How to care for your senior family members
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People ages 60 and older are more vulnerable to the coronavirus, and it’s essential that we work to make sure they’re taken care of during this time. Are you taking care of a senior family member? Here are some things you can do to help them during this time:
Set up appointments with their physician if they’re experiencing symptoms.
Keeping their primary care physician up to date on their health is extremely important. Their physician knows and has access to their medical history and a list of prescriptions, so it’s easy to provide them with personalized care. The physician can also help diagnose any symptoms and see if there are any next steps you’ll need to take.
If you need to set your senior family member with an appointment – whether to diagnose symptoms, for a medication refill, to speak with a counselor or more – schedule an appointment! If you schedule a telehealth appointment, you can speak with a Village Health Partners physician from the comfort of your home, and this can be done with a video-capable phone or computer. The last thing your senior family members need to worry about right now is finding a doctor who accepts Medicare, and currently, we are accepting both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.
Stay indoors.
If the people you are taking care of don’t live with you, encourage them to stay indoors! Help them out by going to the grocery store and pharmacy and picking up essentials for them so they don’t have to risk exposure.
If the people you’re caring for do live with you, you should also limit the time you spend outside of your home, so you limit your exposure as well. Continue to get groceries, medications and other essentials for your family members if you can.
Follow all guidelines for stopping the spread.
Social distancing, hand washing for 20 seconds and not touching your face are the most important things you can do to stop the spread of the virus. We know you’re hearing this from everyone right now, but it’s still important that you follow these rules, especially if you’re caring for high-risk family members.
Help your neighbors.
While you may not be a direct caretaker for your neighbors, reach out to them (safely) to see if they need help! Picking up groceries for your neighbor when you’re already at the store can help them not only feel safer but also lessen their risk of exposure.
Feeling under the weather? Need a refill on medications? Click here to schedule a telehealth visit with one of our caring and compassionate physicians!