4 Safety Tips for Seniors as Maryland Reopens
Communities around the country are beginning to rebound since COVID-19 ‘s initial outbreak, and many people are enjoying the ability to dine at a restaurant, get a haircut or visit with friends and relatives. While many are ready to resume living normally, it is necessary to understand the potential risks of COVID-19 and how to reduce the chance of spreading infection. For those at a higher risk of illness due to age or long-term health problems, it’s important to take action to reduce the risk of getting sick.
We have compiled some safety tips for seniors and caregivers to keep in mind during reopening:
Assess the Risk
Although it may sound frightening, it’s important to know that any activities you participate in outside your home will come with some degree of risk of COVID-19 infection. Although staying at home can be safer for seniors and their caregivers, it may not be sustainable in the long run. The trick to keeping healthy is knowing your risk factors, your community’s level of risk of COVID-19 infection, and your level of comfort. We recommend if your area is experiencing a high number of COVID-19 infections, hold off on resuming certain activities — such as visiting family, running unnecessary errands, or dining at a restaurant — for a few weeks, just to see how reopening goes. You may decide that it’s safest for you to continue staying home as much as possible.
Carefully Consider who you let in your Quarantine Bubble
As stay at home orders and restrictions have eased, inviting some of your friends and family members for a visit may be enticing. You should always be careful about who you let in your “quarantine bubble”. Before you gather with family or friends, consider who those people have been in contact with in the past few weeks. If you have each observed strict quarantine with your family or friend, the risk of COVID-19 exposure is low. But the more people your friend or family members have been exposed to, the higher the risk to you. A reassessment of the risks of COVID-19 exposure before each meeting is also important. At ThriveUSA, all of our caregivers are given masks, hand sanitizers and gloves as PPE. If loved ones are back at work and nervous about spreading the virus to loved ones we have the caregivers with appropriate PPE than can help relieve some of that stress.
Follow Saftey Rules at Both In and Out of the Home
When you want to expand your “quarantine bubble”, a set of safety rules should be created and enforced to shield yourself from coronavirus. We recommend outdoor meetings as this is the easiest way to maintain social distancing.
If you decide to allow visitors to enter your home, consider asking them to remove their shoes, wash their hands, social distance, and wear a face cover. After your guest leaves, you may also want to consider doing extra cleaning, such as wiping down bathroom fixtures, doorknobs, refrigerator handles, light switches, or other areas they may have touched.
Use Social Distancing Services
Continue to use the drive-thru, delivery, and virtual services as much as possible for important things such as grocery trips, medications, doctor’s visits, food deliveries, and keeping in contact while keeping social distance. Although you will also need to leave home from time to time, using these services will reduce your exposure to others and reduce the chance of catching coronavirus.
As our country copes with COVID-19 and the recovery process begins, older adults and their caregivers should continue to assess changing conditions and risk factors — and, if necessary, seek advice from a trusted health care provider — to determine which activities are safe.
If you’re interested in more information about how in-home care can help your elderly loved ones, contact your Thrive USA today at (301) 882-4717.