Prevent the Spread of Pink Eye As Children Head Back to School

According to the American Journal of Infection Control, more than 164 million school days are missed annually in U.S. public schools due to the spread of infectious diseases. An astonishing 3 million of those school days are lost as a result of acute conjunctivitis, also known as “pink eye.”

In recognition of September’s “Children’s Eye Health Month,” the American Academy of Ophthalmology wants to teach parents and educators how to prevent the spread of pink eye in the classroom.

“Pink eye is all too common amongst children, it is one of the most common conditions I treat,” says Lee Duffner, MD, ophthalmologist and clinical correspondent for the Academy. “The only way to really prevent pink eye from spreading is to practice good hygiene.”

What is conjunctivitis?
Conjunctivitis is the term used to describe swelling of the conjunctiva — the thin, filmy membrane that covers the inside of your eyelids and the white part of the eye, known as the sclera. There are three forms of conjunctivitis: viral, bacterial and allergic.

Viral conjunctivitis, the most common form of pink eye, is caused by the same virus that causes the common cold. Just as a cold must run its course, so must this form of pink eye. It is also very contagious. 

Bacterial conjunctivitis is a highly contagious form of pink eye, caused by bacterial infections. This type of conjunctivitis usually causes a red eye with a lot of pus. 

Allergic conjunctivitis is a form of conjunctivitis that is caused by the body's reaction to an allergen or irritant. It is not contagious.  This type of conjunctivitis is usually associated with redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid.

How do you get pink eye and how do you prevent it?
Conjunctivitis, whether bacterial or viral, can be quite contagious. Children are usually most susceptible to getting the condition from bacteria or viruses because they are in close contact with so many others in schools or daycare centers. Some of the most common ways to get the contagious form of pink eye:

• Reusing handkerchiefs and towels when wiping your face and eyes
• Forgetting to wash hands often
• Frequently touching eyes
• Using old cosmetics, and/or sharing them with other people
• Not cleaning contact lenses properly

Prevention:
Practicing good hygiene can help prevent the spread of conjunctivitis. If a child is infected, make sure to do the following to help prevent the spread of the illness:

• Encourage children to wash their hands often.
• Tell them to avoid touching their eyes.
• Discourage the reusing of towels, washcloths, handkerchiefs and tissues to wipe their face and eyes.
• Change their pillowcase frequently.

Treatment:
With viral conjunctivitis, symptoms can last from one to two weeks and then will disappear on their own.
For bacterial conjunctivitis, an ophthalmologist (Eye M.D.) will typically prescribe antibiotic eye drops to treat the infection.

Allergic conjunctivitis treatment often includes applying cool compresses to the eyes and taking antihistamines.


Home care tips:
A compress applied to closed eyelids can relieve some of the discomfort of pink eye. To make a compress, soak in water then wring out a clean, lint-free cloth. If a child has conjunctivitis in one eye only, don't use the same cloth on both eyes in order to avoid spreading the infection from one eye to the other.



If a child has bacterial or viral conjunctivitis, a warm compress is usually best. If their eyes are irritated by allergic conjunctivitis, try a cool water compress. Over-the-counter lubricating eyedrops - artificial tears - may also provide relief from pink eye symptoms.


If these symptoms persist, be sure take your child to see an ophthalmologist to receive proper care.

To find out more information on pink eye and other eye conditions and diseases, visitwww.geteyesmart.org.



All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Hiring a Nanny or Caregiver? Timely Tips!

Choosing a nanny, au pair or babysitter for your children is a process that should be organized and performed carefully, to ensure you find someone who can be trusted, will contribute significantly to the development of your child and integrate well into your family.

The step-by-step process described below will help you make an informed decision and choose the best possible nanny for your kids, ensuring their well-being and safety.

Caregiver Screening Tips

Step 1 Define requirements and expectations

The first part of the hiring process is to define your exact requirements and expectations. Ask yourself questions and build a list of all requirements, then narrow it down to the most important ones. Are you looking for a nanny in a full-time or part-time position? Does she need to be flexible with over-time? Are you looking for a young, outgoing and energetic nanny or do your kids require an older and more authoritative person? How important to you are tidiness and cleanliness? Is the nanny expected to cook for your kids? Is she expected to drive them around? Are there any additional duties she is expected to perform?

Step 2 Interview

Once you know what you expect, you can start interviewing the nannies. The interviews should be structured with a standard set of questions that are asked of all candidates. This makes it easier to evaluate and compare the candidates and to ensure that all critical topics are indeed covered.

The phone interview

In order to save time and effort, it is recommended to start with a phone interview. First explain the requirements of the job and the duties it includes. Ask about past experience with similar age groups, the motivation for choosing this sort of profession, the reasons for leaving the previous place of employment, future plans, other responsibilities which may affect the job and any other questions you consider important at this stage. Also ask for names and phone numbers of references. If satisfied with the responses, invite the nanny for a face-to-face interview at your home.

The Face-to-Face interview

In the face-to-face interview, it is time to find as much as possible about the nanny as well as provide her with all necessary information to allow her to decide whether she indeed wants the job. Discuss your child's personality and routines, review the various duties and explain also the house rules concerning issues such as smoking, visitors, phone use, etc. Inquire on details about the nanny's views and attitudes on handling crying babies, disciplining a child, toilet-training children, ideas for activities and any other topics of importance to you. Describe certain scenarios and ask the nanny to explain how she would act in such situations.

At some stage of the interview let your children meet the nanny and allow time to observe the interaction between them. Children make it clear when they don't like someone. Trust your instincts and those of your child.

Step 3 Perform a Personality and risk assessment

Once you are satisfied with the interview results, continue and perform the NannyTest personality and risk assessment. NannyTest is a psychological test that will help you screen potential caregivers by providing a better insight into their personality and traits, as well as an assessment of possible risk factors. http://www.take-care.me/

Step 4 Check references

Checking references with previous employers and acquaintances is a sort of interview as well. Expect the previous employer to give you a good reference, but try to read between the lines and ask questions that require a detailed answer and may reveal underlining issues. Such questions may be about what has the previous employer liked and disliked about the nanny, why has she left her position, and whether would she be rehired by the same employer. Pay attention also to the tone of the responses. Is the previous employer excited about the nanny? Is he just being polite or does he really care about helping the nanny to get a new job?

Any red flags or problematic issues identified during steps 2 and 3 should be used to focus your inquiries and be validated or clarified during the reference check stage.

Step 5 Follow-up interview
If needed, interview the nanny again, either face-to-face or over the phone, to discuss and clarify any concerns you have following steps 3 and 4.

Step 6 Run a background check

The last step in the processes is running a background check on the nanny. Use a reputable background screening agency to verify identity, past employment and education and search for criminal records, driving records and more.

Step 7 Spend time with the nanny on a trial period

Before making a final decision, ask the nanny to spend a day or two with you and your kids, on a paid trail period. This period shouldn't be too long to avoid confusing the kids but it will allow you to see how the nanny interacts with the kids and performs her various tasks.

About the NannyTest

TakeCare enables parents to significantly improve the screening process of their nannies and au pairs by providing them with an easy and affordable online access to the same psychological assessment tools used by the largest organizations.

TakeCare's NannyTest has been constructed specifically for this purpose by leading Israeli psychologists, utilizing the PsyPass Computerized Psychological Assessment system developed by Psiphas Psychological Applications Ltd.

The PsyPass system is being used by hundreds of companies, organizations and placement agencies in Israel, including the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Airport Authority, Bank of Israel, IKEA, FedEx and many more.
 


All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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