Why Antimicrobial Paint for Businesses is Surging in Indiana

Aging takes a toll on the human immune system. The older we get, the less responsive the immune system can be. A weakened immune system gradually loses its ability to fend off pathogens in the environment and to recover from illness.

Every bug that comes along won’t necessarily pose a risk, but vulnerability to infectious agents will be higher overall. Disorders of the immune system increase with age as do other illnesses that threaten the system.

Poor Indoor Air Quality

Seniors who spend most of their time indoors are deprived of fresh air and sunshine that can boost the immune system and help it to function. Meanwhile, indoor air pollution in Hamilton County IN is on the rise. In fact, the EPA tells us that indoor air can be up to five times more contaminated than outdoor air. Elders who are chronically ill or have respiratory conditions or cardiovascular disease are hardest hit by polluted indoor air.

Insufficient ventilation is generally to blame for poor indoor air quality. Stagnant indoor air can harbor a dense level of pathogens. Disease-causing microbes can establish colonies in HVAC systems, and every time the heater or air conditioner cycles on, these pathogens are circulated throughout indoor spaces.

Sick Building Syndrome

Sufficient levels of these contaminants in an indoor space can lead to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). The symptoms of SBS typically abate when a person leaves the building. Occupants of the sick building may experience these symptoms:

Difficult respiration or shortness of breath

Sore or scratchy throat

Coughing

Runny nose

Tightness in the chest

Headaches

Burning sensations in the nose

Skin rashes

Dizziness

Fatigue

Nausea

Problems with concentration

Forgetfulness

Body aches

Irritability

Fever and chills

If SBS develops in a senior living facility, it can have a profound impact on the health of those who live and work there.

How Are You Managing Your Indoor Spaces?

Senior communities, assisted-living homes, skilled nursing facilities and long-term care centers can all benefit from microbial coatings. Innovative microbicidal paints and primers can decrease the level of pathogens in indoor spaces. These advanced coatings literally repel common bacteria on doors, walls and countertops.

Reduce Microbes and Pathogens in Your Senior Living Facility

Today’s senior living communities are designed to balance medical care with an active lifestyle to the extent possible. This approach encourages interactive activities that are enriching for residents, but it can also increase exposure to pathogens. Staph and E. coli are two of the most common environmental pathogens that threaten humans, whereas MRSA and VRE are notoriously resistant to antibiotics.

Antimicrobial coatings can deliver an extra layer of protection for residents and staff alike. Antimicrobial paints are suitable for a wide range of surfaces, especially those surfaces that, if contaminated, could cause infection rates to rise.

Microbicidal coating is unique in its ability to destroy pathogens that interact with treated surfaces. This state-of-the-art paint is currently available as Sherwin-Williams’ Paint Shield, although other brands have similar products in development. Paint Shield can protect your facility from a variety of common pathogens including staph, MRSA, E. coli, VRE and enterobacter aerogenes.

Extensive Product Testing

Paint Shield has undergone strict product testing under a variety of conditions before being marketed as a true microbicidal coating. Extensive trials revealed that this antimicrobial paint removes 99.9 percent of targeted microbes that interact with treated surfaces.

The 99.9 percent success rate can be measured within two hours after surfaces have been treated. The product remains effective for years with no additional application required. As long as the integrity of the treated surfaces is preserved, the product will continue to remain effective.

A Proven Track Record of Success

Since its debut in 2015, senior care facilities across the country have had great success with Paint Shield. Applications in independent living communities, assisted living facilities and skilled nursing homes have helped residents to remain free of infections while managing the chronic diseases associated with advanced age.

Reduce Human Error in Facilities

The daily challenges common in senior care homes can put the health of residents at risk. Infections can spread rapidly regardless of sanitation protocols already in place. It’s not easy to stop touching your mouth or your eyes, and it’s even harder to resist scratching an itchy nose. Unfortunately, it only takes one wrong move to spread a pathogen from a fingertip to a nostril.

Where Should Antimicrobial Paint Be Applied?

Areas where food is prepared and served are high-risk areas for infection. Pathogens such as staph and E. coli can cause vomiting and diarrhea even when the amount of bacteria ingested is very small. Microbicidal coatings on surfaces in food preparation areas can greatly reduce the risk of transmitting infectious agents while preparing and serving food.

Medication management is a service that’s offered in many senior living communities. The application of microbicidal coatings on surfaces in medical storage areas can help to prevent contamination and cross-contamination of medications.

Treating surfaces in staff lounges helps to keep employees healthy and reduces the spread of infectious agents by health care workers who interact closely with residents.

One of the biggest advantages of microbicidal coatings is that they keep on working to disinfect surfaces long after the initial application is complete. When combined with daily, weekly and monthly sanitation protocols, the coatings add extra protection to sanitation routines without taking staff away from their primary roles as health care providers.

Dutchpopp Painting was founded in 2005 by two former firefighters who love to paint houses. We paint more than houses now, but as residential and commercial painters, we still love what we do. If we can help to keep our community healthier with the application of our microbicidal coatings, we’re all in.

To learn more about how this innovative antibacterial surface treatment can help to keep your facility healthy, give us a call. Our knowledgeable commercial painting team can walk you through the process of a microbicidal coating installation from start to finish.

We’re also here to answer questions during normal business hours. Not all commercial painters offer microbicidal coatings, but we have the experience and expertise to perform the installation properly. Microbicidal coatings can help to prevent the spread of infection in your senior living or assisted-living facility. Call us now for all the details about how to keep your facility healthier and safer for everyone, especially the elderly.