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How to Support Older Adults During the Coronavirus Pandemic

older adultsCurrently, elderly people are vulnerable and at the highest risk of experiencing significant health complications due to the second wave of COVID-19. Being socially isolated also creates a panic, affects mental and physical health of the elderly. Due to the pandemic, most older adults are not able to take walks, exercise and have limited access to their daily healthcare needs. Though social distancing and self quarantine is necessary, it is essential for older adults to feel connected in order to avoid depression or helplessness. Loneliness, anxiety and uncertainty give rise to chronic stress, depression and insomnia in older people.

How Can You Help Older Adults In Your Neighborhood? 

During this time, it becomes important to help older adults in our neighbourhood, especially the ones living alone. Here, I’ll be sharing some tips which families and caregivers can use to keep older adults disease-free, happy and mentally fit! 

  1. If you have parents or grandparents you’re not living with, give them a call to provide regular emotional support. 
  2. Ensure that an older adult’s daily needs and essential requirements like medicines, fruits, food, etc. are taken care of.
  3. Take additional efforts to check and confirm that they are maintaining proper hand and respiratory hygiene. 
  4. Older Adults are more sensitive in the current situation. To safeguard them, it’s better that they should avoid stepping out for any reason as much as possible.
  5. If routine check-ups can be done via phone consultation, please do so. Go to the hospital only when necessary. 
  6. Guide and educate the older adults in your area with the latest updates, precautionary measures, etc. Keep them informed! 
  7. Provide extra care if needed as some of them are on multiple medications due to chronic illnesses and sensory problems such as loss or difficulty in vision, hearing, etc. 
  8. Before self-medication with any drug, please consult a doctor.
  9. Family members need to be super sensitive to the early symptoms of COVID-19 and testing if needed should be promptly done. This, however, should not give rise to panic, self-isolation and stigma.
  10. Psycho-social issues are vital and families need to be sensitive to them. It is natural to be stressed, but signs of excessive panic, depression, sleep problems need urgent attention from a qualified mental health professional.
  11. The elderly need to be involved in decision making even in times of crisis. Their rights, self-respect and dignity must be preserved and protected.

 We hope this article helps. For more information or sessions on helping older adults, tune in to experts on GOQii Play. 

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce  

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Shopping For Essentials? Take These Precautions!

shopping for essentialsWith the second wave of COVID-19 and all of us being home, we must be very vigilant when we step out for those essentials that we need. While it is most advisable to stay home completely, one may need essentials like everyday groceries and medicines for basic sustenance. The first choice is of course to go out, and use online stores if available (although this may also have its own supply chain issues). Many societies are also organizing deliveries to flats or having a vendor come into the society. While these solutions can be used by some, there are certain cases where one has to go out. In these cases, it is important to do what one can to protect oneself. So, what should we do to protect ourselves and others when shopping for essentials?

Precautions While Shopping For Essentials 

Make sure you are fully ready and prepared before taking that step out the door.

  • Carry your own shopping bags.
  • Wear, as far as possible, the same clothes you always do when you go out. As far as possible, wear long trousers/dresses/joggers etc and also wear long sleeved tops.
  • Most important, wear your mask, as soon as you step out. Doesn’t have to be the fancy ones, a simple cloth one made at home will do as long as it covers your mouth and nose. Most importantly, make sure the mask is new or clean (has been washed).
  • Take gloves, to handle the items you are buying and in case you touch anyone or anything.
  • Wear footwear which is comfortable and if possible, washable.
  • Try not to carry a purse, either a wallet or loose money/cards in your pocket are the best.
  • Pocket sanitizers to use 2-3 times during visit.
  • Wash your hands before you go out and when you come back home.
  • Try your best not to touch your face with your hands or with gloves while out.

Once you reach your shop/supermarket of choice. You will probably have to wait in line to get in. Please make sure you are at least 5-7 feet away from the person in front and from the person behind. Maintaining this social distancing is necessary. If the shop does not have an organized line up system, think about going to another shop or maintain the distance yourself regardless of whether the shop is maintaining it or not.

If  possible and if available, pre-order and pickup, or order at the door and request them to give you the items. If this is not possible, go inside, get what you want and leave as soon as possible. Try your best not to browse and cause crowding. Remember, these are essentials and even this small action from your end can benefit everyone around you.

Once back home, change your clothes immediately and ensure that you keep footwear outside. Wash your hands with soap and if possible take a shower to ensure maximum cleanliness so as to not risk others at home. For items in plastic, tetra packs or carton packaging , wipe them down using normal cleaning detergent with a cloth/sponge. For vegetables, wash them with water. Medicine packets/bottles strips should also be wiped down and sanitized.

We hope these tips help you when you go out shopping for essentials. Are there any specific precautions you’re taking? Let us know in the comments below. For more articles like this, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to experts on GOQii Play. 

For expert guidance, subscribe to GOQii or download the app here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu 

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce 

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How to Disinfect Your Home To Stay Safe During The Pandemic

disinfect your homeWith the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of abating, it’s up to us to do everything we can to slow its spread. This means protecting ourselves, our families, and those around us, especially the most vulnerable. While social distancing is the most important thing that you can do in this regard it is also important to pay more heed to hygiene. Sanitization and disinfection of your home and surroundings is something that you can actively do to lower the risk of contagion. Although contact with contaminated surfaces is not the primary mode of transmission of COVID-19, it can increase your risk. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), contact with contaminated surfaces is a likely secondary mode of infection. Before you attempt to clean and disinfect your home in panic, take a breath and calm down. To effectively disinfect your home and lower the risk of coronavirus infection, find out which products work, how you should use them, and which areas of your house require your attention.

Disinfectants and Cleansers to Sanitize Your Home

Not every cleanser is effective at killing microorganisms like the coronavirus and some are only effective for bacteria or weaker viral strains. Here are the different categories of cleansers.

  • Bleach: If you’re looking to thoroughly disinfect and kill any pathogen in your house, nothing’s more effective than sodium hypochlorite – the active ingredient in bleach. Bleach is so effective as it destroys the protein and RNA, which is the defining feature of any virus. When cleaning with bleach, make sure to follow package directions and leave it on the surface for at least 10-15 minutes before mopping or wiping down.
  • Surgical Spirit or Ethanol: is one of the most powerful disinfectants you can find. It is therefore a common ingredient in many of the best disinfectants and sanitizers. From research, we know that ethanol can kill most types of coronavirus in about half a minute of exposure. It works in the same manner as bleach, destroying the virus’ RNA. When using surgical spirit or any ethanol-based cleanser, you simply need to moisten a cloth with the solution and rub it over the surface area. The point is to apply the solution over the area, not to rub it or wipe it off, as such liquids evaporate rapidly.
  • Surface Wipes: Depending on the type and quality of surface wipes, efficacy of such products can vary. Many contain antiseptics like benzalkonium chloride, which can kill germs, while some may also have natural antiseptics. The main benefit of such products is that they can help physically remove pathogens from surfaces, but they are unlikely to kill the virus itself.
  • Hand Sanitizers: are extremely useful for disinfection, especially for personal hygiene when you are forced to step outdoors and come in contact with surfaces. Hand sanitizers can also be used to clean household surfaces if needed. They are so effective because of the same primary ingredient in surgical spirit – ethanol. If you are looking for natural or herbal sanitizers, these should also contain alcohol to have any efficacy. An Ayurvedic herbal sanitizer would probably list the alcohol as prasanna or madya.
  • Soap and Water: As stated by health care authorities across the world, soap and water is your first defense against the virus. This is true with hand washing, but there’s a caveat. Almost all soaps and detergents will simply help to remove the virus and allow it be flushed away with water. However, these products will not kill the virus. This means that soaps and detergents, although helpful for hand washing, are not of much use when disinfecting household surfaces.

CAUTION

When using chemical-based disinfectants and cleansers like bleach, you need to exercise great caution. Bleach and other chemicals can be toxic if ingested or inhaled and can also cause severe skin and eye irritation. Make sure to use gloves and ensure good ventilation when using these products. If you’re using herbal Ayurvedic cleansers with ingredients like neem and aloe, this isn’t a concern at all.

When using bleach, make sure to dilute it precisely as directed and avoid mixing it with any other products as this can be deadly. Also keep in mind that bleach isn’t suitable for cleansing all surfaces as it can damage or discolor some surfaces.

Areas of Focus When You Disinfect Your Home

1. Household Surfaces
Because of the relative novelty of the COVID-19 virus, there is a lack of extensive research, but we are learning more each day. Studies show that the coronavirus has different survival times on different surfaces. Plastic and stainless steel surfaces deserve the most attention when you disinfect your home, as the virus could survive on such surfaces for up to nine days. On the other hand, paper and cardboard surfaces were found to be most inhospitable to the virus, with survival times of no more than a day.

Keeping this in mind and the efficacy of the various disinfectants that we have already discussed, you should focus on cleansing the following areas in your house.

  •       Kitchen and cabinet counters
  •       Door knobs, door handles, door bells, and all switches
  •       Remote controls, keyboards, joysticks, and other frequently used devices
  •       Laptops, tablets, and phones
  •       The outside of your wallet or bottom and handle of your purse
  •       Mattresses, cushions, and other upholstery that cannot be washed frequently may be cleansed with disinfectant sprays

2. Things You Bring into Your Home
Despite the lockdown and social distancing measures, trips to the ATM, grocery store, or pharmacist can be unavoidable. When you return with groceries and other supplies, you need to be aware of the risk of surface contamination. Every item that you purchase and bring into your home, from the packaging to the individual items, is handled by a chain of people – the employee who stocks the shelves, the cashier, and other customers who may have handled the product before.

This makes the cleansing and sanitizing of all things you bring into the house more important than other household cleansing. Wipe the surfaces of all bottles, cans, plastic bags or boxes, and other containers with disinfectants like sanitizer before you put them in your cabinet or fridge. For the same reason, it would also be a good idea to put your clothes to wash with detergent each time you enter your home. Similarly, it would be a good idea to cleanse your car’s steering wheel, dashboard, and door handles each time you return home.

We hope this article helps you disinfect your home and stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more useful information, you can check out Healthy Reads or tune in to experts on GOQii Play. 

Ayurvedic cleansers are available on the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii app as well. 

#BeTheForce 

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Vitamin C Supplements: Do You Actually Need Them?

Vitamin C Supplements

While the COVID-19 pandemic made us realize the importance of health and immunity, there has been an unprecedented hype about taking nutritional supplements, especially those that are claimed to protect us from infectious diseases. One such supplement that gained a lot of popularity is Vitamin C. According to data by a research firm, The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), India sold around 171 crore pills of Vitamin C Supplements and 13 crore pills of vitamin C combined with other multivitamins in 2020. The growth in sales of vitamin C supplements in the year 2020 was almost 110%.

Health Benefits of Vitamin C 

Vitamin C has numerous roles in our body and has been linked to some impressive health benefits! 

  • It is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your body’s natural defenses
  • May lower the risk of heart diseases
  • Has been linked to reduced blood uric acid levels and lower risk of gout
  • Can improve the absorption of iron from the diet and helps prevent iron deficiency, anemia
  • May boost immunity by helping white blood cells function more effectively, strengthening skin’s defense system and help heal wounds faster
  • Low vitamin C levels have been linked to an increased risk of memory and thinking disorders like dementia, while just about the right amount taken from food sources has been shown to have a protective effect

Does More Mean Better Health and Immunity? 

Given all the benefits of Vitamin C, can you consume more than required? Well, when it comes to vitamins, more is not always better. In fact, more can sometimes be dangerous. As vitamin and mineral supplements are available over the counter and without any prescription of a doctor/nutritionist, the masses assume that they are safe at any dosage. In the case of Vitamin C, our body cannot store it, so when consumption exceeds 2000 mg/day, it will be eliminated by the kidneys through urine, as it is a water soluble vitamin.

Too much vitamin C can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb copper, a mineral that is essential to the human body for carrying out major functions. Dosages above a 1000 mg coagulate iron in the cells of the body and oxidise them, causing an actual rusting action! Too much vitamin C or calcium (a regular component of vitamin C supplements) might cause bloating and stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, headaches, insomnia, and in prolonged uses, kidney stones. This means that your immunity can be rather compromised than being boosted by unjustified popping of supplement pills.

How Much Of Vitamin C Supplements Is Enough? 

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, which means your body cannot produce it and one has to provide it from the outside. Yet, the daily need of this vitamin can be conveniently met with a balanced diet containing a good amount from natural sources as opposed to going for supplements. Found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, vitamin C is most abundant in Amla, Guava, Oranges, Strawberries, Kiwi, Bell peppers, Green chillies, Radish greens, Bathua Greens, Broccoli, Kale and Spinach.

Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) of Vitamin C:

  • 55-65 mg/day for normal healthy adults
  • 25-35 mg/day for normal healthy children (1-18 years of age)

We hope this article on Vitamin C Supplements helps you make the healthier choice! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

#BeTheForce

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

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