02 April 2020

It’s important to "Do the right thing" when it comes to looking after older people. They are more vulnerable in this difficult time, so we all have to make sure they are safe. Here are five simple tips!

2:00 min

1 Explain the importance of #Istayathome

Staying at home right now means protecting yourself and others. Remind them that every exit from home is a “quarantine counter reset” for the next two weeks. Rather than heading over, do the online shopping for elderly family members and order their medications with home delivery. If you shop for them, leave the bags out side the door for them to pick up.

2 Call them at least twice a day

Practice kindness and offer moments of recreation! This means laugh together, go through pleasant moments and keep them up to date with about the family and what’s going on. It will help them not to feel lonely. Remind them of the numbers to call for emergencies in case you are temporarily unavailable. It will reassure them. Make sure to check in on a daily basis.

3 Remind them to be healthy and physically active

Ask them if they have  done any exercise. Even just a little cleaning or walking around the house can help. Also talk to them about  personal care and  healthy food.

 

4 Keep your guard up on safety measures!

If the elderly person has an assistant from outside, try to make sure that the hygiene rules for entering the house are observed. These include taking off shoes, putting clothes used outside in a bag, leaving bags and other objects at the entrance and washing hands immediately.

5 Help them use the remote or online banking services

As part of health prevention, advise your older family members to use e-money and online payment services but remember these can be daunting if you are not used to it. Explain why these are safer and more hygienic than paying with cash or visiting a branch even in small operations.