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In-Home Care a Safe option for the elderly with disabilities during COVID

· 7 min read
In-Home Care A Safe Option for the Elderly with Disabilities During COVID19

Facing the Challenges of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is sweeping around the world, wreaking havoc everywhere it goes. Local and national news stories and accounts paint a picture of a world permanently altered by COVID-19. Your own personal experience may also reflect these sweeping changes. You or a loved one may have been infected by the virus, you may be experiencing job instability or loss, or you may be attempting to homeschool small children while also working from home; whatever your circumstances, COVID-19 has had an effect.

Every activity—shopping, dining, learning, working, playing—has been touched by coronavirus. In-home healthcare is no exception. Home health care providers have instituted new, advanced protocols based on the most up-to-date information about the virus to keep their patients and providers safe. Now, more than ever, home is the safest place.

The Need for In-home Care Has Never Been Greater

Some things haven’t changed with COVID-19. The elderly are still elderly. The disabled are still disabled. The infirm are still infirm. The basic, daily, around-the-clock needs of these patients have not changed. What has changed is that these already challenged individuals now have a greater risk of developing serious complications if they become infected with COVD-19. In-home care for these high-risk patients is more critical than ever for one major reason: home health care significantly limits exposure to the virus.

While you might initially balk at the thought of a caregiver entering your home at this time to regularly provide personal, close-contact care for a loved one, take a moment to carefully reconsider. There are two truths here that are important to remember:

  1. Healthcare needs do not change because of a pandemic. The need for assistance with personal issues such as bathing, grooming, dressing, and toileting will not go away because of COVID-19. Help with light housekeeping, meal preparation, and marketing is still necessary. Companionship and socialization remain essential to maintaining emotional health. Someone will need to assist your loved one with these and other similar needs, even while the pandemic rages.
  2. In-home health care providers are carefully trained on the most up-to-date safety protocols for reducing the risk of transmitting the virus. They are more careful than even you are about keeping clean and staying safe when entering any home.

Home health care providers offer essential care with careful attention to the latest health and safety practices and procedures. Today, no place is safer than home, and no one provides safer care than a trained in-home caregiver.

Providing Essential Care

The basic health care needs of at-risk populations continue to merit careful attention. The caregivers from 24 Hour Home Care provide assistance with the following:

  • Personal care. Bathing, grooming, dressing, and toileting are challenging for many patients. Careful attention to hygiene contributes to good health, and assistance with these physical tasks keeps patients safe from slips and falls that might lead to ER trips and possibly hospitalizations.
  • Light housekeeping and sanitizing around the home. Clean homes are healthy homes. Our caregivers assist with cleaning tasks that may be too physically demanding for patients to safely manage. Our caregivers are also trained in cleaning and sanitizing in the presence of viruses like COVID-19.
  • Picking up groceries and medication. When our caregivers go out on these errands, your loved ones can stay home. We can help keep the pantries and medicine cabinets stocked and reduce the risk of exposure to the virus.
  • Meal preparation while following health and safety protocols. Our teams follow all guidelines provided by the CDC regarding safety and sanitization in the kitchen. We even provide no-contact food delivery.
  • Companionship and socialization. We’re all feeling the loss of companionship and social activity while complying with stay-at-home orders. Remember, the elderly, inform, and disabled live lives perpetually at home, often alone. The need for companionship is real. Regular visits from caregivers provide socialization essential for maintaining a sense of well-being.

In addition to recognizing the value of this essential care, it’s also important to note that in-home care offers additional benefits as well, including the following:

  • Patients receiving home care avoid the health risks associated with large populations present in assisted living facilities or rehabilitation facilities. Assistance with medication, physical therapy, and meeting other essential needs makes it possible for patients to be home rather than in large group facilities.
  • Patients receiving regular in-home care may avoid trips to the ER, where they risk exposure to COVID-19. A whopping 18% of Medicare patients discharged from the hospital return within 39 days. In-home care provides elderly patients with the support they need to recover and stay home.
  • In-home care doesn’t just benefit the patient; it also benefits the family. Respite care provides family caregivers with a much-needed respite. Homeschooling, working from home, and the additional burdens created by COVID-19 make the need for respite care even greater. Designing a plan with regularly scheduled respite care will give you time to catch your breath, recharge your batteries, and attend to your other responsibilities.

Providing Safe Care

24 Hour Home Care provides safe care for patients with disabilities, elderly patients, and any other patients requiring temporary or long-term care. We follow all health and safety protocols proscribed by local, state, and national health departments. In addition, our providers are taking the following preventive measures:

  • Hand washing and use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Refraining from coming to work if respiratory symptoms like fever and cough are present.
  • Disclosing all 2020 international travel and self-quarantining for 14 days upon returning home.
  • Requiring a doctor’s note before returning to work for any employees who have traveled and experienced respiratory symptoms.
  • Sanitizing high-volume points of contact such as door handles, keyboards, faucets, etc.
  • Reiterating regularly all recommendations for health and safety to ensure all employees are well-versed and compliant with best practices.

Home Is the Safest Place

Home truly is the safest place. The need for consistent, professional, compassionate care at home has never been greater. The providers at 24 Hour Home Care are here to provide much-needed care in the safest manner possible. Get your loved ones the essential care they need today from professionals carefully trained to them safe and healthy.

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