Therapies and swine flu

[Ryarli]

I went to the local doctors surgery yesterday and was greeted with a huge red stop sign which basically said if you think you have flu do not enter the doctor's surgery, go home and ring the doctors for what to do next! They have put this in place to try and minimise the spread of swine flu and I think it is a good idea. It made me think about us as therapists. In the past, I have had clients show up with sniffles and colds and i'm sure other therapists have too. I wondered whether it would be worth mentioning on the phone that if they suspect they have flu then they should not come for a treatment. I know that if they have flu they probably won't feel like going for a massage but I was thinking about things like hopi ear candling or reflexology or for those of you who are counsellors/hypnotherapists etc. If you work in a therapy centre, have they put anything in place at all yet? Just wondered what peoples thoughts were on this.

 

[sallepjl]

That is a very valid point. I think that sometimes people turn up for appointments because they do not want to let the therapist down or incur a charge. If they were told please do not come if you think you have swine flu then they know its ok to call and cancel in that situation.

I actually get really fed up with being expected to treat clients who are not well. I am a mobile therapist and often turn up to find my client full of cold or getting over a tummy bug. I have arrived to find children with measles or throwing up and hubbys on the couch with a raging temperature. To be honest I would really rather not expose myself to things like that and would rather they reschedule. If I have a cold I always ring clients and warn them telling them that I am working but if they would rather I rescheduled then I totally understand. I wish they would show me the same consideration!