiver-client-safety-home\/\">\u2190 Back to Caregiver Safety Overview<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/care-library\/\"><span>Go to Care Library\u00a0\u2192<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When handling needles and sharps, watch out for contact with blood and body fluid. They can be infected with disease. Diseases carried in blood include HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and hepatitis B and C, which are incurable liver diseases. You are at risk for HIV\/AIDS, hepatitis, and other&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-san-ramon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}