When loved ones get sick
MAKE A LIST: SCENARIO PLAN FOR SELF-ISOLATION OR HOSPITALISATION
If you have all your ducks in a row, there won’t be any surprises.
You spend hours worrying about the safety of your children at school and about your elderly parents in their care home, but have you thought about how your family would cope if you get the virus and have to self-isolate for two weeks, or even worse, go to hospital?
“While more than 80% of people are only likely to be mildly ill with Covid-19, there are still things that you should organise if you have to self-isolate for 14 days.
So, it’s worth doing “scenario planning” to consider the things you need to put in place if you do contract the infection, says
Geraldine Bartlett, a qualified pharmacist and chief professional officer at Universal
Healthcare.
“As none of us ultimately know how seriously we may get the disease, it may be sensible to plan ahead in the event that we become one of those unfortunate enough to require hospitalisation.
“This is particularly important if you are a single parent living with young children, or if you’re at risk of developing a more serious Covid-19 infection,” she says.
Contingency planning
If you live with a partner or other family members, talk about what they should do if you get sick.
Plan who will prepare the meals, do the laundry, shop, take the children to school, walk the dogs and so on.
Identify a specific room or part of the house where you can stay in isolation.
If this is not possible, wear surgical masks inside your home.
Ideally, you should have your own bathroom but if you have to share, make sure you carefully clean the facilities after every use.
If you are a single parent, make plans regarding who would look after your children and/or pets if you had to go to hospital. Discuss contingencies with them beforehand.
People over 60 and those with chronic conditions are at higher risk of getting seriously ill. So plan for them to stay somewhere else while you are self-isolating. – Living and Loving