Health Care Tips for Seniors & Children During The Coronavirus Quarantine

The coronavirus disease or COVID-19 has affected people all over the world. People have been infected with the virus irrespective of their gender, age and nationality. However, studies suggest that older people (above 65 years of age) and people having some underlying health conditions are more susceptible to get infected with coronavirus. On the other hand, the studies also suggest that children are at the same risk of falling ill due to coronavirus as the adults.

Why are older people at a higher risk of contracting the disease?

Most of the older people have some chronic disease, owing to their age. This increases the chances of being infected with coronavirus. Also, with age the immune system, body’s defense mechanism against diseases and potentially damaging foreign bodies such as viruses, bacteria and parasites, weakens, which puts seniors at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

Health care tips for seniors during the coronavirus quarantine

It is very important that you should diligently follow social distancing and remain indoors to protect yourself and your family members from the coronavirus disease. Secondly, you should wash your hands regularly with water and alcohol-based soap or hand rub. You should also not touch your face without washing hands and use a tissue or handkerchief while sneezing and coughing. This being said, here are some additional measures that you can take to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection in seniors:

• Use Sanitizers: While you should frequently wash your hands with water and soap, it might be a difficult option for older people. So, keeping a sanitizer (that’s at least 60% alcohol) handy can help them keep their hands clean.
• Rescheduling doctor’s appointment: Senior people might have fixed appointment with their doctors for routine health check-up. But, it is advisable that they should either reschedule their appointment or have an online consultation with the doctor. Stepping out of the house should be avoided as far as possible.
• Keeping regular medicine well-stocked: To stay indoors for most of the time during lockdown, a good idea would be to keep some extra stock of the regular medicines that older people might need, like medicines for diabetes, blood pressure or some vitamins.
• Take help from volunteers: Instead of stepping out of the house, older people must take the help of volunteers, police officers and other service providing persons to get their grocery. They can also use some help dealing with the online facilities like using the home delivery app and making online payments for recharging their DTH and mobiles.
• Reach out: Many people do not go to the doctor when they show mild symptoms of the coronavirus disease, and by the time they choose to visit doctors, the disease has progressed to a critical stage. It is better to communicate with your family members and visit the doctor at the earliest to avoid the severity and spread of the disease.

Health care tips for children during the coronavirus quarantine

While children also have weaker immunity as compared to adults, studies suggest that children are at the same risk of contracting the coronavirus disease as the adults. However, it is better to have precautions in place to protect them from getting infected with coronavirus. Here are some health care tips that can help you to keep your children safe during the coronavirus outbreak:

• Keep your surroundings clean: Children tend to play with everything and everywhere in the house. So, as a safety measure, you should disinfect all the tables, door knobs, light switches, remotes and window railings.
• Help them learn: Teach your kids to develop the habit of washing hands with soap and water, especially before and after eating, after using washroom and after playing. Also, teach them to cover their mouth while sneezing and coughing. This will keep them protected from getting infected with coronavirus.
• Keep your calm: The spread of the COVID-19, the lockdown and the social distancing might have increased your stress levels, but, you should maintain your calm while talking in front of your children and while talking to them. You should make them realize that you are having a good time with them and are enjoying their company. This will positively affect their mental health.
• Keep them informed: It is very important to let your children know about the coronavirus outbreak, so that they take the safety measures seriously and cooperate with you to keep the disease at bay.
• Inculcate healthy habits: Ensure that your kids take proper sleep, stay hydrated, eat healthy and are active, so that they build their immunity to fight against the coronavirus disease.

We hope that you and all your family members remain safe and healthy during this coronavirus quarantine! For a better protection, you should also invest in a health insurance policy that can safeguard your finances in case you or any of your family member have to face a medical emergency.