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Hi, I’m in a state with no official lock downs, but quite a few COVID-19 cases. My 91 year old dad lives alone-but I’m not sure it is safe for him to go weeks without someone checking in. My plan now is for me to practice social distancing and good hygiene but still visit him weekly. I plan on only allowing me to visit. It feels like it’s a risk either way...anyone else in similar situations?

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Same here with my dad, living alone. I shared his thoughts on Coronavirus earlier on the discussions. He’s being careful but is not in fear of getting it. His mind his sound, his body worn out, and he’d in many ways welcome the way out.
I believe you’re very correct, there are risks either way, just as there are in all of life. Our family is continuing to see my dad while being cautious about it. No one thinks it’s a foolproof plan. But the facts are he needs checking on, and the socialization is equally if not more important. He doesn’t do anything online so that’s not an option. We need to check in and we will, knowing and accepting the risks. I wish you the best with your plans
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If he does not go out and does not have other visitors and you take precautions then he is pretty safe.
If/when you enter his house wash your hands.
Keep a distance from him.
Wash your hands before you prepare any food and before you eat.
If you do not feel well do not visit.
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I'm in the same situation.
I had to leave home my mom's carers and there is no way that she could survive total social isolation for weeks. Also, this could be longer than weeks, think of Wuhan, they've been in a lockdown for 2 months.
My solution has been to become her only in-person carer + social contact ; for this I'm self-isolating completely too. I haven't been seeing anyone else for more than 2 weeks now and haven't gone out anymore. I also try to keep at 2m distance from her, no hugs, no sharing of glasses, dishes etc, as I could be potentially positive.
Just my 2 cents, because I think you have an important point here.
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Try Netflix! It's free for 30 days. You can cancel any time. This has been
God sent to me. Also, no commercials. My wife an d I live alone. She
has Alzheimers and does not communicate very much. I am her only
caregiver at this time. This is our fun time in the evenings. We can watch tv
reruns and movies at anytime of the day or night. It takes a little while to
used to using Netflix but after that you will find it to be quite simple.
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Similar situation here. It was very hard for my 93 year old mother to accept that I can't take her out several times a week, but I can bring her whatever she wants if I practice good hygiene and keep a distance from her. She's not happy about it, but understands that we're all staying home at this time due to the order from our state. I call her every day and let her talk as long as she wants and try to stay upbeat. She can be a very demanding and impatient person, but so far, so good. Remember the Benjamin Franklin axiom that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Hoping and praying for everyone trying to keep our loved ones and ourselves safe throughout this time.
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Great post, Daughter. I am glad your dad has such a good support system.

caringfordaddy, Sounds like a good plan. I stopped all visitors coming to our home. Only immediate family allowed. I have been communicating with family members via telephone. Checking in every day. Glad your dad has you checking on him.
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As long as the caregivers, you and others, are good at social distancing, hygiene and frequent cleaning - it shouldn't be a problem. The goal is to limit exposure to a few trusted people, not to lock everybody up and never provide care.
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mally1 Apr 2020
I agree; my mom could not function without at least two of her caretakers, and I'm unable to take their place. So far, so good - lots of prayers!
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Recently, I did a whole checklist on this for my email subscribers. I am glad to share it with you if it will help...it is all the precautions we take at the clinics so Iet's simply pretend your home is my medical clinic...here ya go... https://bit.ly/2JhdcgZ

I hope it works. Just copy and paste..
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Arwen31 Mar 2020
This was very useful, thank you so much for sharing!
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My mother is 95 1/2 years old. She self quarantined herself last week. She didn’t want me to come over and she wasn’t going out. I told her to call me if she needed anything or is she was having a panic attack. The whole week went fine. We talked on the phone for a few minutes every day. I went over there today and brought her dinner and groceries and we FaceTimed with my oldest son who lives in NYC.
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My Mom has 24 hour care at home and I have 6 caregivers sharing that responsibility. They are being as careful as they can, but she would die without them. So far, so good.
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scared55 Mar 2020
I agree. We have caregivers for my mother as well as hospice for her (along with myself) and an aid comes in twice a week for my dad. There is no way on God’s green earth that I could do this all on my own. I’m just praying that the good Lord keeps us safe from this virus.
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