Elders Receive Blood Tests at Home Amid COVID-19
Written by Paul Graif on 18 April 2020
About 200 elderly patients in Kahnawake are now receiving homecare visits from nurses, according to the director of the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center (KMHC).
In a briefing on Saturday, KMHC director Lisa Westaway said nurses are conducting pre-screening for patients over the phone and providing services including blood tests at home.
“What we’re trying to do is decrease the number of visits to the hospital by people who are over 70,” she said.
With the increased number of home visits, Westaway said nurses have been ‘extra precautious’ to prevent transmission, including wearing a mask and changing their clothing upon returning to the hospital from a home visit.
Westaway said patients and their families have a role to play too, urging them to be transparent with nurses about visitors in the home.
“If you’re having many visitors in your home, it’s important to let our nurses know that when they call before they come for a visit, “ she said. “Of course, if you’re over 70 you should not be having visitors in your home, you should only have those people who actually live with you.”
