Novel Coronavirus (COVID – 19): Spread awareness – Take proper elder care and keep your loved ones safe

With a wave of panic washing the peace away from the shore of everybody's life, Coronavirus is a much-affected disease. Novel Coronavirus (COVID – 19), is seen to affect the senior citizens on a large scale globally. 

Spread from China with death of 3,292, USA stands the most-affected location with cases summing up to 85,612 and deaths of 1,301. Italy tops the number of deaths with a total of 8,215 and counting, India lags no behind. India too gets trapped in the grasp of coronavirus with 26 new cases added to the 753 cases already found along with 20 deaths as of 27.03.2020, 07:42 GMT. 

Senior citizens are being affected the most with this disease resulting in death. Recent news states – 

• March 12, 2020: An elderly couple aged 70 and 68 years was tested positive and stands the first couple of Mumbai 
• March 13, 2020: 76 years old man of Karnataka stands the first coronavirus death of the country

With such news, inevitably the responsibility gets passed on to you to take proper care of your aged parents and help them be free from Novel Coronavirus (COVID – 19). Given below are some of the key factors that you should keep in mind while planning for preventive measures to take proper elder care. 

How can senior citizens get infected with Novel Coronavirus (COVID – 19)? 

Coronavirus is known to be a highly contagious disease and can be easily spread by – 

• Coughing 
• Sneezing 
• Sitting next to the person infected with the virus 

You give entry to the virus while you touch your face with infected hands.

What are the possible symptoms for Novel Coronavirus (COVID – 19)? 

Coronavirus starts as normal flu with symptoms of – 

• Cough 
• Sneezing 
• Fever 
• Shortness of breath 

Gradually the patients suffer from acute respiratory problems confirming the presence of coronavirus.  

What are the preventive measures you can take to protect? 

The primary coronavirus prevention for elderly may include – 

• Don’t involve in gatherings – It is best that your aged parents do not participate in gatherings as with age the immune system weakens, making them prone to such diseases. 
• Frequent washing of hands – Make sure your parents practice washing their hands at regular intervals. It is advisable to wash hands for around 20 seconds to be germ-free. 
• Avoid touching your face – Touching your face can lead to the transmission of germs into your system. Hence, it is best to avoid touching the face with unclean hands. 
• Making use of alcohol-based sanitizer – In case you do not have soap around, keep a hand sanitizer handy. If needed avail nursing care at home services to help your aged parents sanitize at regular intervals. Also, make sure the sanitizer being used contains 60% of alcohol.    
• Staying at home – Social isolation is the best prevention at this time. Help your parents with eldercare at-home services to assist them with their daily chores. 

In addition, in case one is found affected, it is best to get them checked and quarantined to avoid the spread of the disease. Also, an infected patient is recommended to wear a mask to prevent spreading.

Summing it up – Some Do’s and Don’ts for Novel Coronavirus (COVID – 19) 

Following the above Do’s and Don’ts to keep yourself and your aged parents safe from this wave of coronavirus. Take proper elder care and maintain a proper diet and hydration. Also, make sure that your aged parents do not suffer from cough and cold and perhaps if they do, take medical help immediately.