CDC advice for caring for the elderly during the coronavirus crisis

The CDC has issued guidelines for long-term care facilities to help keep seniors safe as the coronavirus hits — with the elderly the most at risk. The advice includes:

• Staying in your room if you have a fever or acute respiratory symptoms
• As for everyone, wash your hands for 20 seconds or more early and often
• Put alcohol-based hand sanitizer in every resident room
• Make sure tissues are available
• Identify dedicated employees to care for COVID-19 patients
• Provide infection control training for those staffers
• Make face masks, eye protection, gowns and gloves available immediately outside of sick person’s room
• Notify other facilities — including hospitals — prior to transferring a sick resident
• Report any possible COVID-19 illness in residents and employees to the local and state health departments
• Post signs at the entrance instructing visitors not to visit if they have symptoms
• Ensure sick leave policies allow employees to stay home if they have symptoms
• Assess residents symptoms of respiratory infection upon admission to the facility

The CDC has set up a website devoted to the virus at cdc.gov/covid19.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/38qAdrS