How to visit elderly relatives and not infect them: doctor's advice
'28.01.2021'
Source: Sputnik
Before visiting elderly relatives, you need to take a coronavirus test and disinfect the hotels, says Elena Malinnikova, MD, for Sputnik.
Elderly presentations should be disinfected. Then you can be sure that together with a pleasant present your loved ones will not receive an infectious “gift” from you.
“If you have a three-day negative test result for COVID on your hands, then you can visit your family, loved ones, including the elderly,” says the professor.
Doctor of Medical Sciences, immunologist, specialist in especially dangerous infections Vladislav Zhemchugov noted that visiting elderly relatives during a pandemic is the personal responsibility of each person.
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“If he feels any symptoms of a cold, then definitely not worth going. If people are elderly, then for them it may end sadly. I think no one wants this, ”the doctor concluded.
Geriatrics and infectious disease experts interviewed by The New York Times urge older adults to strictly follow current World Health Organization guidelines:
- wash hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or wipe them with an alcohol-based disinfectant gel;
- avoid handshakes and visits to confined spaces with large crowds, especially public transport, as well as supermarkets and shopping centers;
- Before touching it yourself, wipe with a disinfectant an object that is often touched by other people, such as elevator buttons;
- stock up on products that can be stored for a long time, constantly taken with medicines and other goods that do not deteriorate, so as not to go to the store again.
It is also worth giving up visits to doctors and clinics for a while, if this is not connected with some urgent need, experts advise.
At the same time, they warn, social exclusion, which helps to avoid infection, in itself can be a danger to the health of older people. Therefore, in order not to feel divorced from society, you need to try to maintain virtual communication with other people, for example, using social networks, Skype or FaceTime.
Another important point is maintaining a healthy lifestyle during the epidemic.
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You need to try to ensure yourself adequate sleep, a healthy diet and physical activity. Daily physical exercises help normalize the immune system, reduce stress, improve mental and emotional state. Therefore, every day, older people just need to go on a walk, experts say.
