What Caregivers Can Do

• Physically separate influenza patients from other people as much as possible. When practical, the ill person should stay in a separate room where others do not enter.  Other people living in the home should limit contact with the ill person as much as possible. (People less than 24 years of age are at higher risk of getting H1N1.)
• Designate one person in the household as the main caregiver for the ill person.

Ideally, this caregiver should be healthy and not have medical conditions that would put him or her at risk for severe influenza disease. Medical conditions that are considered “high risk” include the following:    

• PREGNANCY
• CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 5
• AGE OVER 50(FOR SEASONAL FLU)
• DISEASE OR TREATMENT THAT SUPPRESSES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
• CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS (SUCH AS ASTHMA, DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, CYSTIC FIBROSIS, ANY CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES OR NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS)

 —Consult  your health care  
 provider if unsure—

• Monitor the persons temperature frequently.
• It may be helpful to keep a log book of their symptoms and record their temperature each time it is taken.
• Make sure they get plenty of rest and drink  fluids to prevent them from becoming dehydrated.
• Watch for influenza symptoms in other  household members.
• If possible, contact your health care provider if you have questions about caring for the ill person.
• If others must enter the home, they should avoid close contact with the patient  by staying more than 6 feet from the patient and using the precautions recommended on this sheet.