Coronavirus Protection for Care Home Residents
The Springlawn Group of Care Homes has implemented necessary precautions to protect our clients and staff from COVID-19 – the Coronavirus. We have taken our lead from the Western Health & Social Care Trust.
We are asking the public, family and friends not to visit clients in our Nursing Homes unless absolutely essential. If you feel that it is necessary to visit, we ask that you firstly contact the Home and inform us of this.
We appreciate your support and patience during this tough time. We have taken these precautions to ensure the safety of our clients and staff. We will continue to review the situation and communicate any further updates.
Please practice good hand hygiene when in attendance to the Home and follow guidance on keeping yourself and others safe. To be of assistance, we have put together this short guide:
The Symptoms of Coronavirus
- If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold
- Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose. COVID-19 will first infect the throat, so you’ll have a sore throat lasting 3 to 4 days
- The virus then blends into a nasal fluid that enters the trachea and then the lungs, causing pneumonia. This takes a further 5 to 6 days.
- With the pneumonia comes high fever and difficulty in breathing.
- The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You feel like you’re drowning.
It’s imperative you then seek immediate attention.
How to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus
It’s important to know how the virus works and spreads, because there is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there. This way we can all play our part in protecting ourselves and others from COVID-19.
- This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees. It hates the sun.
- If someone sneezes with it, it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.
- If it drops on a metal surface it will live for at least 12 hours – so if you come into contact with any metal surface – wash your hands as soon as you can with a bacterial soap.
- On fabric it can survive for 6-12 hours but normal laundry detergent will kill it.
- Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink liquids with ice.
- Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 minutes, but – a lot can happen during that time – you can rub your eyes, touch your nose or mouth unwittingly and so on.
- You should also gargle as a prevention. A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice.
- Can’t emphasise enough – drink plenty of water!
Spread The Word – Not the Virus
Share this information as widely as you can, both online and verbally.
If you are worried that you or someone in your family may be at risk, NHS 111 offers direct guidance and have set up an online coronavirus helpline. You can also call 111, letting them know that you are a carer.
Read these NHS answers to common questions about COVID-19 here.
If you have elderly relatives still living at home, please see the advice from AGE UK here.
