The biggest theme in all this Chinese flu business is wash your hands. Which made me wonder how something so basic is now having to be told to people? Have we all over the world become a people of neglect? Are Nursing Homes hardest hit because people are elderly and frail or because the basic hygiene has left a lot to be desired?
One of the first jobs a Mother used to instil into the young members of the family was .. wash your hands after going to the toilet. Wash your hands before you sit down at the table to eat your dinner. Brush your teeth before going to bed. Have these old rules been overlooked , have parents become too busy to ensure that cleanliness becomes a habit and not something that has to be reminded over and over again.
It is no surprise to read about Hotel guests being bitten by bed bugs , catching all sorts of skin complaints. Is it any wonder that Recreational vehicles and Caravans have become so popular . How clean you keep it is up to you as the owner.
Once upon a time Monday was wash day, now it is whatever day is convenient. Babies had their nappies blowing in the wind drying in the sun . Germs all killed , baby safe from nappy rash. Every day had a line full of school clothing , shirts that the hubby wore .. yesterday's socks and undies from the family. Clean and hygienic .
About 10 year's ago my elderly neighbour's husband died and she had a Carer come in to do some chores. This lady said she had to tell the Carer she liked her sheets washed once a week. This "helpful" Carer was horrified . Fancy wanting your sheets washed once a week. Was this the beginning of lack of personal hygiene … fussy oldies wanting cleanliness.
Would this Wuflu not have taken such a hold if the old hygiene regimes had still been in practice. Fancy having to be told not to shake hands, not to give someone a hug, don't sneeze on someone , cough into a tissue or handkerchief , not to get too close to someone in case you give them germs. Not to visit your friends or Grandparents , or your Uncle and Auntie because you might contaminate them with the Wuflu.
We have to be very careful that we do not allow too many people into the Country who have not been brought up in a clean and healthy environment to pass on some of their bad habits when they handle our food, or look after our vulnerable people, be they children or elderly. In particular the Nursing Homes and schools. The very places that should be extra careful and very particular. Especially the Nursing Home, they seem to be places where neglect and a poor attitude is shown towards the unfortunate guests who have the misfortune to reside in some of the very questionable places. Fortunately not all , but enough to make people very upset at the thought of ending up in one of them.
My personal feeling is that when the Government allowed Nursing Homes and Homes for the Elderly to be bought by Private enterprise , instead of run by the Churches and the States all that the new owners thought about was making money and didn't give a damn about the feelings or well being of the guests. The idea of how cheap can we run this place and how much money can we make seems to be the top priority. That is wrong! Hygiene , cleanliness and respect should be top of the list, good wholesome food, with some treats should be the norm.
Not this muck served as Christmas dinner. As it was a few months ago in a " Care Home " in Australia - yes, Christmas Dinner.
Here we are back to cleanliness again and perhaps we would not have seen so many deaths from this Wuflu. Maybe a lot of the other ailments these poor people have suffered from would not be so prevalent either. I wonder did they go in to the Home with so many ailments or did these extra health problems appear after entry?
In today's age having to tell people over and over again about keeping clean and washing the hands is something that I would have thought was totally unnecessary . How far have we sunk that we have to be told how to keep clean and germ free.
After reading the previous article featuring Tom Moore I think we should be thoroughly ashamed of ourselves for what we have allowed to happen to our Senior Citizens. And I say that as a nearly 88 year old. After all, I am still young at heart and feisty. It is time to get our feet back on the ground and our heads out of the clouds.
Redhead is still pissed off.
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