Here are 6 tips to help everyone stay safe and healthy this flu season.

1. Help You and Your Loved Ones
Fight the Flu
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2. Flu season has begun and is unfortunately off to a deadly start.
With early reports stating numerous hospitalizations so early in
the season, it’s crucial to stay on top of our health and loved one’s
health.
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3. Sharon Roth Maguire, a geriatric nurse practitioner and Senior
Vice President of Quality and Clinical Operations for BrightStar
Care®, prepared tips to help everyone stay safe and healthy this
flu season.
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4. “The flu season affects thousands of individuals each year, and an
exceptionally high rate is expected this year,” says Maguire. “It’s
important for everyone to take the precautionary measures to
avoid the flu, especially our elderly loved ones.”
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5. Maguire recommends the following tips
for avoiding the flu:
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6. Get a flu shot
This may seem like a no-brainer, but prevention is key, especially with
the flu. If you’re person with a high risk (children, adults over the age of
65 and pregnant women) of contracting the flu, getting a flu vaccination
should be completed as soon as they are available. While the flu shot
doesn’t protect against every strain of the virus, it protects against the
three most common. Elderly individuals should be sure to get the shot
and not the nasal spray as the shot is more effective.
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7. Stay hydrated and eat well
Staying hydrated helps your body function properly. If your body is
fighting early signs of the flu, it’s even more important to hydrate as
your body is working overtime. Similarly, while you may lose your
appetite when sick, it’s important to maintain a healthy and nutritious
diet. Eating small frequent meals throughout the day when you have no
appetite will help you get essential calories and nutrients which are vital
to your recovery.
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8. Wash your hands
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water. We touch a lot of
different surfaces every day, all containing many germs. Help avoid
contamination by washing hands often, and when soap is not available,
use an alcohol based hand sanitizer. Research demonstrates that hand
washing is the most effective way to reduce the spread of infection.
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9. Stay home
If you’re feeling sick, it’s smart to stay home and rest. Give your body
time to recover without putting others at risk of catching the illness.
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10. Rest up
Sleep is very important to the functioning of our bodies. Make sure
you’re sleeping enough and add an extra nap if you’re body is feeling
weaker.
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11. Avoid contact
Avoid close contact to other people, especially if they are sick. If your
loved one lives in an assisted living facility or has a home care provider,
make sure staff received the flu shot as well to avoid spreading the
illness from other individuals. In addition, avoid the spread of germs and
refrain from touching your eyes, nose or mouth. And, if you’d like to see
if the flu has hit a city or town near you, visit http://flunearyou.org.
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12. Find Quality Care Now
Locate a BrightStar Near You!
Find a location in the US
Find a location in Canada
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