Senior Matters - Home Health Care With Coronavirus Precautions

How is Home Health Care for seniors holding up in the Coronavirus crisis?

The tri-state area are dependent on home health care.

It has always been a necessity, but under today's stressful conditions, it's frequently life-saving.

What about those trained care givers?

What are they doing differently?

News 12's bill mitchell has tonight's senior matters.

More than 100 trained workers from amara home care fan-out across the tri-state regional every day...providing critical services to seniors in their homes.

It's one of several companies offering that service.

They have always been concerned with spotting illness...but today they begin asking for lots more.

Dan spriggs, director , amara home care "the issue that we're dealing with now...weare requiring our people to, upon entering the home , to sanitize their hands...first things as the first thing they do.

..cause some homes we are in for several hours...we require a minimum of washing their hands on an hourly basis."

The home care providers begin by asking about health issues that may be similar to the caronavirus..broschitis, other flus...pneumonia.

And they take the patients temperature first, before doing an evaluation.

By now, most people know that a key to diagnosing the caronavirus is running a fever.

The caregiver also brings along a package of things the patient can use..nd the helper can use.

.

Marybeth smith, community liasion "in the bag is a bottle of soap..we are encouraging them to wash their hands once every hour at least..there are some extra gloves, hand washing to instructions in here...we've also included a copy of the lord's prayer, which after it's recited ..during the reciting part of that ...20 seconds which meets the healthcare requirements for hand sanitation."

- seniors need to know that in the daily rush to get endangered citizens protected and served...there are organizations like amara that are still their provided daily help.

Spriggs "we do anything from bathing, light housekeeping, medication reminders and companionship."

Services some families can't always provide.

For senior matters in chattanooga, bill mitchell news 12 now.

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