HCAOA The Voice Fall 2020

13 Fall 2020 MEMBER NEWS Care Providers SF Clear internal policies regarding minimizing the risk of exposure for caregivers and clients. Protocols and post exposure quarantine periods that comply with the most current CDC guidelines. What can agencies do to minimize contact points for caregivers? JB To minimize contact points for caregivers agencies can set up designated drop off points and times in their office for paper delivery. Utilizing a drop off point can make it so that office staff and caregivers are adhering to proper social distanc - ing and not coming within 6 feet of each other. Setting up a drop off time for caregivers can make it so that caregivers are not coming in contact with each other as they are dropping off paperwork. SF Use touchless delivery of food items, medications, and supplies. Work with families to minimize the number of visitors to the client’s home. Minimize the number of clients that the caregiver sees in a single day. How often do you think caregivers should be tested for COVID-19? JB Caregivers should be tested whenever there is an exposure or possible exposure to COVID-19. It is important to also keep up state and county guidelines as additional testing may be necessary. SF To avoid false negatives, testing should be done no sooner than 72 hours prior to the time of exposure. Testing after an appropriate quarantine or a negative test result without symptoms is not necessary. COVID-19 antibody testing is of questionable accuracy, value and should be avoided.