At Home

Tips what to do when staying at home

To reduce risk of Coronavirus infection, we recommend all patients to stay at home on non-dialysis days. During this period of home isolation, it is important to keep your body and mind busy.

Continue with your usual routines but refrain from activities outside your home. Instead, find constructive things to do at home, around your flat, house, garden or balcony that can keep you occupied and give you a feeling of accomplishment.

You should also make good use of digital social networking to keep in touch with your friends and family. Mobilise your social community offering each other company and support from distance with regular phone calls to exchange experiences and feelings. Have a good talk as often as possible to compensate absence of face-to-face contact.

Physical exercise at home

Stay fit also during Coronavirus restrictions and home isolation. We recommend to you to include a daily home workout of 20 minutes into your routine.

Simple exercises and gymnastics will have a positive influence on your overall condition like improved digestion and sleep, lower cholesterol levels and decreased risk of heart disease.

Some ideas for physical activity are:

Walks around your flat, house or garden or jogging on spot
Taking the stairs up and down
Stretching and gentle exercise

In case you have any symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) stop physical activity and contact a health care professional.

Nutrition and shopping advice

It is now important that you pay attention to your diet.

Due to Coronavirus prevention measures in dialysis centres your treatment routine may change. Therefore, it is now very critical that you stay disciplined with your diet and especially take care of your intake of fluid, potassium and phosphorus. Here are some recommendations to manage your nutrition at home.

Guidance on shopping

If possible, you should not go shopping yourself to lower risk of infection. Ask your family or friends for support or choose delivery service. Don’t neglect your diet and follow the recommendations given to you by your doctor or dietitian. However, there are some points to be considered:

Plan properly and write a shopping list so nothing is forgotten
Consult your dietician if you have nay queries on what you should and shouldn’t buy or consume during Coronavirus

When getting food delivered you should avoid direct contact with the person which brings your groceries. Keep the appropriate distance, avoiding greetings with direct contact. You should wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, before touching your food

Handling of food

There is no scientific evidence that food can be a source of Coronavirus transmission (European Food Safety Authority, EFSA). You can still buy and consume the same kidney friendly food as usual.

Nevertheless, we recommend to you to apply strict hygiene measures especially when handling raw food
Carefully wash your food, hands, kitchen surfaces and supplies like knives and cutting boards with hot water & soap during food preparation
Use different utensils like knifes and cutting boards for raw and cooked foods
Make good use of your freezer to preserve some food for longer

Click here to look at the NephroCare nutrition online material with helpful information and recipes.

Managing emotions

In the state of home isolation it is possible that you are confronted with mixed or negative emotions. It is important for you to be attentive to any negative emotions like stress, loneliness, frustration or anxiety.

Your psychological health is fundamental for your overall well-being, so manage your emotions properly:

Keep your mind occupied with home activities instead of thinking too much
Stay focused and take good care of your mental and physical health
Try to see opportunities where others see problems
Always stay optimistic and keep a positive attitude
Express and share your positive attitude also when speaking to others
Stay in touch with friends and family via phone or digital communication channels

If you share a household with someone who shows symptoms

Stay home and monitor your symptoms
Inform your clinic team
Wash your hands often (> 20 sec.) or disinfect
People with symptoms should stay in separate rooms as much as possible and ideally use a separate bathroom
Clean all surfaces regularly with household cleaner and avoid sharing personal items, like dishes, towels or bedding

Tips for home isolation

Isolation should be done in a dedicated room if possible, which is well ventilated
It is intended to minimise contact between individuals and limit the contamination of surfaces in the household
If there are multiple bathrooms available, one must be dedicated to the patient
In the event of a shared bathroom, strict hygiene measures need to be applied
Maintain a safety distance of >2 metres
You must avoid all contact with vulnerable individuals

Laundry and bed linen

Do not shake the laundry and bed linen
Transport the laundry and bed linen directly to the washing machine, without placing them down anywhere on the way
Wash bed linens belonging to a Coronavirus positive patient in a washing machine on 60 degrees cycle for a minimum of 30 minutes (Or the hottest degree the fabric can tolerate)