At a time like this, with the threat of coronavirus disrupting our lives, it is very important that the elderly keep themselves safe, as they are easily targeted as their immunity is impaired.

The following precautions need to be taken:

• They should wash their hands frequently: Old people tend to hold things a lot more than young people like grabbing railings for support, holding people’s hands to help them climb up and down stairs, or to walk, to sit down and sometimes even go to the bathroom. It is very important that they wash their hands with soap for 20 second.If they are unable to wash their hands themselves, they must be washed by someone at all times, especially if they have returned from the doctor or a hospital.

Sometimes old people tend to forget to wash their hands, in that case, they need to be reminded to do so by either the nurses or the maids looking after them as they do not have children/relatives around.

The staff must also be trained to wash their own hands frequently as they are looking after someone who is vulnerable and prone to the Coronavirus.

• They must be dissuaded from going out of the house: Some geriatrics want to go meet their friends in the garden or go out to houses of friends. This has to be discouraged by the staff looking after him/her. The only place they should be allowed to go to, are doctors and only if it's an emergency.

In case they do need to go out, they must be made to wash their hands with soap as soon as they return. Unfortunately, many of the elderly suffer from diabetes or hypertension and this attracts the virus to these diseases.

• Medication given on time: All medication to the elderly must be given on time, especially the medications for diabetes and hypertension as these diseases make the old people far more vulnerable to the virus as the coronavirus tends to attack people with these diseases even more than others.
• Hydration and nutrition: Geriatrics must be given anything form of hot water, like soup, tea or coffee from time to time as their respiratory system needs to be unclogged and free so that the Corona Virus does not affect them.

The writer is Geeta Kumana, Proprietor,Prime Health Support