Tips to Provide Quality Care to Your Loved One During A Pandemic

Whether your role as a caregiver has you looking out for an older adult, children or both, there’s high chances that you’ve worried about how the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to affect your ability to provide necessary care. COVID-19 is a serious condition that causes fever, headache, and breathing problems, and when severe, kidney failure and severe respiratory issues can occur that may result in death. COVID-19 is especially dangerous for older adults as they are more prone to developing severe symptoms or complications as a result of infection due to their compromised immune system, social isolation is recommended, as are good hygiene and healthy self-care.

During periods of crisis like this when family members and close friends are continuing to providing daily care, the pandemic has made the role of caretaker even more complicated. Being a caregiver to a loved one is an incredibly rewarding experience, yet there’s no denying that it’s often also a challenging one, more so when challenges- such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic- require us to quickly adapt our caregiving plans. Caregivers are probably being inundated with information about COVID-19, making it even more difficult to develop habits and strategies to maintain their as well as their loved ones’ health and well-being. Following the most up to date guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the first step for caregiversto limit viral transmission and also to avoid the ever-present risk of caregiver burnout.

Here are some tips on how caregivers can care for a senior at home:

Wash your hands frequently- Throughout the day, make sure to wash your hands in hot, soapy water at regular intervals to keep yourself from contracting the disease, or you might be putting your loved one in harm’s way.

Use hand sanitizer- Carry a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol whenever you go out.

Avoid touching your face- Do not touch your face, including rubbing your eyes or scratching the nose. You might not even realize if you’ve been exposed to a virus, and before you know it you’ll transfer the bug as you touch your face.

Reduce exposure- The only way to reduce transmission of Coronavirus is by reducing your exposure to the virus, which is only possible when you stay at home and away from other people as much as possible-even as restrictions are being lifted. Social distancing is a crucial step in protecting a senior family memberfrom COVID-19 and other viruses. We recognize that completely avoiding public activity is not a feasible option, but where there’s a will there’s a way, meaning utilize services like home delivered meals, online shopping, etc. wherever possible.

Screen all visitors- You need to be very much strict now about who can visit your home or the home of your loved one. You never know the person (coming from outside) visiting your house might be carrying the virus and not showing any symptoms.

Schedule virtual visits- Everyone is adapting to the new normal in terms of adopting technology for everything possible, even doctors have moved to virtual visits till the time the pandemic can be reined in.

Other precautionary measures that may help you lower your family members’ risk for the illness include
1.   Make sure to cough into your elbow and rinse your hands often, and ask your senior loved one to do the same.
2.   Watch out for signs of fever like a flushed face or sweating. Also, observe cough or if the elderly person is struggling for breath.
3.   Disinfect your senior’s environment on a frequent basis.

Caring for someone with dementia is a completely different challenge altogether in light of the pandemic, as their odds of getting the virus are higher. The high risk can be attributed to memory loss that can cause them to forget to wash their hands or refrain from touching their face. But the aforementioned tips are sure to help.

If you are looking to hire a caregiver now, do so in consultation with the best home care York Countyproviders, who’ll match you to caregivers who are well-trained and completely updated on any new information on the COVID-19 in an effort to exercise all safety measures to ensure your loved one’s well-being.

For more info, check out: https://www.arogahomecare.com

Sponsor Ads

• Ad Space Available - Rent it Now!

Report this Page

Created on Sep 19th 2020 04:57. Viewed 216 times.

Share on APSense

Comments