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Tips to stay well at home during COVID-19 lockdown

The year 2020 will eventually be remembered in history as a time where many things changed for all of us. We are living through it right now and adapting our lives to make history, taking the very best care of ourselves and our community that we can.

At St Louis, we have made the necessary changes to our home support plans to ensure the safety of our clients and staff. Our staff have been specifically trained in COVID-19 infection control to safely support our clients.

We’ve also made the following changes to our home care delivery during COVID-19.

  • Increased hygiene – this includes keeping hands and surfaces sanitised
  • Social distancing – keeping appropriate distance from clients when in their homes
  • Communication – regular communication with our clients about practices to stay safe and well at home

With the safety of our clients and staff being paramount, we are helping our home care clients to stay well and active, both physically and mentally, in the comfort of their own homes.

Here are some suggestions on what you can do at home to stay well

  1. Invest in technology such as an iPad to get involved in groups and activities online. You can purchase specific technology items through your home care package. We will help you find communities and like-mined groups on the internet to get started. It’s another world waiting for you that can be quite rewarding.
  2. Stay in touch with your family, friends and community groups by phone or skype. Staying connected with your community at this time will support your mental and emotional health and wellbeing, and they will also value the contact. You can do this from your mobile phone, tablet or computer.
  3. Exercise gently at home every day for 15 minutes. Strength-bearing exercises are ideal to keep your muscle tone strong. There are online yoga and pilates classes you can do. Ask your coordinator to help you get connected. Strength for Life by COTA have released online classes around Australia, speak to your coordinator to find one that suits you online.
  4. Explore new recipes at home and try some new cuisines. Your carer will help you. They’ll go out and do the grocery shopping for the ingredients and help you with the meal preparation. For more inspiration, Maggie Beer is running free cooking classes that are streaming from her Instagram page.
    Our nursing home uses Souped Up https://www.soupedup.com/ to ensure we are providing nutritious and delicious recipes for our residents. The same service can be extended to our home care clients. Preparing meals is quite easy with this service as it explains the nutritional content, whether the dish can be modified and it comes with images making it easier to prepare the meal.
  5. Download eBooks or Audiobooks from your local library to listen to at home. Unley Library have fiction and nonfiction eBooks, magazines, and audiobooks to download. If you have a tablet, you can download many books to read online from other websites like Audible. Another app is the Libraries SA app called Libby and can be downloaded to either to an Apple or Android phone or tablet.
  6. Don’t watch too much news about COVID-19. Read the headlines so you generally know what’s happening but take care not to be too immersed as it can create more anxiety and unnecessary fear.

Online resources to support you during COVID-19

Reach out to advocacy networks such as OPAN Older Person’s Advocacy Network or ARAS Aged Care Rights Advocacy Networks. They offer advice and support for South Australians to maintain their health and wellbeing and have a range of new resources for COVID-19.

OPAN have launched a 24x7 hotline for any questions you may have about COVID-19. The number is 1800 237 981.

You can find out more about our approach to COVID-19 here:

Call St Louis Aged Care for Home Care support during COVID-19

Stay healthy, stay active and stay well with your home care services supporting you. Call our home care coordinators to help you coordinate the services you need during this COVID-19 on 1800 011 946. We’re here to help and look after your needs.

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