How to consult a doctor during the lockdown? Everyone nowadays has to practice social distancing due to pandemic. Hospitals are overloaded with the patients and its so much chaos already. Since people should avoid going outside, at the same time they are worried about how can they consult with the doctor during a lockdown. Why is consultation important? Many people need to visit their doctor frequently. For example, a person suffering from heart disease has to be under the follow up of their concerned doctor. Or a person suffering from chronic kidney disease needs to consult with a doctor often. Some people need to get dose adjustments done in their prescriptions. While some patients need to get their tests done frequently. Doctors keep on changing the drugs as per patients’ needs. For all these purposes, people have to visit their clinicians to manage their disease and symptoms. Why are people unable to go to hospitals? Due to the lockdown, there is no public transport available through which one can go to the hospital. Because of this reason, people are facing issues in consulting with the doctor during a lockdown. People are getting anxious and this is also increasing panic and anxiety among people. Going to the hospital itself is so risky thing nowadays. People are trying their best to avoid the hospital’s exposure due to pandemic because they are a hub of infections. If a person is hypertensive, asthmatic, or immunocompromised, it makes them susceptible to catching an infection. People already have any health problem or suffering from a disease should avoid their exposure to clinics and hospitals much as they can. What is the solution? If you are one of those who needs to consult with their doctor often. Or if you already have heart disease, hypertension or asthma, etc and you are under follow up of the doctor. Do not worry if you require consultation with your doctor during a lockdown. We are here with a solution on which almost the whole world is relying right now. The solution to your problem is telemedicine. You can easily consult with your doctor during lockdown via telemedicine. What is telemedicine? Telemedicine is the platform for patients to interact with the doctor through a video conference. It helps the doctors to prescribe, diagnose, educate, and monitor the patient. With the help of telemedicine, the doctor asks relevant questions to the patient about the disease. The doctor and the patient can discuss the signs and symptoms of disease along with a detailed history. The doctor can then make a further decision about how to proceed further. Either the doctor needs to adjust the dose. Or the patient needs to get a blood test. Moreover, they can make a decision of calling the patient to the hospital if the patient’s health is critical. The patient can get the expert’s advice with the help of telemedicine. Benefits of telemedicine Heavy load on hospitals The hospitals can not manage the heavy volume of patients in this state of panic, but they can manage it with the help of telemedicine applications. Through telemedicine, you can help in preventing infections because it helps reduce people’s exposure to each other. Telemedicine reduces the physical contact of the patient to the doctors and other patients. This helps in containing the pandemic. High-risk patients Due to the pandemic, you should minimize your visits to any overcrowded place. Hospitals waiting for areas are already busy and so overcrowded that if you are even healthy, you can catch an infection. If you are a high-risk patient, you should avoid it. Remote consultation by the doctor, therefore, reduces the risk of getting exposed and infected. Lack of transportation during the lockdown Due to lockdown, there is no public transport outside. It is too hard for people to reach their doctors during a lockdown. So telemedicine can also help in this regard. You can virtually visit your doctor from the comfort of your home. Time-saving You need to wait for the doctors in a long queue. You can easily consult with your doctor virtually. This helps in saving time, as well as energy. You need not go out and expose yourself to the public. This saves the time of transportation and waiting in the queue. Conclusion Through the InstaCare telemedicine application, you can easily consult with expert doctors on your fingertips. You need not go out and expose yourself to other people. With the help of InstaCare, you can even consult with your doctor during a lockdown, while staying at home and healthy. By consulting virtually with a doctor, you can get the expert’s advice without any hassle. Do not rely on telemedicine if someone near you is in critical condition. Rush to the hospital if they need help from the doctors. Like if someone is bleeding badly or cannot breathe etc, then you should never rely on telemedicine applications. Telemedicine is a source to help people who are stable and out of danger.
The End of Misery | When will the pandemic end? Coronavirus has taken all over the world and turned into a pandemic. Many people have got the infection, others are feeling so anxious and are in a state of panic. People are feeling so exhausted and tense during the quarantine. Since this pandemic has forced everyone to stay at home. During this time, everyone has the same question that when will this pandemic end. The answer to this question, in turn, depends on many questions are we going to get the coronavirus vaccine? do we stay at home and practice quarantine properly? and are we following proper safety measures? The pandemic end depends hugely on how we act during this crucial time. In this article, we are going to discuss the factors on which the pandemic end depends. Vaccine Pandemic end strongly depends on either we will get the vaccine for it or not. If we get a vaccine that is safe and effective then we can hope to get out of this pandemic soon. But we cannot expect it to happen too early. It would be great if the doctors could vaccinate everyone against coronavirus as they do against smallpox, to eradicate it. We also need to know how will this virus behave in the future, because it would not go permanently away from us. Maybe it will appear back seasonally, more in winter, spring, and autumn and less in early summer. Number of affected people The number of affected people in a country will let the experts know about statistics off future infection chances. In countries like Italy and Spain where many people have got the infection, few are left to get the infection. The epidemic in those countries would come down naturally due to saturation leading to the pandemic end. This is the thing that occurred with previous pandemics of which there was no treatment discovered. Hygiene and safety measures The pandemic end depends greatly on either we practice safety measures or not against coronavirus at this time. As Centres of Disease Control and Prevention has advised everyone to wash their hands and stay in quarantine, it is important that we practice them. If everyone would not play their role we would never get rid of this virus. Since a single person can infect many people, even those people are practicing the right safety measures. We will have to keep following good self-hygiene practices and avoid crowded places for a long period of time to protect ourselves. Every single person plays a role in the pandemic end because a single person can become a source of transmission to many many people. Therefore to make an estimate about the pandemic end, safety measures play a big role. Tests The tests should be conducted on a larger scale to help in the pandemic end. When more people will get tested, the experts could get to know about it and they can be isolated early, without infecting other people. If people are asked to rely on their symptoms and get tested when facing severe symptoms. This would multiply the infection rate because they would not isolate themselves from their family. Or there is a chance that a person can go out and expose it to others. Some people would face less severe symptoms, and they would transmit it to others. If tests are done on a larger scale it would eventually help in isolating the healthy ones from the unhealthy ones. Rural communities The higher authorities should make sure that there are enough resources for rural areas to cope up with this pandemic. Since urban areas are rich with resources and can cope up with complex situations, but this situation is hard for them. So the rural areas need special attention and support to function properly. Also, there is a lack of awareness, and the people there would not practice safety measures properly. The authorities should make sure that the people living there are practicing social distancing and other measures as well. In rural areas, there are many people living together. So one infected person can infect all of them, resulting in an infection on a large scale. Also, the less privileged people should be supported with funds so that they need not go out and work something to earn and expose themselves to others. Conclusion We can hope to get the pandemic end soon. But at the same time, we should be vigilant and attentive enough to follow all the safety measures. The pandemic end eventually depends on how we act and react to the situation. How we act today will decide our future. So stay positive, optimistic, and responsible! For more information, visit here or reach us at Instacare.
How Can Older People Stay Safe From This Pandemic? Older adults and people seem to be at higher risk. We can make sure that older people stay safe. But people with severe diseases like cancer, heart, lungs, and diabetes are at higher risk. They can develop more complications from the infectious disease. Because 8 out of 10 deaths in the US have been in 65 years and older. Here are some stats: Estimated percent requiring hospitalization 31-70% of adults 85 years old and older 31-59% of adults 65-84 years old Estimated percent requiring admission to an intensive care unit 6-29% of adults 85 years old and older 11-31% of adults 65-84 years old Estimated percent who died 10-27% of adults 85 years old and older 4-11% of adults 65-84 years old However, the fatality rate of people over 80 years from this pandemic is almost 15% from China. Older people do not have a robust immune system to cope with this pandemic. This pandemic is impacting the global population in drastic ways. In many countries, it is difficult for older people to stay safe and they are facing severe threats and challenges at this time. On the other hand, all age groups are at risk of exposure to the virus. However, older people can develop a severe illness if they contract due to the psychological changes that come with aging and potential health conditions. During this time of isolation, we should treat all older people treated with high respect and dignity so they stay safe. Likewise, support for older people’s families, their near ones, and their caregivers are an essential part of the countries’ comprehensive response to the pandemic. Care of Diet and Medicine During times of isolation and quarantine, older people need safe access to nutritious food, necessary supplies, money, medicine to support their physical health, and social care. Older people should have access to accurate information. So, they should be told how to stay physically and mentally fit during this pandemic and what to do if they fall sick. They are often dependent on communities and carers to maintain their daily routine. The care of mental health during troubled times is also a key consideration. Social Challenges To keep your grandparents or parents safe because you can not visit them. However, this does not mean to isolate them socially. Physical distancing is not social isolation. The older people might have isolation or mobility challenges. As a result, they might not know what to do. In many societies, seniors are most lively to live in poverty. Therefore, this makes it difficult for them to get food, and they can not even take care of them. To stay at home might be difficult. This is not asked to change their behavior forever, but just for three to four months. When you look at the curve of Wuhan and Hubei, It’s only been three months. So stay at home for three months, and it will be alright. There are some simple steps that you can do to keep them safe and fit during this pandemic. Family Get Together You can plan family gatherings not physically but virtually. This will help them to cope with their loneliness. Research shows that older people are more likely to talk with their grandchildren. Precautions in Checkups Whether it is routine checkup or emergency, take all precautionary measures. Call a doctor at home for a regular checkup for table condition or electoral procedure. Consult with a doctor before any move. You can use telehealth services like Instacre is providing free guidelines related to the pandemic and infectious virus. Encourage Activities If they are still doing their exercise and following their diet and health care routine, appreciate and encourage them. Ask them to practice all types of training like strength and flexibility etc. Plan ways if they fall sick “Expect good and prepare for the worst” thing applies here because they fall ill. This will enhance the delivery of emergency health care to them instead of unable to understand what happens. On the other hand, if you did not think about it, then it will create panic and even cause significant loss. Create a list of organizations For this, create a list of organizations that can properly guide you on what to do in that situation. For this purpose, the government of Pakistan created a helpline for the guidance of individuals. You can call on 1166 to ask for more details about the disease. Instacare is providing free counseling on this high time for serving the community. You can call on 092-317-9797-297 for guidance from medical experts. In short, there are many ways through which we can prevent them. We can engage them and keep them mentally and physically fit when this pandemic will over; they can easily follow their previous routine. Meanwhile, they need our attention and support. Loved ones check in with older adults about their support networks, and help them find ways to stay connected to these groups and routines. Some religious and civic organizations may already have a plan in place for reaching out to older adults in their community. If so, make sure that the older adults know that too, and help them connect with whatever services may be available to protect them.
How To Workout During Quarantine Period? Everyone nowadays has to stay in quarantine due to coronavirus outbreak. This is bad for health since many people just eat and sleep all day long. WHO has asked the healthy people to stay physically fit by doing workout during quarantine at their home. Gyms are already closed globally, so to stay safe and healthy we should try to work out at home. Staying physically fit will also help you to fight against coronavirus because this virus adversely affects the person’s lung. If they are already weak and unfit, they can face worse symptoms. Apart from it, exercise is necessary for ourselves. Only do exercises if you are healthy, do not do any exercise if you are having any of the coronavirus symptoms like cough, fever, and shortness of breath. In this article, we were going to discuss how to workout in quarantine? How can we motivate ourselves to go out of bed and stay active? How can we work out in quarantine despite the closed gyms? Short breaks to workout during a quarantine Doing exercise for a long period is hard for many people. Therefore they should consider doing exercises for short periods, many times a day. Doing an hour’s workout is an arduous task for those who are not used to it. But if you do 15 minutes workout four times a day, it does not seem that hard. Therefore breaking physical activity in sets make it easier to do. Resources to workout during the quarantine There is a tremendous amount of resources available out there on the internet. You can find videos on all levels ranging from beginner to advanced. Here are some exercises you can try out in your home: High knees High knees are an excellent exercise to get your heart rate up and it requires no equipment. To do this exercise, stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your one knee as high as you can and then quickly switch to the other one before the first one lands. Continue doing the same steps at a fast rate as if you were running. Sit-ups Sit-ups greatly engage your abdominal muscles and help tone them. To do this exercise, lie flat on your back and bend your knees. Now put your hands behind your ears and raise your head and shoulders the ground. Lower yourself again to where you started and repeat the same steps. Push-ups Push-ups are great to build strength in your arms and chest. To do this exercise, start by lying flat on your stomach on the floor, feet aligned together. Place your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing downwards. Now try to raise yourself using your arms. Repeat the same process. If that’s hard for you, try shifting your weight to your knees instead of your feet or begin by doing push-ups against a wall and then doing the standard push-up. Jumping Jacks Jumping Jacks are great to increase your heart rate up and burn calories. To do these, start by standing upright, arms by your side and feet joined together. Now bend your knees and jump in the air. Stretch your arms over your head and spread your legs out while jumping. Return to the original position and repeat the same steps. Doing this exercise at a fast pace can burn a good amount of calories. Home-made Weights If you like lifting weights but don’t have dumbells available at your home, don’t worry. You can make your weights at home. Simply, use a left-over water bottle and fill it with water, sand, or stones and use it for weight training. If you need heavier weights, you can try using a bigger bottle like a 5 liter one. Conclusion There’s absolutely no reason not to workout during quarantine if the gyms are closed. As they say, when there is a will, there is away. You can keep yourself physically active even if you are staying at home. Do whatever you like and enjoy doing. If you like dancing, then dance. If you like weight-training then go for it. You can also modify your workouts according to your strength and the space available. Quarantine should not make you compromise on your fitness because after all, health is wealth. For more information, click here.
Mental Conditions That Can Develop In Quarantine Everyone has a different way to react to a situation. In this coronavirus pandemic, people have to strictly follow the quarantine. This could be a source of relaxation and spending time with your family members, or a source of stress for many. An abrupt change in one’s social rhythm can cause mental conditions. In this article, we will discuss the mental conditions that can develop in quarantine. What is quarantine? Firstly, we need to know what is quarantine. According to the NPR, the definition of quarantine is; “Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.” The word quarantine was first used by the people of Venice, Italy in 1127 due to a leprosy outbreak. Then after 300 years later, the people of the United Kingdom imposed its use due to the plague outbreak. In Canada in 2003, people also went into quarantine due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. West African villages also practiced quarantine in 2014 due to the ebola virus outbreak. Now almost the whole world is in quarantine due to coronavirus outbreak. Mental Conditions in quarantine Following are the conditions that have high chances to get developed in a quarantine. Feeling of helplessness The effects of quarantine on mental health include a feeling of helplessness. People feel that they have no control over the situation, which haunts them. They think that they cannot go out by their will. This creates panic and negativity around people. No social activity People have to stay at home for long periods without any social gathering. This is so stressful for people especially those who are extrovert, who like to meet other people. They cannot go to a restaurant, host a party at home or sit together and play cards. There is no source of relaxation with family and friends. Since spending time with your loved ones make you a happy and healthy person. You feel refreshed while going out on a weekend for dinner or any other activity. One of the negative effects of quarantine on mental health is that people have to socially disconnect from each other, hence getting a feeling of depression. Health risks Depression and anger are the major side effects of quarantine on mental health. People start feeling anxious about what the future holds for them. They continuously think about how will they get over the situation, how are they going to do their groceries and other stuff, how will they cope with the financial strain. These things constantly keep them worried and anxious leading to depression and anger. The feeling of loneliness, sadness, fear, anxiety, and continuous stress makes them suffer from severe mental health issues. Post-traumatic stress symptoms Post-traumatic stress disease occurs when a person goes through a severe shocking, strange event. They face symptoms like panic attacks, nightmares, and anxiousness. This can also happen when people have to go through quarantine for a long period. The adverse effects of quarantine on mental health are so severe that they need time to completely wipe out. Some people can even start drugs and alcohol abuse. These habits are usually carried till three years after the end of quarantine. Claustrophobic people Quarantine is like hell for people who suffer from claustrophobia. Locking them up in a small tight place makes them suffer from panic attacks and anxiety. They continuously have to tell themselves that this will be over. Since these people feel suffocated in small places, they have to spend day and night at a single place in quarantine. This could deteriorate their mental health a lot. Stress for elderly The elderly people are already at risk of catching the coronavirus. They strictly have to stay at home for long periods. Since many elderly people are already dependent on people, quarantine adds more to their stress. They feel so low and depressed by lying on the bed the whole day and night. A little outing can refresh them, which is impossible in quarantine. What to do? Since the whole country is under lockdown currently, and social distancing is must, the best solution is to consult a doctor remotely. Instacare is providing free corona consultations to diagnose if you have corona or not. Also, the following video might help you. We can just hope to get out of the quarantine soon. This phase of quarantine is so stressful for all the people. But, at the same time, we should try to be more constructive at home. We can do many things to keep us entertained. Doing activities related to art and craft, painting, reading, gardening, decorating home can help us to get rid of stress and boredom. Do little new activities daily to keep yourself protected from mental illness. Try not to worry about little things that affect mental health.
