Five Important Facts for Your Senior about Face Masks

As your senior’s caregiver, you’re probably going to be helping her to wear and to maintain her cloth face masks. Understanding as much as possible about what to do with masks and how they should fit her can help you to ensure she’s got what she needs.

 

Home Care in Ardmore PA: Face Masks Tips

Home Care in Ardmore PA: Face Masks Tips

 

Don’t Use Surgical Masks or N95 Masks

Surgical masks or N95 masks aren’t good choices for your senior to be wearing right now. First, they’re difficult to find. They’re needed by medical professionals, too, so it’s important to ensure that those supplies are available for hospital settings. Cloth face masks truly are all that your senior needs right now. The mask serves as a barrier between her nose and mouth and the germs she might encounter.

Make Sure the Mask Covers Her Mouth and Nose

A well-fitting cloth face mask needs to cover both your senior’s nose and her mouth. The mask also shouldn’t have gaps around her nose, cheeks, or chin. It’s best if the mask has adjustable tie straps because those can help you to ensure that your elderly family member’s mask fits her as well as possible.

Make Sure Your Senior Can Breathe

It’s important also that your elderly family member can breathe through the mask. You’re trying to help her to avoid germs, of course, but she needs to be able to easily draw in air. If that becomes too difficult and she removes the mask or pulls it away from her nose and mouth, then that will completely defeat the purpose of the mask.

Encourage Her to Wear the Mask if She Has to Go Out in Public

Masks are recommended right now, but they’re not required. For your senior’s sake, she really should wear a mask if she’s still going out in public at all. The mask does not reduce the need for social distancing, however. She still needs to make sure that she’s remaining at least six feet away from other people.

Wash Masks After Each Use

Each time your senior wears her mask outside of her home, it needs to be washed. She should only put on clean and dry masks before leaving. Then, when she returns home, the mask needs to go into the washing machine. It’s important that the masks are completely dry before they’re used again because any wet fabric can let larger particles through the mask.

Wearing a cloth face mask may be uncomfortable for your senior at first, but as she gets used to wearing the mask it becomes less of an issue. Wearing the mask can also be a reminder to avoid touching her face, which is another good habit to develop.

 

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Ardmore, PA, please contact the friendly staff at Suma Home Care.
Call today: (484) 206-4544

Ibrahim & Mariama Suma-Keita