Flights and cruises cancelled, international travel restricted, colleges and universities promoting distant learning, public schools closed, workers furloughed, or working from home. Sporting events, festivals, parades, concerts either cancelled or postponed indefinitely. This has been the situation for several months now in the United States, and indeed, in almost every part of the world.
- Currently, over 1.8 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the United States, with over 100,000 deaths.
- Senior citizens and the elderly are the most affected by the coronavirus.
- Homemaker services for the elderly have a huge role to play in the aftermath of flattening COVID-19.
- Mary’s Loving Care provides home health care for adults, seniors, and children.
But recent statistics from Worldometers show a possible flattening in infections. So, what’s next?
Why A Flatter Curve Is Better
A flattening in curve simply indicates a situation when the constant rise in the number of infections beginning to stabilize. It does not represent a decline in the number; neither does it represent an increase. However, it will require certain measures to ensure that there is no sudden rise.
- A concerted effort by everyone to follow all social distancing and protection protocols to help slow down the spread of the virus.
- Since a huge majority of those affected are the elderly, homemakers services for the elderly, have a huge role to play in ensuring the protection and health of the elderly.
- Frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, etc. must be given all the necessary protection to ensure they’re not infected. Once they become sick, they need to stay away from patients until they recover.
- International travel should remain restricted. Public schools and colleges should remain closed. Students should be encouraged to learn from home, with all the needed materials made available to them. Workers who do not need to be physically present at the office need to continue working from home. Large gatherings should continue to remain banned.
- In short, we need to continue with the aggressive response strategies, no matter how annoying, frustrating, inconvenient, and uncomfortable they are.
What’s Next? Can Covid-19 Be Completely Crushed?
Although we are beginning to witness a plateau in the number of infections and death, that in no way means that the work is done. We should continue with all aggressive measures to ensure that there is a decline in the numbers, and eventually, a complete wipe-out.
- The Role Of Healthcare Professionals: as mentioned earlier, our frontline workers should be given all the necessary protective equipment to put them in a better position to deliver the kind of healthcare we need. In connection with the quality of healthcare delivery needed, we should also ensure that there is a continuation of millions of diagnostic tests in the following weeks. This will help trace any pattern in the outbreak and how to strategize better.
- Speaking of strategy, people who are tested positive should continue to remain in quarantine. Only those very sick and need special attention should be hospitalized. This will reduce the burden on healthcare givers. Hotels can be used as quarantine centers for those who have been exposed to the virus but are only showing mild or no symptoms at all.
- The Role Of Specialized Senior Caregivers: As evidence shows that elderly people, as well as people with underlying illnesses, are at higher risk, specialized senior caregivers have a major role to play in preventing the spread of the virus among our elderly population. Personal care services are special services designed with the aim of helping senior citizens, children, as well as individuals in need of assistance in their everyday lives. The efforts of such special caregivers will help protect the most vulnerable in our societies.
Major Challenges
Every suggestion given in this article will work perfectly in a perfect world. But in an imperfect world, there are some major challenges worth paying attention to.
- Resting on our efforts: A plateau in the number of cases may tempt us to relax our response and preventive measures a bit. Doing so could possibly lead to a sudden increase in the number of infections and deaths.
- Some reports in China have suggested that there is a possibility of reinfection in people who have been cleared of the virus previously.
- It is also possible to have imported cases of the virus if the international borders are opened too soon.
If you know of any elderly person or child that needs special care and attention in Hackensack, N.J., why not contact Mary’s Loving Care. Our staff is dedicated to providing exceptional home care assistance with compassion and giving families of mind they deserve.
