Since we first heard of the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, we have learned that it impacts elderly people differently than it does younger, healthier individuals. This is one of the reasons why governments all over the world encouraged elderly people to stay indoors, at all times, during the pandemic.
The risk of severe infection and symptoms increase with age, meaning that older individuals are at the highest risk of getting the Coronavirus, which is why you might be wondering – what can I do to protect the elderly individuals in my home? Well, there is a lot you can do, and the article below will shed some light on the entire topic, so without further ado, let’s take a look at what you can do:
1. Don’t Visit Your Elderly Family Members And Friends
One of the first things that you should definitely avoid doing is visiting your elderly family members and friends. This is especially true if you know that you have been in contact with someone that is already infected. Of course, you might feel completely fine and you could even be asymptomatic, however, this doesn’t mean that you cannot transmit the virus to someone else. Hence, you should restrict any gatherings and visits with your older relatives, parents, friends, or anyone else that is elderly.
2. Encourage Them to Stay Indoors
According to the CEO of Americare Companies that provide a wide range of services including elderly care and nursing homes, you must encourage elderly individuals to stay indoors. Naturally, this doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t take a stroll around the block every day, but, when it comes to going to the grocery store or hanging out with their neighbors, you should strongly discourage them to do that.
3. Sanitize Yourself if You Live With Elderly Family Members
If you live with your parents and/or grandparents, you must not go outside unless it is absolutely necessary and needed. And, when you do need to, let’s say, go to the grocery store, you should take care of yourself, which means that you must sanitize yourself when you come back home and if you did come into contact with someone that is infected, you should ensure that you wear a mask until you’re certain that you’re clear. Besides washing your hands, you must also change your clothes and take a shower as well.
4. Keep Their Immunity Up
As mentioned, Elly Kleinman provides elderly care services, which means that he understands the importance of keeping your elderly family members healthy. He recommends that you build up the immunity of the older people you live with or take care of with nutritional food, as well as a lot of fluids, vitamins, and supplements that they can take. Keep in mind, before giving them any vitamins and minerals, talk with their physicians. You can read more here on how to protect your parents from the Coronavirus.
5. Don’t Share Anything With Them
Although a lot of people don’t realize it, COVID-19 can be transmitted through different objects. This is one of the reasons why you might want to avoid sharing a wide range of objects with them, including things such as towels, sanitary items, plates, glasses, bottles, and so on. Of course, every family is all about sharing, however, it is recommended that you strongly avoid doing this during this particular pandemic.
6. Their Mental Well-Being is Important as Well
For more than a year now, elderly people have suffered the most, especially since they have spent more time quarantining themselves. This is why you must take care of their mental well-being. There is a wide range of things that you could do, including assembling puzzles, playing different games with them, or you could simply choose to drink coffee and tea with them every day – at a safe distance, of course.
7. Keep an Eye on Their Health
You need to ensure that you monitor their health on a daily basis. Even though they might not be infected, some of the symptoms connected to COVID-19 might appear because of how old they are. If you’re unsure about whether or not they have the infection, you should get them tested, no matter if they are really infected. Keep in mind, if they have contracted the virus, it’s better to know it as soon as possible so that you can protect yourself and provide them with adequate care.
8. Encourage Them to Wear Masks
Yes, every single person on this earth absolutely hates wearing face masks, however, it’s crucial in protecting yourself from the infection. Hence, you must encourage your parents and/or grandparents to wear face masks, even when they take a walk around the block. By doing so, you’ll help with lowering the possibility of them getting the Coronavirus, and more importantly, they’ll be protected at all times.
9. They Must Wash Their Hands Often
Elderly people can be quite stubborn, which is exactly why you must annoy them to wash their hands as much as they can, especially if they go outside or if they meet with people outside their home. Though they might even get angry at you, you’ll be doing them a favor, especially since washing your hands and face can prevent them to get infected. Hence, no matter how much they’re annoyed by you, make them wash their hands.
10. Sanitize Your House
Last on this list, but not less important is the fact that you need to sanitize your house as much as you can. This is especially true if you frequently go outside to work, school, or grocery shopping. So, whenever you go outside, you should first head to the bathroom to sanitize yourself when you get home, and after you’re done, sanitize the door as well as any other thing that you touched while heading to the bathroom.
Conclusion
Although we all strive to keep our parents, grandparents, and older friends safe from the Coronavirus, there is still a wide range of things that you could do to ensure that they remain healthy. And, if you follow some or all of the tips mentioned in the list above, you’ll be able to lower the chances of them getting infected.
So, now that you know what you can – and definitely should choose to do – you might not want to waste any more of your time. Instead, you should start browsing for different vitamins, minerals, and supplements that they can take every day, all of which will help them stay healthy.