Advice for an 85 year old who has asthma and needs to get groceries?

I notice everyone talks about masks, gloves and Lysol spray like everyone was able to score some! My poor sister couldn't even find a thermometer and hand sanitizer, and she has had a fever for a week!

Oh Ginger, I am so sorry that he is being ugly to you.

I would back off and let them figure it out.

You don't deserve the abuse for caring enough to worry. Let him ask for help before you do anything else.

Ya know, no plan is a choice that he has made. Choices have consequences.

Take care of you, find ways to be productive and this will pass.

Be careful about wearing gloves. There is a certain way those gloves need to be taken off [inside out] so if there are any contaminants on the gloves it doesn't go airborne. That's one reason why said gloves are only used once in medical settings.

If you are wearing gardening gloves for the virus, the removal is the same process, then throw into the wash.

Why is this poor man living alone and shopping for himself?

In my community we have the Nextdoor app. Many people are offering to help to their neighbors in different ways. You might want to see if this app is available in his area. Maybe if his groceries are delivered a neighbor could come over and disinfect them before he takes them into his house.Good luck to you both.

I work for IHSS which gives aid to the elderly who want to stay in their home, but need assistance with the day to day tasks. This field of work is growing as some nursing homes have bad reputations. It is available in most states. Once he is comfortable with an a assistant, he could confidently get all he needs. If your close (or not) you can find a provider in his area. Google IHSS. Even during this pandemic, providers are still working with strict guidelines to protect their recipients and flaten the spread.
I hope you find a solution for your dad. Good luck and God Bless.

Meals on Wheels? I keep thinking Im not carying it.. I need to start wearing the gloves etc.. My spouse had asthma as a kid,, BIL has COPD,,, so it runs in the family.

Contact his local church. They have lots of contacts w/ food banks and volunteers. Or ask a neighbor of his. There are many helpers out there if you ask. Wipe down all bags before bringing them in the house.

Meals on wheels, Catholic charities deliver now.
Hugs 🤗

Kroger has delivery-- call 'em !

No, he should not leave his house. Can you order from Amazon Fresh or other delivery services for him?

Yes, I think as long as he follows precautions, I think he would be safe to do curbside pickup. Or is there anyone such as a neighbor,friend, or family member who can shop for him? If he does shop, I would also suggest shopping during "senior hours" to maximize his safety. Good practice is to wash hands when he gets back from the store, unpack the groceries,and then wash his hands again. Additionally, he could use disinfecting wipes to wipe down the groceries prior to putting them away. Amazon may be an option as well depending on his needs.

I agree with NextDoor if you shopping for him is not an option- I've seen many posts where folks have offered to help shop and deliver. Some grocery stores have curbside pickup as well so that is another good option. I believe they may load into the car (would have to ask). One of my friends sprays the bags with lysol for her mom before she brings them in. My mom is 81 and isn't concerned (she hasn't left the house since November due to bad mobility and pain), however, I still unpack her groceries, wash my hands and wipe down surfaces when done (pretty much did all this before Covid so nothing has really changed lol).
With your dad having asthma, extra precautions will need to be taken. I would avoid even more now from putting bags on counters. He may be a little more at ease wearing gloves, but he will definitely want to ensure to disinfect surfaces.

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice. I am pursuing these options for him. Very grateful for your advice.

Amazon has a pantry min. $35 free delivery Walmart you can order pantry items min. $35 but be prepared lots of items are in
bulk

😲 OMG PUT ON THE NECESSARY GEAR ON SUCH AS GLOVES AND A MASK AND HELP HER OUT WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER ❤ WE NEED TO BE CREATIVE EXSPECISLLY WITH OUR ELDERLY PEOPLE GOD WILL BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS 💘 DOROTHY

Given you father's fear of other people, it's a little more difficult, obviously. If you are not in a position to shop for him, most grocery stores are providing curb side pickup. Someone else here mentioned Nextdoor, a social media site for people in many sizes of neighborhoods. I belong to one myself. You can probably sign him up for one in his area, instruct him how to use it --presuming he uses a computer. Post that your father needs some help with grocery delivery. Many people are more than happy to provide this service to elderly in their neighborhoods --for free. If the delivery helper understands that in delivering he/she should wear gloves/mask when holding the bag/box of groceries so that your father sees he has nothing to fear. Your father's asthma puts him at risk much more than the virus itself. If he wants to eat and he needs someone to deliver it to him, these measures should put him at ease. Complaining about all the hazards certainly won't do anyone any good --so try to ignore that. Being 85 and in ill health is surely tougher on him so do what you can to make the arrangements for him.

where does he live

Curbside pick up is good and avoids all the shoppers inside which is far better than being around a lot of people. Very minimal contact and they will load it up for him.

I'd have him use the curbside pick up service, then unload the groceries in the garage. Wipe down everything with Clorox spray and disposable paper towels *while wearing rubber gloves*, throw out all exterior containers (like cardboard boxes that yoghurt cups come in etc) and all grocery bags, then bring everything inside and put away. Throw the gloves away in the garage before coming in, too, that should say. In other words, use precaution in all ways but don't let paranoia reach the point where he's more at risk from panic attacks than from the virus itself. You know?

Let's also keep this fact in mind: the virus HAS been around us since December 2019. MANY of us have already had it without knowing it. And we have survived. The vast majority who do contract the virus will have a MILD case of it and WILL recover. When we look at the statistics, we lose sight of these facts and tend to focus on the mortality rate rather than the recovery rate.

Wishing you & your dear dad the best of luck moving forward.

from what I understand the virus can live on cardboard for 72 hrs...so what I have been doing is keeping boxes etc outside for the 72 hrs and then opening up and bringing things in...that is only non-perishables and it has been things I don’t need right away anyway. I am thinking if you could spray boxes & bags down with lysol or having a liquid detergent in a bucket with a towel and wiping things down outside 1st before you bring them in. From what others believe below...IT IS a risk to handle bags that others have touched..it’s a risk to set your purse down on the counter at Walgreens and then you touch your purse,,so then of course it’s a risk to touch bags others have touched.. it’s very overwhelming all of this, it’s like we should be in a hazmat suit.. instead of overwhelming myself with all this I have just been pumping myself up with healthy food and vitamins, astralagus, probiotics 2x/day washing my hands often. But you are talking about an elder so already compromised immune system. I would pump them up as well because I think you cannot not go around and not be contaminated, it’s just too hard to keep up with.

Sounds like you do not live in the same area as your father.
I hope your father is already signed up for Meals on Wheels, as they have strict protocols in place already for food prep & delivery. That would ensure at least one hot meal a day for him while he is sheltering in place. Contact his local church/food pantry for food box delivery if available and then look at purchasing other items. The prices are already going up. I appreciate your efforts to find him assistance.
Does he have a trusted friend/neighbor whom he can rely on? Lots of great suggestions above.

TRyan ordering from an online grocery store like walmart where they have all kinds of products and drive up pickup. Have your own gloves to handle the bags with. A set of cotton gloves should work nicely and can be washed as needed. There are also delivery services like instacart and dash cart that will transport for you if even going outdoors is a big risk.

I’m wondering why you can’t do his shopping for him. God Bless you and your father to do the right thing.

GingerMay, have you called his local store and asked if they have a special protocol for helping high risk customers?

I would do that and then encourage dad to wear gloves, mask and something to cover his clothes while he picks them up and puts them away. Reminding his that he needs to wash his hands and not touch his face.

I would also tell him to put a towel over the table and set all of his groceries on there, then he can throw that right in the washer with whatever he wore over his clothes.

I know that it has to be simple and easy for my dad or he won't do it.

I hope that you find a good solution and that you all stay well and safe.

Have you asked his Area Agency on Aging? They may have put together lists of community volunteers who'll help with things like this - I know our council has. It's all a bit hit-and-miss at the moment but their hearts are definitely in the right place!

Try Amazon; they are usually quite speedy with deliveries & you can enter any fooe item you need & they'll get it for you. Best Wishes, Marilyn

His only option seems to be Curb side pickup.
He can wear a mask and gloves, drive up open his vehicle go back and sit in his car til they finish loading up.

HEB just started free home delivery where you order on line, pay with a credit card, ect and they will give you a time and leave it on your porch.

He is right to avoid stores. We use Amazon Prime, Costco and Instacart for deliveries. You can also use DoorDash for local restaurants. Watch the video someone posted below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjDuwc9KBps. This doctor Taught me how to handle containers. Very informative.
I am on Nextdoor and many people are offering to help others. Suggest you sign up there. Also call his town’s senior center and/or town hall to see what programs are set up to assist. Obviously you are not close by. Try to get more frozen and canned items so a shopping trip can last 3 weeks. If possible. Be safe everyone! ❤️🙏❤️

The others who said it's time to try to get help for him. I'm assuming you don't live near him. There are some delivery services that will drop things off at the door, but you'll have to check if they deliver to his location (Amazon prime, Peapod (Stop & Shop), etc.). But you can't avoid having other people touching things. If he uses gloves or washes his hands after putting things away and wipes off and washes cans and bottles before putting them away hopefully whatever might be on them will be cleaned off. I read an article that covid-19 only lasts for 4 hours or so on soft surfaces such as cardboard. Hopefully this information is accurate.