[humanser] Question about cane sanitation for hospital use

[Michael Abell]

Hello,
	These are all fantastic and thought provoking answers! I am taken by
the new frontiers that we are blazing through.
	I have special canes for occasions. What about a cane that would be
used for just such purposes. You could remove any porous material (grips,
tips . and elastic) even going to a solid cane. This would make it easy to
sanitize and you could limit its use for these purposes.
	J D brings up very salient points about instruments and devices. I
would ask the hospital staff what they do with their devices. I am also
waiting to hear what our dear friend Dr. Chapel has to say on this subject!
Mary?


Regards,

Michael "Big Dog" Abell

Helping individuals to find their eyes in the dark.
(480) 369-0805



-----Original Message-----
From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ginny Duff
via humanser
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2015 9:06 AM
To: humanser at nfbnet.org
Cc: Ginny Duff
Subject: Re: [humanser] Question about cane sanitation for hospital use

I work in a hospital although being in psychiatry, I rarely have to worry
about this issue.   I agree that the cane is essential.   Its one thing to
leave it outside the room when you are just visiting but it would be a
completely different matter if you were working there. 

I'd be just as concerned about the tip and the handle.   If you touch
something with your gloves then you have transferred anything contaminated
to the handle and then once you take the gloves off your hands are in direct
contact with the handle.   Of course when you fold the cane up you then
touch the whole thing.

You could contact the head of infection control and let them mull that over.


What to do with the cane would be analogous to what staff do with a walker
or medical equipment that is taken out of the room later.   They must wipe
that equipment down with something that would work on your cane.    Alcohol
swabs are a bit too small. 

Ginny



Dr. V. Duff
Clinical Director, West End ACT Team,
St. Joseph's Heatlh Centre , Toronto
Staff Psychiatrist, Complex Mental Illness, CAMH Lecturer, University of
Toronto
Tel:   416.530.6000, ext 3101
FAX:   416.530.6363

Sent from my iPad

> On Aug 17, 2015, at 11:43 AM, JD Townsend via humanser
<humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hello Kaiti & All:
> 
> Interesting question.  I do work in a hospital and precautions are 
> always an issue.
> 
> My questions are:
> Do other staff wear street shoes or cover them with booties?
> Do other staff wear full body coverings or are pants exposed?
> 
> Alcohol wipes are always present in hospitals.  A clean wipe of my 
> white cane would provide much better protection than the exposure to 
> my shoes or pants and much better protection than nursing clipboards or
exposed hair.
> 
> According to my best knowledge, your white cane is considered a 
> prosthesis, like a prostetic leg and as such there ought be no problem 
> if it is kept as clean as one of those devices.
> 
> If shoe booties are called for, just use one for your cane tip.
> 
> I would be more concerned about your music insterments - players and 
> the like, and your cell 'phone.
> 
> 
> JD Townsend LCSW
> Helping the light dependent to see.
> Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System
> 
> 
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