My mum could do with some support at home but is worried about contact with a cleaner?

[Entreprecurious]

She has Parkinson's and bad asthma and is 80 so very much in the high risk category. I haven't been in to see her for over a week because I have children of school age and think it's just too risky for me to have contact with her. So I've been dropping groceries at the door of her flat and she's opened and waved and we've had a chat from a distance but no contact. I organised for a cleaner to go in for a few hours each week to change her bedding/do general dusting and cleaning but DM worried about her coming round tomorrow because of the advice to older people to avoid contact altogether.

DH went round last night to deliver groceries and said her place is a bit of a mess, not terrible but could do with a tidy. So, while I don't think she should take unnecessarily risks, I can't help feeling it could also be hazardous for her to be living in a quite chaotic place, germs building up etc because she's not great at keeping the kitchen clean etc.

I think I'm probably sounding a bit confused but would really be interested to know what others are doing. What strange times.

Hi, I'm no expert and don't really know what the official guidance is but saw you had no other replies so just thought I'd share my experience in the hope of bumping your thread up a bit- my Mum is also disabled/in a high risk category and has carers coming in several times a day - we've chosen to keep the carers despite the worrying risk of the carers infecting her, as really the alternative (of her having falls or getting sick through not being looked after) is worse. As I understand it, it is social contact the government/medical advice is to minimise, not essential care, which could include 'social' care with things like essential cleaning/house maintenance as well as nursing/personal care. I would try and see if you can get some advice from age concern or a parkinsons charity or similar but if she isn't capable of hoovering and dusting etc. herself, and this is going to put her at risk of asthma attacks then someone is going to have to clean for her. The safest way would be for the person cleaning to wash their hands very thoroughly on arrival, wear a mask and gloves if possible, stay as little time as is necessary to do the tasks and not be in the same room as your Mum at any time. Obviously they should not come at all if they are sick themselves or have been in contact with anyone sick as per the self-isolation rules- either a responsible agency could perhaps provide someone who can follow these guidelines or if able you could do it yourself which might be better if you are able to avoid public transport, crowded places and other people in general which a cleaner might not be able to (but your Mum would need to understand that you are there to clean and not to chat, chat can be done on the phone!). I'd also consider how often the cleaning needs to be done as a minimum to keep your Mum safe - is a few hours once a week really necessary, possibly this could be cut down a bit?

Sympathies, it's such a worrying time isn't it, my Mum despite being 100% compos mentis doesn't seem to have grasped the severity of the situation and TBH having carers come in several times a day does make it seem odd that I am avoiding contact myself as far as is humanly possible and telling her she must on no account go out except in a life or death emergency, but for me it's about minimising the risk even if it's marginal?

Sorry, @maxelly I thought this thread had sunk unread so didn't come back and check it. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer. In the end I went in myself (basically just in order to feel as if I was a bit more in control of the situation). Kept my distance etc wore gloves and mask. But actually we've decided to try to move her over the weekend to stay with relatives because I don't think it's going to be practical for her to stay so isolated with all that is going on.