Caring Safely For People With HIV or AIDS

What you need to know about AIDS

Giving safe care to people with HIV or AIDS in the community is largely common sense. Everyday good hygiene will usually be enough.

This booklet will help caregivers and HIV positive people understand how you can or can't get HIV, and how to keep both the caregiver and the person in care from getting sick.

This booklet gives simple instructions about concerns that caregivers may have. The sections entitled "Take care" highlight instructions that are most important for caring for someone living with HIV or AIDS.

What causes HIV infection?

• HIV can be found in blood, semen and vaginal fluids of infected people.
  

• Anyone infected with HIV can transmit the virus to another person through vaginal and anal intercourse.
  

• Sharing needles or syringes for injecting drugs like cocaine, heroin or steroids can pass infected blood from one person to another.
  

• There is a 15 - 25% chance that an infected mother can pass HIV to her baby during pregnancy, at birth or during breast feeding.
  

• Receiving infected blood or blood products before screening of blood began in November 1985.
  

• Blood-to-blood contact with infected blood through open wounds or sores.

Take care of yourself

Staying healthy is one of the best ways to make sure you and the person you care for are both safe.

Stay away from the person you care for if you are sick. Germs from a cold or flu can harm someone with HIV or AIDS, so wear a mask if you have a cold or flu.

Rest, exercise and healthy eating are important for your health.

If you live with the person you care for, try to take time for yourself. A short break will help reduce stress and burn-out. If you can't leave him/her alone, find someone to fill in at home while you're out.

In the kitchen

Clean kitchen counters with a clean cloth, household cleaners and rinse with fresh water. Wash dishes, pots, glasses and cutlery in warm, soapy water. Wash cutting boards with soap and hot water.

Mop the floor at least once a week. Throw the dirty water down the toilet. Wash up after handling garbage normally.

Germs that live on or in food can make you and the person you care for sick. It's important to prepare food carefully.

• Wash your hands before preparing food.
  

• Wash fruits and vegetables before you cook or eat them.
  

• Cook or peel organic fruits or vegetables because they may have germs on the skins.
  

• Use a separate spoon, only once, to taste the food. Use a different spoon for stirring.
  

• Don't give a person with HIV or AIDS uncooked meat, fish or raw eggs.
  

• Don't offer a person with HIV or AIDS unpasteurized milk or organic lettuce.
  

• Serve hot foods while they are still hot, and cold foods while they are still cold.
  

• Cover and refrigerate leftovers immediately.

Take care ... to keep food safe

In the bathroom and laundry

Cleaning kills germs that may be dangerous to the person you care for and you.

Bathroom

Clean tubs, showers and sinks with a clean cloth, household cleaners and rinse with fresh water.

Wet mop the floor at least once a week. Throw the dirty water down the toilet.

Wear rubber work gloves when you clean the toilet.

Use bleach right from the bottle.

Everyone should use their own towels, washcloths, razors and toothbrushes.

Laundry

If you live with the person you care for, you can wash your clothes together. Use warm water and laundry soap.

Vomit, diarrhea, blood and other body fluids stained with blood should be cleaned up right away.

Clean floors and counters with 1 part bleach mixed in 9 parts water and wear rubber work gloves.

Blood, semen or vaginal fluid on clothes, towels or bedding can be soaked in cold water with a little bleach to remove stains.

Ordinary soap and water will kill HIV.

Wet garbage such as diapers, bandages and menstrual pads should be put in two plastic bags to prevent leaks.

Take care ... when you see blood or vomit

Personal care

Hugging, shaking hands or giving a massage is always safe. Compassionate care includes lots of contact.

A healthy skin is a good barrier against infection. At the same time, skin can carry germs that can hurt the person you care for and you.

Wash your hands after you:

• sneeze or cough
  

• go to the toilet
  

• touch your nose, mouth or genitals
  

• handle garbage
  

• clean the house
  

• handle blood, semen, urine, vaginal fluid or feces

How to wash your hands

Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for at least 15 seconds.

Clean under your fingernails and between your fingers.

Wash your hands before and after you:

• give personal care
  

• wear gloves
  

• change diapers, menstrual pads or bandages

You don't need to wear gloves all the time when you give personal care.

You should wear disposable latex gloves when you:

• touch blood, open cuts, semen, vaginal fluid, urine
  

• have cuts, sores or rashes on your hands

You should wear rubber work gloves when you clean up:

• toilets and the bathroom
  

• vomit, diarrhea
  

• after pets

Wash rubber work gloves well after use, and then wash your hands.

Take care ... when you give personal care

Take care with needles

When handling needles, always:

• hold the sharp end away from yourself
  

• put used needles in a sturdy, plastic jar with a lid
  

• give the jar to your health care professional for safe disposal
  

• never put the cap back on the needle
  

• never bend or cut needles
  

• never remove the sharp needle from the plastic part
  

• never put the used needle jar in the garbage
  

What if ... I stick myself?

Don't panic.

• Put the needle in the used needle jar.
  

• Wash where you stuck yourself using warm, soapy water for at least 15 seconds.
  

• Call your doctor or clinic nurse and tell them what happened.
  

• Follow their instructions.

Pets and gardening

When you care for someone with HIV or AIDS, you may be caring for the family pet as well.

Take care ... with bird cages, litter boxes and fish tanks

• People with HIV or AIDS should not clean bird cages, litter boxes or fish and animal tanks.
  

• Other people should wear rubber work gloves while cleaning tanks, cages and litter boxes, and wash their hands afterward.
  

• Litter boxes should be cleaned every day.

Take care ... when gardening

• People with HIV or AIDS should wear work gloves when gardening. Germs can live in gardens or potting soil. Wash hands after gardening.

For more information, contact:

• local AIDS committee

• local public health unit or community clinic

• your doctor.

For copies of this brochure, contact the Clearinghouse

March 1994

The Funeral Directory would like to thank the Canadian HIV/AIDS Clearing House for kindly permitting us to use this information on our site.

This project was funded by the AIDS Care and Treatment Unit under the National AIDS Contribution Program of the National AIDS Strategy, Health Canada.