Category Archives: Articles – Elderly Emergency Alarm / Fall Prevention

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD)

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is a viral infection caused by a group of enteroviruses and is most commonly caused by the Coxsackie virus.

Signs and symptoms

•  Fever

• Sorethroat
• Rash (flat or raised spots) or small blisters on palms of hands, soles of feet, or buttocks.
• Mouth ulcers on the inside of the mouth or sides of the tongue
• Poor appetite
• Lethargy Mode of spread

It is easily spread from one person to another by droplet, saliva as well as by coming in contact with fluid from inside the blisters. It can also be in faeces for up to several weeks after being infected Incubation period.

The incubation period of HFMD is 3 to 5 days. Symptoms usually start 3 to 7 days after catching the infection. Symptoms can last between 7 to 10 days.

Infectious period

A child infected with HFMD is contagious throughout the duration of the illness. They cease to be contagious when their illness resolves.

Prevention

All centres must maintain high standards of personal and environmental hygiene to minimise the risk of HFMD transmission.

• The overall health of the children should be checked daily upon arrival at the childcare centre. Children with any unusual symptoms or behaviour should be removed from the child care centre for further assessment. This is an important measure in preventing the mode of spread of infectious diseases to other children.
• Children with HFMD should stay at home, away from school, child care, playgroup, kindergarten and crowded public places until the fluid in the blisters has dried. During this period, contact with other children should be avoided until the child recovers.
• Both staff and children must wash their hands frequent enough to maintain their hands in a clean state.
• Handwashing Staff and children should follow the following recommended handwashing procedures to reduce the risk of disease mode of spread in the centres
  • Use liquid soap and running water;
  • Run hands vigorously as they are washed for at least 10 seconds;
  • Wash all surfaces, including back of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails;
  • Rinse hands well after washing;
  • Dry hands with single-use towel

• Staff should wash their hands:

• When they come to the centre in the morning;
• Before they prepare or serve food;
• After they change diapers, clean up or wipe the nose of a child;
• After contact with blood or body fluids such as fluids from the nose, mouth and chest as well as from inside the blisters ;
• After they have been to the toilet, either with a child or by themselves;
• After handling pets, pet cages, or other pet objects;
• After outdoor activities (e.g. playing with children in the playground);
• Before giving or applying medication or ointment to a child or self;
• Before going home

• 

  Children should wash their hands:

• When they arrive at the centre;
• Before they eat or drink;
• After they use the toilet;
• After they come into contact with a child who may be sick;
• After having their diapers changed;
• After playing on the playground;
• After handling pets, pet cages, or other pet objects;
• Before going home

• Do not share food, utensils, drinking cups, toothbrushes or towels with other children.
• Proper disinfection of articles such as toys, eating utensils and towels contaminated by droplet, saliva, vesicular fluid or faeces of infected cases

Communal Toys

• Toys or appliances that are contaminated by nasal or oral secretions should be cleaned before they are used again.
• Only washable toys should be used with diapered children. Separate toys should be provided for each child group so that no sharing should occur between groups. This will limit the exposure of the infectious agents to only a single group during disease outbreaks.

• Hard surfaced toys should be washed and disinfect with household bleach regularly.

• Stuffed toys should be discouraged, i.e. toys that cannot be sanitized should not be allowed.
• A toy that is mouthed by a child should be washed and disinfected before other children handle it.

Things That Cause the Elderly to Fall (Falls Among Older Adults)

Each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls.1 Falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and can increase the risk of early death.

How Serious is the problem?

• The risk of falling increases with age and is greater for women than for men.
• One out of three older adults (those aged 65 or older) falls each year.
• Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries.
• Two-thirds of those who experience a fall will fall again within six months.
• In 2010, 2.3 million nonfatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 662,000 of these patients were hospitalized.
• In 2010, the direct medical costs of falls, adjusted for inflation, was $30 billion.

Following are several factors that contribute to the fact that seniors fall so much more frequently than younger people:

• Decrepitude: Aging changes motion patterns which destabilize the human locomotion balance mechanism. Falls due to tripping in the elderly are the result of declines in the balance control function due to aging.
• Lack of Exercise: Failure to exercise regularly results in poor muscle tone, decreased bone mass, loss of balance, and reduced flexibility.
• Impaired vision due to Aging (Presbyopia) : This includes age-related vision diseases, as well as not wearing glasses that have been prescribed.
• Pharmaceutical Drug: Sedatives, anti-depressants, and anti-psychotic drugs, plus taking multiple medications are all implicated in increasing risk of falling.
• Medical Diseases: Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis cause weakness in the extremities, poor grip strength, balance disorders and cognitive impairment.
• Surgeries: Hip replacements and other surgeries leave an elderly person weak, in pain and discomfort and less mobile than they were before the surgery.
• Environmental hazards: One third of all falls in the elderly population involve hazards at home. Factors include: poor lighting, loose carpets and lack of safety equipment.

However, falls are not an inevitable part of growing older. Therefore, based on the fall prediction information, preventive or rehabilitative measures can be taken to prevent/reduce the happening of dangerous scenarios.

Many falls can be prevented, by making the home safer and using products that help keep seniors more stable and less likely to fall.

Searching for Child Care Centre in Singapore?

The following site allows you to search for a Child Care Centre in Singapore by:

• Street Name
• Location
• Operating Hour, From  To
• Extended Operating Hour
• Types of Service
• Service Programme Type
• Fee Range (S$)
• Age, Year, Month
• Provision of transportation Services:Yes/No
• ICCP Programme
• Enrichment Programme: Child Care Centre/ Children Member of Public
• Type of Menu
  • Vegetarian
  • Halal Food With Beef (with Certification from MUIS)
  • Halal Food With No Beef (with Certification from MUIS)
  • No Pork No Lard with Beef (without Certification from MUIS, Halal Sources)
  • No Pork No Lard with No Beef (without Certification from MUIS, Halal Sources)
  • No Pork No Lard with Beef (Non-Halal Sources)
  • No Pork No Lard with No Beef (Non-Halal Sources)
  • Other Food Types
•       Mother Tongue: Chinese/Malay/Tamil/Others
•       Licence Tenure

http://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls/home/ChdCccSrch.jsp

Using Alcohol-based Hand Rubs Vs Hand Washing

The use of alcohol-based hand-rub products (eg, liquid, gel, or foam hand sanitizers) does not substitute for
hand washing in the group care setting. Hand washing is required to remove visible soil. Alcohol-based hand rubs should be limited to instances in which no sink is available. These products require an alcohol content of 60% or greater to be effective at killing germs. They are highly toxic if ingested by children, and they are flammable.

Caregivers/teachers should do the following:

• Limit the use of alcohol-based hand  rubs to areas of the facility that are  inaccessible to children (eg, in a kitchen that is off-limits to children or the maintenance equipment area).
• Discourage alcohol-based hand rubs for hand  hygiene  in child-use areas. If they are used in these areas because of lack of sinks, ensure that no child can have independent use of the container or dispenser.
• Be sure that hand hygiene using alcohol-based  hand rubs conforms to the manufacturer’s instructions. The procedure for using alcohol-based rubs should include the following:
  • Apply the required volume of the product to the palm of one hand and rub together; cover all surfaces of the hands and fingers until the hands are dry. The
    required volume should keep the hand surfaces wet for at least 15 seconds or longer if indicated by the manufacturer.
  • Check the dispenser systems for hand-hygiene rubs on a regular schedule to be sure they deliver the
    required volume of the product and do not become clogged or malfunction in some other way.
  • Store supplies of alcohol-based hand rubs in cabinets or areas approved for flammable materials.
  • Monitor hand hygiene with unannounced and regular direct observation. When hand rubs are used,
    check how much of the product is being used to be sure the appropriate amount gets used as a way to
    verify that the staff who are authorized to use this method of hand hygiene are continuing to use the material properly.

Source: Excerpted from Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools, 2nd Edition. Click here for AAP Bookstore www.aap.org/bookstore.

EXCLUSIVE: California pre-schoolers tracked with RFID devices as part of federal stimulus grant for Head Start On August 31, 2010, in Technology, by Rusty Ray

This is a general monitoring screen that staff and administrators using RFID technology would see on their personal computers. C Square – Advanced Safety Enhancement Solution for Child Care Centers, provided by One Solution Technology, Inc. PHOTO CREDIT: Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services IT Department

About two hundred and forty pre-schoolers in Contra Costa County, California are being tracked with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as part of a Head Start facility upgrade made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The month-old system requires students to be digitally signed in by parents, and then to put on a numbered, v-shaped jersey with the RFID tracking device sewn into the chest area on the right side. The jersey is similar to what basketball athletes wear and is placed over the children’s everyday clothing.

White boxes that hang from the classroom ceilings and the playground areas “read” the signals transmitted by the RFID tags on the jerseys.

Software allows teachers and administrators to see pupils displayed on a screen as moving dots. If one of them wanders out of the area in which they are supposed to be, a notification is sent immediately to the teacher.

A technology grant for $50,000, administered by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, allowed Contra Costa County officials to make better use of staffing resources, while at the same time improve the safety of students.

“The main reason, obviously, for implementing this type of system is safety,” said Karen Mitchoff, spokeswoman for the Employment & Human Services Department of Contra Costa County, in an exclusive interview with Big 3 News on Monday.

Mitchoff stressed that the program is not 24/7, and has only been implemented at one location out of a total of nineteen Head Start facilities in the county.

“This is only while children are on the campus, tracking their location both in the classroom and outside on the playground,” the agency spokeswoman continued. “It’s a safety issue, as the number one issue. Technology has made it easier for us to keep track of all the children.”

The stimulus technology funds — described on the Recovery.gov website as providing “optimum visibility, security and safety” for students — were part of a larger $1.1 million grant awarded to the county for staff training & development and infrastructure upgrades such as communications and video surveillance system improvements.

In order to sustain the system, county officials must come up with their own funding sources for upgrades, replacement or expansion of components.

Mitchoff said the new service frees up teachers to spend more time with students and less time completing paperwork, attendance roll call and meal schedules.

“Head Start requires that not only do you take attendance when children come in in the morning, like when you and I went to school, but attendance has to Karen Mitchoff, Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services spokeswoman be taken every hour,” Mitchoff stated.

School staff estimates the RFID tracking devices will save between one to three hours of man hours per teacher, per day. Each classroom is equipped with three teachers, which represents a savings of $45,000 per month.

So far, Mitchoff said public response to the program has been generally supportive.

“We did outreach to the community ahead of time, so that the parents would be familiar with it, and overwhelmingly they supported it,” Mitchoff said. “I will tell you, there was one parent who was concerned about this. She felt the money could have been better utilized for other things in the community, but as you know, grants are very specific and this is what the grant was for — technology.”

A San Franciso-based privacy and digital rights group, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), called the RFID tracking program “scary news” in an August 30 article entitled, “Reading, Writing and RFID Chips: A Scary Back-to-School Future in California.”

Rebecca Jeschke, EFF Media Relations Director, fears the technology will be used to collect data about students and conclusions, rightly or wrongly, will end up in permanent school records.

“RFID chip allows for far more than that minimal record-keeping,” Jeschke said. “Instead, it provides the potential for nearly constant monitoring of a child’s physical location. If readings are taken often enough, you could create an extraordinarily detailed portrait of a child’s school day — one that’s easy to imagine being misused, particularly as the chips substitute for direct adult monitoring and judgement.”

When asked if the RFID program would be expanded to other Head Start campuses in the county, Mitchoff said it could happen in phases.

“We will have to evaluate it, and at some point, we will see if we are able to expand it,” Mitchoff stated. “I don’t see us expanding to the rest of the sites all at once, it may have to be a phased-in project, if we are able to do so.”

On a special Monday night broadcast of Big 3 News, viewer reaction was generally against RFID technology being used to track school children.

One caller from Texas, who had experience working in a daycare, wondered if county officials had thoroughly examined possible health risks to the children wearing the devices. Other callers asked how much personal student information was available through the RFID components if they were compromised.

A pre-school teacher from Idaho expressed an opinion that managing roll call was not excessively burdensome, and questioned the use of federal stimulus money specifically targeted towards low-income families.

A caller from Florida said the technology was a good thing in order to protect children.

Source: http://www.big3news.net/2010/08/31/exclusive-california-pre-schoolers-tracked-with-rfid-devices-as-part-of-federal-stimulus-grant-for-head-start/

Child Safety – KiddyKoral provides safety for children at day care centers and kindergartens

By Mark Cowley, Infotronics International Inc.

At Mount Zion Lutheran School in Boulder, Colorado, security has gone high tech. “People want security for their children,” said Mark Cowley, President of Boulder-based, Infotronics International. “They want to know that they are in a safe environment.” Mark Cowley is the parent of two Mount Zion students.

The system incorporates a digital camera and TROVAN passive transponder technology to provide the school with a very flexible access control system and automated accounting system, while controlling movement of the children. Digital photographs of each child and parent(s) are taken and stored in a database along with important emergency contact and medical information for each student. All authorized care givers must be registered in the database and their data is linked to the child’s record via a unique TROVAN ID card. Teachers have quick access to photographs, family contacts and detailed information about each student, including immunizations and allergies. “We have instant access to vital information in emergency situations,” said Cheryl Crabbs, a teacher at Mount Zion. “For new teachers who haven’t yet met all the parents, there’s a picture on there [in the system] so they can make sure it’s the right parent, even if the person doesn’t have a card.”

The first line of defense begins at the door, the only direct entrance into the daycare center. Parents have specially coded cards that are scanned to open the lock of the door. Parents are pleased with the system. “I like that it’s convenient and quick,” says Jennifer Turner, a parent. Once inside parents scan the card again at a PC, where they can check their children in and out of daycare. The system keeps track of who dropped off and picked up which children at what time, down to the minute. When the child is picked up, the ID card is scanned and the photographs of the children linked to that card are displayed for the operator to authorize release.

KiddyKoral automatically captures drop-off and pickup times for billing calculations and provides a number of reports to aid in facility administration, invoicing and tracking of payments and receipts.

Source: http://www.trovan.com/childsafety.html