Free guide to help the care and recovery for those with COVID-19

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RALEIGH, NC – As hospitalizations from COVID-19 continue to soar, the North Carolina Health Care Association (NCHA) and AARP North Carolina have a new booklet available to help people care for COVID-19 patients after their hospital release.

“If you are asked to take care of someone who has COVID-19 at home after they have been discharged from the hospital, it is important to know how to provide the right care and to prevent others from getting sick,” said NCHA President Steve Lawler.

“The booklet, entitled Post COVID-19 Care, is available in both English and Spanish. It will help patients and caregivers ask doctors and healthcare professionals such as physician’s assistants or nurse practitioners several important questions before taking the patient home,” Lawler added.

AARP North Carolina President Catherine Sevier, who has decades of experience as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse explains, “Providing care to a patient after their hospital release, especially patients with highly contagious conditions, can be both stressful and confusing. Asking the right questions is a key to deciding whether home is the right place for care.”

With information readily available about symptoms and testing sites, the booklet helps fill a void when it comes to aiding recovery and prevention by working more closely with care providers.

Jer Herring of Raleigh is helping care for his mother and father. Herring said he and his siblings wished they had asked more questions to help in their parents’ recovery. “We were worried about whether or not they were contagious, if further isolation was needed, how to handle the medications they were prescribed before contracting the virus, and what types of activities will they be able to do.”

The new booklet is designed with spaces to write down important information such as medication lists, and to take notes when you talk to medical provider. It also helps people identify symptoms and provides important contact numbers including the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and 9-1-1.

Sevier reminds booklet users that this information is intended to provide sources of information about COVID-19 and should not be used as medical advice. “Always ask for the help of a qualified medical professional such as a doctor before making medical decisions,” she said.

Download a copy of the guide:
COVID-19 Care Booklet

COVID-19 Care Booklet Spanish