Pay attention to flu or pneumonia-like symptoms in yourself and others and report them to a medical professional immediately. Follow current guidance and instruction from the CDC regarding COVID-19. Tips to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy include: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Stay home when you are sick; work from home. If you or the person you are caring for have regular doctor’s appointments to manage dementia or other health conditions, call your health care provider to inquire about a telehealth appointment. As a result of the COVID-19pandemic,…
If you are receiving or plan to receive services from a paid health care professional in your home: Ensure that a temperature check has been conducted before they enter the home. Anyone with a temperature over 100.4° F should be excluded from providing care. Ask the staff person if they have been exposed to anyone who has tested positive and if so, do not allow them into your home. Contact the agency and ask them to explain their protocols to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Ensure that the staff member washes their hands upon arrival and regularly throughout their time…
The CDC has provided guidance on infection control and prevention of COVID-19 in nursing homes. This guidance is for the health and safety of residents. Precautions may vary based on local situations. Check with the facility regarding their procedures for managing COVID-19 risk. Ensure they have your emergency contact information and the information of another family member or friend as a backup. Do not visit your family member if you have any signs or symptoms of illness. Depending on the situation in your local area, facilities may limit or not allow visitors. This is to protect the residents but it…
Caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer’s and all other dementia should follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and consider the following tips: For people living with dementia, increased confusion is often the first symptom of any illness. If a person living with dementia shows rapidly increased confusion, contact your health care provider for advice. Unless the person is having difficulty breathing or a very high fever, it is recommended that you call your health care provider instead of going directly to an emergency room. Your doctor may be able to treat the person without a visit to…
This past week was met with a variety of news about the pandemic- from the ‘worst is ahead’ to signs of progress in some of the initially impacted geographies. Additionally we ranged from another shockingly high Unemployment Claims number to the CARES Act, which is massively sweeping legislation that puts money directly in the hands of individuals, families and small businesses; which together makeup the heartbeat of America. The financial markets largely took all this news in stride. After some back and forth swings, the week closed out down about 4% for the S&P 5001; which given all that we…
As COVID-19 spreads rapidly through the United States, many American doctors could soon be making the decisions that overwhelmed health care workers in Italy are already facing: Which patients get lifesaving treatment, and which ones do not? Every accredited hospital in the U.S. is required to have some mechanism for addressing ethical issues like this — typically, an ethics committee made up of not just medical professionals but often also social workers, pastors and patient advocates. Sometimes in partnership with hospital triage committees, they create guidelines for prioritizing patient care if there’s a resource shortage. As the number of coronavirus…
People with disabilities are asking the federal government to stop what they say are policies by states and hospitals that will ration care — and deny them treatment for the coronavirus. Several disability groups filed a complaint against the state of Washington, one of the states hardest hit by the pandemic. The Washington State Department of Health issued guidelines to help doctors and hospitals decide something they fear having to face — deciding who gets scarce, life-saving care. One example: If there are, say, more people who need ventilators than the number of ventilators available. The complaint says they tell…
As part of the broader Trump Administration announcement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced critical new measures designed to keep America’s nursing home residents safe from the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The measures take the form of a memorandum and is based on the newest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It directs nursing homes to significantly restrict visitors and nonessential personnel, as well as restrict communal activities inside nursing homes. The new measures are CMS’s latest action to protect America’s seniors, who are at highest risk for complications from COVID-19. While visitor…
The Coronavirus outbreak reminds us of the importance of planning and preparation. Estate planning allows us to take control of our affairs and provides a degree of certainty in uncertain times. We have recently received many inquiries from people who want to get basic estate planning documents quickly. The three essential legal documents: a Will, Financial Power of Attorney and a Health Care Power of Attorney Our Health Care of Attorney has three parts: 1. A Health Care Agent allows you to name a trusted person to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated; 2. A Living…
We hope this finds you and your loved ones doing okay and staying well. These are crazy, stressful times we are living in. Please know we are here for you. We implemented a fully functional virtual practice a while ago. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought a virtual practice would begin now because of a virus. Although we have the capability of working at home, we are still in the office. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need something, or just to let us know how you are doing. We have created a streamlined…
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