Pre-Reading Questions:
- Who is the oldest person in your family?
- Do you frequently wash your hands?
Vocabulary:
- fact /fakt/
- regularly /REG-yuh-ler-lee/
- unimportant /uhn im-PAWR-tnt/
- medicine /MED-uh-sin/
- mental /MEN-tl/
[noun] something that is known to have happened or to exist with proof
She reported all the facts about medicinal plants.
[adverb] often
She waters the plants regularly.
[adjective] not important
Your problem is unimportant compared to the family on the streets.
[noun] treatment for illness or injury
The medicines can be found in the kitchen cabinet.
[adjective] of or about the mind, or involving the process of thinking
My mental health is really important to me.
There is no fact on the high possibility of older people to get COVID-19. But the number of confirmed cases of people with COVID-19 are among the elderly. Even if elders are in good health, they are still prone to sickness due to a weak immune system. Thus, extra care for our older loved ones is needed.
Here are the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, geriatricians and viral disease specialists to keep our older loved-ones safe from COVID-19.
1. Know and follow the guidelines
Using soap and water, wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds. You can also use hand sanitizers. Avoid handshakes, public vehicles, and crowded places. Disinfect items that are used from time to time. Stock basic needs and cancel unimportant trips. Do not visit your grandchildren for a while.
2. Use Telemedicine
In the meantime, it is advisable to use telemedicine to replace wellness visits.
Also, asking for advice from your doctor about stocking two to three months of prescribed medicines can help.
3. Be mindful of being alone
16 percent of people aged 60 years old and above are living alone in more than 130 countries according to a study by Pew Research Center. Loneliness has its own bad effect on health. Thus, use Zoom, Skype or Facetime to communicate with our grandparents especially at times like this.
4. Talk to caregivers
Talk to the caregivers about proper hygiene as suggested by Dr. David Nace, president-elect of the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Make sure that caregivers are healthy and have clean hands. Equipment that will be used should be disinfected.
5. Exercise, even in pandemic
Physical activities can make the body’s immune system strong, and it also has a good effect on mental and emotional aspects. Simple work out such as walking would be enough.
Here are the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, geriatricians and viral disease specialists to keep our older loved-ones safe from COVID-19.
1. Know and follow the guidelines
Using soap and water, wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds. You can also use hand sanitizers. Avoid handshakes, public vehicles, and crowded places. Disinfect items that are used from time to time. Stock basic needs and cancel unimportant trips. Do not visit your grandchildren for a while.
2. Use Telemedicine
In the meantime, it is advisable to use telemedicine to replace wellness visits.
Also, asking for advice from your doctor about stocking two to three months of prescribed medicines can help.
3. Be mindful of being alone
16 percent of people aged 60 years old and above are living alone in more than 130 countries according to a study by Pew Research Center. Loneliness has its own bad effect on health. Thus, use Zoom, Skype or Facetime to communicate with our grandparents especially at times like this.
4. Talk to caregivers
Talk to the caregivers about proper hygiene as suggested by Dr. David Nace, president-elect of the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Make sure that caregivers are healthy and have clean hands. Equipment that will be used should be disinfected.
5. Exercise, even in pandemic
Physical activities can make the body’s immune system strong, and it also has a good effect on mental and emotional aspects. Simple work out such as walking would be enough.
True or False:
- There is proof that only older people are affected by COVID-19.
- Visiting grandchildren should be stopped for now.
- Equipment used by caregivers should be uncleaned.
- Loneliness has its own good effect on health.
- Physical activities can help improve the body’s immune system.
Vocabulary Check:
Complete the sentences by using the words in the box.
| fact | regularly | unimportant | medicine | mental |
- We should also take care of our _____ health.
- She brought a lot of _____ things on their trip.
- Sometimes, it is so hard to tell _____ from fiction.
- She goes to church _____.
- My father wasn’t feeling well, so I gave him some _____.