Staying safe this Winter!

As the Winter months are approaching, we wanted to give you some advice and useful tips regarding keeping yourself safe from “Seasonal Sickness”. Diseases such as Influenza are Seasonal Illnesses and, while it is possible for us to catch the flu all year round, flu activity peaks during the Winter months. According to Harvard University, one of the main reasons cases of the flu peak in Winter is because the virus survives better in colder, drier climates.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains:

“The single best way to reduce the risk of Seasonal Flu and its potentially serious complications is to get vaccinated each year, but good health habits like avoiding people who are sick, covering your cough and washing your hands often can help stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like flu".

However, the CDC states there are simple changes you can make to lower your risk of catching flu regardless of whether you are vaccinated or not.

The CDC lists these as:

• Avoiding close contact.

• Covering your mouth and nose.

• Cleaning your hands.

• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Sticking to other good health habits.

The health body also advises staying home when you are sick to prevent spreading flu and the common cold to others, especially when you may be around vulnerable individuals.

Flu symptoms can appear quickly, and can include:

• A sudden high temperature.

• An aching body.

• Feeling tired or exhausted.

• A dry cough.

• A sore throat.

• A headache.

• Difficulty sleeping.

• Loss of appetite.

• Diarrhoea or tummy pain.

• Feeling sick and being sick.

Shift cancellations

We understand that there will be times when you are unable to work scheduled shifts due to sickness and sometimes this can be at short notice. However, it's extremely important that you give as much notice as possible in order for us to try to seek alternative support for our clients. Last minute cancellations make it extremely hard for the AJ team to arrange cover, which could mean service users are left with limited care.

Here at AJ, we only accept shift cancellations via a phone call. This is because Emails, WhatsApps and Text Messages are easily missed, and we want to make sure we get cover for the cancellation as soon as possible.