Best Practices for Care Providers to Ensure Minimal Contact During COVID-19

Caring for individuals at home or in Retirement Communities and Independent Living

Take care of your own health first.

As a caretaker, patients depend on you and if you become infected, you can no longer take care of your patients. Not to mention, this may add stress to your co-workers who will now experience an increased workload.

Protect your personal health by:

• Washing your hands often and for 20 seconds
• Avoiding close contact with other people when possible
• Wearing a mask or other facial protection in public, when providing care, and when close contact is required
• Frequently disinfecting commonly touched areas both at home and at work

Limit events that require close contact.

Eliminating close contact with other people is the most significant way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This is extremely important for the elderly population and those living in Independent Living and Retirement Communities, as this population is at high risk for health complications due to COVID-19. Try holding staff meetings remotely using video chat and planning virtual group activities for your patients through technologies like Zoom or GoToMeeting. This could be something new and exciting for patients and residents to experience. You may also consider offering additional independent activities that can be enjoyed in a safe environment.

Ensure that the people you care for are using the correct products.

Whether they need products for incontinence, sleeping soundly, or staying comfortable throughout the day, the correct products will extend the time between points of direct contact with patients.

If you care for someone who is incontinent, make sure:

They are wearing the right product.

Different products are meant for different levels of incontinence, as well as different situations (i.e. daytime vs. overnight). Superabsorbent products, like Tranquility, will ensure that the wearer is comfortable and protected for hours, maximizing the amount of time between changes. This will reduce the number of times you are in direct contact with them, further reducing the spread of the virus.

The product is the correct size.

The wrong size product will result in poor product performance. This can lead to leaks, more changes and discomfort. Furthermore, incorrect size will require additional close contact with the patient in your care. Make sure that you are correctly measuring your patient according to the size chart of the product you are using. Products that fit correctly can solve many problems before they happen. Click here for tips from Tranquility on how to correctly measure your patients.

Additional Tips

Along with the above best practices, the CDC is full of resources to help ensure that you stay as safe as possible during this time. Below are some great articles to check out for additional tips on staying safe and healthy during the time of the coronavirus. Click on the links below to read further.

Coronavirus CDC Home Page

Retirement Communities and Independent Living

People Who Need to Take Extra Precautions

Managing Incontinence During COVID-19