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COVID-19 At-Home Caregiving Tips

If you are caring for a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who has COVID-19 symptoms and has not been tested, follow this advice to protect yourself and others at home, as well as those in your community.

Recommended public health measures to follow to reduce the spread in your household

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When you're at home sick or in isolation, you should:

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Limit Contact

  • Only one healthy person should provide care.

  • Do not share personal and household items with the sick person, such as toothbrushes, towels, bed linen, utensils or electronic devices.

  • If at all possible, try to ensure that the sick person has their own bedroom and bathroom.

  • If the sick person must leave their room, they should wear a mask.

  • If not possible to have a separate bathroom, the sick person should put the toilet lid down before flushing. Clean and disinfect the bathroom as needed after each use by the sick person.

  • Do not allow the sick person to prepare meals for others. Ensure the sick person uses a separate preparation area or at least prepares meals at a different time, washing all surfaces after.

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Wear a respirator

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If you're at home sick or in isolation, wear the best quality and best fitting respirator (like an N95 or KN95) or mask available when you:

  • have to leave your home or co-living setting (for example, to seek medical attention)

  • are in a shared indoor space by yourself or with others, like a:​

    • kitchen

    • washroom

    • hallway

  • aren't able to maximize your distance with others in a shared outdoor space, like a:

    • balcony

    • backyard

  • are receiving care (either direct physical care or close-range interactions)

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Example of types of respirators

Do not wear a respirator or mask if you have trouble breathing while wearing it.

Your caregiver and household members should also wear the best quality and best fitting respirator or mask available to them when:

  • providing care to you

  • in a shared space with you

This is especially important for those who:

  • are at risk of more severe disease or outcomes from COVID-19

  • live in an overcrowded setting

If a respirator isn't available in these situations, wear a well-fitting medical mask. If neither are available, properly wear a well-constructed and well-fitting non-medical mask.

  Learn more about:

 People who are at risk of more severe disease or outcomes from     COVID-19

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 Eye protection

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Eye protection should not replace the use of a respirator or mask. Wear it over prescription eyeglasses and put it on after putting on a respirator or mask.

To remove eye protection: 

  • wash your hands

  • remove eye protection by handling:

  • the arms of the safety glasses or goggles or

  • sides or back of a face shield

The front of your protective items are contaminated, so don't touch them.

To discard eye protection:

if disposable: place into a plastic-lined waste container

if reusable: clean it with soap and water and then disinfect it with approved hard-surface disinfectants

  • if unavailable, use a diluted bleach solution

  • wash your hands

Learn more about:

COVID-19: Hard-surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers

COVID-19: Cleaning products and bleach

  • Maximize ventilation and airflow in the living spaces. Even opening a window for a few minutes every hour can help improve ventilation.

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Children

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Children under the age of 2 years should not wear masks. Children 2 to 5 years old may be able to wear a mask if they:

  • are supervised

  • can tolerate it

  • know how to put it on and take it off themselves

Children older than 5 years should wear a mask in the same situations or settings as adults.

Actions to avoid

If you're at home sick or in isolation, you should avoid or limit:

  • in-person interactions with household members, including being in the same room

  • leaving your home or co-living setting unless you need medical care

  • going to public spaces or visiting with others in-person

  • sharing a washroom with household members, but if this isn't possible:

  • follow public health measures when in a shared space, such as:

    • wearing a well-fitting respirator or mask

    • opening a window

    • practising hand hygiene

    • cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects

    • put the toilet lid down before flushing to limit spread

  • sleeping in the same room with household members, but if this isn't possible:

    • make sure the space is well ventilated

    • maximize physical distancing (for example, sleep in separate beds positioned head to toe)

  • sharing personal items (for example, masks, utensils, food and drink, electronic devices)

  • in-person contact with people who are at risk of more severe disease or outcomes

Learn more about: COVID-19: Individual public health measures

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Protect Yourself

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  • If possible, people who are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, as well as those who are not fully immunized, should not care for someone with COVID-19.

  • Maintain physical distance from the sick individual, as much as possible.

  • If you need to be within 2 metres of the sick person, wear a mask.

  • You do not have to wear disposable single-use gloves if you're providing care at home It's better to regularly wash or sanitize your hands.If you choose to wear disposable gloves, clean your hands before and after using them when touching: 

    • the person you're caring for

    • things the person you're caring for has touched​

  • If your gloves become soiled or torn during care, remove them, clean your hands and put on a new pair. To remove gloves safely:

  1. pull off the first glove from the fingertips using your opposite hand

  2. as you're pulling, form the glove into a ball within the palm of your gloved hand

  3. slide your ungloved hand in under the wrist of your second glove and gently roll it inside out, and away from your body

  4. avoid touching the outside of the gloves with your bare hands

  5. discard the gloves in a plastic-lined waste container and clean your hands

Learn more about: How to remove disposable gloves (video)

  • Do not re-use masks or gloves.

  • Clean your hands often for at least 20 seconds, especially after contact with the ill person and after removing gloves, mask and eye protection. See how to wash your hands here

  • Dry your hands with disposable paper towels.

    • If not available, use a reusable towel and replace it when it becomes wet.

  • You can also remove dirt from your hands with a wet wipe and then use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

  • Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Additional Information For Children & Families

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All children need love, care and attention from caregivers every day, even if they are in isolation or quarantine. If your child develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, choose one healthy family member to be the designated caregiver for the sick child to help reduce spread of the virus to other household members. You are the best judge of how to care for your child, and may decide that it is not possible to have only one adult interact with your child for such an extended period.

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Keep Your Environment Clean

  • Place used masks, gloves and other contaminated items in a lined container, separate the contents and dispose of them with other household waste. Wash you hands after handling garbage.

  • Place possibly contaminated laundry into a container with a plastic liner and do not shake.

    • Wash with regular laundry soap and hot water (60-90°C), and dry well.

    • Clothing and linens belonging to the sick person can be washed with other laundry.

  • At least once daily, use household disinfectants or diluted bleach (1 part bleach and 9 parts water) to clean and disinfect surfaces that people touch often (e.g., toilets, laundry containers, bedside tables, doorknobs, phones and television remotes).

    • Clean touch screens with 70% alcohol wipes.

 

Monitor Yourself for Symptoms

  • Monitor yourself for symptoms for 14 days following your last contact with the sick person.

  • If you develop symptoms, you are recommended to isolate. Complete the COVID-19 Assessment & Testing tool to find out if you should be tested for COVID-19

 

Supplies

Supplies needed if you or someone in your household is sick or isolating at home include:

  • a thermometer

  • respirators (or if unavailable, well-fitting medical masks)

    • if neither are available, use well-constructed, well-fitting non-medical masks

  • eye protection, like a face shield, safety glasses or goggles

  • no-touch waste container with a plastic liner, like a garbage bin

 

Recommended hygiene products include:

  • tissues and disposable paper towels

  • hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol

  • dish soap, hand soap and regular laundry soap

  • household cleaning products

  • a hard surface disinfectant that has a drug identification number (DIN)

    • if unavailable, use a diluted bleach solution

  • alcohol prep wipes or cleaning products made for electronics

 

Read and follow manufacturer's instructions for safe use of cleaning and disinfection products.

 

Stock your home with supplies in advance in case you or someone in your household needs to stay at home sick or isolate. Reach out to family, friends or neighbours for help if you can't get these supplies yourself. When reaching out, do so in a safe manner by avoiding contact if you can, such as a porch pickup. You can also contact your local public health authority or a community organization for advice, support and resources.

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Wherever possible, stay at a place that has access to running water. This will make it easier to practise hand washing, cleaning and disinfecting, and laundering.

Learn more about:

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see the pdf here for complete informations of how to care for someone who is sick with COVID-19 at home  care-for-person-covid-19-home-caregivers-eng.pdf (canada.ca)

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informations about supplies and more Advice for when you or someone in your home is sick with COVID-19 - Canada.ca

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