Nowadays, it’s hard to escape any news about COVID-19. It’s taken over nearly every aspect of our lives, and for those who are lucky, we spend a small portion of our day thinking about it.

For some of our Carefor clients, especially those who are immunocompromised, COVID-19 is a constant threat. That said, they still require continuous care during this outbreak, and that’s where Carefor nurses come into play.

Community health nurses play a pivotal role in keeping the most vulnerable population during this COVID-19 pandemic healthy and connected.

Our nurses, like Natalie Gauvin, work diligently to meet community demands while finding ways to decrease the risk of virus transmission.

“Our patients are used to not leaving home much, that’s why we come to them,” Natalie explains, stressing that providing care during times of isolation is important now more than ever.

For example, one of the palliative patients she attends to has advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which requires the patient to be on home oxygen.

The client’s health care support team must work strategically to ensure the health and safety of the client in their home.

“She had been getting a visit from a physician and nurses for her medication, but now nurses prepare pre-loaded syringes for medication to self-inject. The visiting nurse contacts the physician to give an update … One less visiting person means less risk of transmission. The nurse is key to holding it together. And without a visiting healthcare professional, the patient would likely have to go to the hospital.”

While reducing the risk of transmission is key, keeping the patient connected to the outside world is as significant.

“In many cases our nurses’ caring approach is the only real contact many have with the outside world … during a time of fear and isolation,” Nursing Manager Sean Sudbrink says.

In 2019-2020 alone, Carefor’s community nurses in Ottawa made more than 100,000 visits. Thank you to our community health professionals for meeting needs during a time of crisis.

To learn more about in-home nursing services, click here or email us at info@carefor.ca. Support our Carefor Heroes by giving at carefor.ca/donate.