If you’ve been waiting and waiting since the beginning of the pandemic to visit your elderly loved ones living outside of your immediate vicinity, you may be starting to feel like you can take the chance of seeing them now that infections have started to drastically decrease. However, since infections are still possible for anyone and everyone, you should still take some precautions to ensure that you’re keeping yourself and your loved one as safe as possible, especially if they’re living in an assisted living facility.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for traveling to visit an elderly loved one during the pandemic.
Wait Until Everyone Is Vaccinated
The safest measures you can take before visiting your elderly loved ones is to wait until everyone is fully vaccinated.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, people don’t become fully vaccinated until two weeks after their last vaccination. By waiting this amount of time before seeing your loved one, you’ll ensure that their immune system has been prepared to better protect them in case they are exposed. Even if you’re choosing not to get vaccinated or haven’t been vaccinated yet, if your elderly loved one has been fully vaccinated, the Cleveland Clinic shares that it’s now safe for you to see them indoors and without masks.
Do Your Best To Protect Yourself While In Transit
Once you’re ready to leave on your trip to visit your elderly loved one, you should now focus your attention on getting to your loved one without exposing yourself to the coronavirus.
To best do this, Allison Aubrey and Jane Greenhalgh, contributors to NPR.org, recommend that you do everything you can to reduce your time around strangers or in areas where people congregate. Additionally, if you’re going to be doing something like filling your car up with gas or flying in an airplane, make sure you wipe down all of the surfaces you’ll be touching before you handle them.
If Unvaccinated, Take The Right Precautions When Together
For those who have chosen not to get vaccinated or haven’t had the chance to get vaccinated yet, you still need to take the necessary precautions when you’re spending time with others, especially those in the elderly population.
According to the CDC, these precautions include things like wearing a mask, staying at least six feet away from each other, washing your hands frequently, and sanitizing surfaces that are commonly touched. By doing these things, you should be able to reduce your risk of contracting or spreading the virus.
If you’re wanting to visit an elderly loved one now that the pandemic seems to be dying down, consider using the tips mentioned above to continue to keep yourself and others safe throughout your travels to your loved one.
Comments are closed.