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Should I take my parent out of assisted living during COVID-19?

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Assisted living can be a wonderful way to ensure that loved ones get the care they need as they age.

Many assisted living and skilled nursing centers offer a robust level of care while also doing what they can to ensure that those who live there are able to retain some independence and live life as “normally” as possible.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered how assisted living facilities can operate. State and federal guidelines regarding the management of care centers have severely restricted visits with family members and even hampered how much residents can see and talk with each other within the facilities.

In fact, these restrictions have led many families to think about removing their mom or dad from long-term care to help ensure that loved ones aren’t isolated and lonely while they wait out the pandemic.

Is removing a loved one from assisted living during COVID-19 something you have been considering? Or maybe you’ve been thinking about placing mom or dad in assisted living, but during the pandemic you’re not certain it’s a good idea?

Here are a few questions you might want to ponder:

  • If you take a loved one out of long-term care, how will he or she receive the necessary care? Regular visits from an at-home care provider could be one way to ensure that your loved one’s daily needs are met during COVID-19. Or perhaps you will be providing the care yourself. Either way, you’ll want to have a plan in place before you decide to move mom or dad — and one that includes where your loved one will stay.
  • Are you worried about your loved one’s state of mind? Loneliness can have drastically negative consequences for older adults. If you fear that your loved one spends too much time alone due to COVID-19 restrictions, bringing them home — where kids and grandkids can pop by any time for a socially distanced visit — might be a good choice.
  • What are your long-term care facility’s policies? If your loved one is currently in assisted living, check to find out what policies and procedures are currently in place regarding visitation, infection prevention and other issues. This article from NextAvenue includes other great questions to ask a current or prospective long-term care facility.
  • Do you have a long-term lease set up? If you’re locked into an agreement of any kind, you’ll want to think about the potential costs of leaving early. You’ll also want to consider whether your loved one can be readmitted to the assisted living facility down the road.
  • What will you do when the pandemic is behind us? When COVID-19 has run its course, or when governments allow the return of some of the freedoms of yesteryear, will your loved one continue to live at home? Will you need to line up a long-term home or apply for admission to assisted living? Will you continue to make use of at-home care to provide for your loved one in the comfort of home?

The pandemic and its related lockdowns haven’t had nearly the effects on at-home care that they’ve had on assisted living centers. Here at Take My Hand At-Home Care in Lynden, we certainly are being cautious to avoid spreading COVID-19, but we’re generally able to continue as before, caring for people in their homes and helping them conduct essential duties throughout Whatcom County. Government restrictions on health care facility operations, on the other hand, have forced larger changes.

Are those changes big enough to cause you to consider caring for a parent or loved one at home? The choice is yours, and we hope this post has given you a few good considerations to ponder.

Related: What are the differences between communal living and at-home care?

How to visit loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic

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It’s natural to want to visit our elderly loved ones. We do love them, after all, and thus we want to spend time with them. Plus, we know that loneliness and social isolation are unhealthy for older adults, so we want to ensure our elderly moms and dads aren’t neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the disease does more strongly affect older adults. While the overall hospitalization rate for COVID-19 is quite low (121 people per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the rate is nearly triple for people 65 and older. Thus, we want to do what we can to ensure that our elderly loved ones aren’t affected.

In an era of physical distancing, mask wearing and constant sanitization, how can we spend time with loved ones while also helping to ensure their health and safety?

It’s possible to visit elderly loved ones here in Whatcom County, but it takes a little extra caution and care. Below are a few essential ways to show care for your mom or dad while visiting.

Remember that the virus can be spread by people without symptoms. Even if you feel perfectly fine, it’s possible that you’re infected with the novel coronavirus and thus can spread it to an elderly loved one. Think about where you’ve been recently and what interactions you might have had through which you could have picked up the virus. It’s probably best not to visit mom or dad if you’ve been all over the place out and about.

Wear a mask. Feel free to smile and wave without a mask from a safe distance away, but if you’re going to be having a conversation close to your loved one, it would be a good idea for both of you to mask up and play it safe. Person-to-person spread via respiratory droplets is thought to be the primary way that the virus spreads.

Meet outside. Given how the virus spreads, the likelihood of the virus spreading outdoors is much lower than it is inside, according to research. If you have the opportunity to visit on the porch, in the yard or in a public park, take it. The weather is beautiful in the Pacific Northwest this time of year, so it’s a great time to spend time outside chatting or playing a brain-boosting game with your loved ones.

Don’t stay too long. According to the CDC, the risk of spreading COVID-19 increases the more closely people interact with each other and the longer that interaction lasts. Planning what you want to talk about before you arrive at mom or dad’s house can be one good way to keep visits short. Breaking up visits over several days — a few minutes today, a few minutes tomorrow — can be another option (plus, spreading out your visits gives loved ones something to look forward to).

When visiting an elderly loved one in Lynden, Bellingham or elsewhere in Whatcom County, a few simple actions can help decrease the chances of spreading COVID-19.

Providing care to elders at home during COVID-19

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Dear clients, family members and loved ones,

During this time of distancing, we at Take My Hand At-Home Care wanted to let you know that you’re on our minds, even if we’re not able to see some of you in person right now.

We are still caring for our wonderful clients in their own homes, of course, and it’s to that end that we wanted to share important information about limiting the spread of COVID-19 in our vulnerable communities.

Everyone has a part to play in managing public health threats such as this one. Older populations are particularly at risk from this new coronavirus — and from many other viruses as well.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions such as heart, lung or kidney disease appear to be at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness.

That is why Take My Hand has outfitted all of our caregivers with gloves and masks to wear while they are providing care. We also are carefully monitoring staff for potential signs of illness and ensuring that those who are feeling sick are staying home.

When TMH representatives drop off supplies for clients and caregivers, we are leaving them at the door to minimize physical proximity.

Take My Hand caregivers continue to work as hard as possible to meet all client needs in light of the current healthcare crisis, which is affecting everyone not only here in Whatcom County but around the world.

We ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we fight the spread of this disease together. If you would like to help in other ways, too, we would appreciate donations of thermometers, gloves and masks. If you would like to make a donation, please reach out to us at 360-543-5777 or sue@takemyhandathome.com. Thank you so much!

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, here are some things you can do to connect with your loved ones even during times of physical isolation:

  • Conduct video chats. For those who are familiar with the technology, a face-to-face video chat via FaceTime, Hangouts or Facebook could be a wonderful way to stay connected. You could share a virtual meal, hold an online book club or play a game together. Think outside the box!
  • Make phone calls. Consider setting up a schedule in which various family members are assigned certain days or times to pick up the phone and call elderly loved ones. These moments can be precious personal times that everyone is able to look forward to.
  • Have packages delivered. During the current “stay at home” order in Washington state, online ordering is still an option. Consider having packages of gifts or home essentials delivered via Amazon or some other service.
  • Visit through the window. As long as you are observing social distancing guidelines, it’s still OK to go outside. Consider dropping by your loved one’s house and visiting through the window. Maybe tape a note or photo to the outside of a window for your loved one to read. Sing a treasured song or hymn, play a musical instrument, juggle… there are so many possibilities!

Thank you for trusting Take My Hand At-Home Care with your needs! It is an honor to serve you. We will get through this together if we all continue to do our part.

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Take My Hand At-Home Care is fully licensed, bonded and insured and has been locally owned and operated since 2012. It is currently owned by Matt … Read More...

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Phone: 360-543-5777
Fax: 360-255-7564
*If you need immediate assistance for a loved one please contact us by phone.