Hari Raya: Visit elderly relatives at senior care homes safely

Whether at home or a senior care centre, do visit your elderly relatives safely, says Prof Dr Tan. – 123rf.com

EVERY Hari Raya afternoon, office worker Mastura Mohd would visit her grandaunt at a senior care home.

“She has no children, so my siblings and I would try to visit her when we can, especially on Hari Raya,” says Mastura.

With the Covid-19 pandemic raging over the last two years, however, Mastura has stayed away and refrained from celebrating Aidil-fitri with her elderly relative. And even now as we transition towards the endemic phase of Covid-19 and with most restrictions lifted, Mastura still has lingering fears about visiting her grandaunt.

“She is in the high-risk group so I’m really scared about infecting her with Covid-19,” she says.

According to Universiti Malaya Medical Centre’s consultant geriatrician Prof Dr Tan Maw Pin, family members can visit their elderly parents or relatives at senior care homes this festive season.

“Please do visit them. They miss you very much,” she says.

However, Prof Dr Tan reminds them to be cautious so as to protect the elderly relatives from Covid-19.

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While our SOPs have been relaxed, unfortunately many older adults remain vulnerable because they may not have developed enough immunity from vaccines, she says.

“They may also have limited reserves and even a mild infection could set them back.”

Prof Dr Tan: While our SOPs have been relaxed, unfortunately many older adults remain vulnerable because they may not have developed enough immunity from vaccines.

Prof Dr Tan advises those who plan to visit their elderly relatives in senior care homes to practise the earlier strict SOPs.

“Make sure you wear a mask properly, and if possible, make sure you maintain a physical distance of 1m. Make sure you wash your hands before you touch their surroundings or if you intend to salam them (shake their hands).

“If resources allow, please do the Covid-19 saliva test before going,” she notes, stressing that if you have any symptoms at all, do postpone your visit.

Adds Prof Dr Tan, the timing of visits may also matter.

“Try to make them your first stop, and don’t stay too long, 60 minutes at most, maybe. If possible don’t eat with them. Politely decline and say you will take it home and eat; seeing them is more important.”

Senior care home Pusat Jagaan Warga Tua Sri Tanjung Sungai Buloh, Selangor, assistant manager Abdul Azmi Azman agrees that it is important to prioritise senior citizens’ safety.

“Although Malaysia is moving into the endemic phase of Covid-19 and some of the restrictions have been eased, as announced by the Health Ministry recently, compliance with the previous SOPs, such as wearing masks and physical distancing still needs to be practised when visiting care centres, especially for the elderly.

“As we all know, elderly folks are at high risk of getting a Covid-19 infection, so taking safety measures such as wearing a face mask is important when visiting them,” he says.

“If visitors have any Covid-19 symptoms, they are recommended not to visit at all to prevent Covid-19 infection to this at-risk group.”

However, this does not mean that relatives cannot visit their loved ones living in the care centre at all, says Abdul Azmi.

“They can still visit but they must respect and follow the SOPs that have been set and outlined by the management of the care centre,” he says.