The recent coronavirus outbreak has been affecting people all over the globe. In the UK, the number of cases is still growing on a day to day basis. If you are experiencing symptoms, contact your GP by phone. If you need a carer or know someone who needs support being looked after, search for carers here.
The coronavirus is a flu-like virus which affects the lungs. The symptoms of coronavirus start with a fever, which is followed by a dry cough. This can then lead to breathing difficulties. One of the other common symptoms includes shortness of breath.
The symptoms of coronavirus usually start to show within 5 days of contracting the virus. Some people who may have the virus may even start experiencing symptoms later on. The latest government advice says that people with a high fever or those who are coughing should self-isolate for 7 days at home.
The ones who are most affected by the coronavirus are the elderly and people with underlying health conditions. At this time, if you find yourself in any of those categories, you may be thinking about how best to protect yourself or any other vulnerable loved ones. In this article, we will explain what you can do in order to keep yourself or your loved ones safe during the coronavirus outbreak and what measures you and the carer can take.
If you have an eldelry family member, the best thing to do in order to protect the ones most vulnerable in your life, your elderly parents or grandparents, is to practice social isolation. When you are outside, at work or in public transport, you may be contracting viruses which you do not want to pass on to your elderly loved ones. If you are experiencing symptoms, simply self-isolate at home. If your job position allows you, work for home.
While you may not know you have contracted a virus - you may be asymptomatic - your elderly family will be more vulnerable to such threats and will get ill easier. In order to limit their exposure to this novel virus, you should avoid home visits. Try to schedule video calls instead and keep in touch with them daily by telephone.
More than this, aim to follow the NHS health advice:
Even if you will stop visiting your elderly loved ones, keep in contact daily. It’s essential that you are aware of their daily life and any health updates.
Especially if you are within a vulnerable age group, you need to follow the same health advice as everybody else, such as washing your hands often and not touching your face. Furthermore, you need to:
If you are showing any symptoms which may be linked to the coronavirus, then you must notify your family immediately. The next step is speaking to the family GP over the phone. Do not go to see your GP in person, nor go to the A&E department. Instead, visit the NHS website for further information.
If you have carers which come into your home to look after you and support your daily life, you should aim to inform them of every measure they need to take in order to keep themselves safe and yourself too. If you are hiring through an agency, such as Guardian Carers, make sure the agency is keeping their carers informed with coronavirus health advice.
Here is what you can do to protect both yourself and your carer:
Guardian Carers believes in the safety, security and protection of both our clients and our carers. Our carers have been informed of the coronavirus precautionary measures they should take to protect themselves and the ones they are caring for.
If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms, visit 111.nhs.uk.
Give us a call. We are ready to help. We believe we can find your perfect carer.