Sense ABLE Brain COVID/Coronavirus update:

3/11/2020

This message is to keep you updated about how we are addressing COVID-19/Coronavirus in our office.  Our highest goal is to ensure your family’s safety and well-being within the context of receiving therapy from us. 

We have been, and will continue to monitor information as it rapidly changes.  In accordance with the most recent information from the WHO, CDC, and the Florida DOH (3-12-2020), we have added enhanced precautions to our services.  We want to ensure you that we are doing everything possible to prevent the spread of illness, while still recognizing that many of our families have sensitivities to contend with.

• Each client is required to wash their hands prior to each session.
• For children who have difficulty with hand washing, this will be a prioritized goal for them.  Hand washing is a daily life skill addressed by Occupational Therapy, and is especially important during times of health concerns.
• Each visitor to our office is encouraged to clean their hands upon entry.  Hand sanitizer will be made available in the waiting area. (If you have a preferred hand sanitizer due to skin sensitivity, please bring this with you.)
• Toys and books have been removed from the waiting area.  If you have children/ siblings who will be staying in the waiting area, please provide items from home to entertain them.
• Our staff is reminding children to avoid touching their face, eyes, noses, and mouths during sessions.
• Our office is cleaned AND disinfected daily.  Frequently touched surfaces / toys are disinfected during and in between treatment sessions. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, pens, handles, toilets, faucets, sinks, toys, swings, and balls.  (If you have a sensitivity to cleaning agents, please let our office know.)
• We offer alternatives to high-fives, hand shakes, and hugs.  Ex: elbow bump, thumbs’ up, or “raise the roof” gestures.

Attendance:

Currently, the CDC recommends that if a person has a fever or respiratory symptoms such as a cough or shortness of breath AND has traveled to an affected geographic area, OR had direct contact with someone with COVID-19 to not come into the office and call your medical provider immediately for further instructions.  

We request that you abstain from therapy for 2 weeks if you have:

• Traveled to an affected country outside of the USA; identified by the CDC and/or WHO.
• Been directly exposed to COVID-19 and are under a self-quarantine due to this exposure.
• A confirmed case of COVID-19.
• Have been on a plane or cruise in the last 2 weeks.

NOTE:  If your child needs to miss therapy due to illness of a family member, but your child is healthy enough to participate in therapy, we may discuss the option of TELETHERAPY to fill in the gaps during their absence from in-office therapy.

What YOU can do:

• Caregivers can model and encourage the use of covering mouths and noses with a tissue when you/your child coughs / sneezes or use the inside of the elbow.
• Throw used tissues in the trash immediately after use as and dispose of garbage promptly.
• Do not bring or consume food / drinks in the waiting area.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after using the restroom.  (Hint: Sing the ABC’s all the way through, or “This is the way we wash our hands” song to the tune of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush”)
• Avoid touching your or your child’s face.
• Face masks:
  • The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory disease, including COVID-19. Face masks will not prevent COVID-19 as it is not an airborne virus. However, masks can remind you not to touch your face and you are welcome to wear them.
  • Face masks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 (see below). 
• If you choose, you may wear latex, nitrile, or vinyl gloves. This is an effective precaution, as COVID-19 is transmitted through contact.

If you have any questions about these enhanced safety and health precautions, please do not hesitate to call our office at 813-803-3470.

May God bless you and keep you safe!