What You Need to Know About Caregiving Service in the Bay Area During COVID

People who are looking to receive the elderly individuals in their life home care services in the Bay Area need to be extra cautious in the current climate. With COVID-19 still a very real concern for the elderly, it's still a scary time to be looking for assistance. Even with the vaccine rollout and mask policies, there is no guarantee that people can’t still be infected with the virus, especially those who are older.

In normal times, these personal support professionals may look after numerous different clients throughout a single day. This is not an issue when times are normal, but when a highly infectious disease is still prominent in the state, it makes the logistics of caring for multiple patients much more difficult. In an effort to make this process a little easier for you, here are some of the most important things you need to know about getting in-home nursing in the Bay Area during the pandemic Era.

What are the advantages of hiring Caregiver Services in the Bay Area During COVID?

It's a fine balancing act between making sure that your loved one has the personal support they need to get through their essential day-to-day activities, and making sure that they are safe from COVID and any of the new variants. If the latter is your concern, rather than giving them hand-to-hand assistance you might want to consider professional services.

It can be incredibly difficult for seniors who have lived alone for decades to adjust to the loss of their independence. There are many people elderly who do not have a family to help or choose not to ask for it. Additionally, they may now have numerous reservations about letting support staff into their home, regardless of how badly they need the assistance. That’s why hiring a support provider or private nurse in the Bay Area is such an important step to take at this time.

Support staff usually provide transportation, cooking, bathing, and dressing assistance as well as medication reminders. Some staff can also manage a client's money. But one of the main benefits of hiring a company is that it saves seniors from having to rely on other family members who may not have enough time to help. According to an article by Money magazine, some parents are willing to pay as much as $4 for every hour of elderly health assistance.

During COVID, it’s also important that whoever provides the support knows how to take proper safety and hygiene measures to reduce the possibility of bringing the infectious disease into the home of the elderly or immunocompromised. An agency can help you find reliable and highly regulated professionals that provide assistance.

Healthcare and personal support agency can help you find reliable and highly-regulated professionals that provide various options. By monitoring and training their workforce, a good agency makes sure the support staff they hire:

- Are professional and experienced with seniors, including those who have dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

- Show up to assist the patient in a timely, professional, and respectful manner, day-in and day-out.

- Are trained to assist with and handle the difficult aspects of aging, like dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and other forms of memory loss.

- Have clean background checks and are qualified to be working with this at-risk group.

Regulations around Hospital Sitting in the Bay Area During COVID

Now, as someone who is looking to get assistance for a loved one that is having difficulty looking after themselves, you’re likely wondering what is happening currently surrounding new rules to prevent the spread of COVID by these essential workers. In terms of regulations around caregiver services during COVID, here's what you need to know.

- Various options may not be covered under COVID insurance coverage, and the COVID Board is not able to offer reimbursement for caregiver service appointments.

- You can use your personal funds to pay for support staff if you wish; however, the individual(s) helping to support your loved one may or may not be able to be reimbursed by an insurer in this case.

- Depending on the regional and local public health measures, these medical and personal support staff may also be required to be vaccinated or to undergo rigorous testing protocols on a routine basis

When an elderly individual is hospitalized and begins to show symptoms of COVID, your options for getting them specific assistance may become limited. While most hospitals will allow outside nurses to come to visit the patient and provide some form of assistance, it would be best if you could make alternative arrangements to find a home support provider agency that can still accommodate an elderly individual with COVID.

If the elderly individual has COVID, it is important that they are monitored constantly. The faster you can get them in-house living and medical support from a trained, certified professional, the better chance they have of receiving proper treatment before their condition worsens. That last point is especially important because it reduces the chances that the patient will need to visit an ER for more extensive help and even intubation.

If your elderly loved one does not need special medical attention, but simply has problems conducting their day-to-day activities in a safe way, then a registered agency is the way to go. In these times of COVID-19, there are also many providers that offer 24-hour assistance. You will want to conduct research to find the best options for your loved one. This will provide the peace of mind that you desperately deserve.