Believe it or not, lots of people who have been washing their hands for an entire lifetime are finding out that they’re missing a few important steps.

Not Using Enough Soap

Using only a tiny amount of soap is not likely to get the lather that your elderly family member needs in order to thoroughly clean her hands. She doesn’t have to use anti-bacterial soap or any special kind of soap, but she does need to use a good amount. When she lathers up the soap, there should be a good amount of lather to cover both hands thoroughly.

Skipping Spots

Most people are pretty confident that they get every single part of their hands washed every time. But it’s actually possible that your senior might be missing some really important places on her hands. There are some great experiments with paint that illustrate how hand washing can miss some spots. Your senior needs to get in between her fingers, the backs of her hands, her wrists, and under her fingernails, too.

Washing for Too Short a Time

If your elderly family member is only washing her hands for a few seconds, that’s likely far too short a time to remove the germs she really needs to kill. Your senior should wash her hands for at least twenty seconds in order to really clean them properly. There are plenty of songs that she could hum to help her to keep track of the time. The most common is “Happy Birthday,” but you can make a game out of finding other songs, too.

Touching Something Questionable Right After Washing Her Hands

You’re trying to help your senior to keep germs off her hands, so if she’s touching a lot of different things, especially things outside her home, she might be picking up way more germs than either of you realize. It’s good practice right now to look with eyes rather than hands.

Waiting Too Long to Wash Her Hands

Lots of people are accustomed to washing their hands, but not as often as is recommended during the coronavirus pandemic. If your elderly family member waits too long to wash her hands, she runs the risk of forgetting and touching her face or picking up even more germs. Try to make frequent hand washing a habit many times a day.

If your elderly family member needs extra help with any aspect of keeping her hands clean and germ free, it might be a good idea to bring in elder care providers. They can help her to keep her hands clean and as free of germs as possible.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Dulles, VA, please contact the caring staff at Assisting Hands today. (703) 782-3655.