Speaking to The Age newspaper last week, Dr. Anton Peleg from the Monash School of Biomedical Science shared the results of a recent study that has highlighted the risk antibiotic-resistant superbugs pose to residents of Aged Care Facilities, and also to the broader community.
The researchers “carried out swab tests on 115 residents of four high-care facilities in Melbourne – and found that more than a third of them were infected with antibiotic-resistant superbugs. In one facility, nearly half of the residents were infected.”
When residents of aged care facilities are admitted to hospitals, they carry the superbugs with them, risking contamination of the hospital and infection of other patients. This particular public health risk is a significant concern for hospitals and public health service officials.
‘Superbugs’ form as a mutation of bacteria to protect itself from antibiotics. Whilst the severity of the illness may be no worse than other bacteria, the difficulty in treating the illness poses a greater risk particularly to the elderly and frail. An environment such as aged care facilities, with a large number of elderly and substantial use of antibiotics, therefore becomes the perfect breeding ground for superbugs.
This is a problem that is not going away, and about which facility managers cannot afford to be complacent. Is is imperative that Aged Care Facilities implement an uncompromising hygiene regime of specialist and highly effective cleaning. The cleaning systems and process need to:
- avoid cross-contamination, ensuring that bacteria are not transferred from one area to another
- effectively and safely remove all bacteria, including superbugs
- implement appropriate safety measures, such as trolleys with lockable compartments
- be responsive to urgent needs to avoid the spread of infections and bacteria
- be safe for staff and residents
- adopt rigorous auditing and quality assurance processes, with full transparency and visibility for management and staff
Majestic Services Group specialise in delivering Australia’s highest standard of aged care cleaning, based upon the Asepsis Aged Care Cleaning Standard. You can find more information about our cleaning processes here, or contact us today and we would be delighted to discuss with you our approach and your specific requirements.