Tips for Keeping Seniors Safe from COVID-19: 8 Critical Tips

Our Home Personal Care team of skilled nurses and caregivers are on the front lines of caring for many seniors throughout Northern Virginia, as well as people with a host of underlying health conditions. We always follow strict hygiene and safety protocols to minimize or eliminate the spread of infection, so in this time of worry and uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak, we wanted to offer some important tips for helping your family’s elderly loved ones avoid catching this pathogen.

As this story continues to unfold, we will continue to check in with our families to assess needs and alleviate stress. Please contact At Home Personal Care directly anytime at (703) 330-2323 with any questions you might have. And be sure to follow these tips for keeping seniors safe from coronavirus.
NOTE: If you have a loved one with symptoms of a high fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, contact their doctor and for further instructions.

Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Elderly

1. Practice CDC Guidelines for Social Distancing, Quarantines and Travel Restrictions. This can be a very difficult thing to do when you can’t be with loved ones, but it is essential to stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus. Do not visit elderly loved ones if you are not one of their regular caregivers. You can, and should, however, find ways to visit “virtually” through technology like Facetime, Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom or any other video conferencing system that your loved ones are familiar and comfortable with using. A good old daily phone chat is always a good idea too.
2. Urge elderly loved ones to self-quarantine and try to make it easy for them to do it. The seniors we know are independent and like to do things themselves as much as possible. That is why home care is such an essential service. But it’s a life or death situation right now to keep seniors at home and out of public spaces as much as possible to protect them from the virus. Sign them up for grocery delivery services and help them find entertaining and enriching things they can do while stay-at-home orders are in effect.
3. Follow the CDC’s Hand-Washing Guidelines, and make sure others in your family do the same. Use soap and water to scrub all surfaces of your hands, including under the fingernails, for at least 20 seconds. Do this frequently throughout the day. Always wash your hands after visiting the bathroom, blowing your nose or being in public. If you cannot wash your hands with soap and water, a hand sanitizing solution of at least 60% alcohol will do until you can wash your hands with soap and water. Always wash your hands before preparing food, eating or taking care of your loved ones.
4. If you suspect you may be sick, self-isolate at home and practice all recommended self-care for recovering from a virus. If your symptoms become concerning (shortness of breath), contact your doctor immediately for further instructions. If you need to go out in order to seek medical attention, wear a mask if you have one. Studies have shown that when sick people wear masks, this can help prevent the virus from spreading.
5. Avoid touching your face at all costs, and encourage others to avoid it too. It’s hard to do. We do it naturally so many times in the day, but this could be a life or death situation for your elderly loved ones, especially if you are one of their regular caregivers.
6. If you must sneeze or cough, use a tissue or the crook of your elbow. Turn away from other people or frequently-touched surfaces. Discard the tissue immediately afterwards and wash your clothing regularly.
7. Use sanitizing wipes or a CDC-recommended sanitizing solution to clean off regularly-touched surfaces in your home and your loved one’s home. Think doorknobs, light switches, keys, canes, walkers, handrails, mobile devices, computers, refrigerator and microwave door handles and controls, bathroom surfaces, kitchen countertops, sink faucet handles and knobs, tabletops, etc. Also consider wiping down purses, backpacks and other items that you frequently carry and set down in a variety of places.
8. Stop shaking hands and avoid touching other people. Again, this can be hard as these are such socially-ingrained greetings and human habits. For the time being, we need to avoid these gestures to protect our loved ones and the general public.

Contact Your Northern Virginia Home Care Experts for Help

Our skilled nurses, therapists and caregivers from At Home Personal Care continue to provide essential services for families throughout Northern Virginia. We are following all recommended medical hygiene guidelines in order to keep our neighbors and patients safe and healthy while we get through this COVID-19 crisis together. Don’t hesitate to contact us today: (703) 330-2323.