During the difficult period of the movement control order, there are several things families can do to keep their elderly safe. Here are eight ways to look after them well:
- Keep the elderly at home at all times. Let others buy their food and run errands for them.
- Be more vigilant of your elderly’s condition and alert your doctor right away if their condition changes, especially if you see any tell-tale signs of Coronavirus – fever, persistent cough and shortness of breath.
- No matter how hard it is, keep family members, friends and visitors away or at least practise social distancing. Stay 1.8 meters distance from them.
- Consider using telemedicine as the first option if the elderly person’s condition changes. In Malaysia, Doc2Us, TELLME and several others offer such services.
- Wipe down all surfaces periodically using a safe disinfectant.
- Make sure your elderly continues to stay active by exercising within their limits.
- Continue to ensure that your elderly loved ones eat well and healthy.
- Ensure that they still take their medications. See if you can get an extra supply, just to be sure as the pandemic may last for a while, and supplies can run out.
Andrew Mastrandonas is an elderly care/home care and health tech executive based in Kuala Lumpur. For additional information on finding a caregiver or other care services at home see https://hello.pillarcare.com/ or call/text/WhatsApp the Care Hotline: +60 17-805 9677 for immediate assistance.