New England is known across the world for its gorgeous fall colors, and Boston is no exception. As temperatures begin to drop, it is also high time to prepare for the colder winter ahead. Here are a few tips on getting your home and life more organized as you welcome the fall season in Boston. Clean Up Your Yard
Boston is famous for its stunning fall foliage, with vibrant shades of red, orange and gold. People travel from far and wide to witness the glorious colors, as the trees change from hues of green, and living in Boston gives you prime viewing of seasonal splendor. However, falling leaves also need cleaning up to reduce the attraction for pests. Fall is also the time to get your vegetable patch in order for next spring. Give your grass one final mow before the winter, feed the lawn, rake up dead leaves, trim back dead tree and shrub branches, power wash the deck and plant fall flowers. Take time to de-clutter your yard and clean your gutters, too. If removing debris and leaves seems like a big task, why not consider renting a roll-off dumpster to make your clean-up project smoother? Organize Inside Your Home As well as tidying up outdoors, have a thorough clean and tidy inside your home. Clean out cabinets and closets and get rid of any clothes that you no longer wear. You could consider donating unwanted items to charity. Store your summer garments for next year and make sure your warmer winter wear is conveniently at hand. Wash any items that need freshening up after being folded away over the summer, and buy anything you’ll need to see you through the winter, such as a new coat, sweaters and footwear. You’ll soon want warmer bedding for the colder nights. Freshen up blankets and comforters with a trip to the dry cleaners to make sinking into bed on a cold evening even cozier. Heat Your Home Check that all your heating appliances are in good working order. After all, it’s better to arrange any necessary repairs in fall than over the winter. If you use propane to heat your home, you’ll likely have noticed that prices have recently increased. Research suppliers and make sure that you have a reliable propane supply to fend off the cold when the temperatures drop even further. Stock Up Snuggling up at home is especially appealing on cold days, and having well-stocked pantry and medicine cabinets is a great idea for those times when you simply don’t want to go out or think about trying to order goods. Fill your pantry with long-life staples, such as canned and dry goods, so you’ve always got a supply to fall back on. The colder weather is, unfortunately, a peak time for catching bugs and getting sick. Stock up on fall medications to keep your family as healthy and comfortable as possible. Buy things like painkillers, allergy products, cough medicine, throat lozenges and nasal sprays, making sure to also have items suitable for younger members of the family, to get ready to stave off colds and germs. You might also like to add vitamin supplements to your list. Don’t forget to buy seasonal personal care products too, such as items to prevent chapped lips, combat dry hair and nails and keep your skin in great condition. Practice Self-Care In today’s busy world, it’s all too easy to be so focused on taking care of others that people forget to take care of themselves. Self-care isn’t a luxury; it’s essential. You may have been focused lately on getting the kids ready to go back to school, and settling them in. Buying uniforms and supplies, arranging after school clubs, sorting lunches and transportation, helping with homework and dealing with other school-related matters can quickly start to take its toll. Have you also been taking care of elderly parents? If you’re in need of a breather, get some valuable time to rest, recharge and feel more in control of your life with temporary respite care services. Your family will benefit much more from a rested you; being frazzled helps nobody! Getting ready for the oncoming festivities and winter holidays can definitely be a hectic time. Winter in Boston is always magical, but when you’re in the mood to start preparing right away for what’s to come, here are a few tips to get you started. Get Essential Chores Out Of The WayWhether you’re preparing for the holidays or are planning to hold a party pretty soon, it’s crucial to have a list of essential tasks. Without having a list, you might end up forgetting important things like having fresh and clean tablecloths for parties or not having any snacks for your guests to munch on. It’s best to start compiling this list as soon as you decide to get prepared because it gives you more time to add any tasks that might have slipped out of your mind. Don’t let the Boston chill get to your head or your festivities when you’re prepared ahead of time! Look Your Best For the HolidaysWinters are undoubtedly a time for parties, family gatherings, and much more. When you’re gearing up for the festivities, you mustn’t forget to look your best for each event. Consider dry cleaning fancy dresses and formal wear that you’re planning to wear this year so you can be prepared even for the last-minute party your friend is throwing two blocks away. You don’t want to be worried about last year’s stains when you’re out to celebrate! Keep Seasonal Ailments AwayIf you’ve started preparing for winter a bit earlier than usual, then it’s the perfect time to stock up on over-the-counter flu medicines as well as some regular cold medicine. Winters are a notorious time catching seasonal viral and more, so it’s best to buy some vitamins and supplements from your local pharmacy to keep your immune system strong. When you’ve managed to slip on some ice or snow and are feeling sore all over, it’s best to have pain gel on hand to help you out. When you’re fully stocked and ready to go, no winter ailment can keep you confined. Arrange for Professional CareUnderstandably, holidays can be a busy time for you and your family. It can be quite concerning when you have an elderly loved one who can’t attend your celebrations. Ensure that they’re getting the best care even when you can’t devote your full attention to them by getting professional respite care. Professional living assistance by certified home care aides can ensure that their needs and ailments are being taken care of holistically and that you don’t constantly have to be running from here to there trying to take care of it all. Don’t Forget About YourselfThe holidays can be stressful, and you need to ensure that you’re giving yourself some TLC from time to time. Keep your mind relaxed and your body healthy when you’re taking little breaks to take care of yourself.
Whether it’s your laundry that needs to be taken care of through a delivery service or taking a soak in a hot tub, there are many self-care activities you can do in no time at all. You can also look for sitters for your elderly loved one to ensure that while your needs are being taken care of, theirs don’t go amiss. Enjoy your winter festivities when you keep these tips in mind to make the holidays hassle-free for you! 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. Summer is here, but the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Most of us are still leery of flying, so vacationing overseas or out of state is not under consideration. Although we are in phase 2 of re-opening and many restaurants and shops are now open, our safest activities this summer would be outdoors, especially in parks and beaches, with social distancing, of course. One place I’d like to visit with my family is the Minuteman Campground in Lexington, which is just 30 miles northwest of Boston. There, you can enjoy a quiet, spacious campsite among the tall pines. The campground has tent campsites, RV campsites and cabins. The RV sites have picnic tables, Wi-Fi, laundry, fire pits and electricity hookups, so you won’t need propane for RV generator. For fun, the campground provides kids playground, swimming pool, basketball, volleyball and more. As long as the family is outdoors, you always should be prepared with insect sprays and sunscreens, first aid kits and wound care supplies such as bandages, dressings and wound cleansers. If you have a senior loved one at home, you may not be able to bring him or her along. In that case, it would be a good idea to get respite care service from a trustworthy home care agency. A professional home care aide can provide companionship, as well as take care of daily tasks such as simple meal preparation, errands, and also make sure that your loved one is taking prescribed medications. Worried about your routine household chores while you are on vacation? Take a break and let others do them for you. Use the nearby dry cleaner to do your dirty laundry, maid service to clean your house, and a personal concierge to do whatever else that needs to be done. With their help, even though you are still in the Boston area, you can take your mind off your daily routine to rest, recharge and have fun!
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