There is a lot of news about the elderly and the risk of contracting COVID-19. For those older people living at home and receiving care services, many have asked the question “is it still safe to receive care at home?” The short answer to this is yes. There are many reasons why it is important to continue to receive home based services.
Maintain your independence
In some instances, the only other option for people living at home who choose to cancel private in-home care services may be a premature move to residential aged care. By continuing services you can be assured your usual staff are there to support you, check on you and to make sure you are coping in this rapidly changing time.
Having someone trusted and familiar to assist with tasks means that you have less to worry about.
Your team
By making sure that you retain essential services such as private in-home care you can be rest assured that your team of care staff stay with you.
People that know you well and that you trust are more likely to be able to identify if there are other supports you may benefit from. It is also important to have a friendly, familiar face in these uncertain times. We have all had to adapt to different ways of shopping, paying bills and getting jobs done as we adjust to a temporary lockdown in Melbourne.
Knowledgeable staff
The staff that attend to you should be well trained in good hygiene techniques such as hand washing, sanitizing and the use of protective equipment when needed.
A good question to ask is whether your private in-home care company has up to date policies and procedures and that staff can demonstrate they understand and comply with these policies and procedures.
Right now in Melbourne it is mandatory to wear masks. Your staff should be wearing masks and disposing of them properly.
Communication
You should be receiving regular communication from your private in-home care company. This could be in the form of visits, calls, emails or letters. It seems like there is new information every day and some of it can be very confusing. Ideally the information you receive needs to be in a format that suits you best and is easily understood.
By receiving the right information at the right time means that you are fully informed and you stay in control.
