Ann Short Rep | Volume 4, Issue 2 | Review Article | Open Access
Trumpf R1,2, Fleiner T1,2, Stypa V1, Mattner F3, Hoffmann J3 and Haussermann P1*
1Department of Geriatric Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LVR Hospital Cologne, Germany
2Institute of Movement and Sport Gerontology, German Sport University Cologne, Germany
3Institute of Hygiene, Cologne Merheim Medical Centre, Germany
*Correspondance to: Peter Haussermann
Fulltext PDFThe spread of the COVID-19 pandemic requires health care settings outside the treatment of COVID-19 patients to improve their processes to protect patients and health care professionals. As the pandemic has led to a worldwide supply shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), with facemasks as its core component, alternative protective solutions are strongly needed in order to slow down the exponential spread of the virus. The aim of this clinical review is to synthesize the current findings on the protective value of homemade masks and to discuss their use in geriatric healthcare settings (e.g. nursing homes, geriatric departments, geriatric psychiatry, and home care). Although, homemade masks cannot provide the same protection as professional masks, their use might be an appropriate solution to overcome the current shortage of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic and may offer a helpful alternative for persons who do not tolerate the material of PPE for health reasons. Taking the clinical considerations regarding target groups, supply, handling and organization, adherence and potential risks into account, homemade masks seem to be appropriate to encounter transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in geriatric health care.
Coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2; Covid-19; Protective measures; Geriatric care; Infectious disease
Trumpf R, Fleiner T, Stypa V, Mattner F, Hoffmann J, Haussermann P. Homemade Masks in Geriatric Health Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Review of Current Evidence and Clinical Considerations. Ann Short Reports. 2021; 4: 1067.