Month 8: Infection Control & Preventing Disease Spread
Covers your required infectious disease program elements: what infectious disease is, how it spreads, and how to deliver care safely for both agency and independent caregivers.
What Infectious Disease Is and Why It Matters in Home Care
An infectious disease is caused by a pathogen -- bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites -- that can be transmitted from one person, surface, or source to another. Home care clients are frequently more vulnerable to infection than the general population, due to age, chronic illness, wounds, catheters, or a weakened immune system, while the home environment typically lacks the infection-control infrastructure of a hospital (no dedicated isolation rooms, sterilization equipment, or infection control staff). That makes your personal practices the primary line of defense against spreading illness to or from a client.
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