Safety Protocols
San Jose Home Care: Dedicated to Your Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic
San Jose Home Care follows all COVID-19 guidelines recommended by Texas Health and Human Services for public health home service providers. These guidelines are updated as new information is found and are intended to be followed by workers who make home visits during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Making Assessments Prior to Visiting Your Home
Our team members are equipped to deliver quality home care during the pandemic by taking diligent precaution before they come to your home. These precautions help us to ensure that our patients and our home care providers stay safe:
- Call, text, or video call before the scheduled visit.
- Conduct visits virtually, if possible.
- Check in with patients via video call prior to our visit to report or show their temperature.
- Check patients and household members for symptoms of the virus prior to visiting.
Symptoms of COVID-19
Fever/Chills
Congestion/Runny Nose
Headaches
Fatigue
Diarrhea
Cough/Sore Throat
Shortness of Breath/Difficulty Breathing
Muscle or Body Aches
Nausea/Vomiting
New Loss of Taste/Smell
Symptoms of COVID-19
Seek Medical Attention Immediately if you experience:
Troubles Breathing
Persistent Pain/Pressure in Your Chest
New Confusion
Bluish Lips/Face
Inability to Wake Up/Stay Awake
In Case You’re Showing Signs of COVID-19
If a patient or a member of their household has a temperature or is showing symptoms of COVID-19, more precautions are available to our team to ensure safety. If possible, visits will be rescheduled after the individual showing symptoms has been fever-free for over 24 hours and any other symptoms have improved. If the visit can’t be rescheduled, our team members will use all personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended by health officials, including:
- Disposable examination gloves to be changed if they become heavily contaminated or damaged.
- Disposable isolation gowns.
- Respiratory protections including N-95 masks, a higher-level respirator, or a facemask if the prior options aren’t available.
- Eye protection including face shields that provide coverage for the sides and front of the face or goggles.
All PPE should be put on prior to visitation if possible. We will alert anyone in the home prior to visitation so that any individuals not receiving care can move to another room and any patients can maintain a six-foot distance if possible according to the care they need. Once in, we will:
- Stay in well ventilated areas of the home if possible.
- Encourage the patient to wear a facemask or other respiratory protection if available.
- Keep visits as short as possible without sacrificing quality care.
Sanitize or wash hands before, during, and after the visit. - Request an outdoor trash can so that PPE can be safely disposed of following the visit.
- If some PPE including the examination gown needs to be removed inside the patient’s home, request that all household members move to another room prior to PPE removal.
- Sanitize hands prior to and after PPE has been removed.
Home Virus Prevention
With these guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), patients and their loved ones–especially members of risk groups including individuals 65 or older– can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by:
- Washing their hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water for 20 or more seconds.
- Using hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water aren’t available.
- Avoiding touching their mouth, eyes, or nose, especially with unwashed hands.
- Avoiding coming into close contact with individuals who are or may be sick.
- Staying home as much as possible, especially if you are or may be sick.
- Using a tissue to cover your mouth and nose in case of coughing or sneezing, and disposing of the tissue afterward.
- Cleaning frequently touched and high-traffic surfaces with disinfectant at least once per day.