March 24, 2020: Keeping the Elderly and At-Risk Safe
During these difficult and confusing times, it’s important that we all rally together to help one another. This week, we’re releasing daily blog posts with ideas for how your clinic can help the people in your community.
While Covid-19 has been rather unpredictable, one thing we know is that it hits certain communities much harder than others. The elderly, disabled, and immunocompromised are at an extremely high risk of contracting the virus and becoming severely ill. An article in "The Washington Post" says the CDC recommends people older than 80 and those with major underlying illnesses should be extra cautious at this time. Underlying conditions that put someone at greater risk include heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, and asthma. Cautions these people should take include social distancing and self-isolation.
Helping the At-Risk
People in the high-risk categories need our help now. The best way you can help them is by keeping your distance. In a healthcare-centered field, you have likely been on the front lines of this virus, which means your exposure to it is probably higher than many. Stat News lists some things you can do from afar to help the high-risk people in your community:
- Contact long-term care facilities and find out how they’re handling the crisis.
- Stay connected! People in high-risk categories are having to live in extreme isolation, and are likely feeling very lonely. You can organize phone calls for the elderly or video chats with the immunocompromised.
- Send groceries so they don’t have to leave their house to get the essentials. Grocery delivery services are available in most large and medium-sized cities. If you are in a more rural area, try to set up a network of healthy people who can deliver items to those who can’t leave their homes.
- Encourage those in isolation to stay active. You can set up video calls where you work out together or forward along links to videos they can do on their own time. For those who are in the high-risk category, staying as healthy as possible is very important.
- If you’re able, send a healthy person in to help the high-risk with technology. They can show the elderly how to use FaceTime or Skype to make video calls to their family. They can also help them set up streaming services or locate some of the many online services available to keep people entertained during quarantines (many national parks and museums are offering virtual tours to encourage people to stay at home).
- Impress upon people in the higher risk categories the importance of staying home. This virus has a very long incubation period, meaning some people are contagious for up to 14 days before they begin to experience symptoms (some are even asymptomatic the entire time they have the virus). With testing unavailable or difficult to get to in most parts of the country, it’s safer to stay indoors and maintain good hygiene habits.
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