Why are older relatives so reticent to follow the guideline re: coughing into your sleeve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an older adult here’s my take. We were taught a different way. It was ingrained in us from the time we were toddlers. We did it for decades. Now, 5, 6,
7 decades later there is a change in protocol. Coughs and sneezes aren’t planned. They come on us suddenly without planning. Our bodies are trained to put our hands to our mouths as we have done for more than half a century. And our heads remember that isn’t right. So in those fractions of a second while the sneeze is coming, we become paralyzed and the sneeze goes where it goes.

Better it go into your hand, as we were taught rather than into the air, as happens when the sneeze happens while we are to figure out where to
Send it

But bottom line. You’re expecting too much.

But do you understand how then the germs are on your hands? Or does that piece not connect? Would you want to shake hands with someone who just coughed or sneezed into their hand?

Did you read the post you’re reacting to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whippersnapper! When I was your age we coughed all over each other! And we liked it! Never did us any harm. Now get off my lawn!

LOL! Yup, I am going with this one as the answer. Head over to the elder care forum for the threads about self-centeredness. Now all our children are kicked out of school to protect them, but they can’t change one small personal habit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whippersnapper! When I was your age we coughed all over each other! And we liked it! Never did us any harm. Now get off my lawn!

LOL! Yup, I am going with this one as the answer. Head over to the elder care forum for the threads about self-centeredness. Now all our children are kicked out of school to protect them, but they can’t change one small personal habit.

Yup or keep packing into the deli for lunch.

[Anonymous]

If my 3 year old can figure it out, so can all of you.

But hey — we will probably survive this. You might not. We’re just trying to protect you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When they were growing up it was considered the height of low class to cough or sneeze into their arm. My mother can’t do it either. She sneezes or coughs into a handkerchief or tissue.

But...It’s fine to do this. It’s not fine to cough or sneeze into your bare hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me, coughing/sneeze into your sleeve seems horribly gross. You've then got a sleeve full of germs and possibly mucus. If you need to put on a coat, the coat is then contaminated.

If you sneeze into your hand you can usually have a tissue to sneeze into which is then thrown away. You can wash your hands and/or use sanitizer. Thirty seconds to wash hands seems a lot more hygienic than walking around all day covered with your cumulative coughs/sneezes. I don't know of anybody who after coughing or sneezing changes into a fresh shirt so they can launder the one they just used as a tissue.

Do you wash your hands EVERY time you cough or sneeze into them? Do you magically not touch anything on the way to the bathroom to wash them?

[Anonymous]

It's muscle memory and they've been coughing in their hand for 50 years or more. Retraining muscle memory is difficult.

I am in my late 30s and we were all taught to cough in our hands. The reason I have "adapted" is that I have kids so basically have had a cold for 10 years. I've had plenty of practice getting used to the new method. Even then I didn't replace the muscle memory with the one for coughing in my elbow for a couple of years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me, coughing/sneeze into your sleeve seems horribly gross. You've then got a sleeve full of germs and possibly mucus. If you need to put on a coat, the coat is then contaminated.

If you sneeze into your hand you can usually have a tissue to sneeze into which is then thrown away. You can wash your hands and/or use sanitizer. Thirty seconds to wash hands seems a lot more hygienic than walking around all day covered with your cumulative coughs/sneezes. I don't know of anybody who after coughing or sneezing changes into a fresh shirt so they can launder the one they just used as a tissue.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To me, coughing/sneeze into your sleeve seems horribly gross. You've then got a sleeve full of germs and possibly mucus. If you need to put on a coat, the coat is then contaminated.

If you sneeze into your hand you can usually have a tissue to sneeze into which is then thrown away. You can wash your hands and/or use sanitizer. Thirty seconds to wash hands seems a lot more hygienic than walking around all day covered with your cumulative coughs/sneezes. I don't know of anybody who after coughing or sneezing changes into a fresh shirt so they can launder the one they just used as a tissue.

+1

You don’t touch people with your sleeve. I’ve seen far too many people sneeze into their hands and keep it moving, not giving a thought about washing their hands. Sneezing into a tissue or a hankie isn’t the same as sneezing into your bare hand (as long as your hand is completely covered!).

[Anonymous]

Huh, maybe it's because my mom (now 82) was a nurse, and several other family members were/are in health care professions, but I was never taught to cough into my hand, and my mom was much more vigilant than I was about telling my kids to cough into their elbows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huh, maybe it's because my mom (now 82) was a nurse, and several other family members were/are in health care professions, but I was never taught to cough into my hand, and my mom was much more vigilant than I was about telling my kids to cough into their elbows.

Huh? So then this doesn’t pertain to you then.

[Anonymous]

My mom (60) with a history of lung problems told me not to treat her like she’s senile and made sure to attend every possible store she could, planned to go to a work conference (it was cancelled thanks goodness), and went to her club meeting. If I’d did not think that before, now I am having my doubts about her cognitive abilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an older adult here’s my take. We were taught a different way. It was ingrained in us from the time we were toddlers. We did it for decades. Now, 5, 6,
7 decades later there is a change in protocol. Coughs and sneezes aren’t planned. They come on us suddenly without planning. Our bodies are trained to put our hands to our mouths as we have done for more than half a century. And our heads remember that isn’t right. So in those fractions of a second while the sneeze is coming, we become paralyzed and the sneeze goes where it goes.

Better it go into your hand, as we were taught rather than into the air, as happens when the sneeze happens while we are to figure out where to
Send it

But bottom line. You’re expecting too much.

Agree. I have adapted but I am in my 50s. I understand it would be harder for someone with another 20-30 years of habit.

I am in my early 60s. Learning to play the cello or speak Mandarin would be a challenge at my age. Sneezing into my elbow or sleeve was not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom (60) with a history of lung problems told me not to treat her like she’s senile and made sure to attend every possible store she could, planned to go to a work conference (it was cancelled thanks goodness), and went to her club meeting. If I’d did not think that before, now I am having my doubts about her cognitive abilities.

My parents went to the mall, out to dinner with friends, and are upset the concert they were going to has been canceled. ILs posted on FB that they went to dinner and a movie last night. Talking to my friends and a lot of their boomer parents seem to be downplaying this to the point of recklessness. WTF!

[Anonymous]

I'm 48 and was taught to sneeze into a tissue or my hand, so the elbow thing is counterintuitive for me too. I hand sanitize if I have sneezed in my hand, and don't shake hands with people if I'm sick, so I don't think this practice has caused problems. Due to coronavirus, I'll start doing the elbow thing, but I can understand why older people would be skeptical.