More than 13 million seniors live alone, according to the US Census. Our older generation is living longer and their safety at home becomes more and more challenging. With pandemic isolation recommended, caring for our aging family members can be complicated. Here are some important things to remember and suggestions for creating a safe environment.
Aging At Home Alone – Common Hazards
Falls are the leading cause of injury for seniors. Excess clutter poses a serious risk for falls. Nearly one third of seniors fall at least once a year! Poor hygiene & habits can also become an issue. The confinement of quarantine can make this situation worse. Unhealthy kitchen conditions and food storage, infrequent bathing or cleaning, impaired vision, and problems making it to the restroom are all common as mental and physical health decline.
Consider the following:
Help Is Available
At Bio-One, we respond to calls requesting help for seniors with untidy or unsafe conditions. Our teams are trained to assess your needs and offer a plan to remediate and promote future safety. We provide professional disinfection, organization, and can even install safety features to give your loved one a healthy environment that is free from contamination and clutter.
What You Can Do
If you are considering helping your loved one achieve a safe and healthy home, please reach out to Bio-One St. George & St George Hoarding. Our services are available throughout Central & Southern Utah, as well as Nevada. We offer free estimates, discreet response, and our compassionate team is available 24 hours a day.
Contact us through our website by clicking the button below, or reach out directly at 435-703-4142 and info@BioOneStGeorge.com
At Bio-One, we handle all types of extreme cleaning, and that includes the aftermath left behind at crime scenes. We get a lot of questions regarding our role at scenes, so we would love to answer those!
Q: If the scene involves a death, is the body still present when you arrive?
A: No. In cases involving death, the coroner will take the body.
Q: Is Bio-One responsible for collecting any type of evidence?
A: No. Law enforcement must release the scene before we are allowed to start our process. There are occasions in which we will find shell casings, bullets, or other items that crime scene technicians might have missed. In that case, those items are handed off to law enforcement.
Q: What are the first steps in the process of recovering/cleaning a crime scene?
A: First and foremost, we always don PPE (personal protective equipment). Once we are in proper attire, we assess the scene and document everything, which includes lots of photos. Photos are incredibly important, especially when dealing with insurance.
Q: What type of PPE is necessary for this type of work?
A: When dealing with any type of biohazard, full PPE is required. “Full PPE” includes a hazmat suit, gloves, shoe covers, and respirators. Depending on the scene, we will use either an N95 mask, a half- face respirator, or a full-face respirator.
Q: Do family members or loved ones stay at the scene while you work?
A: Typically, no. After such a traumatic experience, seeing the cleanup process can further compound that trauma. At Bio-One, our goal is to help people start the healing process, and that begins with a home that is free of reminders of what occurred.
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to Robert at info@bioonestgeorge.com.
Ref: Crime and Trauma Scene CleanUp, BioOneMarioncounty, JAN 05, 2020 by SARAH WADSWORTH
As a landlord or property management company, you’ve probably seen your fair share of messes left behind by renters. No matter how well you screen your tenants, you’re bound to have one who secretly owns a cat (or cats!), smokes cigarettes indoors or even in the garage, or is just plain smelly. Whatever the problem is they’ve left for you, there is one thing for certain- you’re the one left to clean it up.
Renter’s simply don’t treat your property as if it were their own- this is no secret. Once your renter moves out and you assess the residence for what repairs need to be made, more often than not, you find that there are several more issues that arise than expected.
If you’ve allowed your renters to have pets, or you haven’t allowed pets but they have one anyway, the damage that the pet(s) can do is often costly and is usually more than just surface damage. The odor from urine and feces can seep into places you’d never even think of and permeate the surrounding areas, and is also a biohazard.
Hoarding Situations
If you’re facing a hoarding situation, general neglect of the property, or lazy tenants who weren’t able to properly dispose of garbage, you likely have both an odor, gross filth and even a mold problem, which absolutely requires a professional to come in.
Or maybe you did have good renters but the property needs a good old fashioned deep cleaning to ready it for your next tenant or to be placed on the market. The fact is, is that while there are plenty of things you can (and do) clean up on your own, there are times when you flat out need a professional to come in to handle it.
Professionals such as Bio-One St. George, can help you with any of the aforementioned situations. Our technicians are specially trained in biohazard cleaning, odor removal and hoarding cleanups. We have all the required equipment needed to properly and thoroughly clean, disinfect and deodorize your rental property. We use commercial grade cleaning products, approved by the CDC and that aren’t available to the general public.
Locally Owned and Operated
We are a locally owned company and have helped numerous property managers and landlords throughout the Southern Utah area clean up after tenants leave, and we can help you, too. We offer a free on site consultation and will provide you with an estimate on the spot.
At Bio-One, our mantra is helping first, business second, and we mean it. We are always professional, discreet and compassionate and treat you like we’d like to be treated. To set up your free estimate or if you just have questions you need answered, call Bio-One St. George today. We’re available 24/7 to help you. You can also find more information about our services on our website, https://www.bioonestgeorge.com/.
Historically, crime scene cleanup has usually been done by the victim's family. For many, facing the ghastly scene of such personal trauma was too much to bear and had lasting effects. In addition, scientific advancements in the 20th century have raised concerns over exposure to bloodborne pathogens and chemical residue. The need for trained technicians has given way to Bio-One being one of the nation’s leading crime scene clean up companies.
Recently, one of our crime scene cleanup technicians commented, “We never know what we’re going to walk in to, so we go in with the mindset that we're there to help and we’ll do whatever it takes to get that family and their home back in order. It’s really the only way you can handle the things we see and touch”.
Our work is done in honorable silence and we keep it as discreet as we can. If there were a suicide or homicide in your neighborhood, it’s true that you would want to know. However, the details are not for everyone and we certainly want to respect the privacy of such delicate matters for the family members.
This job is not for everyone because the work can be both physically and emotionally taxing. On the other hand, it is one of the most rewarding professions one can do. There truly are jobs that make us lose our faith in humanity but then, when the work is complete and the family members cannot thank us enough for helping them, I realize why I personally am in this business and why our employees are so dedicated.
At Bio-One St. George, our mantra is helping first, business second, and we mean it. We are always professional, discreet and compassionate and treat you like we’d like to be treated. To set up your free estimate or if you just have questions you need answered, call Bio-One St. George today. We’re available 24/7 to help you. You can also find more information about our services on our website, https://www.bioonestgeorge.com/.
The Holidays seem to bring out the giving spirit in all of us. With the pandemic presenting a very different season in 2020, this New Year’s Eve we’d like to take a quick look at where we’ve been and what all of us can do in 2021.
At Bio One, our mantra is “Help First, Business Second”; this means that we are focused on serving the community 24/7. We know first-hand the incredible effect that one act of kindness can do for someone in need. It’s what we do! The giving spirit is in all of us and this was quite evident in 2020 as so many paid their respects to the tireless efforts of our First Responders. With over 1000 pies and cookies delivered by Bio-One St George to our police, fire, and sheriff’s departments, we were one of many in the generous Southern Utah community. Cheers to all of you for an amazing holiday season and Thank You!
As we open the door to 2021, the pandemic looms large. The loss of a loved one or a job along with financial and personal insecurity weigh heavy on everyone. Let us all consider our part of making a difference in the New Year: Here is a helpful list of ways to inspire you, your family, and your friends to give back.
Get in The Giving Spirit
Are you able to give money, your expertise, your time? What works for you? There are a multitude of ways to participate. Many of us have been hit hard financially this year. If you cannot give money that’s ok! Here are some other ideas on how you can help:
Social Media – Like, Follow, and Share updates from your favorite non-profits. It doesn’t cost a thing and it’s an easy way to invite others to join in giving.
Donate – Clean out that closet or pantry and donate items to those in need. Don’t forget our furry friends! Animal Shelters are always looking for blankets and pet supplies.
Give Blood – You can give the gift of life, most literally! Blood donors are in high demand and it’s a great way to save lives.
Helping the Elderly – Is there a senior in your neighborhood that could use a hand? Help them with some yard work, walk their dog, or maybe run an errand for them.
Say goodbye to 2020 with a positive spirit and support for others. Say hello to 2021! We can all make a difference, one act of kindness at a time.
Happy New Year from all of us at Bio-One!
Attention Property Owners
Attention property owners and realtors! We can help you more than you know. Just this week we, Bio-One St George, have helped two different property owners who own properties for a secondary income- one for a hoarding/sanitation project and the other being a cat urine remediation. Having had a rental property ourselves, we understand what messes can be left when the previous tenant or owner walks away from the property for good. From hoards, to gross filth, to feces, to urine, to mold, to unbelievable horrific odors, we can help get the property ready for sell and ready for a new family.
Renters do not always treat the home they reside in as if it were their own- this is no secret. Once a renter moves out and the owner assesses the residence for what repairs need to be made, sometimes more issues come up than expected. Even though that lease states that smoking cigarettes in the residence is prohibited, many tenants ignore that rule. We can help with tobacco odor removal! Pets can damage a home by either defecating and/or urinating on the flooring and or walls which not only leaves an awful smell, but a bio-hazard that is not easy to remove. We can help with feces and urine remediation and odor removal from those situations! Hoarding and neglect of throwing away food and/or items that are soiled cause mold and a bad distinguished odor. We can help with hoarding removal, mold remediation, and the awful smell! How about just a deep clean/sanitation of a residence that looks like it has not been properly cleaned in a long time- our chemicals are stronger and better than anything that can be bought over the counter. We can make that residence sparkle!
There really is a long list of what Bio-One can do to help others. Once someone has seen and smelt what our chemicals and machines can do, they are convinced- Bio-One can greatly help in a timely and proficient manner while doing the project properly/the right way. Keep us in mind when you or your clients are forced to deal with any of these issues, and more- we are only a call away!
Virus Protection & Nursing Homes
Professional Disinfection For the Most Vulnerable
December 11, 2020 by Kimberly Harrison
The global Covid-19 outbreak has changed the way we all think about pathogen spread and virus disinfection. As we reach the end of 2020, Covid has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Long Term Care Residents and Staff. And this number continues to grow.
Recent surges in infection nationwide indicate that up to 40% of all coronavirus deaths are in Long Term Care facilities. The need for fast, efficient, and effective disinfection in these facilities is critical to controlling the spread. At Bio-One, we fulfill this need with the use of our EPA-N list chemicals and electrostatic sprayers.
Electrostatic technology works by charging and atomizing the disinfection solution allowing it to reach and uniformly coat surface, even those missed by manual cleaning. In a recent study at the Cleveland VA Medical Center, a group of doctors looked at pathogens in a 215 bed acute care facility. What they found were significant levels of pathogens on portable equipment, wheel chairs and in waiting rooms. Using approved disinfectants and an electrostatic sprayer, they noted significant reductions in pathogens on all surfaces.
The importance and role of disinfection in preventing the spread of Covid-19 is clear. Hiring a professional cleaning service allows Long Term Care facilities to focus on patient care. Choosing the right service to assist with cleaning protocols is key. Bio-One is the nation’s leading bio-hazard response company. We are proud to offer highly trained, licensed, and insured technicians to aide in the application and effectiveness of disinfection protocols at healthcare facilities.
If you need virus disinfection for your facility or home, please call us at 435-703-4142 or visit us at www.BioOneStGeorge.com.
Kimberly Harrison
Bio One St George
435-703-4142
Losing a loved one in an accident is incomprehensibly painful. The seeming unfairness and randomness of the moment is almost impossible to accept at first as grieving friends and family members try to rationalize what happened. They often feel guilty for not doing enough to prevent the death despite the fact that the incident was entirely out of their control. But nobody can prepare for the sudden and unexpected. Accidental deaths are by definition unnatural and unintentional. They include slips and falls, traffic accidents, poisonings, accidental weapon wounds, drownings, fire injuries, head traumas, industrial accidents, choking deaths, explosions, and natural disasters. Fatal accidents have always been a leading cause of death in America. But unfortunately, they are becoming more common.
According to the non-profit National Safety Council, accidental deaths increased 96 percent over the last 25 years. Though they decreased significantly between 1950 and 1980, fatal accidents have been growing rapidly since the mid-1990s.Despite our innovation in creating safer technologies, today’s rate of 52.2 deaths per 100,000 people hasn’t been seen since the mid-1970s. Now, accidents are the number one leading cause of death for people aged 1 to 44, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For all demographics, they are the third leading cause of death nationwide, with 169,936 deaths reported by the CDC in 2017.
While researchers have not reached a consensus on why accidental deaths are increasing, the NSC points to three trends to explain the rise, including increases in poisonings, motor vehicle deaths and falls among older adults. All of these injuries are preventable, they say, arguing on their website that institutions “have not consistently prioritized safety at work, at home and on the road”. Poisonings, the leading unintentional injury among CDC data, increased 11 percent between 2016 and 2017 . The NSC attributes the growth to the opioid crisis, which claimed the lives of 47,000 Americans in 2017 .
To put the CDC data into perspective, 466 people die from accidental injuries every day The number of friends and family members affected by the death of a loved one is even higher, resulting in an ever-growing community of people who must find ways to manage their grief. Bio-One works with these families every day to facilitate their steps towards recovery.
When fatal accidents happen, we dedicate our resources to helping families restore their home or business in a safe, private and efficient manner. Because first responders do not decontaminate crime scenes after they respond to a call, we step in to ensure that families are not exposed to disease and other dangers. Crime scenes harbor harmful bloodborne pathogens that contaminate the immediate area, leaving everyone on the property vulnerable to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Our licensed technicians use powerful, environmentally safe chemicals to thoroughly disinfect the area so you can rest assured that your family will be safe. We work with an appreciation for your valuables and will replace furnishings if need be. In hoarding situations, we remove clutter that may present a danger to other inhabitants, including feces and other biological waste.
When you give us a call at your local Bio-One office, we’ll immediately connect you with a representative that will address your unique situation. Because we value your time during this difficult moment, a team will be dispatched to your home or business within an hour to complete the service. When they arrive, they’ll come in unmarked vehicles to safeguard your privacy. Our team approaches their work with the sensitivity it demands and endeavors to address your needs with the compassion it deserves. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We are on standby 24/7/365.
We often forget about the people left behind in the wake of a homicide. News stories reveal who died but often fail to identify how their death impacts their loved ones. When someone is murdered, their family, friends and significant others endure one of the most traumatic experiences that anyone can face. These survivors are some of the least researched crime victims in America, and they are everywhere. According to the most recent FBI data, 16,214 Americans were murdered in 2018. For every one of those individuals an average of 7 to 10 relatives were severely impacted, according to an estimate by Lu Redmond, a homicide grief expert.
If the murder rate remains consistent, Redmond’s estimate means between 113,000 and 162,000 Americans will become homicide survivors each year. That’s in addition to the pool of survivors who already lost loved ones in previous years. Though the lack of research makes it impossible to quantify how many total homicide survivors there are in America, the number is high enough to warrant concern for how they are treated by health professionals.
For survivors, the grieving process is almost impossible to endure. Though loved ones will grieve in different ways depending on their relationship with the victim, the loss is shocking, unimaginable and absolute. They never had a chance to say goodbye to their loved one, and the plans they both shared will never come to fruition. This realization may be sudden. In some cases, it may take years. Some survivors find it difficult to accept a loved one’s death at first, resulting in a delayed reaction that is triggered by a situation that reminds them of the victim. According to the National Center of Victims of Crime, grief symptoms include shock, disbelief, numbness, changes in appetite and sleeping patterns, difficulty concentrating, anger, confusion, increased anxiety and fear. Financial loss, depression and family conflict are also common symptoms.
Discovering a murdered loved one in the home can trigger post traumatic stress disorder. After the first responders leave the scene, some survivors may feel compelled to clean up the aftermath themselves. Confused that the paramedics don’t complete this work, they may think the cleanup process is their responsibility and act immediately. After all, they want to restore the scene as quickly as possible. Operating in a state of shock, they’ll remove the blood stains, body tissue and contaminated materials from the home without recognizing the threat to their physical and mental health. In addition to exposing their body to dangerous bloodborne pathogens, survivors may experience traumatic flashbacks of the experience in the future and suffer from heightened anxiety and emotional numbness. These PTSD symptoms prolong the recovery process, making it even more difficult for survivors to cope with their new lives.
Bio-One works with communities across the nation to avoid this outcome. We employ certified technicians that respond to scenes of violent crime and clean up dangerous biohazards that pose a threat to you and your family. When we receive a request for our services, we’ll send a team to the job site within an hour to assess your situation and perform a comprehensive cleaning solution that restores the property. Our powerful, environmentally friendly chemicals eradicate harmful pathogens that spread Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, giving you assurance that you will be safe long after the area is decontaminated. We’ll dispose of the infected materials that cannot be salvaged and replace flooring and other furnishings if we need to. Once the area is thoroughly cleaned, we’ll return it to its pre-incident state so you can focus on recovering.
We conduct this work because we want to help people who have been left to deal with a difficult, painful task. That’s why our company motto is “Help first, business second.” We don’t ask for payment until after the job is complete because we want to remove the safety threat from your home as quickly as you do. Every person on our team will arrive on-site with an understanding of the trauma you are going through and a respect for your privacy and personal needs. Contact your local Bio-One office today and we’ll immediately connect you with a representative that can assist you. We are available 24/7/365.
Although eight years have passed since the world’s top mental health experts classified hoarding as a unique compulsive disorder, the problem persists throughout the country. Researchers say that up to 20 million Americans suffer from this illness, which is described as an obsessive tendency to accumulate troves of objects with no practical value.Because hoarding is historically stigmatized and underdiagnosed, this number is likely a conservative estimate. Even more troubling, hoarding is expected to increase as the population ages and mortality rates rise. But the studies that dole out these numbers understandably focus on hoarders over other stakeholders in the community. Hoarders’ actions impact far more people than reflected in the data. Fires and collapsing structures caused by unstable hoarding situations jeopardize the safety of neighbors and government workers. Even animals suffer. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a quarter of a million animals are hoarded each year. But the people afflicted by the disorder’s worst consequences often live in the same household as the hoarder.
Families deteriorate as high levels of dysfunction, increased conflict and financial uncertainty hinder intimacy and devastate the emotional wellbeing of everyone in the home. Objects overwhelm the space and are guarded zealously by hoarders who are pathologically unable to discard anything they deem valuable. Hoarded items commonly include old newspapers, rotting food, cardboard boxes, pets, excessive piles of clothes and furniture that dominates the home. Space becomes constricted and practically unlivable, prompting hoarders to carve narrow passageways out of the clutter to navigate between rooms.
But despite the extreme measures’ hoarders take to endure these living conditions, the situation cannot be controlled. There is no space for shared activities among the family and no room to use necessary facilities like ovens, showers and beds. In fact, the concept of “space” alters entirely. Children may have to sleep on couches in the living room or in bed with parents to circumvent the clutter. Activities like eating, reading and sleeping are subject to the limitations of space and the normalcy of disorder.
The effect of living like this leads to feelings of isolation, depression and vulnerability. Confounded by the fact that the hoarding family member is usually controlling, stubborn and sensitive to criticism, other people in the home often feel undervalued and powerless. Any attempts to remove the clutter are met with fierce opposition and outrage by the hoarder, who suffers from severe distress when confronted with the notion of losing their valuables. Aware of these consequences, the family usually lives in isolation, refusing to invite friends and relatives over to the home out of embarrassment. These claustrophobic conditions extend to the mind, which is overwhelmed by feelings of frustration, helplessness and anxiety. Financial strains ensue as the hoarder spends money on items that have no discernable value to other family members. As the acquisition of objects greatly outweighs the removal of other objects, credit limits are reached and space disappears, leading to home maintenance fees, financial debt and increasingly frequent family altercations.
Onlooking children often find themselves torn between parents in these situations. Child protective services may be invoked at some point, breaking up the family and degrading the bond between child and parent even further. This possibility weighs heavily on the minds of older children, who often feel compelled to silence for fear that they will be relocated by the authorities. Child protective services are often justified in removing them from the home. Households governed by an extreme hoarder are vulnerable to disease, air pollutants, pests and fires. Children in these homes also face stunted social and cognitive growth as they endure harsh living conditions and parental strife. Moreover, research indicates that hoarding behaviors are learned and adopted by the children of hoarders, who may subsequently pass these tendencies down to their own kids.
The strains that hoarding places on families illustrates why reaching out for help is so important. If you or a loved one are affected by this destructive disorder, please contact Bio-One for assistance. We remediate homes affected by hoarding on a daily basis and can connect you with tools that can help. We are on standby 24/7/365.
