When a patient comes home from the hospital with covid-19 infection, it’s, important to care for them in a way that will help keep covid-19 from making you and other people sick. This video will give you important information on how to keep yourself and the patient safe.
These instructions come from the Centers of Disease Control. To help stop the spread of covid 19. The patient may be sick enough to spread covid-19 to other people. When you get home, when you’re, not providing care to the patient, be sure to keep to arm’s length or six feet between yourself and the patient.
There should be no visitors allowed in the home at any time, if possible. The patient should have their own bedroom and bathroom to use. If this is not possible, everyone in the home should wear a mask, including the patient, do not share personal items with the patient cell phones and tablets.
Dishes, towels sheets, pillows and blankets can all cause covid-19 to spread if they are shared, you and the patient should both wear a mask anytime. You’re near the patient, providing care wear gloves any time you touch the patient and then throw them away in a lined trash can wash your hands, often with soap and water.
Do this anytime, you have contact with the patient or the patient’s things. If soap and water is not possible, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 % alcohol cover all of your hands and rub them until they are dry all the way.
Remember it’s, important that you do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth it’s important! You clean that things. You touch a lot every day, use soap and water and a household disinfectant if the patient has their own bathroom and bedroom only clean those areas when it needs it.
If you are sharing these areas, the patient should clean and then disinfect after every use. Try not to be in the bathroom at the same time as the patient when doing the laundry wear gloves and use the hottest settings on the machines both for washing and for drying, shaking the laundry may send the virus into the air.
So do not snap your laundry or shake it out. The patient should have their own clothes, hamper separate from the rest of the household. Remember to clean and disinfect the clothes hamper too. When you take off your gloves and masks, put them in a lined trash can and be sure to use gloves when taking your trash out, the patient should have their own line trashcan to use separate from anyone else.
Finally, keep a close eye on your own health. During this time and watch for symptoms of covid-19, this can include fever, coughing, sneezing, sore throat or trouble breathing contact your provider right away.
If you have any of these symptoms, if you feel like you cannot breathe call 9-1-1, it’s important! You stay at home, even if you’re feeling. Well, while you care for the patient, it’s, also important that you stay at home for another 14 days after the last contact you have with the patient.
This will help to keep covid-19 from spreading in your community. Taking care of a sick patient at home can be challenging, remember to eat, well exercise and take good care of yourself. Parkland is here to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for doing your part to stop the covid-19 pandemic from spreading