It was back in January last year when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the U.S., and in March 2020, the WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic. We are now one full year into the pandemic. It has been a hard year for everyone, but especially for our frontline workers, the elderly and their caregivers. We may be suffering from COVID fatigue but it is important that we remain vigilant and stay safe. I have some tips to share as we find our way through these difficult times.
Plan for Vaccination Make a plan to get your COVID-19 vaccine, and help older adults in your life make a plan to get their vaccine. Find out if you can get vaccinated at your favorite local pharmacy; many are administering vaccines to at-risk individuals. Your local health department is another good resource to find vaccination sites in your area. If you live in Massachusetts like me, you can go on MA DPH website for clinics/sites that are currently accepting patients for vaccinations. In Massachusetts, vaccines go to those who are most at risk first. Your elderly family members who are 75+ may get vaccinated in Phase 1 and those who are 65+ may get vaccinated in Phase 2. If your loved one has an in-home caregiver through a home care agency, they should be vaccinated in Phase 1, too. Keep Your Home Clean Although COVID-19 is different from the common cold and flu, the same cleaning practices that reduce the spread of those illnesses will also reduce the spread of COVID-19. Wash your bedding and comforters often, and wipe down surfaces daily. If your dry cleaners offer germ-free laundry services, take advantage of them — and consider using a laundry pickup and delivery service to minimize interpersonal contact. Take Care of Senior Loved Ones If you have older loved ones, do their grocery shopping for them so they don’t have to risk catching COVID-19 in public. Pick up their mail, bring them takeout, and run other errands so they can stay home, where they’re safer. Remember to support seniors’ mental health, too. Chat with them on the phone, play games together, or find a new TV show to enjoy together. If you’re feeling burned out caring for a loved one, consider signing up for senior respite care service. Stay Informed Dwelling on the news can be stressful, but you should check the news two or three days a week. This will ensure you stay informed about vaccine plans and safety protocols in your area. We made it to Labor Day, guys! Now, more than ever, it’s important to celebrate whenever we can, even if it’s a little differently than we’re used to. If you’re planning a Labor Day BBQ for your family, or a social distanced version with your neighbors, here are some tips to get you ready. Prep That Grill!Your grill is always the MVP of any BBQ, and this one is no exception. Make sure you have everything ready to grill up all your favorites. The first step is to make sure you have a full tank of propane, or a bag of fresh charcoal depending on your type of grill. Then make sure you have clean grill-ready utensils like tongs and spatulas. Plan Your MenuWhen planning your Labor Day BBQ menu, keep in mind that grocery stores still have limited supplies of certain ingredients, or that some may be hard to find. The regulars like ground beef for burgers and hot dogs should be readily available. But if you’re planning on something a little special like grilled salmon or kabobs, it’s best to have a Plan B, just in case. Prep Those BBQ LinensNow is the perfect time to pull out those red and white checked picnic linens! Your local dry cleaners is the perfect place to get them cleaned quickly. If there’s any stains leftover from last year, be sure to let the dry cleaners know, so they can properly treat them. Stock Up on Essential MedsBarbecue foods can mean heartburn for some of us. That’s why our favorite underrated tip is to stock up on antacid and stomach meds. The friendly community pharmacy near me has all the essentials that I need to enjoy our evening safely and comfortably. Yours probably does too. Enlist HelpIf you happen to be caring for an aging parent or family member, now is a great time to think about enlisting the help of a home care agency. Holidays sometimes remind us of all the extra things we’ve taken on over the pandemic, and it’s okay to take a break and get some help.
Once you’ve got everything ready, the fun can begin. Let’s enjoy the time we have with our friends and family and have a great Labor Day! We usually celebrate Mother’s Day with flowers and gifts for mom, taking her out to dinner and may be a shopping spree or a trip to the spa or salon. While our city is still in lockdown, with restaurants, salons and shops closed, how are you celebrating Mother’s Day? Mother's Day GiftsFor the most part, we can order gifts online and get them ready by Mother’s Day. If you cannot get a gift delivered in time, don’t forget that your local drugstore is still open and carries a variety of health and beauty products that your mom would love – from age-defying skin care, hair coloring and styling to perfumes and manicure products. Your community pharmacy may provide curbside service so you can stay safe. Take a load offMom is always busy caring for her family. The list of household chores is never ending. During the quarantine, the amount of cleaning and disinfecting has probably quadrupled. So a great gift would be to take over some of her work. How about letting the local dry cleaner nearby do the laundry? Schedule a laundry pickup before Mother’s Day, so that she is relaxed and not worried about doing the laundry. If mom’s work includes caring for grandpa and or grandma, which is not unusual in this age of the “Caregiving Crunch,” you can take a load off her by hiring respite care providers from the local home care agency. A home health aide can provide respectful professional care and companionship for a senior loved one while the family caregiver takes a break. Fun activity togetherDo something fun with your mom at home, such as watch a movie on TV, take a trip down memory lane by viewing old photos together, make handicrafts or artwork, give mom a manicure, and so on. Mother's Day dinnerIf your mother is living in the same house, you can perhaps cook a nice dinner or if you are not a good cook, you can order a big meal online and get it delivered to the house. But if your mother is not under the same roof, you can try sharing a virtual dinner on Zoom. That way, you can still see and chat with each other during dinner.
With a little creativity and preparation, we can still give mom a memorable Mother’s Day during these unprecedented times. Stay safe and have fun with your mom on Mother’s Day! Photo by Karolina Bobek ✌ on Unsplash Newton has the fifth largest senior population in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and older people are known to be at higher risk from COVID-19. Although the city is working to make sure seniors are safe, you may be wondering if your parent or senior loved one who lives alone needs extra support during this pandemic. The best thing you can do is encourage them to stay home and practice social distancing to avoid exposure. Here are a few things to make staying home easier. Before you talk with your loved one about the need for COVID-19 precautions, get up to speed on facts and information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or from the state or local health department. This will help you be better able to correct any misinformation they may have. If there is a home health aide, some precautions are needed. Discuss with the home care agency what protocols they have in place to reduce risk. In addition to helping with activities of daily living, the home caregiver can help your loved one follow the CDC’s risk-reducing recommendations and also monitor for symptoms so they can alert you. To make sure they have enough of the daily essentials like food and medicine, you may want to stock a couple of weeks’ worth of groceries including food, pet supplies, cleaning supplies, etc. and to gather a one to three month supply of medications. Use a prescription pharmacy in Newton that provides prescription delivery service and/or curbside pickup to keep up with the medications. For groceries, remember to check the availability of time slots for delivery. Laundry pickup service can help avoid trips to the nearest dry cleaner in Newton or laundromat where social distancing is hard to maintain.
Check in frequently by phone, FaceTime, or Zoom to stay connected. Companionship and social relationships are important to the mental health of an aging adult. Social distancing makes it difficult for us to communicate effectively and intimately with our senior loved ones, but digital communications can help quite a bit during these unprecedented times. photo credit: Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay |
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