If your senior loved one lives alone, you might take on a lot of responsibility to care for him or her. Part of that involves keeping the home clean and sterile, especially in the current environment due to COVID-19. However, it’s not always easy to stay on top of a second home when you have a home of your own to clean.

Fortunately, in-home caregiver assistance is available from certified individuals including Certified Nursing Assistants and Home Health Aides. Due to their certifications, these caregivers understand the importance of having a cleaning strategy that ensures your loved one’s home is comfortable and safe. In that regard, they tend to implement the same practices that senior living facilities do.

Using the Two-Step Cleaning Method

Removing pathogens that cause illnesses requires a two-step process. The first step is to remove contaminants and debris from surfaces. Certified in-home caregivers do this by wiping down the area with a cleaning solution.

The second step is to sterilize the surfaces with a disinfectant. Caregiver nurses are trained to use disinfectants properly, which involves allowing the chemicals to dwell on the surfaces for a certain amount of time so that they kill pathogens.

Also, they know which cleaning solutions don’t contain toxic ingredients that could be harmful to seniors. They may even bring their own supplies so that you don’t have to worry about stocking the supplies yourself.

Keeping to a Cleaning Schedule

Many senior living facilities maintain a cleaning schedule as part of their philosophy of care, and caregiver nurses like to do the same. It’s easy to get distracted by everyday activities, especially if you’re the only person caring for your loved one. Because of that, cleaning may fall from your to-do list.

Having a certified caregiver help with housekeeping tasks on a regular basis will ensure that your senior’s home continues to be a healthy environment. Meanwhile, the caregiver honors your loved one’s privacy, dignity, independence, and individuality.

However, it’s not always possible to stick to a strict cleaning schedule. Sometimes, unplanned cleanups arise or doctor appointments conflict with cleaning times. In these cases, the nurse can be flexible and willing to work with you when schedules change.

Giving Seniors Low-Impact Tasks

A certified caregiver understands that your loved one might feel frustrated that he or she is unable to clean without assistance. It’s common for seniors to feel this way when they’ve never had to depend on others for housekeeping. However, a caregiver can find ways to make your loved one feel useful.

For example, the caregiver may task your senior with sorting through clothes, mementos or papers before clearing them to clean and disinfect an area. Such low-impact tasks give your senior a sense of control over what’s happening in his or her home.

Getting In-Home Caregiver Assistance

When you need assistance taking care of your loved one, Caring Home Care can provide in-home caregiver assistance. Our care coordinators can connect you with someone who will make sure that your senior’s housekeeping gets done so that your loved one lives in a safe and clean environment.