Guidance for the Caregiver

Caregivers can support loved ones recovering from COVID-19. It is important to guide caregivers on how to protect themselves, preparing the home for isolation, monitoring of patient's symptoms and self-care. Caregivers can protect themselves wearing a mask, washing their hands, disinfecting surfaces, avoiding sharing personal items, and limiting contact. See the image for examples of how caregivers can help a patient at home.

Monitoring their health and contacting their local healthcare facility if symptoms worsen

Keeping track of their medications

Cleaning / disinfecting their home

Taking care of any animals they have

Ensuring that their home has good airflow/ventilation

Avoiding having visitors in their home

Advise caregivers to keep the patient at least 6ft(2m) away from others who live in or enter the home and to make sure that no one enters the space where the patient is isolating. The caregiver can enter the space where the patients are, but must not share washing area, eating areas or any other spaces with the patient.

If an isolation space isn't possible, caregivers can separate spaces with clean sheets or room dividers. Ensure that the space has good airflow by opening windows. Caregivers must clean any shared spaces after every use. Disinfect with 70% alcohol and focus on high-touch areas like doorknobs, tables, sinks, and light switches. Assume anything leaving the isolation room is contaminated and caregivers must wash their hands after handling anything that may be contaminated.

Dishes should be washed immediately after use. A waste bag must be kept in the isolation room to discard tissues, gloves, masks, etc. Dispose waste carefully and wash hands after handling anything from the room. Remind caregivers that they should not only monitor the health of the person with COVID-19, but also their own health. Even if the caregiver does not live with the COVID-19 patient, it is still important that they quarantine. This is because they are at high risk of contracting the virus, so quarantining at home will limit their risk of unknownigly spreading the virus to others. When they are doing supporting the person with COVID-19, advise them to continue quarantining for 14 days.

It is important that caregivers also monitor their mental health. To help reduce stress, advise caregivers to limit listening to the news, call friends and family often, get enough sleep/food/exercise and use meditation or prayer. If they struggle to cope with the stress and it starts to affect their daily lives, they should contact a health facility to speak to a mental health professional. Refer to Course 3 for additional information on the importance of mental health.