COVID-19 Advisory

Sonas Home Health Care’s COVID-19 Updates

We are actively monitoring the progression of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Recently, community-wide transmission of COVID-19 has occurred in the United States, including in the area where Sonas Home Health Care provides services. Community spread of COVID-19 is difficult to detect and control.

As a company that provides home health care, we understand that you, as a member of the Sonas family, may be worried about what all of this means for you — and more importantly, for your loved ones. Sonas is striving to provide the same level and quality of care to our clients. This is why we recognize it’s crucial to share with you what Sonas Home Health Care has been doing to ensure business continuity during these hard times.

For Our Clients:

We are fully committed to continuing to provide home healthcare services throughout this pandemic as much as possible. To do so, we have implemented the following:

We have created contingency plans to offer continuity of services
All caregivers have been provided a Coronavirus Screening Questionnaire to screen themselves and any household members
We are committed to providing as many essential personal protective equipment and supplies as possible to our staff and clients during this worldwide shortage, including hand sanitizer, gloves, and face masks
We provide additional training for our caregivers on the use of PPE, infection control practices and on infectious or communicable diseases
Sonas Home Health Care has been conducting client recertifications and supervisory visits via telephone or other telehealth platforms either with the client, client’s parents/spouse/representative and/or the caregiver on duty. We will continue to conduct these evaluations via telephone or telehealth platforms to promote social distancing

Sonas is a critical infrastructure industry and we have a special responsibility to maintain our normal work schedule. All nurses, caregivers and office staff are working together to ensure all clients and caregivers are safe, and well cared for. If you have any questions, please call us at 888-592-5855.

For Our Employees

Now, more than ever, it’s essential to ensure everyone’s health — including that of our staff. To do so, we have established the following protocols:

Activated precautionary policies to lower the risk of spreading COVID-19
Reviewed our Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
Our Sonas Office staff will be working remotely until further notice. However, we are still available 24/7 by phone to ensure client, caregiver, and office staff safety. If you need any assistance, please call your local office.
Supplied information on sanitizing cell phones while using ContinuLink, our mobile charting platform
Fielding questions about health and the steps required following exposure, per CDC recommendations
Taking necessary travel precautions
Implemented new Proper Usage of Personal Protective Equipment and COVID training presentations and modules

As part of a team with more than 1,500 caregivers, it is imperative that we follow the established protocols listed above. This ensures we protect ourselves as well as our clients.

For Everyone

ContinuLink, our Electronic Verification Tool for caregivers and nurses, released sanitization tips for your cell phone! Before cleaning, turn off your phone and remove the case. Then, use a non-abrasive cleaning cloth or wipe with 70% isopropyl alcohol to wipe down your phone. After cleaning your phone, allow 15 minutes for your phone and case to dry before placing your phone back in the case. To view this and more information in a flyer format, click here.

If you are a Sonas client or caregiver experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, please contact your local Sonas office. It is almost important to continue wearing face masks. Wearing a face mask is required for all Sonas caregivers, and is highly recommended for other family members that are present during the time of care.

Additional Steps to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones

We will continue providing home healthcare services to the best of our ability for the wellbeing of our clients. While there is no vaccine to prevent COVID-19 yet, nor medications to treat it, it is up to all of us — every single person — to be proactive to lower the risk of infection. You can do so by following these practices:

Clean and disinfect surfaces touched daily. In addition to furniture and countertops, sanitize doorknobs, light switches, the refrigerator, oven, and microwave handles, faucets, toilets, sinks, remote controls, cell phones, charging cords, and steering wheels. Make sure to do so regularly.
Wash your hands more often than usual. Do so thoroughly, for a minimum of 30 seconds, making sure to scrub under your fingernails and between your fingers. Do so before handling foods and medications, after sneezing or coughing, after going to the bathroom, and after returning home from being outside. If water and soap aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer with a minimum alcohol content of 60%.
Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands. Be conscious of the fact that the virus could enter your system through your eyes, mouth, or nose. If you’ve been outside, been in contact with anyone, or have recently sneezed or coughed, and haven’t had the chance to wash your hands, do not touch your face.
Avoid being exposed to the virus. This means social distancing. Avoid crowds and limit your outings to shopping trips to obtain essentials — such as food, personal hygiene products, medications, and detergent. Go only once a week, if possible. Stay at least six feet from people during your outings. Do not go to bars, movie theaters, gyms, or any place of entertainment. If you go to a restaurant, call ahead to place a takeout order.
Avoid sharing personal items. Do not share personal hygiene items, towels, cups, drinking glasses, and/or eating utensils with anyone else in your household. Use face masks when caring for a loved one. Designate a single person to go in and out of your sick person’s room, and do not share face masks.
Cover your coughs and sneezes. Cough into the crook of your elbows instead of your hands. Coughing into your hands is unhygienic and makes it easier for disease to spread — since you use your hands to touch surfaces that other people touch as well. If you have tissues, use them and discard them immediately. Once you’re done coughing or sneezing wash your hands thoroughly as soon as possible.
Stay home if you are sick.If you’re not feeling well, don’t rush to an ER. Doing so could expose hundreds of other people with an already compromised immune system. Most people who are mildly ill with COVID-19 will recover at home. Do call your doctor for instructions on what to do. If possible, isolate yourself from family members by staying in one room of your house. If you start to feel worse, call your doctor before visiting their office to provide them with ample time to protect themselves from contagion before you arrive.
If you have a compromised immune system, stay home. This includes anyone over the age of 60 and people with underlying medical conditions — especially if the illness impairs your lungs, heart, or immune system. If you need groceries, order them online, if possible.

Resources For More Information About Coronavirus

World Health Organization (WHO)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Florida Department of Health

National Association for Home Care and Hospice

US Department of Labor

Department of Homeland Security

Jillian Miller BSN, RN

Director of Nursing at Sonas Home Health Care

This blog was reviewed by Jillian Miller BSN, RN — Director of Nursing for Sonas Home Health Care’s Tampa Bay market — for clinical accuracy. Jillian Miller has been a nurse for 16 years — working primarily in pediatrics. She believes the best part of working with the pediatric population is when you see smiles from clients when you first enter the room. She loves seeing the difference you can make in families’ lives while providing the best care possible for them.