Care is never easy and COVID-19 made it difficult

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Melia Wilkinson treats her husband, Kerry, who had a stroke in 2014.

Currently 57, he does not use his left hand, has limited use of his left leg, and uses a cane to walk around the house. Kelly can do a lot of things himself, Melia said, but she helps him in daily activities such as dressing and manages his medical care.

Care has always been difficult, but the era of COVID-19 is full of new worries.

“We have no one,” she said. “I’m worried if I get a COVID. No one can intervene.”

The couple and their teenage daughter live near Seattle in King County, Washington. It is a hotbed of the early US coronaviruses, and is far from relatives. Since the emergence of the virus, Melia has ceased her household chores, and due to her social distance, her small network of friends and former colleagues is out of reach.

According to Barry J. Jacobs, a clinical psychologist and healthcare consultant, the usual support system is limited. For a loved one who needs help at home, a longtime health aide may not be available right now. Or, the family may be torn between allowing outside aides to continue care, at risk of exposure to the coronavirus, taking over that care, or not closing the care gap. There is.

“I saw the whole family suffering from all of them,” Jacobs said. “These are very difficult choices.”

For loved ones living alone, their safety and ability to meet their individual needs is an important test.

“Do they look like eating? Are you sleeping? Are you taking their medication?” Said Deborah Dunn, national chairman of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association. “If the drugs mess up or you get a bruise on your lower back, you’ll have to make other choices.” These choices include moving someone to an elderly care facility or COVID- Includes moving to 19 if it occurs.

“There is no right answer here, and it’s often your responsibility to make the best of the bad choices,” said Jacobs, who writes about AARP care. “People shouldn’t be overwhelmed later for what ideally didn’t work. We need to accept that we are doing the best we can, with all our love. “

Caregivers also need to navigate radically changed healthcare systems.

Under his home order, Melia had to cancel six dozen scheduled medical appointments. She is worried about her husband’s access to medicines, including seizure medications that have recently been sold out at regular pharmacies. “He can’t spend a day without his regular medication,” she said.

In routine care, telemedicine bridges some gaps, said Dunn, professor and dean of the University of Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. However, the COVID-19 lockdown has moved much of the burden of detecting health problems and triage to families.

Dunn advises families to create easily accessible lists of their loved ones’ status, medications, providers, and pharmacies, and monitor consumables such as glucose test strips. “It’s that preparation plan you never need until you need it,” she said.

Caregivers should also be wary of COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, elderly people and people of all ages with potential health problems such as lung disease, serious heart disease, and diabetes should see their doctor as soon as symptoms of coronavirus develop. You need to see a doctor.

Dan recommends that caregivers make regular trips with cluster workers to follow the steps taken by hospital workers, in addition to the usual precautions, to prevent the virus from being brought into the home. When I get home, I change into the garage, drop my clothes in the washing machine and take a shower. Leave your shoes outside.

When taking care of COVID-19 patients at home, CDC provides extensive advice, including medications such as fluids, rest, and acetaminophen, if any. Avoid sharing personal items such as bathrooms and spaces. Disinfecting “high touch” items such as doorknobs and faucets.

COVID-19 can occur subtly, Dan said. Behavior changes, decreased appetite, cough, and increased confusion are symptoms that require medical attention. Also, for older patients, “You don’t have to wait for a fever of 101 degrees. Don’t worry if it’s 2 degrees higher than baseline.”

“The advice I give is to say everything I need to say in advance,” as Jacobs said, because when a caregiver takes a loved one to a hospital, visitors are usually excluded. “You enter the situation with a lot of fear, but I hope everything goes well.”

Due to the additional stress factors that the coronavirus brings, it is essential that caregivers also seek help. Whenever possible, Jakobs encourages friends and family to mobilize for food, medicines and other necessities.

“If you’ve ever been hesitant to ask for help, it’s time to set it aside. Every family needs to understand that this is a crisis, and we’re all In order to do more, we need to do more. “

Relatives can manage financial and other paperwork remotely. They can also work hard to get in touch. Studies show that social isolation and loneliness are physically and mentally unhealthy.

“Especially older adults tend to be depressed, lonely, and less capable of being better connected to the world,” Jacobs said. “It’s important that they realize they are thought and taken care-they are not alone.”

Editor’s Note: Due to the rapidly evolving events surrounding the coronavirus, the facts and advice presented in this story may have changed since its publication. Please visit Heart.org for the latest information. Check with your Center for Disease Control and Prevention and your local health authority for the latest guidance.

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