[humanser] Question about cane sanitation for hospital use

Mon Feb 15 18:25:54 UTC 2016

I would try to have a cane set aside for hospital use, and jus tleave my street cane at the front office. If I was concerned about sanitation. 

-----Original Message-----
From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ericka via humansers
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2016 1:15 PM
To: Human Services Division Mailing List <humanser at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Ericka <dotwriter1 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [humanser] Question about cane sanitation for hospital use

Makes sense to me. MRSA is a big problem in nursing homes too. You don't want to bring anything in those rooms or take anything out. Not resistant to antibiotics, not everyone comes out of that OK if you know what I mean. I would feel really bad to bring something in off the street to someone who couldn't fight it off. Hospitals are places to get better. I would feel incredibly guilty matter what my reason for being in that room to make someone else more sick or worse.

Ericka Short
"What is right is not always popular; what is popular is not always right."

 from my iPhone

> On Feb 14, 2016, at 9:47 AM, Carly Mihalakis via humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Sanitizing your cane? That's new to me. Seems like sanitizing your shoes, kind of pointless?
> If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
> Carwrote:
>> I forgot that one!  I have also considered having a cane, even two, set aside for use in the hospitals. On 8/17/15, Annely Rose via humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote: > Hi, > > I'm following this thread and it is very thought provoking.  I am recalling > that when my late husband was in the hospital with a staff infection in his > nasal passages, as they called it, all of us had to wear protective gear, > but the nurse brought in the medication cart and I'm not aware that anyone > wiped it down afterward.  also, there was furniture in the room and other > equipment.  I carried my cane in and no one said anything.  Even a doctor > came in and didn't have a gown on or any facial mask.  go figure.  Maybe > this hospital wasn't as strict or should I say they were careless.  And > where did my husband get this infection?  He was home with us 2 days before > and a day in ICU before they diagnosed it and none of the family came down > with it.  The ICU staff didn't wear anything protective.  Makes you wonder. > And if you get sick, they say that there are staff germs everywhere, even on > our skin.  Our canes go everywhere with us and who knows what the >  tips come in contact with on a daily basis.  I try to wipe mine clean, but > many times forget.  When I fold it up, I never put it in my purse and try > not to touch it either on my skin or on my clothes.  And, of course, I never > put it on a table anywhere.  If I set it on a chair in a restaurant, I'll > leave the tip hanging over the edge. > > Annely > > > -------------------------------------------- > On Mon, 8/17/15, Michael Abell via humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote: > >  Subject: Re: [humanser] Question about cane sanitation for hospital use >  To: "'Human Services Division Mailing List'" <humanser at nfbnet.org> >  Cc: "Michael Abell" <bigdog4744 at gmail.com> >  Date: Monday, August 17, 2015, 12:18 PM > >  Hello, >  Â Â Â  These are all fantastic and thought >  provoking answers! I am taken by >  the new >  frontiers that we are blazing through. >  Â Â Â  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. >  Â Â Â  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.Â Â Â I agree that the >  cane is essential.Â Â Â 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.Â Â Â 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.Â Â Â 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.Â Â Â They must wipe >  that equipment down with something that would >  work on your cane.Â  Â  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:Â Â Â 416.530.6000, ext 3101 >  FAX:Â Â Â 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.Â  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.Â  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 >  > >  > >  > > _______________________________________________ >   > humanser mailing list >  > >  humanser at nfbnet.org >  > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org  >  > To unsubscribe, change your list options >  or get your account info for >  humanser: >  > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/duffg%40stjoe.on  >  > .ca > >  Please consider the environment before printing >  this e-mail. >  When printing is required >  please choose to double-side or re-use paper. > _______________________________________________ >   humanser mailing list >  humanser at nfbnet.org > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org  >  To unsubscribe, change your list options or get >  your account info for >  humanser: > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/bigdog4744%40gmail.com  > > > _______________________________________________ >   humanser mailing list >  humanser at nfbnet.org > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org  >  To unsubscribe, change your list options or get >  your account info for humanser: > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/annely53r%40yahoo.com  > > > _______________________________________________ >  humanser mailing list > humanser at nfbnet.org > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org  > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for > humanser: > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/crazy4clarinet104%40gmail.com  > -- Kaiti Shelton University of Dayton-Music Therapy President, Ohio Association of Blind Students 2013-Present Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division 2015-2016 "You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back!" _______________________________________________ humanser mailing list humanser at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for humanser: http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/carlymih%40comcast.net
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