Should home care workers wear a face mask at their client's homes during the COVID-19 pandemic?

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Should home care workers wear a face mask at their client's homes during the COVID-19 pandemic?

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YES

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I would insist upon it. If you want them to wear a mask, tell them to wear a mask. Otherwise you are exposing your loved ones to EVERYONE they have been around. Yes, it is very hot and very uncomfortable, but they are healthcare workers they should understand.

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Short answer - no. No one comes into my house without a face mask (and none of us leave the house without one). We have 2 immune compromised family members, so it's a house rule.

Just the idea that someone who has daily contact with people in the high risk bracket would not automatically wear masks astounds me.

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If the home care workers are seeing multiple clients, then I would require them to wear a mask. If they are the same person every day, I would not require a mask unless there are other visitors coming into the house. Nomatter my thoughts, you have to feel comfortable.

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ABSOLUTELY!!! YOU MAKE IT YOUR OWN HOUSE RULE. Prior to the quarantine, I had masks that I gave all who visited. It wasn't in our home state in reports yet. When the first was reported I posted a sign in the window that we were self quarantining. This was prior to March 1st. Look where we are now. look on line find a sign print it i couldn't include one here and post in the window even if you aren't there.

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Absolutely!! Otherwise what point is there in your clients isolating! I’m horrified that they aren’t already. No excuses!
And they should be washing their hands as soon as they arrive and before they leave as a minimum.

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Yes, yes and yes!

Disposable gloves too!!

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I wear a mask; I have some designer ones, and I think they are just so cool.

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I manage the operations of a Home Care Agency, and all of our caregivers have to wear a mask, wash hands and report if they have any symptoms. We even go as far as providing gloves and hand sanitize so there are no excuse. There is also a free course on homecarepulse that offers free covid-19 training on how to handle the whole thing. It's worth the time spent on it- perhaps 45 minutes, not much.

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I work for a Home Care agency and we are required to wear a mask in our clients homes. We also have to answer questions regarding where we have been, if around others with the virus, if we have traveled and are to take our temperatures daily. It should be required with all Home Care workers. The elderly are very vulnerable and need to be protected. I would tell your agency that you require the workers to wear masks and take their temperatures before entering your parents home. My parents have assistance and their worker wears a mask but if in a situation where she is at least 6 ft apart, then takes it off for awhile but most of time it is on.

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Yes they should ! As the owner of my Home Care Agency ALL of my employees MUST wear face mask and gloves when going into a client's home while providing services. We want to make sure everyone is safe in every direction.

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My husband has a caregiver who only comes to our home daily during the week. She has no other clients. The agency requires her to wear a mask anytime that she is closer to him than 6 feet. And gloves if she caring for him directly.
Sandy

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To me it seems like a given that they should be wearing a mask. Not knocking your question, more the oversight of requirements. Fragile population, wear a mask.

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Yes people that come into the house should wear a mask.
If your parents have not been out of the house they really do not need to wear one.
But it can help if they are willing. Double protection is best.
Face masks do pose a problem when dealing with people that rely on facial expression to understand conversation. And people with dementia have a difficult enough time trying to recognize faces and with a mask it would be impossible.
There are plastic face shields that would solve both of these problems. I have seen some made from the plastic sheets that are used as protectors for pages in a binder and there are other firmer plastic sheets that can be used, once cut it can be attacked to a baseball cap.
And if any personal contact is necessary I would require gloves as well as clothing cover. (cover for clothing should be laundered and not put on until the caregivers comes into the house. ) And they should wash their hands prior to starting and when gloves are removed hands should be washed, and washed before putting on a clean pair of gloves. (if hand washing is not practical prior to putting on gloves hand sanitizer should be used.)

If your parents leave the house they should wear masks when caregivers are present as well.

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Yes.

The type of PPE depends on the type of the care needed, these are the best guidelines I've found so far:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/884165/Domiciliary_guidance_England.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozY50PPmsvE&feature=youtu.be

Surgical masks should be enough unless the patient is ill, they are less unconfortable and lighter than N95 / 99, breaks in care should be assured so that the carer won't have to wear a mask for more than 2/3 hours at a time.

I'm having the same problem atm, will follow your thread.
Thanks to everyone who's posting here, this is very useful.

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My 91 year old dad is in late stages of dementia and frail although he has no other co-morbidities. I have hired (privately, no agencies) a team of 4-5 caregivers who work various shifts caring for him 24/7.
I provided clothe masks that they must wear anytime they are within 6-8 feet of him, especially during up close contact such as shaving him or preparing his food. However, we also provide sanitizing spray such as MicroBan which caregivers use 2x per shift on any surfaces my dad might touch such as doorknobs, sink faucets, etc.
I discourage glove use because if not handled correctly, they do more harm than good re: cross contamination. I do NOT recommend putting a mask on a frail man at anytime he is in his home and not showing any sign of illness.
I have Nanny Cams in areas where my dad spends time other than bathrooms and guest bedroom where caregiver sleeps. Our team knows that I can “peek” in at anytime to hold them accountable re: wearing the masks as required. They have all been wonderful at following this guidance. I do not require them to wear the masks when they are spaced away from him by at least 6 feet. We even provided clips for them to clip masks to their own blouse so it’s handy for putting on quickly if they need to tend to him.
Lastly and important: the masks I provided them are for at my dad’s home ONLY and they are to be washed daily. If they want masks for any other place they go such as grocery stores, they have to wear one of their own.

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Well done!!

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Yes. They need to wear a mask. Buy a pack of masks and hand them one when they come in each day. Old people can die from this virus.

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Yes, it is out of courtesy for others that a facemask be worn, especially if in the same room together.

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Yes. I would request of them to please wear a mask. If anything to protect your parents. If not themselves! they of all people should be required to wear face masks, especially with caring for the elderly. It should seriously be common sense.

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They should absolutely wear masks and I would insist on it.

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Absolutely. If they live somewhere else, encounter other people, travel, and shop, they can be exposed to Covid-19.

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yes but the virus can also be spread with hands and even bringing in groceries

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Absolutely yes! If they are from an agency, I would recommend you call and ask the agency how they are educating, screening, testing, and training their staff when it comes to COVID-19. How are they limiting risks of exposure to their clients? Are these workers wearing disposable gloves? Are they supplied with masks? What kind? Do they wash their hands immediately upon entering the home before donning gloves? Do they take their temp before work? Are they sure not to come to work even with a "cold?" Are they keeping the same workers with the same clients and not shuffling people around? Nursing Homes (such as where I work as a healthcare provider)and Assisted Living Facilities went into lockdown with no visitors with people isolated in their rooms and still the infection rate soared and continues to do so. That must mean that there are many asymptomatic carriers of the virus eluding the screening process and passing the virus when providing care. Until there is a fast, reliable and widely available test for the virus, and/or a vaccine, care providers must do everything in their power to minimize transmission of the virus both at work and in their personal lives. They bear an added responsibility because they provide care to a vulnerable population. This is a new world, and if they don't take this seriously, you might want to consider switching to care providers who are making steps to meet this challenge. A mask may play a part in lessening the chance of spreading the virus, but there's more to it than that.

If your care providers are not from an agency, they will have little access for education, support, screening or PPE. I advise you to check it out.

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Thank you for this post.

(2)

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Most definitely!

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I'm a healthcare professional with my own home care service and I require my workers to wear mask. The clients are isolated in their homes so we really don't have to be worried about them giving us anything. They should be fearful of us coming into their homes. We are the ones out there in grocery stores, shopping, going to different homes, around other people so to answer your question; YES, they should be made to wear mask. They are working around elderly people with heath issues and an already compromised immune system.

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I am about to engage with the manager at the IL where my elderly mother lives: residents are isolated, family can't come in our out, residents can't leave, they have cancelled all activities, and the staff (including the manager) is not wearing gloves or masks around the residents. They obviously know better.

I am scrupuplous about wearing a mask and gloves when out of the house, and I wash my hands frequently and well yet I am not allowed near my mother. Any health care worker knows to follow these guidelines. They are being lazy and you should correct this before either of your parents gets seriously ill.

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Yes, I believe they all should....

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Our caregiver is required to wear a mask the entire time she is w my mil. She does but my mil does not like it. My mil is not able to understand and hear her through the mask.

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Short answer is, absolutely yes!!

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I agree, the more I think about it.

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I live in a IL apt complex close to my mother. All healthcare workers, delivery ppl, or any other type workers wear masks at all times. Im in central Florida. In addition to the masks they are required to wash their hands for 30 seconds upon arriving and every hour while they are with patient ( home health ppl) Sure hope you can get this situation corrected. Even if there is a no mask in place, it is just common sense that the workers wld not want to expose your parents like this....

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Wow, that's an excellent way to help keep people safe. I hope I can get this corrected soon, too.

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Mooncatazz, I wouldn't agree that the contact has to be limited by the nurse running a business out of her home to only your parents, or a proxy under a POA. Those I've had for my family address business, legal and financial issues, with general authority.

I don't recall if they have any reference to medical care or decisions, which normally would be addressed in a Living Will or medical POA.

Your parents want you to be involved; that business owner needs to consider that and adjust her attitude. I would be assertive and have a discussion with her, with your parents present, indicating that they wish you to be involved, and she, your parents, and you need to work this out if she wishes to continue providing services.

If you like these caregivers and don't want to switch, don't threaten, but do establish that your parents make the decisions and they want you to be involved. She needs to respect that.

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Should home care workers wear a face mask at their client's homes during the COVID-19 pandemic?

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