In these times of uncertainty in the midst of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, your health and safety are of utmost importance to Safe at Home Healthcare. Rest assured that we go to the furthest extent possible to carry out a policy to keep you safe and follow best practices of the CDC and local authorities.
In other words, we will first of all ensure that our caregivers are trained in minimizing your exposure to the coronavirus virus, and that they themselves take precautions to ensure they are free from all infection.
Here are the policies for caregivers which we at Safe at Home Healthcare carry out:
- As a standard practice, we have an infection control plan in place. We will update it as the situation changes.
- Caregivers must stay home if they are sick.
- If a caregiver is sick, we will remove them from the schedule and work diligently to find a healthy replacement.
During their stay with clients, caregivers will:
- Wash their hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with clients or others who are sick.
- Cover mouths and noses with tissue if coughing or sneezing.
- Clean and disinfecting objects and surfaces.
- Cover mouths and noses with tissue if coughing or sneezing.
- Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.
- Alert our office if clients exhibit symptoms and respond accordingly by taking infection prevention measures and notifying our office of their findings.
- If a client is ill with a fever or has respiratory symptoms, the caregiver will encourage the client to see a physician for further evaluation and consider wearing a mask.
As of this writing, the CDC does not recommend that home-based caregivers wear masks or respirators if clients who do not have symptoms. But given this is an emerging issue we will adjust our policy if needed.
Caregiver Health
If one of our caregivers or staff members becomes ill and is suspected to have the coronavirus or is diagnosed with coronavirus, we will follow the protocols established by national and local agencies to report the illness and notify those who may have met that person.
Our Ability to Provide Ongoing Care
We will make every effort possible to provide our clients with care and avoid canceling shifts. However, we cannot guarantee this will not occur given the uncertainties about this situation. Depending on the severity of the spread of illness in communities or the response taken by national and state authorities (ex. mandatory isolation), our staffing levels may be affected. As a result, we may not be able to cover all shifts.
Alternative Arrangements
In case the viral outbreak gets worse, we strongly recommend that our clients make alternative arrangements for the provisions of care in the event we are unable to provide services. We encourage you to begin planning and putting into place backup plans now, as the severity of the spread of this illness and planned interventions is still uncertain.
Our Greatest Priority
This information has been shared with our clients and their families.
The safety and well being of our clients, caregivers and staff are our greatest priority, now and always. We will keep you updated if there are changes to our policies and protocol and we invite you to reach out to us with any specific questions.
CDC Resources
Checklist to Get Ready at Home for a Covid-19 Outbreak
Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus Disease in Homes and Residential Communities
