01752 905790
info@extra-help.co.uk
Last week, Boris Johnson announced that even healthy people, with no symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by Coronavirus, should avoid all non-essential, social contact with others, while the over 70s and those with underlying health conditions should self-isolate from now on, to reduce their chances of contracting the disease.
Regardless of age and situation, this is a concept that seems unthinkable and many people will be anxiously wondering how they will cope with self-isolation or, indeed, who will help them with day-to-day tasks, such as food shopping, if they start to suffer from symptoms of the disease. This worry is even more acute if they live alone and are elderly or vulnerable.
What does self-isolation actually mean? Quite simply, it means you shouldn’t leave the house or see anyone at all for a specific period of time. You should have any deliveries left on the doorstep and try to keep at least two metres away from those you live with.
Where this is impossible or unrealistic, social distancing is advised, as well as washing your hands regularly, refraining from hugging or shaking hands and making sure the room is well ventilated.
For Extra Help at the moment, it’s business as usual, and we’re all on standby, ready to help our clients cope during these uncertain times.
All of our home-helpers have been fully briefed on how to minimise the risk of contracting the virus or passing it to others. They are advised to always wash their hands upon arrival; avoid using clients’ towels and keep a roll of kitchen towel in their bag to dry their hands; wash their hands before leaving and ensure they cancel appointments if they feel unwell.
Of course, if you’re truly self-isolating, you may not want your home-helper to enter the house to do any chores for you. However, here are 5 of the many other ways Extra Help can assist you when you’re self-isolating, without entering your home:
1. Food shopping – If you’re stuck in the house, you may well need some essentials, such as food and drink (or even toilet paper!). Your Extra Help home helper can pop to the shops and pick up any items you require. Shopping services are proving to be particularly popular at the moment.
2. Dog-walking – Although going outside is technically allowed, even if you’re self-isolating, you may not want to walk your dog for fear of coming into contact with people you know. Your home-helper can visit your home daily and walk your dog for you, thereby helping to minimise contact with others.
3. General errands – Whether you need a letter posted, a parcel collected or your meter card topped up, your home-helper can assist you with any of these any tasks.
4. Gardening – With spring just around the corner, now’s the time to give your garden some attention! Whether or not you want to actually do any gardening yourself, your home-helper can assist with weeding, planting, mowing the lawn and you can even send him/her to the garden centre to collect any items you may need.
5. Collecting/delivering essential prescriptions and medication – If you run out of medication or become ill while self-isolating, your home-helper can collect your prescriptions, pick up your medication from the chemist and deliver it to your door.
With all the current uncertainty, we never know what’s around the corner, but Extra Help is here to ease the stresses and strains of self-isolation and will help you in any way we can, meaning you can concentrate on keeping you and your loved ones protected from COVID-19.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how Extra Help can assist you during a period of self-isolation, give us a call on 01604 532932 to see if we operate in your local area.
