How to Ensure Your Grandparents Safety During The Covid-19 Pandemic

COVID-19, a word that no one knew before January 2020 and yet something that has affected the human population in a way in which we haven’t seen before. Social distancing and isolation within our home have become normal and our emphasis on hygiene is the highest it’s ever been, despite all this, we still worry about the safety of our loved ones, especially when it comes to our stubborn grandparents who insist that they can still get their shopping themselves.

So how can we ensure that they keep safe in a time of pandemic? 

Stay at Home

For some of us, this may be a difficult conversation to have with our grandparents who are still clinging on to the little bit of independence they have but it’s one that’s worth having. Staying at home is the single best way of preventing ourselves from catching COVID-19 and there’s no other way around it. Try and explain this to your grandparents in a way in which they will understand and not as though you are trying to prevent them from living their life. The elderly tend to not be so good with technology so they won’t have the interaction as the younger generations when stuck at home

Check up on them

Such a simple thing to do, but by making a phone call every day you can see if your grandparents are doing ok. This way you can also check to see if they think they have any symptoms and get the appropriate medical care. If your grandparents are in residential care, and you’re worried about their situation, then have a constant update regarding their preventive measures, their visiting schedules, or communication alternatives. As you see on this website, there are plenty of companies that are around to assist whilst following the correct procedures during COVID-19 that will help your grandparents with anything they need. Checking them up constantly will not only can you ensure their physical health but they might as well appreciate the unceasing concern. 

Shopping

This is a difficult one because we need to shop to be able to get food to survive, most of the time it seems like such a simple task popping to the corner shop to get some milk but this can have some serious ramifications. The best thing you can do for your grandparents in this situation is to offer your services to them, ask them if they need anything from the shop. Reduce their need to leave the house in any way you can and you’ll be protecting them in the best way you can. 

Wash Your Hands

Whilst it may seem too little too late for this as a precaution, it’s still of the utmost importance to prevent us from catching the disease or spreading it to the elderly, especially when they’re the most at risk. As it can live on some different surfaces for some time depending on the material, it’s worth washing your hands as soon as you can after being in contact with anything outside of your home, whether that’s picking up the post or taking the bins out, your priority is to get your hands clean straight away. 

Protective Equipment

When it comes to the elderly this should be the final port of call when talking protection. If your grandparents find themselves in a situation where they need to leave the house or there isn’t anyone that lives close enough to look after them, then they need to be wearing personal protection. This includes an effective mask to cover the mouth and nose, more than one pair of gloves, and it’s worth carrying some hand sanitizer. When we talk about having more than one pair of gloves when leaving the house, it might seem a little strange, as long as our hands are protected then it won’t matter until we get back in the house, right? Well, not as such. The idea is to stop us from touching things when out of a safe place. So, remind your grandparents to take multiple pairs of gloves with them so they always have a fresh pair. 

When it comes to family, nothing is more important than keeping your grandparents safe. After all, you wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for them! Keep checking in on them and if they do insist on going outside then make sure they are wearing the right equipment to keep them safe. 

The most important thing to remember is to stay at home. If we all do what is asked of us then we can beat the disease.