All Services Home Health standard process is as follows: Through different communication routes, (mobile app, text messaging, email) a caregiver is asked: Are you sick, do you have a fever or cough, have you had close contact with an individual(s) diagnosed or under quarantine for COVID-19? If a caregiver answers “yes” to any of these questions, they are to contact the office immediately and are instructed to contact their physician or local health department for a consultation.

*Caregivers are also instructed to stay at home when sick and must report this to the office when they are feeling ill. Although this is standard policy on illness, it is even more important to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.

*Caregivers will be asked if they have a “return to work order” before being assigned back to shifts with clients.

Quality Assurance (QA) visits are an important part of the care we provide. During this time, QA visits normally scheduled for in person will take on a different look per Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recommendations. These will be conducted more frequently through the use of technology to support “social distancing” and protecting those receiving care. Adjustments to QA processes are assessed regularly and may adjust to be less restrictive as the pandemic resolved and in conjunction with recommendations from the DCD and other health experts. 

*Clients who are not feeling well or are showing any symptoms of COVID-19 will be instructed to contact their healthcare provider or local health department immediately. We will also work together to identify how continued care needs will be met.

Keeping areas in the home clean and safe has always been a priority for All Services Home Health. Additional cleaning protocols for all clients’ homes include: 

*Cleaning and wiping down surfaces big and small from countertops and tables to light switches and doorknobs

*Frequent and consistent hand washing while in the home, before coming to the home and after leaving the home

*Continued virtual training on infection control and prevention and housekeeping to all caregivers

The effects of isolation are felt by millions of people and those ages 65 and older are at increased risk for feelings of loneliness, especially at this time when visitors are restricted even in the home. With increasing “stay at home orders” that are happening all over the country, loneliness, helplessness and boredom are real problems seniors will face more than ever.

Here is what caregivers bring to their clients:

*Ideas to address the loneliness, helplessness and boredom that social distancing causes, by staying active in meaning and purposeful activities, such as philanthropy, spiritual or recreational (reading, yoga) activities (Click here to read blogs with more ideas.)

*Keeping people engaged in activities of daily living, such as participating in cooking and continuing with personal hygiene and grooming each day

*Continue person-directed care by empowering individuals to participate in decisions about things like ordering food and medicine online for delivery

*Facilitating connection with friends and family via virtual access