As Bahadin Aging Foundation, we fulfill our responsibility for a healthier Bahadin with the priority measures we take within the scope of effective fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.
In the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, which affects the world and our country, great duties and responsibilities fall on all segments of society. As Bahadin Aging Foundation, we are aware of our responsibility in this process.
For this purpose, we have prepared the measures we will take in our “Center” and “Home Care” services and our new applications, as the Bahadin Aging Foundation Pandemic Guide, by taking into account, updating and taking into account the experience of combating the coronavirus epidemic in the world.
The subjects mentioned in this guide cover the employees of Bahadin Aging Foundation and people who receive “Foundation Center” and “Home Care” services.
The specified measures will be implemented by the Bahadin Aging Foundation until the Ministry of Health or other competent authorities announce that the COVID-19 coronavirus is under control. Bahadin Aging Foundation will work together with authorized institutions (municipal and neighborhood headmen) and non-governmental organizations in our town within the framework of corona measures.
- WHAT IS COVID-19?
Coronavirus disease is a contagious respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) that affects humans.
What are the symptoms?
Although it has been reported that there may be asymptomatic cases, their rate is unknown. The most common symptoms are fever, cough and shortness of breath. In severe cases, pneumonia, severe respiratory failure, renal failure and death may develop.
How is it found?
It is transmitted by coughing and sneezing of sick individuals and inhaling droplets scattered in the environment. After touching surfaces contaminated with respiratory particles, the virus can also be taken by taking the hands to the face, eyes, nose or mouth without washing them. Contact with eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands is risky.
Who is more at risk?
Information so far regarding COVID-19 infection has shown that some people are at greater risk of getting sick and developing severe symptoms:
- 80% of cases have mild disease.
- 20% of cases are treated in hospital conditions.
- The disease usually affects people aged 60 and over more.
- People most affected by the disease: Those over 60 years old.
- People with serious chronic medical conditions: Heart disease
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Chronic respiratory disease such as cancer
- Health workers
What are the ways of protection?
It is recommended not to travel abroad as much as possible. In cases where it is compulsory to go abroad, the following rules should be observed:
- Hand hygiene should be observed. Hands should be washed with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer should be used when soap and water are not available. There is no need to use antiseptic or antibacterial soap, normal soap is sufficient.
- Mouth, nose and eyes should not be touched without washing hands.
- Avoid contact with sick people (at least 1 m away if possible).
- Hands should be cleaned frequently, especially after direct contact with sick people or their environment.
- Hands should be cleaned frequently, especially after direct contact with sick people or their environment.
- Due to the high presence of patients, health centers should not be visited if possible, and contact with other patients should be minimized when it is necessary to go to a health institution.
- When coughing or sneezing, the nose and mouth should be covered with disposable tissue paper, in the absence of tissue paper, the inside of the elbow should be used, if possible, crowded places should not be entered, if it is necessary to enter, the mouth and nose should be covered, and a medical mask should be used.
- Eating raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Well-cooked foods should be preferred.
- Areas of high risk for common infections, such as farms, livestock markets and areas where animals may be slaughtered, should be avoided.
- If any respiratory symptoms occur within 14 days after the trip, the nearest health institution should be applied by wearing a mask, and the doctor should be informed about the travel history.
- MEASURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED AT THE CENTER OF BAHADIN AGING FOUNDATION
- Providing information about the virus and the epidemic to our elderly people who receive “Home Care” services at the Bahad Aging Foundation Center, explaining the importance of protection and social distance, and explaining why the conditions of care have changed. It will be ensured that the healthcare professionals dealing with the care of the elderly explain the changing conditions and remind them when necessary with a warm and caring language and attitude to the care recipients and their relatives.
- Since the target group under the care of Bahadin Aging Foundation consists of elderly and mentally fragile individuals, the information given on general cleaning issues such as hand washing and maintaining social distance will be frequently reminded and directions will be repeated.
- Due to this epidemic, an approach will be taken to allow them to express their feelings such as fear, anxiety and depression at the Bahadin Aging Foundation Center, and their requests for frequent meetings will be met with understanding.
- An isolation room will be created at the Bahadin Aging Foundation Center. This room will be arranged as a room where the elderly who have to go to the hospital or our guests who will spend some time with their families will stay in quarantine for 14 days upon their return to the institution. After the quarantine, our guests will be taken to their own rooms.
- Keeping all elderly people isolated in their rooms may cause psychiatric problems such as agitation, restlessness, and inability to sleep after a while, as well as unexpected internal problems. For this reason, the possibilities of providing socialization in a controlled way during the day will be reviewed. The presence of residents in small groups in collective seating will be ensured by taking into account the distance of the seating arrangement for protection from contamination and mask control. Short-term chat/self-expression meetings will be held with groups of 3-4 people in an order that will not violate the basic measures regarding the epidemic.
- For the maximum spiritual well-being of our elders and foundation personnel who receive service from the Bahadin Aging Foundation, care will be taken to use non-irritating, attentive language and to maintain courtesy.
- Personal protection measures will be taken for those who have mental problems that cannot protect themselves and those around them. In this protection, if necessary, the help of elderly relatives or specialist physicians will be sought.
- Psychological support interviews will be held with the elderly who receive service from Bahadin Aging Foundation; Early intervention will be provided to residents who are sluggish or who show behavioral problems such as sleep disturbance and agitation. Psychological support interviews will be held in short, frequent sessions instead of long and few sessions.
- Among our elderly people who receive service from Bahadin Aging Foundation, those who use antidepressants and similar psychiatric medication will be subject to mental and internal controls.
- The social activities necessary for psychological well-being, which will be realized by Bahadin Aging Foundation, will be held with the minimum number of participants at each time. The measures required by the epidemic conditions of the activities (especially the distance) will be taken. In such sensitive periods, pleasant activities within the institution, music, flower care and similar hobbies, exercise programs, chat and game activities will be increased in the building and in the garden of the institution when the climatic conditions are suitable.
- Various social, sportive and cultural activities will be organized in the garden so that our elderly people who receive service from Bahadin Aging Foundation can spend as much time in the garden as possible.
- This communication will be ensured, as the preparation of the opportunity for video conversation/communication over the internet with the relatives of our elderly people who receive service from Bahadin Aging Foundation will reduce the feelings of abandonment and loneliness. Social communication methods that do not involve physical contact, such as writing letters and texting to our elderly by their relatives, will be supported.
- During the pandemic, entrances and exits to the Bahadin Aging Foundation Center will be kept under control, and the restaurant service of the guesthouse will be closed to those who come to dine from outside during the pandemic.
- The fever and blood pressure of our elderly people staying at the Bahadin Aging Foundation Center will be measured 4 times a day.
- When signs and symptoms related to COVID-19 are detected in our elderly people staying at Bahadin Aging Foundation Center, the Hospital will be contacted immediately and they will be referred to the hospital and they will definitely be tested. Relatives will be informed of this situation immediately.
- Every person (including employees) who enters Bahadin Aging Foundation Center will undergo a health check.
- Except for the Nurses, who are assigned to our elderly people who will stay at the Bahadin Aging Foundation Center, no employees will contact them.
- Our elderly people staying at Bahadin Aging Foundation Center will stay as one person in the rooms as much as possible. If it is not possible, the bed distances will be adjusted to at least 2 meters.
- There will be control charts to be prepared regarding the pandemic measures and practices in the rooms of our elderly people staying at the Bahadin Aging Foundation Center. The applications in these charts will be checked daily by the nurse on duty.
- The food consumption of our elderly people staying at the Bahadin Aging Foundation Center will be adjusted according to the pandemic, and diets that support the immune system will be prepared.
- Cargoes coming to our elderly people staying at Bahadin Aging Foundation Center or to the institution will be received at the garden gate of the institution and will be taken inside after being disinfected. Cargoes will be kept to a minimum.
- Being aware of our responsibility as Bahadin Aging Foundation, it is not only the elderly who receive care in the institution and “Home Care”, but all the residents of the town;
- – Bahadin Aging Foundation will take its place in the fight against the pandemic in solidarity with the institutions in the town and fulfill its duties.
- – Bahadin Aging Foundation will make educational and warning visuals, bulletins and brochures related to the pandemic and will deliver these studies to the people of Bahadin.
- – Bahadin Aging Foundation will share all its work related to the Pandemic on the institution’s website and social media platforms.
- – Bahadin Aging Foundation will not only be with our elderly people staying in its Center, but also with all the residents of the Town who need it during the pandemic. 6
- MEASURES TO BE APPLIED IN HOME CARE SERVICES OF BAHADIN AGING FOUNDATION
- Bahadin Aging Foundation will provide necessary trainings and give warnings by contacting positive or contacted elderly people who receive “Home Care” service.
- Our elderly people who receive the “Home Care” service of Bahadin Aging Foundation will be taken out of the house, into the garden by the nurse after the necessary hygiene and disinfection conditions are met, and the house cleaning service will only start after this situation is realized.
- Pandemic training will be given to our elderly people who receive “Home Care” service of Bahadin Aging Foundation and their relatives, if any.
- Contact with our elderly people who receive Bahadin Aging Foundation “Home Care” service will be provided only by Nurses, other staff will only do their duty.
- Relatives of our elderly people who receive “Home Care” service of Bahadin Aging Foundation will be informed about the applications and services by phone.
- When signs and symptoms related to the covit-19 virus are detected in our elderly who receive the “Home Care” service of Bahadin Aging Foundation, the family doctor will be informed immediately, an ambulance will be invited by contacting the hospital.
- By communicating with the neighbors of our elderly people who receive “Home Care” service of Bahadin Aging Foundation, pandemic education will be given to the neighbors and the risks will be explained.
- Support will be provided to our elderly people who receive the “Home Care” service of Bahadin Aging Foundation to make use of their time, improve their daily living activities, and various hobby practices will be offered.
- PANDEMIC MEASURES TO BE APPLIED TO THE STAFF OF THE BAHADIN AGING FOUNDATION
- Bahadı Aging Foundation employees will be warned and followed up on interruption of meetings in this process if there is a risk group in the family, if there is someone who has to live in the same house, they should stay in separate rooms, follow a distance of 1.5 meters, and avoid close contact.
- The number of Bahadin Aging Foundation employees will be kept as low as possible to maintain social distance.
- Breaks and meal breaks of Bahadin Aging Foundation employees will be arranged in a way to maintain social distance, and suitable areas of the garden will be preferred for breaks and meal breaks when climatic conditions are suitable.
- Corona-negative test certificate and “no contagious disease” documents will be requested from Bahadin Aging Foundation employees and those who will work, and infection controls will be carried out regularly.
- Hygiene measures will be taken at Bahadin Aging Foundation Center, and sufficient and necessary materials and equipment will be provided for employees to ensure their personal hygiene.
- Bahadin Aging Foundation employees will clean the rooms and common areas by wearing masks, hands will be disinfected before cleaning and the room residents will be taken out of the room by the nurses before cleaning.
- When Bahadin Aging Foundation employees come to work, they will take off their daily clothes in the staff room and wear their corporate clothes. Both institutional clothes and daily clothes will be disinfected at each change of clothes.
- When Bahadin Aging Foundation employees go to the “Home Care” service, they will definitely use visors, masks and gloves. During home visits with a risk of covit-19, both nurses and other staff will also have to wear waterproof overalls. These equipments will be provided by Bahadin Aging Foundation.
- A 14-day fixed shift system will be applied to Bahadin Aging Foundation employees during the pandemic. However, after this period, shift changes will be made.
- Bahadin Aging Foundation employees will have their own towels, and shared use of private use items will be prevented.
- If Bahadin Aging Foundation employees show signs of respiratory tract infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath), the personnel will not be employed until they recover and will be directed to a health institution.
- Bahadin Aging Foundation employees will pay attention to hand hygiene, hands will be washed frequently for at least 20 seconds with water and plenty of soap.
- Soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizers will be available at the Bahadı Aging Foundation Center where employees can easily access them.
- Bahadin Aging Foundation employees will provide disinfection by wiping the surfaces of computers, keyboards, phones and other devices where chlorine compounds are not suitable with 70% alcohol.
- Bahadin Aging Foundation employees will take off masks and gloves after cleaning and maintenance and throw them in special trash cans at the workplace. If a washable cloth mask is used, it will be replaced with a new one.
- It will be ensured that Bahadin Aging Foundation employees are convinced that they are adequately protected and that they have access to sufficient and accurate information about the disease . In this regard, the management of the institution will ensure that the personnel have access to the correct information. Providing a sufficient amount of uniforms and other protection materials for the same purpose will also make the personnel feel safe.
- Bahadin Aging Foundation managers will be easily accessible and ready to listen to potential problems.
- PANDEMIC MEASURES AT THE CENTER OF BAHADIN AGING FOUNDATION
This document aims to provide information on prevention, control and management of suspected cases of COVID-19 in institutions providing long-term care.
- Warning letters and images related to the pandemic will be hung visibly at all entrances, kitchen and rest areas and the garden.
- Hand hygiene materials containing 60-95% alcohol will be placed in easily accessible places in each elderly room (both inside and outside the room), care areas, garden and common areas (exit of the dining hall, sports fields, sinks, etc.).
- There will be enough soap and paper towels in the sinks.
- In the cafeteria, resting area, corridors and areas of the garden that are heavily used, lines in different colors will be drawn on the floor at 1.5 meters intervals, reminding the users of the distance.
- Tables and chairs in the dining hall will be designed in accordance with the distance rule.
- Appropriate warning texts and visuals about the pandemic will be hung on the main entrance door. “PANDEMIC QUARANTINE CONDITIONS ARE APPLIED IN THIS INSTITUTION.” will be posted.
