Prime Candidates for GUV
It is estimated that on average, over five million Americans live in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and senior centers at any given time. These institutions present a challenge in regards to infection control, as the overwhelming majority of their residents require a higher level of protection against life-threatening illnesses. According to the CDC, one to three million infections are contracted each yearopen_in_new in these types of environments, many of them resulting in death.
Since long-term care facilities are places where elderly people are given medical as well as personal service, they are prime candidates for germicidal ultraviolet disinfection (GUV). It is an excellent addition to the standard cleaning and disinfection methods that these institutions already implement.
Microbes Causing Common Nursing Home Infections
In the last 100 years, scientists have discovered that UV light is an effective, chemical-free method of inactivating the many bacteria, fungi, and viruses which thrive within the interiors of long-term healthcare facilities for the aged. While urinary tract infections and pneumonia are the most prevalent infectionsopen_in_new in nursing homes, the germs leading to these infections—Influenza, C. diff, Staphylococcus, Norovirus, SARS-CoV-2, and others—are extremely vulnerable to the powers of ultraviolet light. Even chlorine-tolerant organisms like Giardia and Cryptosporidium, contaminants frequently found in water, fall prey to the appropriate dose of ultraviolet disinfection.
Emitted via special lamps at a wavelength of 254 nanometers over a determined amount of time, germicidal UV light successfully prevents microorganisms from replicating. It attacks critical links in their DNA strand, making them unable to proliferate. Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation® manufactures numerous models that deliver this destructive light to pathogens in water, in air, and on surfaces. Medical centers and nursing homes across the world are already benefitting from this innovative means of disinfection.
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) technologies have emerged as a promising … means of surface disinfection in hospitals and other healthcare settingsopen_in_new.
—The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Sources of Contamination in Nursing Homes
How exactly do infections spread in healthcare facilities? Virtually every square inch of these establishments can carry germs, from the air that’s breathed, to surfaces touched, to water that’s used for drinking, washing, and bathing.
Elderly patients are prone to skin squames, or the normal shedding of skin flakes, which can carry germs. As they fall and cling to the bedrails, bedsheets, blankets, mattresses, and floor—they could infect guests or staff who routinely touch these areas. Direct UV disinfection can help treat each room before a new patient or resident moves in. Bedside tables, chairs, and TV remotes can carry germs and must be treated.
High Touch Surfaces
Light switches, door handles, outlets, and anything that is prone to the touch of a human hand in nursing homes can host germs and should be thoroughly disinfected. IV poles, tubing, bags, and other medical accessories like catheter bags are “high touch” surfaces that must be kept free of contaminants.
Medical devices like vital sign monitors or workstations, which are typically rolled into a room and placed directly alongside patients, can be exposed to and subsequently harbor germs by their adjacency.
Nursing Home Bathrooms
Bathrooms can be an even greater source of infection than the resident’s room itself. Sinks, soap dispensers, and toilets are all danger zones as they are touched many times prior to any washing and can splash droplets. Personal showers can spread contaminated aerosols from the sprayers and harbor germs in corners and on tile grout. Sinks can pose an even greater risk of infection if they are wrongly used to discard patient waste.
E. coli, P. aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Legionella, A. baumannii, and Klebsiella are bacteria which have been linked to infections from these sites. UV surface disinfection can neutralize them on water devices, fixtures, and drains. UV water disinfection can render them harmless in water service lines, either right before discharge or at the building’s point of entry. Read our medical water page for more information on implementing UV disinfection as part of a facility-wide water management program in your nursing home or assisted living facility.
Airborne Dangers
Airborne pathogens like Tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and the common cold are responsible for outbreaks and thousands of deathsopen_in_new each year, mainly among nursing home patients 65 and older. This is due to several factors: proximity to other patients, frequent interaction with staff and visitors, and inadequate disinfection of common areas. UV disinfection can reduce or eliminate harmful microbes present in your long-term care facility.
As HVAC systems circulate conditioned air throughout your facility, they can give bacteria, viruses, and mold a free ride from room to room as they seek new hosts to infect. Duct surfaces and condenser coils can also harbor pathogens.
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UV Air & Surface Disinfection for Nursing Homes
Unfortunately, the problem of pathogens in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and senior centers will always exist. Elderly people in these institutions will always be at a higher risk of infection and death. However, there are viable solutions which can greatly thwart the existence of harmful microorganisms in these long-term care facilities. Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation®, through its development of a full line of ultraviolet disinfection models, has been improving lives for over 60 years, stalling the spread of infection in many applications.
Hygeaire®
Hygeaire® Indirect Air Disinfection models project UV-C rays across upper room air currents, destroying bacteria and viruses that are carried into its ultraviolet field. Models can be mounted seven feet or higher on the walls or ceilings of patient rooms, public areas, waiting rooms, and operating rooms. Perfect for nursing homes and medical facilities, the Hygeaire® is a highly effective model when it comes to disinfecting air within an occupied room.
Upper room UV disinfection had the lowest cost per equivalent room air change when compared with other room air cleaners. It is also found to be nearly 10 times more cost-effective than mechanical ventilation. Read our benefits of UV-C blog post to learn more.
Sanitaire®
Sanitaire® is another indirect UV disinfection model designed for occupied areas. It uses a blower to constantly draw air into its reflective exposure chamber, subject it to ultraviolet light, and release it back into the space. Models are available for wall mounting, ceiling mounting, or mobile use in various room sizes.
AeroLogic®
As mentioned, air ducts can be a source of germs throughout medical facilities, as HVAC fans help circulate pathogenic microbes. Our AeroLogic® safely installs at strategic points within the air duct system where contaminants thrive, exposing them to lethal ultraviolet light. This practice attacks them before they have the chance to be released into rooms through air vents.
Our UV application specialists can recommend the best model for your nursing home, based on the size of your duct or air handling unit. They can even customize a system to provide the required contact time and lamp output.
Sanidyne®
As most people know, direct exposure to ultraviolet light is harmful to humans. For this reason, our Sanidyne® UV Portable Area Sanitizers must only be used in unoccupied spaces. To treat contaminants on surfaces such as countertops, furniture, windows, and curtains, simply carry or roll the sanitizer into the desired room and program the exposure time. With 4 or 8 lamps, it will emit lethal UV-C light in every direction, wreaking havoc on any microbial DNA within its sphere of influence. As a safety feature, the Sanidyne® will automatically shut off if it detects movement.
SaniUV-Cube™
Medical tools and instruments, grooming devices, and any other small objects found in senior centers can be disinfected in our innovative SaniUV-Cube™. Place the objects you wish to disinfect into the sizable chamber and watch through the protective window as UV-C light disinfects them.
Pass-thru version in development. Custom models available. Contact us: Sales@AtlanticUV.com or (631) 273-0500.
UV Water Disinfection for Nursing Homes
Water can be disinfected at two places within nursing homes and assisted living facilities: the point of entry or the point of use.
Point of Entry
Point of entry models can neutralize microbes of concern in facility-wide water systems, including P. aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, A. baumannii, Klebsiella, and Legionella.
To treat all the water entering a building (at the point of entry), Megatron® and Sanitron® are excellent options, depending on the structure’s volume needs. Hooked directly into the plumbing after filtration, softeners, and other treatments, microbes are neutralized with germicidal UV light.
Point of Use Water Purifiers
As a secondary disinfection point, installing our Bio-Logic®, Minipure®, or Mighty Pure® models at the site of sinks, bathtubs, showers, and hydrotherapy pools will treat water in the line immediately prior to its discharge. Both residents and staff can then turn on the faucet with confidence, knowing the water has been sufficiently disinfected with germicidal ultraviolet light.
Need help? Contact Our UV Application Specialists
We will help you determine the right products and the proper installation method, in order to provide the precise ultraviolet dosage for your needs.
Call: (631) 273-0500, Mon–Fri, 7am–6pm
Email: Sales@AtlanticUV.com
Additional Information
- CDC: “Infection Prevention and Long-term Care Facility Residents”open_in_new
- AJIC: “Technology and Innovation- Utilizing Advanced Technologies to Enhance Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols”open_in_new
- The Institution of Engineering and Technology: “Hospital surface disinfection using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation technology: A review”open_in_new
- CDC: “About Germicidal Ultraviolet (GUV)”open_in_new
- NIH: Common infections in nursing homes: a review of current issues and challengesopen_in_new
- NIH: Clostridium difficile in the Long-Term Care Facility: Prevention and Managementopen_in_new
- NIH: An outbreak of giardiasis in a nursing home with evidence for multiple modes of transmissionopen_in_new
- The Leapfrog Group: “UVC Disinfection Technologies: What We’ve Learned”open_in_new
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