Safety Guide For The Seniors During The Coronavirus Pandemic In Houston
How care providers can utilize technology to help seniors minimize visiting the doctor’s office in this pandemic.
Plan To Stay At Home
The most effective strategy for older people who are in need of care support is to stay at home, the same measure that is being used for the whole population in some of the hardest-hit areas across the country. They need to keep away from places where people congregate, even health care institutions whenever possible.
The elderly can develop acute symptoms that are not associated with COVID-19 and will benefit from caregiver intervention to minimize the need for visiting health care providers to treat these complications.
Family caregivers have been advised to take extra measures to maintain social distancing, not only for their own safety but also to protect the vulnerable individuals they are taking care of. To be certain, a lot of people are already taking such measures. But as the virus continues to spread, this is the high time that those who are yet to utilize technology to interact with pharmacies, grocery stores, banks, and health care providers, start doing so.
Arrange For Deliveries
An initial step should be to arrange for mail order delivery of medications for the elderly, perhaps a three-month supply of all chronic medications. This also means making arrangements for home delivery of over-the-counter drugstore supplies and groceries, without forgetting to include any required nutritional supplements and disposable undergarments.
Considering that, at the moment, it is quite hard to come by grocery delivery slots, you might have to make prior arrangements and try numerous stores’ options. In case the caregivers are handling finances on behalf of the older adult, setting up automatic bill paying off credit card charges in addition to electric, gas, and telephone services may help to ease up the burden laid upon the caregivers.
Collect Simple Medical Data
To avoid having to visit the physician’s office or the ER, care providers should consider using simple medical technology including a digital thermometer, a home blood pressure cuff, a digital step-on scale, and a pulse oximeter (to measure the level of oxygen in the blood).
When caregivers learn to utilize these devices, they will be able to gather crucial data that they can send to primary care physicians, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners who, in turn, will be in a better position to provide medical advice or prescribe treatment online or over the phone. This information can promote telemedicine visits, when available, and provide an alternative to the many senior Americans that don’t have access to video technology.
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