Reader TTS

OTHER ADVICE FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS WHEN A LOVED ONE IS QUARANTINED: • Make sure the facilities can contact you easily: Give them the most up to date emergency contact information, so

you're sure to get all updates about your loved one or the facility at large. • Consider letter writing as a means of communication. “The advantage to cards and letters and notes is

it's something that, even when they have a lonely moment, they can open up the letter and card and read it again,” Yeh says. If you can't come in person because you're far

away, says Mollot, then “maybe fax a note, even one page saying ‘we love you’ — something like that could make a difference." • Choose one member of family to be the liaison with the

facility, Yeh says, “so you don't have multiple people from one family calling the same facility.” And you should know who the appropriate contact is at the facility — a specific person

you can communicate with regularly. Usually each nursing home resident is assigned a social worker, Sganga says, or “most families have a relationship with the nursing staff on the

unit." • Find a good way for your family members as a group to stay on top of your loved one's life inside, Yeh suggests. Set up a Facebook group or group email so the liaison can

keep everyone posted. • Don't let your anxiety get out of control. “Take a deep breath,” Yeh says. “The good news is, at least your loved one is in a facility that has a number of

mandates and expectations to protect them. It's a serious situation. But, it's not worth panicking over." • Remember to care for yourself. Practice your own personal, healthy

lifestyle and habits, and you'll be less vulnerable to getting sick yourself — and better able to care for someone else. Says Yeh: “I think sometimes we get so caught up, we forget

that. Writing letters to quarantined loved ones can help them feel less lonely.