Bed bugs are like uninvited guest. If you get an infestation you have to deal with them no matter where you live and what are the cleaning standards of the surroundings. Therefore it is very important for home health care providers to know about these nasty little pests and ways to get rid of them.

First of all, you have to know how these things look like. They are elliptical in shape as small as a seed of an orange. They are nocturnal living things which mean they spend most of their day in hiding and they are the most active at night. During the day time they find their safety in the bed lining and small places in the upholstery of the furniture.

Why get rid of bed bugs?

Bed bugs are not a vector of any disease per se but they do bite. There are bites are inflamed in nature and they quite often generate and itchy sensation that leads to people scratching them all the time. In case of seniors, bed bug bites may become lacerated if it is scratched excessively. This will then make the bug bite a favorable place for numerous other infections to get in. Seniors have low immunity against active infections which means that they have a greater chance of getting sick from an infected wound than a young person with an active immune system.

How to spot bed bugs and protect yourself from them?

Caregivers should check the setting where the patient is being kept by targeting all the furniture and beds that carry linen on top of them. Primary examination may be done in the search of rust or brown to red colored spots especially if they are found in a cluster. If bed bugs are spotted then it is better to leave all your belongings on a sink or a smooth surface as bed bugs do not climb such places. It is also advisable to take all necessary precautions such as head and foot covers while attending patient in a bed bug infested setting.

Furthermore, it is very important that you do not bring back the infestation to your home. Even if your job is to care for seniors, it makes you and your family’s health most important. Therefore, after a visit to such place remember to remove your clothes and wash them separately with hot water and dry them with hot air so that any remains of bed bugs are eliminated. If there is a chance that you might not be able to wash your clothes right away then it is advised to put all your clothes in a zip lock bag and store away from the rest of the clothes so that an infestation can be kept at bay.

How to make your patient’s environment bed bug free?

Right after spotting bed bugs, get all the linens and wash them with hot water followed by air drying with hot air. Once you are done with the linens, next step is to take a high powered vacuum and clean all hard to reach spots on the furniture. Change the mattress or seal it in a readily available case for at least one year. As a last resort, if you still see bed bugs it may be time to bring in the professional pest specialists.

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