Older Adult Health Care: What Is C. Diff?

If you are a caregiver to on older adult, you should be aware of hospital acquired infections (HAI).

What are they? HAIs are preventable infections that occur when someone who is infected with bacteria has that same bacteria spread through lax treatment discipline by health care workers–meaning that workers are not wearing gloves or washing their hands in between working with these infected patients.

Hospitals are working very hard to train their workers on hand hygiene with regards to these bacteria like streptococcus, staphylococcus, and, most importantly, clostridium difficile. You may have heard it called “C. diff.” C. diff, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), causes severe diarrhea and is linked to 14,000 American deaths every year. Senior adults are most at risk, because they are most likely to take strong antibiotics and have hospital care. These antibiotics can kill flora, or “good germs”, that would keep C. diff away. Again, the CDC cites that just about half of infections occur in people younger than 65; however more than 90 percent of deaths occur in people 65 and older.

C. diff is a bacterium that is spread through any kind of contact, typically through lack of hand hygiene. Common places where C. diff can breed include hospitals, nursing homes, doctor's offices, and clinics. An indicator of a C. diff infection is if your loved one has diarrhea while taking antibiotics or within a number of months after taking antibiotics. If your loved one is diagnosed with C. diff, he or she should be isolated immediately. Make certain that you and all health care workers taking care of your senior adult follows prevention protocols as outlined by the hospital. Also make certain that room surfaces in that room are cleaned with bleach or another EPA approved spore-killing disinfectant as recommended by the CDC.

If or when your loved one transfers out of the hospital, make sure the new facility knows that he/she has C. diff. Make sure your loved one washes his or her hands after using the bathroom or make sure he or she uses a separate bathroom. Clean the bathroom thoroughly with disinfectant while wearing gloves. Be sure to keep your hands thoroughly washed too.

Resource: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention