Caring for a loved one during a pandemic

Care has been front and centre during the pandemic, it’s never been in the news more than it was in 2020.

But Covid has affected us, globally. Let’s take a look at the Covid journey so far before diving into what it’s like being a caregiver at home during the pandemic.

Covid UK Key Dates

The lockdowns. At first a novelty - cue, singing Happy Birthday when you wash your hands, national shortages of flour and toilet paper as the country stocks up for our first lockdown. Banana bread, home haircuts and zoom quizzes. Almost one year later and onto our third lockdown, it’s a difficult reality for all, but necessary for our national safety.

The lockdown dates

• Lockdown 1 23rd March - July 

• Lockdown 2 5th November - 2nd December

• Lockdown 3 4th January - ongoing

How we got there:

• 1st February 2020, first Covid-19 case in UK 
  16th March 2020, Boris Johnson first advises social distancing.

• 18th March 2020, all schools close

• 23rd March 2020, first national lockdown

• 1st June, “Rule of six”

• 13th June, social bubble rule announced 

• 15th June, non-essential shops open, mandatory face masks on public transport 

• 23rd June, pubs, restaurants, cinemas reopen  

• 14th October - three tier system announced 

• 5th November, second national lockdown

• 8th December - first vaccines to general public 

• 19th December, tier four restrictions in place over Christmas 

• 4th January, third national lockdown

• 8th January, London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared London to be in a Major Incident

• February 2021, one year since the first UK as of writing over 15 million have received their first vaccination.
  

What COVID-19 is like when you’re caring for your family at home? 

A first hand account of caring for a loved one during a pandemic, by Derek Sleater, Co-Founder and Occupational Therapist at Sunday Care Therapy. 

As I write this I think of all the hard work and sacrifice we have had to make to keep my 91 year old aunt who presents with Alzheimer’s Dementia safe during a pandemic. 

My name is Derek, I am an Occupational Therapist registered both here in the UK and USA, I keep my licence up there so I can look at what works best in both countries to ensure I am using best practice at every stage. 

My Aunt Gladys, was 88 when she moved in with me. On reflection there was plenty of opportunity for her to be supported to continue living alone, but the essential services, skills and knowledge just were not present, to deal with her complex presentation, so we moved her from her lovely big house by the sea to a small flat in Hackney.  

I have personally learned so much as a therapist, family member, service user and an individual from the experience of keeping her healthy and happy over the past four years.  

We have been blessed with two amazing private carers who I have trained to the standard required to not only look after someone with a chronic degenerative neurological condition, but also understand the chain of infection to keep my Gladys safe from Covid over the past ten months. 

We are so pleased that on the 10th February 2021, Gladys received her first vaccine - bringing us one step closer to coming out of the other end of this pandemic. 

Remember during this challenging time the key components the government need us to remember - 

• Hands, keep them washed and cleaned, use sanitiser if required. 
  

• Face, face masks are a great way to keep your germs to yourself. 

• Space, where possible keep a 2 meter distance from people outside your bubble!