Home Instead COVID-19 Safety Protocols
Before Leaving for Shift:
- Mandatory Illness Reports
- Home Instead CAREGivers report any illness related symptoms to our office, or after hours to our on-call line that we answer 24/7, including holidays and weekends before leaving their house for shift.
- Mandatory Temperature Checks
- Home Instead CAREGivers take their temperatures before leaving their home and reporting to shift to make sure that they have no fever.
Before Arriving on Shift:
- Mandatory Cloth Mask
- All of our Home Instead CAREGivers are prepared with a cloth mask to be donned before entering a client’s home.
Arriving on Shift:
- Pre-shift Message for Telephony and the Mobile App
- At the beginning of a telephony shift clock-in, this message will play: “If you or your clients are experiencing any fever, cough or flu-like symptoms, please contact your office immediately. Please also be extra careful by washing your hands for 30 seconds with soap at arrival and frequently throughout your shifts.”
- Illness Questionnaire
- Home Instead CAREGivers must answer before finishing clocking into a client’s home. This questionnaire is to make sure that all CAREGivers and Clients are safe guarded from the spread of COVID-19.
The Caregiver Screening Questions include:
- Have you or a member of your household been experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough, or shortness of breath?
- Have you or a member of your household been out of the country within the last 14-18 days?
- Have you or a member of your household been in close contact with anyone who has been tested, diagnosed or told by a medical professional they may have COVID-19?
- Have you or a member of your household been in close contact with anyone who has traveled overseas or to a high-risk area within the last 14-18 days?
If the caregiver has completed a questionnaire within the last twenty-three hours, they will not be asked the questions again. If it has been longer than twenty-three hours since the caregiver completed a questionnaire, the screening questions will populate for the caregiver to reply. If the caregiver replies yes to any of the questions, they will receive a prompt "Please contact your agency office immediately before you proceed with your shift."
3. Standard Precautions, PPE and Client Symptom Check
- Home Instead CAREGivers wash their hands for 30 seconds before the start of their shift
- Home Instead CAREGivers apply proper PPE (Personal Protectant Equipment) such as gloves when interacting in close contact with clients as well other situations to follow standard precautions . (personal care, etc.)
- Home Instead CAREGivers will apply gloves, and will take their client’s temperature at the beginning of shift, while also asking them self-reflecting questions about any illness symptoms. These temperatures are tracked and reported to the office if above the normal range for that particular client.
