How Can You Reduce Your Elderly Loved One’s Risk of COVID-19?

The new coronavirus has spread throughout the world at an alarming rate, and many caregivers are wondering what steps they can take to protect their older loved ones. This unique virus is particularly devastating for the elderly because they often have compromised immune systems, and it can result in life-threatening medical complications. The virus also has a huge impact on respiratory health, and any health problem that affects the heart and lungs can be very dangerous for older adults. Here are a handful of steps you can take to reduce your loved one’s risk of contracting this virus. 

Practice Isolation

Most older adults will need to remain isolated for at least a few weeks. Even if your city or state hasn’t issued a stay-at-home order, the vast majority of medical experts agree seniors need to remain at home unless there’s an emergency. As soon as your loved one leaves the house, he or she could come into contact with germs that could weaken his or her immune system. The risk of contracting coronavirus is also higher whenever your parent comes into contact with strangers. 

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 home care services. Dallas Home Care Assistance provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives.

Thoroughly Clean the Home

Getting rid of every single germ in your loved one’s home will never be possible, but you should still spend time deep cleaning every room. This virus can last on most surfaces for multiple hours, which is one of the reasons it spreads from person to person so quickly. After you deep clean each room in your loved one’s home, continue to disinfect commonly used areas and objects at least once or twice a day, including faucets, door handles, toilet handles, drawers, tables, and counters.

Teach Proper Hygiene Habits

Hygiene is going to be particularly important in the coming months, and your loved one and other family members he or she comes into contact with might not know exactly what they should be doing. As a general rule, everyone in your parent’s home should be washing their hands multiple times a day with antibacterial soap and hot water. When washing up, they should scrub their hands for at least 20 seconds. Your family members also need to avoid touching their faces as much as possible and refrain from sharing any foods or beverages.

If your loved one needs help following healthy habits that boost his or her immune system, a home caregiver can be a wonderful source of support. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of elderly care. Dallas 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.

Consider In-Home Care

Your life could get quite stressful over the next few months, and caring for your loved one every day might take a toll on your mental health. If you think you’re going to need some assistance, consider working with an in-home caregiver. Sending your loved one to a senior care center or an assisted living facility could expose him or her to germs and potentially infected individuals. With an in-home caregiver, your loved one will receive one-on-one help without leaving the house. 

Families who find it difficult to care for their aging loved ones without assistance can benefit greatly from professional respite care. Dallas, TX, 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. To learn more about our reliable, compassionate in-home care services, contact us at [hca_phone] today.

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://homecareassistanceofdallas.com/covid-19-home-care/.