# 1449
Santa Clara County, California - home of our famous Silicon Valley - boasts the highest median household income of any county in California. They also have a proactive county health department with a pretty good pandemic web site.
Among the information available there are 2 PDF files (one in color, one B&W) on how to care for pandemic flu patients at home. The following description is from their website:
As many as 1 in 4 people could get sick during a pandemic, with many of them seriously ill. Services and supplies we count on everyday may not be available. Every individual and family could be on their own, without care, for quite a while. This makes being prepared even more important.
The Home Care Guide for Pandemic Flu can be used to help you prepare at home to take care of your sick family or household members. It includes the following tools:
- Lists of emergency supplies that can be used during any emergency, as well as supplies needed specifically for pandemic influenza.
- Guidelines on how to limit the spread of disease at home.
- Instructions on how to take care of sick family or household members safely and effectively.
- Basic information about pandemic flu, avian flu and other topics.
The Home Care Guide for Pandemic Flu is available in two (2) PDF versions - full color for viewing or Black/White for printing . At this time, only electronic PDF versions are available for the public.
These PDF files are fairly large (5mb) and can take awhile to download, particularly on a dialup connection. The brochure runs 62 pages.
While the home care instructions are pretty basic, I particularly liked the detailed instructions on how to isolate a flu patient at home, and protect other household members from infection. The advice to have masks and gloves on hand for the caregiver is particularly sound.
An excerpt (reparagraphed for readability):
Isolate the sick person(s) within your home. his means choosing a room in your home where the sick person or persons can stay for the entire time that they are sick.
Rooms should have windows that open to circulate air, as well as natural UV (sun) light and a door that shuts. The door should stay closed. If possible, this room would have a bathroom that is attached or nearby. It is best if those who are not sick use a separate bathroom.
Make one person in the household the main caregiver. The main caregiver is the only person going in and out of the sick person’s room. They bring the sick person their meals, drinks, and medicines. Other household members should have no contact, or very limited contact, with the sick person.
Do not have visitors while the person is sick. The main caregiver will also closely watch the symptoms of inluenza and call their medical provider if symptoms change or get worse. See Calling for Medical Advice on page 26, for more information about when to call your medical provider.
Wear a surgical or protective mask and disposable gloves when you are in the sick person’s room. This is really important when giving care and when you are in contact with the sick person or cleaning up body fluids of the sick person.
The main caregiver, or anyone else who cannot avoid contact with the sick person, needs to wear a mask and gloves. Masks should have ear loops or ties for a secure it.
The sick person should also wear a mask. If possible, the sick person should wear a mask anytime the caregiver (or any well person) comes into the room.
This guide doesn't address the use of Rx meds such as antivirals or antibiotics, and in some ways isn't as detailed as Dr. Woodson's guide. I would have liked to have seen some information on how to keep a basic chart on a patient, something that could prove invaluable should the patient need to be handed over to a medical facility.
This guide also glosses over the severity of influenza and the possibility that even with the best home care, some patients will likely die during a pandemic. In fact, the word `death' is only used 3 times in 62 pages, and never in connection with the home care instructions.
A minor quibble, as once a pandemic begins, I'm sure the news media will use the word `death' ad nauseam.
Overall, this is an excellent home guide, and the Santa Clara Health Department should be congratulated for making it available.
(A Hat tip to Florida1 at Flutrackers for finding and posting this brochure)
