My 88-year-old mother has a difficult personality, and we have been through many, many caregivers during the three years she has received care at home. She is now finally tolerant of her present staff of caregivers, but some of these caregivers also work in nursing homes. I realize that the caregivers who work in nursing homes are more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus, since the elderly population they care for is more at risk of contracting it. Is it wiser to let the nursing home caregivers go, or to allow them to stay on given my mother's tolerance of them? Without my even raising the subject, the caregivers who also work in nursing homes have assured me that they will take precautions to prevent contracting the virus (hand sanitizing, repeatedly monitoring temperature, etc.). I appreciate their pro-active stance, but I feel I must do what is correct to protect my Mom. Does anyone have a similar situation, or have an opinion on this matter? Many, many thanks!
Your mom is 88. You have blessed her with the very best you could during the three years in which you’ve been responsible for her care.
The management techniques for contagion control in our residential care sites are likely to be among the highest our country has ever seen, especially since the elderly have been identified as a population that is particularly vulnerable to this disease.
Given the information you have, ie. the choice between dismissing a staff that was difficult for you to acquire or taking into account the quality of contagion control in the employment sites where your aides work when they are not with your mother, you are pretty much balanced in making either choice.
I’d probably choose to keep the aides you have, and feel comfortable doing so, since your mom could have some risk of exposure with either choice.
You’re a good daughter. Have confidence that you’ll make the best decision you can.
I wouldn't count on that. There's only so much they can do. Unless they wear a different tyvek suit or change clothes between each patient after every single interaction, then they are spreading the virus. The can wash their hands raw. The microdroplets will be on their clothes. When they go to change someone or lift someone, those microdroplets will be transferred to the patient or their bedding.
You can bet that the NH in Kirkland is doing all that it can with the scrutiny it's getting. Yet the infection ran like wildfire throughout that facility.
What do the caregivers who do not also work in nursing homes do when they are not on duty with your mother?
It is your decision, of course, and unfortunately a very difficult one in the absence of guarantees. But do beware unintended consequences.
Supposing you let them go, the disruption upsets your mother, your mother's behaviour becomes more challenging, and both that and the increased workload lead to your losing the remaining caregivers too (healthy ones are not going to be short of job opportunities if they want them)?
I think you might do better to set aside a washroom for them to use on arrival, if possible, and keep it well-stocked and clean.
but, I wonder what your plan is for when a lock down prevents anyone from leaving their home. Voluntary at first. Maybe you might consider a live-in for a short while till this passes. The risks are exposure while you are out, then bringing it in. It is nearly impossible to "screen" because before you have any symptoms...you are infectious.
I would think that professionals who work in a nursing home are very vigilant about maintaining proper hygiene to stem the spread of illness - don't forget, these are people who deal with flu outbreaks every year!! - since they 1) don't want to spread any illness to the people in their care and 2) they don't want to bring home any illnesses to their own families.
That being said, you have to do what you feel is best for your mom's overall health. But I don't know, if at this stage of the virus, that non-nursing home employed people are at less risk to carry/spread the illness than those working in a nursing home. If it were my mom, I would likely stay with the help I've already hired, since she knows them, likes them (as much as she is able) and I know they're reliable, trustworthy people.
Again, make the decision that you can best live with. Unfortunately, as so many people have stated in the forum before today, many times care-taking involves not either a good/bad option, but the "best of 2 bad" options.
I'm in Europe, in Italy.
2 weeks ago we weren't in a lockdown yet. I didn't sleep for a couple of nights about this decision. I really didn't know what to do, the helpers are payed per hour and I felt terrible leaving them without a job in a difficult moment for everybody. I also didn't feel the strenght to do everything by myself, from cooking, to therapies, to cleaning, foodshopping etc. I talked with a friend and she told me to write down a list with all the pros and cons.
My pros of them keeping coming were essentially about less stress for me, and a help for them in a difficult economical moment.
My cons were the risk of me or my mom dying.
The list made me decide instantly. I put all of them in payed holiday leave for 2 weeks and cancelled all appointments. Today, with our present situation, I can tell you that I feel very, very happy about my decision. We are in a lockdown now, so they wouldn't be able to come anyway, but I did my part, and I know my mom hasn't been in contact with anyone for 2 weeks already and this makes me sleep at night.
This is just my experience of course, perhaps your list will be different, but it was a very good tool for me.
Everything will be alright. :)
Warm wishes
I have been watching the news & the only positive thing has been watching the Italians singing from the balconies. The community spirit was so touching & reminded many people what is important.
Wishing you & your Mother safety though this time.
Althout our caregivers wash hands upon entry, change their clothes and shoes, bio-contamination is risky
As many as 20,000+ Coronavirus can rest on the head of a pin. As shown in the redult of a recent NIH/Princeton/UCal study released only last week the virus remains virulent for hours and sometimes days on various surfaces. On paper and cardboard for about 24 hours, and in plastic, stainless steel etc. for days.
Those who work at nursing homes and medical clinics are the greatest risk. The aides can bring the virus in your home on their face, hair, and back of hands.
Just make sure they all wash their hands with soap and water for 29 seconds the second the walk thru the door.
They are coming to work in clean uniforms, right?
Does their work involve touching your mother's face?
In my opinion, you are better off making sure everyone washes their hands when they come to your mother's house. Washing your hands and not touching your face are the best ways to prevent getting sick.
Your mother is a "difficult personality" and I would not risk upsetting her when she finally is content with her caregivers.
My FIL has his 95th birthday on Saturday. He cannot have visitors. I was planning to get a cake from a local bakery and drop it off for everyone to share. The facility was agreeable to that but now I think we will not do that either as I would be concerned possibly about contamination on the surface of the box. That is something I can control so I think we won't send anything over there. I think you have to do what you can do and make peace with what might happen if something happens. This is uncharted territory.
My main reasoning was in the event that we are all quarantined the only ones that will have access to the highways and be able to get to my mom are the caregivers.
So for example if we are all quarantined none of my family would be able to get to my mom only the caregivers would be able to be on the roads giving care.
The agency confirmed that they would be able to supply her with groceries medicine and anything else she may need.
The only restriction they have at this time is that they are not taking them out of their home.
Our agency has confirmed that they are taking every precaution every measure possible with her please.
They are all badged and able to perform care even if we are all quarantined.
rachel