Coronavirus has made your job as a family caregiver more important than ever before. Your senior loved one depends on you to educate him or her about the latest information regarding the virus. He or she also needs you to prevent exposure to people who might be ill. These five tips can help you get through this trying time.
1. Encourage Aging in Place
Your loved one’s health and personal care needs don’t change just because everyone is practicing social distancing. It might seem easier to move your loved one to an assisted living facility, but these types of environments increase the risk of catching the coronavirus because so many people are in close proximity. An alternative is to have your loved one age in place with the help of a professional caregiver, as this is a safer option and still provides your loved one with assistance that meets his or her daily needs.
2. Stock Up on Healthcare Supplies
By now, most people’s homes are fully stocked with toilet paper and facial tissue. However, your loved one may need to have extra stores of other kinds of supplies so he or she can avoid going out for several weeks. Pick up healthcare items such as incontinence supplies and diabetes testing materials so your loved one has what he or she needs to handle his or her health conditions. This is also a good time to stock up on prescription medications if you’re able to get more than one month’s supply at a time.
To keep your loved one from having to go out, a home caregiver can run errands for him or her, including shopping for groceries and picking up prescriptions. If your aging loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of senior home care. Home Care Assistance provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
3. Monitor Health Symptoms
Your loved one is more susceptible to germs when he or she isn’t feeling well. Help your loved one take care of his or her current chronic health conditions. This may require you to monitor your loved one’s symptoms more closely. For instance, feeling dizzy might be a sign that your loved one’s diabetes is out of control. If you notice new or unusual symptoms, report them to your loved one’s doctor. Many physicians are offering online visits for health issues that don’t require in-person meetings.
An in-home caregiver can closely monitor your loved one’s symptoms and remind him or her to take medications at the proper times. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of elder care. Anchorage families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
4. Ask Family Members to Make Virtual Visits
Some of your family members and friends may not understand the seriousness of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing. Ask your friends and family to respect the importance of helping seniors avoid coming into contact with the virus. You can offer them the option of setting up virtual visits and video chats instead. Your loved one will enjoy still being able to see everyone without putting his or her health at risk.
5. Have a Backup Plan
You’d never abandon your loved one during a time of need, but it might be necessary to self-quarantine if you begin to show symptoms of being sick. Talk to your loved one about options for alternative care. Knowing a professional caregiver is available to pick up where you leave off can give both you and your loved one a sense of security during this challenging time.
Families who find it difficult to care for their aging loved ones without assistance can benefit greatly from professional respite care. Anchorage, AK, family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving duties can turn to Home Care Assistance. Using our proprietary Balanced Care Method, our respite caregivers can encourage your loved one to eat well, exercise regularly, get plenty of mental and social stimulation, and focus on other lifestyle factors that promote longevity. Call us today at (907) 770-0907 to learn about our high-quality in-home care services.
With information surrounding coronavirus/COVID-19 changing by the hour, it’s challenging to stay updated on the most recent best practices for keeping seniors safe at home. At Home Care Assistance, we understand how critical it is for seniors and their caregivers to protect against coronavirus as much as possible. All our team members have received detailed communication on infection control protocols, including effective cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and hands. Our caregivers can pick up medications, groceries, and anything else a senior needs, minimizing their interaction with large groups of people. For more information on how Home Care Assistance helps protect clients, click here: https://www.homecareassistanceanchorage.com/covid-19-home-care/.