For over a century, the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association in Salisbury, CT has been at the doorstep of area residents in need of home health or hospice care. In the years since its inception, the Salisbury SVNA has effectively become the oldest and most comprehensive home care, hospice and private care agency serving all of the Northwest Corner of Connecticut.

Today, the SVNA alongside its Home Assistance Program, have announced that the current coronavirus pandemic currently gripping the area will not slow down their efforts and will be providing skilled home visits and hospice care during these uncertain times. In a statement released this morning SVNA officials said, “We want to reassure the community that it is safe to allow our nursing staff and caregivers in their homes. Our staff is following the strict guidelines and recommendations from the CDC to keep our staff and patients coronavirus-free. SVNA is committed to the care and safety of our patients. You can count on the SVNA Care Team to be by your side at all times, and especially

during this time of crisis.”

Perhaps most critically, the SVNA Home Assistance Program will be waiving its 3-hour minimum for home visits in order to help the elderly and others who are most vulnerable during this time with grocery shopping, laundry, meal prep and assistance with technology and other mobile video-calling apps to help them connect via the internet with their loved ones. As lifestyles temporarily adapt in an effort to reduce the spread of infection and elderly populations become even more isolated, the area’s most time-honored home health care association will continue to provide comfort, company, and care where it is needed most while following adhering to the extensive preventative measure put in place by the Centers for Disease Control (below):

Below are preventive measures recommended by the CDC:
• Avoid close contact with sick people – stay 6 feet away if possible.
• Stay home if you are sick and limit contact with others.
• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze; cough into your elbow.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth at all times.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated. Household cleansers will work.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not
available, use an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Seek medical care if you have fever, cough, or difficulty breathing and have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 in the 14 days before you began to feel sick. Also be alert to symptoms if you’ve traveled to China, Italy and other “hotspots”, including those in the USA.
• Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency department, call ahead and tell them about your
recent travel and your symptoms.

If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever, cough, difficulty breathing and other potential symptoms, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.

 

The Salisbury SVNA is a not-for-profit, state licensed and Medicare certified home health and hospice agency whose mission is to provide advanced,compassionate care at home and in the community. Serving: Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Kent, Lakeville, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Taconic and Warren.

For more information call SVNA’s Home Care service: 860-435-0816 and SVNA’s Home Assistance Program: 860-435-1266 or visit www.salisburyvna.org