All across the country, senior care communities have been under enormous strain. The COVID-19 crisis has created conditions that the vast majority of people were unprepared for. This goes for senior care centers, too. As we’ve seen, policy all across the world has been tested and pushed beyond what even the most forward thinking of senior care specialists were prepared for. The novel coronavirus created a situation that no one was ready for.
But that doesn’t mean that we haven’t adapted. It doesn’t mean that senior care has become obsolete or useless. In fact, some of the biggest leap forwards in how care can and should be administered have been pioneered by those who work with the elderly. And we can see the fruits of this ingenuity starting to come forth as states, counties, and neighborhoods recover from the pandemic and begin to offer new aspects of care to help keep seniors, families, and caregivers safer.
Oregon, one of the states that was hit hard early on in the pandemic, was one of the first states to really have to come to terms with how senior care centers would act under the realities of COVID-19. Testing, both of residents and of staff within homes, has been an ongoing process in order to keep vulnerable individuals as safe as possible, all while still receiving the care and assistance that is needed. Currently, the communities and care services across this state are all on track to meet reporting and testing guidelines. For services that were caught off guard by the pandemic and how it would change how business is done, this shows a lot of hard work and determination to keep the elderly safe.
Other places are instituting preventive measures as general procedures–a policy that will likely stick with us permanently. If you’ve entered a doctor’s office recently, you’ve probably been asked whether you’ve had any COVID symptoms, a fever, or been exposed to anyone who has. You may have even been asked to have your temperature checked before entering. This is likely to become standard practice moving forward.
The truth is, we all need to do our part if we’re going to keep our communities safe. That goes well beyond COVID-19 and into other areas of health care, especially senior care. We are at our best when we work together to look out for the good of everyone else. This isn’t easy, but it is possible. Senior care takes on a lot of different forms, and protecting those who need it the most can often be flexible.
It’s been a challenging time for all of us, but there have been a number of heroes in every community that have stepped up to help those around them. Emergency responders, health care workers, social workers, and senior caregivers have all stepped up to help others. These are certainly not the only heroes out there. When it comes to helping others, we all have the potential to be a hero for our community, regardless of whether or not we’re recognized.
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