Steffanie Gaines, President
The current pandemic we’re experiencing has caused anxiety to penetrate our community at an unprecedented level. Life as we know it has been turned upside down, and the new “normal” we must adhere to comes with an unsettling effect. Still, essential businesses must continue to operate, and home health care is an essential business.
Our team at A Better Way in Home Care is taking the necessary precautions to comply with CDC guidelines and safeguard against the risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. We’ve been self-isolating outside of work hours and are sufficiently contained to feel comfortable with our interaction. We’re taking precautions to sanitize communal spaces on a regular basis. To minimize the risk of exposure, we’ve suspended in-person caregiver interviews at this time. Our business is being conducted through electronic communication.
We’ve been in continual communication with the caregivers, sharing up-to-date information in real time. The caregivers we refer are experienced professionals and are skilled with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and protocol when dealing with an infectious disease. We’re mindful to stay in touch with clients to see how they’re managing through the chaos, and to relay beneficial information, such as local supermarkets implementing special shopping hours for seniors that allow for a safer shopping environment.
While some clients have expressed concerns with caregivers coming into the home, I suspect the bigger challenge the industry will face in the days to come will be finding the appropriate caregiver to care for a patient in the home who has tested positive for the virus. There are components outside of the general consideration of caregiving that must be examined. For each caregiver, it’s a personal assessment as to whether to accept the position.
I’m encouraged by the support I’ve seen coming from the community. The sense that “we’re all in this together” is palpable, and neighbors, while sequestered in their homes, are taking time to check in with neighbors who are most vulnerable. One of our employees had car trouble while on the road recently. It was added stress on top of situational stress. A wonderful man stopped to assist her, making sure she was safe and offering her a ride to her nearby destination. Kindness is contagious.
We’ve been through many challenging times as a nation and have emerged stronger and more unified. The heightened crisis of this current pandemic will eventually subside, and our routines will begin to fall back in place. What we should carry forward is the sense of caring for others and knowing we must be prepared for any similar events that may arise in the future. Stay safe, stay healthy!
Return to The State of the Village.