Caring for a Flu Patient at Home



Caring for a Flu Patient at Home

What would happen if you or a family member got sick during a flu pandemic? Hospitals will be too full to accept new patients and doctor’s offices will be too busy. You probably would not want to sit in a waiting room full of sick people anyway.

Most flu patients can be cared for at home, so it makes sense to be prepared to do that. Besides, these are good skills to have during flu season, too!

The patient must be isolated in a closed room away from the rest of the family. The room should be well ventilated if possible, such as opening windows to air it out every few hours. Choose one person as the caregiver. The caregiver should wear a mask and stay in the room as little as possible. The caregiver must wash his or her hands immediately after leaving the room. Don’t touch anything, and turn on the faucets with a paper towel to avoid contaminating, with viruses, objects you or others in your family will touch once your hands are clean.

Use a disinfectant to sanitize doorknobs, faucets, counters, toilet seats, etc. Use a solution of one part plain household bleach to nine parts water, and make a new batch every time you use it.

There are three concerns when caring for a flu patient: dehydration, fever, and lung care.

Dehydration: Dehydration can kill, especially the very young and very old. Fluids help keep the body functioning and loosens mucus in the lungs. Some signs of dehydration include drier than normal skin, skin that stays wrinkled after you pinch it, sunken eyes, dry cracked lips, and lack of urine. Make sure the patient drinks plenty of fluids, such as water, juices, broth, and drinks with salt and sugar like sports drinks or lemonade. If nausea is an issue, give small amounts of liquid, even a teaspoonful at a time if necessary.

Fever: A low-grade fever less than 101° can be helpful, but higher fevers must be brought down. Give fever-reducing medicine such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen. For very high fevers, sponge the patient with a cool, wet cloth.

Lung care: To aid breathing and maintain lung health, have the patient sit up or prop them up with pillows. The patient should do five very deep breaths every 30 minutes to keep the lungs open. If a severely ill patient is sleeping, wake him up every two hours to do these exercises.

You can get more information about preparing for pandemic flu online at .

Rhiannon Brewer is the public relations and information specialist for the Northeast Health District and can be reached at rcbrewer@dhr.state.ga.us.

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