Presbyterian | Your Story | Centennial Care | Summer 2020

www.phs.org/centennialcare 3 needs to go to the hospital. Most people can be cared for at home. If you find yourself taking on the role of caregiver for a loved one at home, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following advice for helping them get better while avoiding getting the coronavirus yourself. Provide support ● Help your loved one follow their doctor’s orders for care and medicine. ● If they have a fever, try to lower it with over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen. ● Make sure your loved one rests and drinks a lot of fluids. ● Go grocery shopping, fill prescriptions, and get other things they may need. ● Take care of their pets. Limit contact between your loved one and their pets. Protect yourself from illness ● Keep in mind that the coronavirus spreads through droplets created when someone talks, coughs, or sneezes. Try to stay at least 6 feet away from your loved one at all times. ● Set up a separate sickroom for the person. It’s also best if they have their own separate bathroom, if possible. ● If you have to share space, make sure the room has good airflow. Open a window and turn on a fan to help remove respiratory droplets from the air. ● Avoid sharing dishes, utensils, towels, bedding, or electronics (such as a phone) with your loved one. ● Dedicate a lined trash can for the person who’s sick. ● Ask them to wear a cloth face mask when you are around. You should wear a cloth face mask yourself when in their presence. ● Wash your hands often. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Frequently clean and disinfect highly used surfaces, including doorknobs and light switches. ● Ask the sick person to clean and disinfect their sickroom and bathroom, if they can. Monitor your loved one’s health ● Be sure you have the phone number of your loved one’s doctor available. ● Call their doctor if they continue to get sicker. ● Watch for emergency warning signs, such as trouble breathing, pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to stay awake, and bluish lips or face. ● If an emergency arises, call 911 and let the dispatcher know your loved one has COVID-19. How to care for someone with COVID-19 Not everyone who gets sick with COVID-19 Keep an eye on your own health ● Watch for COVID-19 symptoms like fever, cough, and shortness of breath. ● If you are having trouble breathing, call your doctor or the emergency department. Tell them your symptoms, and let them know you’ve been caring for someone with COVID-19.