Direct Service Providers, also called DSPs,
provide health related care to people with disabilities.
Because DSPs are in close contact
with the people they care for,
DSPs are considered to be in the same general risk category
for COVID-19 as health care workers.
DSPs play an important part in promoting the health
and well-being of the people they work with and care for.
If you are a DSP,
take precautions to protect yourself
and the people you work with from COVID-19.
When working with clients who have COVID-19,
you need to take additional precautions,
including wearing personal protective equipment,
also called PPE.
There are things you can do to protect yourself
from COVID-19 every day.
When you can, stay at least 6 feet away
(about 2 arm lengths)
from others in the home or your work area.
Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth
and fits snugly against the sides of your face
while you are at work and when in public places.
Wash your hands often with soap and water
for at least 20 seconds.
If soap and water are not available,
use a hand sanitizer that contains
at least 60% alcohol.
If you use hearing aids,
use a mask that has strings that tie behind your head,
instead of ear loops.
If people need to be able to see your mouth to read your lips
or see your facial expressions, use a mask with a clear panel.
Get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can.
Ask your client to wear a mask even if they are not sick.
Wearing a mask protects the person who is wearing it
and the people they are around.
Some people may not be able to wear a mask,
such as children younger than 2 years old,
and a person with a disability who cannot wear a mask,
or cannot safely wear a mask,
for reasons related to the disability.
Wearing masks may be difficult for people with sensory,
cognitive, or behavioral issues.
Some children or people with disabilities might need practice
wearing a mask to become comfortable wearing one.
Other people who do not feel comfortable wearing a mask
might benefit from relaxation techniques
including listening to soothing music while wearing a face mask.
Most people with underlying medical conditions
can and should wear masks.
If you or the people you work with are older than 65 years old
or have certain chronic health problems,
you or the people you work with could be at increased
risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19
and should take extra precautions.
View the CDC ASL video, Extra Precautions for People
at Risk of Severe Illness for more information.
Some types of work require additional training
and protective equipment.
If you work in a situation where you might be splashed
or sprayed with bodily fluids,
or if you are caring for someone with COVID-19,
make sure that your employer provides training
on CDC Infection Prevention
and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel
During the Coronavirus Disease 2019.
Your employer should also provide
personal protective equipment (PPE), which includes
a facemask, respirator, eye protection,
(such as face shield or goggles, disposable gloves, and a gown.
It is important to wash your hands
frequently during your workday
with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
If soap and water are not available,
use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
When to wash your hands.
Wash your hands when you first enter the home
or community setting and right after you leave.
Wash your hands whenever you adjust
or put on your mask or right after you take off your mask.
Wash your hands before you put on disposable gloves
and right after you take off disposable gloves.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
When to wear gloves.
Wear disposable gloves when touching your client,
for example when dressing, bathing or showering,
transferring, toileting, or feeding.
Wear disposable gloves when handling tissues.
Wear disposable gloves
when changing linens or doing laundry.
Safely dispose of gloves after use.
Wash your hands after taking off disposable gloves.
If gloves are not available, wash your hands immediately
after touching your client or handling their belongings.
Clean and watch for symptoms.
Clean your clothes and watch for symptoms.
Wash your work uniforms or clothes after each use.
Wash the items in the warmest appropriate water
setting for the items and dry them completely.
Watch for symptoms.
Do not go to work or care for others if you develop symptoms.
If you develop symptoms such as a fever,
cough, difficulty breathing, or loss of taste or smell,
call your healthcare provider for further guidance.
If you work in the home of a person with disabilities,
here are additional precautions you should take—
clean and disinfect objects
and surfaces that get touched often by you or your client,
for example, counters, tabletops,
doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets,
phones, keyboards, tablets, bedside tables.
Clean equipment used by the person you work with,
such as wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes, oxygen tanks
and tubing, communication boards, and other devices.
If you provide services for a client
in a community-based setting,
such as a group home or day program,
the employer may have additional precautions for you to follow.
You should also help your client plan for possible changes
because of COVID-19.
Plan for what to do
if you or other care providers get sick.
Make a list of people who can help if you cannot come to work.
Tell the person you work with—
How to watch for symptoms that they are sick.
When and how to contact their healthcare provider.
Many healthcare providers have developed new ways
to provide healthcare services,
such as using online virtual visits,
sometimes called telehealth.
Help your client find out how to make an appointment.
Help make or change care plans
or an emergency notebook for your client.
Write down important information such as healthcare information,
the person's medical conditions, allergies, and medications
including names, dosages,
and any instructions for giving each medication taken.
Also include other information
that anyone working with your client
should know about how the person likes things to be done.
List emergency contact information also.
Here is what to do if your client
or someone they live with has been exposed to COVID-19,
has symptoms of COVID-19, or tests positive for COVID-19—
Encourage your client
to contact their healthcare providers
or help them contact their providers
if assistance is needed.
Clients may need help accessing telehealth.
If your clients do not need to be hospitalized,
they may need assistance with home care for COVID-19.
The CDC provides additional information
for health professionals
to provide home care to someone with COVID-19
who does not need to be hospitalized.
Your employer should provide you
with this information and training.
Masks alone are not PPE
and should not be worn in place of proper PPE
for the care of clients with known or suspected COVID-19.
Information on how to wear PPE
correctly is available on the CDC website
"Using Personal Protective Equipment or PPE."
Sick clients should also wear a mask if they are able to.
The Administration for Community Living COVID-19 website
has information that can be helpful to you.
You can also contact your state's Developmental Disability
Administration, Disability Council,
or Independent Living Council for local information
regarding getting the resources that you may need.
Here are things you should do if you are caring for someone
in their home and they have COVID-19—
Watch for warning signs of serious illness.
Call the doctor or medical provider
if your client gets worse
or has other serious symptoms you are concerned about.
Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19.
If someone is showing any of these signs,
seek emergency medical care immediately—
Trouble breathing,
ongoing pain or pressure in the chest,
feeling confused or having difficulty thinking clearly,
unable to wake up or stay awake, pale, grey, or blue-colored
skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone.
This list does not include all possible symptoms.
For medical emergencies, call 911 or call ahead
to your local emergency facility and tell the dispatcher
that the person has or might have COVID-19.
Here are things to do if you become sick
or are exposed to someone who has COVID-19—
Stay home and self-isolate,
except to get testing and medical care.
Staying at home helps protect the people you work
with who may be at greater risk of infection
or serious illness from COVID-19.
It also helps protect others in the community.
If you develop symptoms such as a fever,
cough, difficulty breathing, or new loss of taste or smell
or you have been exposed to COVID-19,
call your healthcare provider.
Notify your employer, your client and, if applicable,
their guardian as soon as possible so appropriate plans
for an alternate DSP can be made.
Your client should be watched for COVID-19 symptoms.
Some people with disabilities may be at greater risk
of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19.
View the CDC ASL video
People with Disabilities for more information.
For more ASL videos, including information on
How to Protect Yourself and Others,
Caring for Someone Sick at Home
and Coping with Stress, go to the CDC YouTube channel.
For the latest information in English text,
please visit cdc.gov/coronavirus.