Personal protective equipment – Introduction to aged care video

Tamika:

You look ready for work.

Judith:

Yeah. I’m going in to help Thelma with her shower this morning.

Tamika:

Why do you put all that stuff on? I help nanna shower at home sometimes but I don’t bother with all that stuff.

Judith:

Here at aged care we’ve got to keep ourselves and the clients safe. At home things might be different but here we’ve got to put on PPE. That stands for personal protective equipment. This apron, it stops my clothes getting wet when I help someone showering. I don’t want to be walking round all day with wet clothes.

Tamika:

Yeah. That’s a good idea.

Judith:

I also want to stop dirt and germs from getting splashed on me. Same with shoe covers. If my shoes get really wet then I might get infections on my feet. I don’t want that.

Tamika:

That makes sense. I guess at home I don’t think about that. I just wash my hands well after helping nanna.

Judith:

Helping family, it’s different to being at work. Here you might be working with lots of different people. You could pick up an infection and pass it on to someone else.

Tamika:

What about gloves though? It doesn’t matter if my hands get wet does it?

Judith:

These gloves are really important. They make sure I don’t get an infection from a client. They protect the person I’m helping as well, you know, just in case I have an infection. I change the gloves each time I work with a different person so that way I don’t pass infections on. And they help stop my hands from cracking and drying out from being in so much water or handling chemicals.

Tamika:

We wear gloves for the laundry as well. Is that to stop us from getting an infection?

Judith:

Yes. That’s right. We don’t know what dirt or infections might be on clothes or blankets. We’ve got to protect ourselves.

Tamika:

Oh.

Judith:

Have you got a sore on your hand?

Tamika:

Yeah. I accidentally cut myself with a knife at home.

Judith:

Well it’s good that you have covered it with a band-aid but you need to make sure you always keep it covered. Protect yourself and the clients. Anyway I’ve got to go help Thelma with her shower. Can you go and work with Sonia in the kitchen? Don’t forget you’ve got to wear gloves and hairnet there.

Tamika:

Yeah. I’ll put them on. I don’t like those hairnets though.

Judith:

We have to make sure the food is also safe. We can’t have hair falling into the food or it being spoiled from dirty hands. That can make old people sick. And you need to change that band-aid over for a blue coloured one before you start. That’s the right colour for working in kitchens. If it falls off accidentally it won’t get lost in the food.

Tamika:

Ew gross. Okay. I’ll remember.

Judith:

PPE. Personal protective equipment. It’s about keeping us all safe.

What do you do to keep everyone safe? What PPE do you use?