Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s and Don’ts while caring or dealing with a person living with HIV. Provide them with a high protein, high vitamin diet and clean hygienic water. Take immediate steps to treat even minor ailments. Dispose off blood stained tampons and bandages properly. Educate family members and friends about HIV / AIDS, if they already know the HIV status of the patient.

Dos:

Dos:

  • Sympathize and empathize with them

  • Provide them family and social support

  • Allow them to be a part of the family as he/she was prior to disclosure of the infection

  • Allow them to get back to their work as soon as he/she is physically fit, since HIV infection doesn’t require special rest

  • Keep them engaged in some activity, as an empty mind is a devil’s workshop

  • Make efforts to reduce their stress

  • Encourage them to exercise and meditate as these help to prolong the life span

  • Provide them with a high protein, high vitamin diet and clean potable water (boiled).

  • Convince them to stop all addictions such as tobacco cigarettes, alcohol or other psychotropic/ recreational drugs

  • Register them with a health care facility for regular checks and follow up

  • Take immediate steps to treat even minor ailments. However, it is not necessary to disclose their HIV status to their family physician.

  • Dispose off blood stained tampons and bandages properly, either by flushing or by disinfecting them first with detergent.

  • Advise them to use safe sex (condoms) with their sex partner, even if partner is already HIV positive

  • Pursue them at any appropriate time, to make a will

  • Provide foster care to their children

  • Help fight the discrimination meted out to them by hospitals, doctors and employers

  • Educate family members and friends about HIV/AIDs, if they already know the HIV status of the patient.

DONT'T

  • DON’Ts:

    • Don’t accuse them for getting infected, it doesn’t help

    • Don’t try to probe into when, where the person was infected

    • Don’t make them feel guilty

    • Don’t isolate them in their home/ work place

    • Don’t separate them from spouse or children, since they are the best support for them. It is important for them to spend quality family time together.

    • Don’t use gloves in feeding the infected person or to wipe off his saliva, sweat, nasal secretions and tears

    • Don’t share razors, tooth brush and other sharp objects with infected person or for that matter with anybody else.

    • It is not necessary to wash their clothes separately

    • Don’t disclose the HIV status of infected person to friends, employer and insurance company

    • Don’t humiliate the infected person, his /her spouse or children

    • Don’t scare them of suffering and death. In the terminal stage, prepare them for a smooth journey to death

    • Don’t get conned by the fake claims, false cures, witch hunters and faith healers. Wait for declaration of the noble prize for the real cure

    • Don’t spend the entire available money limit in the first bout of illness, it may be the first of such illnesses in the pipeline. Make a proper planning of your spending capability.

    • Don’t take many relatives to see the patient admitted in hospital

    When dealing with a person living with HIV/AIDs, the bottom line is that you must treat them, the way out would like to be treated if you were infected with HIV.

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