OndeCare continues to provide part-time, full-time, and back-up family care to families juggling jobs and care of loved ones of all ages and needs. Additionally, we are providing essential workforce back-up to local Home Care Agencies.
COVID-19 Cases are climbing and so are related deaths. Please re-establish MASK wearing while in close contact with your clients.
When caring for an individual at-risk for COVID-19 or an individual who has been exposed to COVID-19, it is recommended to wear 2 masks. We understand mask-fatigue but implore you, to keep you and your clients safe, to continue to practice all COVID-19 safety protocols through this third wave including wearing a MASK at all times when in the same room as your clients or their family members. We know you do not want to be responsible for anyone getting sick. Remember clients many clients are highly susceptible of contracting COVID-19 and would find it very hard to battle COVID-19, if exposed. MASK breaks are expected. But, take MASK breaks while outside or while isolated in a room away from your clients and their family members. Finally, we know that many of you get tested regularly but this is a reminder that COVID-19 tests are not 100% accurate and potential exposure can happen any minute after taking the test.
Keeping a supply of PPE is essential to successfully providing safe care while protecting yourself from COVID-19. All OndeCare Providers should know that all PPE – Masks, Shields, Gloves, and Gowns – are tax deductible for independent care providers. So SAVE ALL RECEIPTS.
FACE MASKS: OndeCare Providers are required to wear a mask when providing care to all OndeCare clients. When caring for an individual at-risk or COVID-19 or an individual who has been exposed to COVID-19, it is recommended to wear 2 masks. We do not wear the same disposable mask with more than one client and we wash/disinfect washable masks between clients.
Cloth Masks should be washed and/or cleaned daily using one of the below methods:
• Hand wash with hot water and soap; hang dry
• Soak in rubbing alcohol, ring, hang dry
• Submerge in water and microwave in water at cusp of boiling
• Launder in home washer/dryer
GLOVES: Gloves should be worn during all patient-care activities that may involve exposure to blood or body fluids contaminated. In addition, gloves should be worn in activities that include contact with potentially infectious material other than blood, such as mucous membranes, and non-intact skin or during outbreak situations, as recommended by specific requirements for Personal Protective Equipment.
If gloves are used, the following CDC recommendations are followed:
1. Put on new gloves before contact
2. Wear gloves during contact
3. Remove gloves after caring for a client - do not wear the same gloves for more than one client
4. Do not reuse or wash gloves
5. Don’t forget hand hygiene after removing gloves. Gloves are not a replacement for hand hygiene
CLOSE CONTACTS: Close contacts of a confirmed or probable case should be quarantined for 14 days after their last contact with a case. When COVID-19 is suspected, prompt initiation of quarantine protocols for close contacts may be warranted to prevent the potential spread of SARS-CoV-2 while the individual with suspected COVID-19 awaits test results or evaluation by a healthcare provider.
Close contact is defined as: someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes (total/cumulative time) starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic clients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated. Additionally, a person would be considered a close contact if they provided care in the home to someone who is sick with COVID-19, had direct physical contact with them (e.g., hugged or kissed them), shared eating or drinking utensils, or had unprotected direct contact with infectious secretions or excretions of the infected person (e.g., was coughed/sneezed on, touched used tissues with a bare hand).
Source:
ODH-IDCM CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 Page 7/Section 3 Revised 10/28/2020
Finally, OndeCare Providers continue to follow our SELF-REPORTING (even when not scheduled for an OndeCare job) and SELF-SCREENING (prior to each OndeCare job) Protocols.
