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HIGH-RISK PATIENTS & COVID-19

While it is true that anyone no matter the age, race, gender, or health group can contract Coronavirus COVID-19, there are people who are at a higher risk of contracting and experiencing more severe complications. Since COVID-19 is a new disease, there is limited information regarding risk factors, however based on current information and clinical experience, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness. Based on available information, those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 include:

  • People aged 65 years and older
  • People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility
  • Underlying conditions such as:
    • People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
    • People who have serious heart conditions
    • People who are immunocompromised including cancer treatment
    • People of any age with severe obesity, or certain underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, such as diabetes, renal failure, or liver disease

If you fall under any of the high-risk categories, here are steps that you can take to help prevent getting sick:

  • Stay home
    • Check if family, friends, or neighbors can do your grocery shopping
  • Wash your hands often
  • Avoid close contact with others (at least 6 feet)
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
  • Avoid non-essential travel
  • Call your healthcare provider if you have concerns about COVID-19 and your underlying condition

HOW TO WORK FROM HOME, THE RIGHT WAY

The idea of working from home in our pajamas always seemed like it would be a great idea. The ability to make home cooked meals and plan crafts throughout the day for our kids was a scene out of an Instagram post. Now that we are here, it is not so picture perfect.

The reality of juggling your workload at home during COVID-19 is starting to settle in. Here are a few things we have put together to help you be successful with less stress.

Maintain a Routine

  • Maintaining structure during the day can lessen the chaotic feeling when we are multitasking our work and home responsibilities.
  • Stick to your usual bedtime and wake time.
  • Schedule your work hours
  • Get showered and dressed for the day.
  • Take a 10-minute drive in your car to “get to work.” Can do the same when “leaving work.”
  • Create your workspace and only work when in that space.
  • Turn off social media and email notifications while you are at work.
  • Schedule in time for exercise, cooking, eating and social calls.
  • Don’t forget to add mini breaks! (15-minute walk, deep breathing or meditation -bonus stress reduction)

 

Schedule Idea:

7:00 a.m. – Wake up, stretch, take care of kids/animals

7:30 a.m. – Breakfast and family time (technology free!)

8:30 a.m. – Work and check on updates with small breaks every 30 minutes or so

12:00 p.m. – Lunch break, get fresh air, stretch & exercise

1:00 p.m. – Work with breaks every 30 minutes, check in with co-workers

5:00 p.m. – Dinner and screen break! Call a friend, family, or loved one

7:00 p.m. – Self-care time

9:00 p.m. – Bedtime

 

Create an Office Space

  • Try to find a space with a door that can be closed. Creating physical boundaries can help reinforce the message that you need to be working. Anyplace in the house with internet access can act as an office, especially for when you have to ensure calls are uninterrupted. (including pets)
  • Check with your manager to set up a kickoff call in the morning to start the day.
  • Remember posture and ergonomics to prevent achy backs and necks. Have your screen at eye level. You can prop it up on books if needed.

Work as a Team

  • Split Responsibilities. If you and your partner are home arrange responsibilities for each day so one person is not overwhelmed.
  • Kids at home? If able, split the day so each adult has designated time to work uninterrupted. Check to see if your work can be flexible with work hours. (Starting a little earlier or working later)
  • Virtual babysitters – Enlist family and friends to Facetime/Zoom/Google meet with your kids to read stories, dance, sing, play games. Get a few things done at that time!

Unplug

  • Schedule time for getting your news and connecting through social media outlets. When we scroll through news and social media while working our productivity declines.
  • Set aside a period of time each day without screens. Get outside for a walk, start a hobby, read a book, draw, paint, write.
  • Unplugging 1-2 hours before bedtime helps your mind wind down and get ready for sleep.

Blame it all on Susan😊

  • When all else fails, blame it on Susan! No really- blame it on her and bring some humor to your day.
  • Create an imaginary adult at home and give her or him a name. Blame trivial things on this person instead of adding to high tensions at home with relationships
  • Example – “Susan forgot to put her dishes away last night”

SOCIAL DISTANCE, SELF-QUARANTINE, OR SELF-ISOLATE: WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of new vocabulary being tossed around. Especially the terms social distancing, self-quarantine and self-isolate. We know these words help limit the spread of the virus but what’s the difference between them?

Social distancing refers to creating physical distance between people—6 ft apart—rather than preventing feeling close and connected to others (virtually, of course). Social distancing helps prevent sick people from coming in close contact with healthy people to better reduce the virus from spreading. Therefore, group events and concerts are being cancelled and certain public places are closing.

When it comes to self-quarantine and self-isolation both sound similar however there is a distinction between the two.

Self-quarantine in general means the separation of a person or people. In this situation, self-quarantine is referring to separating people who were exposed to COVID-19, but not yet symptomatic, and restricts them from others who have not been exposed in order to prevent the possible spread of the disease.

When a person has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and the symptoms are mild enough for the patient to be managed at home and not in the hospital—this is self-isolation. Self-isolation contains the basic elements of social distancing and self-quarantining and separates sick people from people who are not sick.

So, to keep yourself and others safe, you social distance—staying 6 ft apart. If you are at high risk of becoming sick, you self-quarantine. If you are sick or are showing symptoms of COVID-19, you self-isolate. And lastly—if you need us, we are there for you.

YOUR FAMILY & COVID-19

Do you find yourself struggling to balance work, child care and self-care while keeping fears and worries—both yours and your children’s— under control? We’re here to help. Here’s a short guide to help you keep it all together.

Keep routines in place but remain flexible. Structure the day for learning, free time, healthy meals and snacks, physical activity and bedtime. While it’s nice to have a set routine, be sure to allow flexibility—it’s okay to adapt based on your day.

Be creative about new activities—and exercise. While schools are closed, have hands-on activities, like puzzles, painting, drawing, and making things. Don’t forget about exercise! Take a walk with your child or go on a bike ride, anything active is good for physical and mental health.

Practice social distancing. If you have small meetups or play dates, consider hanging out with another family or friend who is also taking extra measures to put distance between themselves and others.

Practice everyday preventive actions. Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Make you’re you and your kids are washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects (e.g., tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles).

YOU’RE NOT ALONE: COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT COVID-19 TESTING

Not everyone needs to be tested for (Coronavirus) COVID-19. The CDC has guidance for who should be tested, but decisions about testing are at the discretion of state and local health departments and/or individual healthcare providers.

Because we’ve been getting a lot of questions about COVID-19 testing—we thought we’d share some popular questions and answers that might help in making decisions about seeking care or testing.

  • When do you think you will have testing available, or do you expect to be able to provide that at some point?
    • At this time, we do not currently have any COVID-19 testing kits. Our current goal is to direct COVID-19 and presumptive COVID-19 members to the appropriate care level (Often, home with TLC) in order to allow the clinical team to remain available to all members virtually, be there to dispense medications, and to see those patient members who need in-person care as free from potential Coronavirus as possible
  • If someone is sick and not tested from our work but is in self-isolation, what do the remaining people do?
    • This would be a case to case basis. However, if the self-isolated person has symptoms, it is advised that those working in close proximity practice self-quarantine as well.
  • As the availability for testing becomes more accessible, is it true that these tests should be administered more liberally?
    • Testing recommendations will change when the availability of the testing and the prevalence of Coronavirus in the community changes. For example, even when testing is widely available, when a great many people have the virus, there is no need to test if you are mildly symptomatic. At the opposite end, when we are at the tail end of the virus and only a few people are affected, testing everyone around them becomes more important.
  • If an employee or immediate family member has been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, but they have no symptoms, what should they do?
    • Self-quarantine for up to 14 days
  • Can a person test negative and later test positive for COVID-19?
    • Using the CDC-developed diagnostic test, a negative result means that the virus that causes COVID-19 was not found in the person’s sample. In the early stages of infection, it is possible the virus will not be detected. For COVID-19, a negative test result for a sample collected while a person has symptoms likely means that the COVID-19 virus is not causing their current illness.

This current guidance may change, but if you need testing, your provider will help direct you to a testing facility if possible. Please remember to contact your provider first if you have symptoms, do not come into the office. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time with any questions. We are here to help.