Visiting Seniors During COVID-19

Ah, June coming to a close! Businesses across British Columbia, including Nightingale, have partially or fully re-opened, public places are host to visitors once again and people are more confident getting outside and returning to their normal activities. Several countries including Canada are introducing reduced COVID-19 regulations but we must remember to continue to behave safely in our day to day lives. Our society is definitely not "back to normal". We are still asked to take measures including social distancing and wearing face masks to reduce the chance of spread. In particular, these preventative measures are important when around older people who are at a higher risk of contracting the disease. You may have plans to visit senior members of your family this summer, so how can you do this safely?

Choose your bubble carefully

In British Columbia, we have been advised to keep our circle of family and friends to under six people, to minimize potential exposure to COVID-19 (as per the BC Centre for Disease Control: bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/Coronavirus-FAQ-English.pdf).

Self-quarantine

If you have plans to pay visit to elder people in your life, it could be a good idea to quarantine yourself for 10-14 days before visiting them. If you have contracted the disease, you would likely feel symptoms during this time. By taking this precaution and limiting your exposure to outside sources before visiting others, you will limit the chance of bringing the virus to them.

Get tested

Of course, if you are feeling symptoms of COVID-19 (listed here) get tested to find out whether you have contracted the illness before visiting others. It's important to stay connected during this time, so if you or your senior family members are feeling at all uncomfortable with an in-person visit, check out our tips for staying connected by clicking here! We hope these tips can provide some guidance for you and your family to feel more at ease when making summer plans. Adapted from https://www.npr.org/2020/06/22/881559666/things-to-consider-when-visiting-elderly-relatives-amid-coronavirus-crisis?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter