Caregivers
- If you are taking care of a sick person, there are steps you can take to make them feel better while protecting yourself and others from infection.
- Check with your healthcare provider or pharmacist for correct, safe use of medications.
- Keep the sick person in a separate room and keep the sickroom door closed.
- Protect other people in the home from infection.
- Protect yourself if you are taking care of someone at home who has flu.
- Throw away disposable items used by the sick person, and keep bedside tables and bathroom surfaces clean using household disinfectant.
Caring for a Sick Person at Home
If you are taking care of a sick person at home, take the following steps.
- Ask the person’s healthcare provider about any special care that might be needed, especially if the person is pregnant or has a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or emphysema.
- Ask the patient’s healthcare provider whether the patient should take antiviral medications.
- Keep the sick person away from other people as much as possible, especially others who are at high risk of complications from influenza.
- Remind the patient to cover coughs, and clean his/her hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often, especially after coughing and/or sneezing.
- Make sure everyone in the household cleans their hands often, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Ask your healthcare provider if household contacts of the sick person—particularly those contacts who may have chronic health conditions—should take antiviral medications such as oseltamivir (brand name Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (brand name Relenza®) to prevent getting the flu.
- Get medical care right away if the patient
- Has difficult breathing or chest pain
- Has purple or blue discoloration of the lips
- Is vomiting and unable to keep liquids down
- Shows signs of dehydration, such as feeling dizzy when standing, being unable to urinate, or (in infants) crying without shedding tears
- Has seizures (for example, uncontrolled convulsions), or
- Is less responsive than normal or becomes confused
Caring for Someone Sick at Home
Medications to Help Lessen Symptoms of the Flu
Note: Check with your healthcare provider or pharmacist for correct, safe use of medications.
Antiviral medications can sometimes help lessen influenza symptoms, but require a prescription. Most people do not need these antiviral drugs to fully recover from the flu. However, persons at higher risk for severe flu complications, or those with severe flu illness who require hospitalization, might benefit from antiviral medications. Antiviral medications are available for persons 1 year of age and older. Ask your healthcare provider whether you need antiviral medication.
Influenza infections can lead to or occur with bacterial infections. Therefore, some people will also need to take antibiotics. More severe or prolonged illness, or illness that seems to get better, but then gets worse again, may be an indication that a person has a bacterial infection. Check with your healthcare provider if you have concerns.
Warning! Do not give aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) to children or teenagers who have the flu; this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome. For more information about Reye’s syndrome, visit the Reye’s Syndrome Information page on the National Institute of Health website.
- Check ingredient labels on over-the-counter cold and flu medications to see if they contain aspirin.
- Children 5 years of age and older and teenagers with the flu can take medicines without aspirin, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) and ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®, Nuprin®), to relieve symptoms.
- Children younger than 4 years of age should NOT be given over-the-counter cold medications without first speaking with a healthcare provider.
- The safest care for flu symptoms in children younger than 2 years of age is using a cool-mist humidifier and a suction bulb to help clear away mucus.
- Fevers and aches can be treated with acetaminophen or ibuprofen, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). However, patients with kidney disease or stomach problems should check with their healthcare provider before taking any NSAIDS. Examples of these kinds of medications include:
| Generic Name | Brand Name(s) |
| Acetaminophen | Tylenol® |
| Ibuprofen | Advil®, Motrin®, Nuprin® |
| Naproxen (NSAIDS) | Aleve |
- Over-the-counter cold and flu medications used according to the package instructions may help lessen some symptoms such as cough and congestion. Note: These medications will not lessen how infectious a person is.
- Note: Check the ingredients on the package label to see if the medication already contains acetaminophen or ibuprofen before taking additional doses of these medications—don’t double dose!
- Check with your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are taking other over-the-counter or prescription medications not related to the flu. For more information on products for treating flu symptoms, see Influenza (Flu) Antiviral Drugs and Related Information.
Placement of the Sick Person
Keep the sick person in a room separate from the common areas of the house (for example, a spare bedroom with its own bathroom, if that’s possible.) Keep the sickroom door closed.
- Unless necessary for medical care or other necessities, people who are sick with an influenza-like illness should stay home and keep away from others as much as possible, including avoiding travel, for at least 24 hours after fever is gone. (Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine).
- Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.
- If possible, sick persons should use a separate bathroom. This bathroom should be cleaned daily with household disinfectant.
Household Cleaning, Laundry, and Waste Disposal
Protect Other Persons in the Home
If possible, have only one adult in the home take care of the sick person. People at increased risk of severe illness from flu should not be designated caretakers, if possible.
- The sick person should not have visitors other than caregivers. An e-mail, text message, or phone call is safer than a visit.
- If you are in a high risk group for complications from influenza, you should attempt to avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with household members who are sick with influenza.
- Avoid having pregnant women care for the sick person. Pregnant women are at increased risk of influenza-related complications and immunity can be suppressed during pregnancy.
- Avoid having sick family members care for infants and other groups at high risk for complications of influenza (PDF).
- All persons in the household should clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub frequently, including after every contact with the sick person or the person’s room or bathroom.
- Use paper towels for drying hands after hand washing, or dedicate cloth towels to each person in the household. For example, have different colored towels for each person.
- If possible, consideration should be given to maintaining good ventilation in shared household areas (e.g., keeping windows open in restrooms, kitchen, bathroom, etc.).
- Antiviral medications can be used to prevent the flu, so check with your healthcare provider to see if some persons in the home should use antiviral medications.
Protecting Yourself While Caring for Others
If you are taking care of someone at home who has flu, you should protect yourself and other people in the household.
- Avoid being face-to-face with the sick person.
- When holding small children who are sick, place their chin on your shoulder so that they will not cough in your face.
- Clean your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub after you touch the sick person, or handle used tissues or laundry.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about taking antiviral medication to prevent you from getting the flu.
Household Cleaning, Laundry, and Waste Disposal
You should follow certain cleaning and disposal procedures in effort to maintain the health of the caregiver and others living in the household with the sick person.
- Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by the sick person in the trash. Wash your hands after touching used tissues and similar waste.
- Keep surfaces (especially bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, doorknobs, and toys for children) clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.
- Linens, eating utensils, and dishes belonging to those who are sick do not need to be cleaned separately, but importantly these items should not be shared without washing thoroughly first.
- Wash linens (such as bed sheets and towels) by using household laundry soap and tumble dry on a hot setting. Avoid “hugging” laundry prior to washing it to prevent contaminating yourself. Clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub right after handling dirty laundry.
- Eating utensils should be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with water and soap.
