Do You Have the Holiday Blues?

Despite the joyous festivities and celebrations surrounding us during the winter season, some of us may feel the holiday blues. Perhaps it’s due to lack of sleep and stress from the extra activity, overeating and drinking, stress from overspending or not being able to afford gifts for friends and family, social isolation, and so on. So how do you cope with these bouts of depression?

Spend time with loved ones

While most of us have lots of parties and gatherings both at work and at home during the holidays, the elderly are often more socially isolated. Schedule some time with your senior loved ones. You will both have a good time. If that is not possible, try companion care by home caregivers.

Avoid overscheduling

You may be inundated with party invitations, or busy with preparing your own celebrations, turn down some of these activities and save some down time for yourself to rest, and get plenty of sleep. If necessary, get sleeping aids from your trusted local pharmacy.

Get a work out

Exercise will get your heart rate up and release mood-boosting endorphins to chase out the holiday blues. Working out in the outdoors with outdoor fitness equipment or playing a basketball game will bring wonderful physical, mental and social benefits. A quick 10 minute walk in the neighborhood can do the trick, too, especially when you feel overwhelmed and just need to take a break to relax.

Avoid overeating and drinking

We often eat and drink too much at parties. This can affect your mood and overall well-being. To avoid overeating, fill up on vegetables before going to a party. And if you still end up eating too much, get relief from digestive medicines — make sure you have those stocked up at home.

Be organized

Holiday preparations can be overwhelming. Make a to-do list. Keep everything simple. Set reasonable expectations for activities such as shopping, cooking, entertaining, sending holiday cards and gifts, going to parties, etc., and set aside specific days for them. You can save time by shopping online. Don’t forget time saving services such as house-cleaning and laundry delivery service.

Set a budget

It’s easy to overextend yourself financially for presents and parties. Don’t try to buy happiness with gifts. This will bring a lot of stress and anxiety. Instead set a budget and stick to it. Try giving homemade gifts, or donate to a charity in someone’s name.

Volunteer

Helping others can also be very helpful for you, too. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities during the holidays. For example, you might try

working at a soup kitchen
organizing or helping out with a gift drive
helping your neighbor with a yard or house task.

Relax

Take a break when you feel stressed. Listen to some music at home. Go to the park and read a book on a park bench.

If you can’t shake out the blues, you might wish to see a doctor and get some prescribed medication or other treatment, especially if your sadness stays even after the holidays are over.

Save Time by Automating Household Chores

I can’t afford to hire a housekeeper, and I work full time. I don’t have other family members to share the burden of taking care of household chores. How do I keep my house in order and maintain a good quality of life? Automate! Here are some ideas.

Cleaning the floor with robots

Let the Roomba or similar robotic vacuums clean the floor for you while you are at work! This is a major time saver.

Landscaping service or robotic mower?

While we are talking about robots, do you know there are robotic lawn mowers and weeders? These innovative products are offered by Automated Outdoor Solutions. Check them out!

Laundry

We all use washers and dryers, so laundry is automated. And if you use a programmable washing machine, you can schedule it to run at a convenient time, for example, two hours before you can come home to move the clean laundry to the dryer. But you can save more time by simply packing your laundry in a bag and call the local laundry delivery service. Your clothes will come back clean, fresh and ready to wear! You can further “automate” by subscribing to a weekly or biweekly delivery.

Maid service

Hey, automation doesn’t have to be by machines 😉 The robotic vacuum can only clean the floors. You can use automatic toilet bowl cleaners like Flush 2000. However, you’ll still need the clean the shower and the kitchen, do some dusting, etc. and there are no robots for those yet, as far as I know. Scheduling the cleaners to come every two weeks will do the trick!

Rent a dumpster for cleanups

De-clutter your house at least once a year to make your daily cleaning easier. Save yourself trips to the town recycling center and rent a dumpster instead. The dumpster rental company will haul your junk away for you and take care of the recycling, too!

Online food delivery service

No time for cooking and clean up afterwards? There’s nothing more convenient than having your favorite food delivered to you! You can use an app like UberEats, or order from your favorite local restaurant or supermarket as well.

Drugstore deliveries

You have probably used apps that allow you to refill prescriptions and have them delivered to you. But many drugstores, like the pharmacy near me, also have online stores where you can buy home healthcare products, personal care and even household products and deliver to you as well. Check them out!

Automatic propane delivery

If you use propane for heating, cooking, etc. for your home, sign up for automatic propane delivery. With automatic delivery, the supplier knows when to deliver propane to you without you having to call them. You’ll never run out of fuel because you forgot to check or to call. Isn’t that a life saver?

Sign up for autopay

I use autopay for all my utility bills, credit card bills, etc. It saves time and I’ll never get any penalties.

There are so many ways to automate and make our lives easier. It pays to be on the lookout for more automated solutions!

New Year’s Resolutions for a Healthier Life

Each New Year brings new and exciting possibilities. We get to start on a clean slate and set New Year resolutions. Many goal-setters strive to improve their health. They set resolutions for the New Year, such as do more exercise, go on a diet, get more sunlight, etc. and aim to stick with them. Others get stuck. So I will share with you a few suggestions to live a healthier life.

Visit Your Elderly Parents Once a Month

Health isn’t exclusively about what you put into your body. Spending time with people you love also assists with health. Some elderly parents receive attention from home health aides. These professional caregivers help senior adults with everyday tasks such as meal preparation, housekeeping and personal hygiene, as well as offering meaningful companionship.

However, time with these in-home caregivers is not the same as spending time with your child. Visiting your elderly parent once a month gives them more time with you. You both get to share memories and bond during your precious moments. Spending time with your parents is the best way to show that you care. Your visits will benefit their physical and mental health as well as your own.

No one wants to do chores, but unattended laundry will pile up over time. Dust will accumulate and trigger allergies. You might also notice the odor. Not tending to laundry can turn your home into an unpleasant one and hurt your health.

A weekly laundry pickup and delivery will solve this problem. Not only will create a cleaner space in your home, you will also always look your best in clean and fresh clothing. Furthermore, delegating laundry gives you extra time to exercise, work on other health-related goals and spend precious time with your family, which is again beneficial to you and your family’s mental and physical health.

Be Environmentally-Friendly

Taking an environmentally-friendly approach to your living environment is not only kind to our planet but often ensures better health for yourself as well. For example, a lot of cleaning products contain chemicals and toxins that are harmful to the body. Resolve to start using green cleaning products this year. You won’t feel the disadvantages immediately. However, like the planet and climate change, these effects will occur in the long term.

Homeowners can also consider switching to a propane water-heating and space-heating system which are more eco-friendly than oil and likely to be cost-beneficial in the long run. Consult your local home energy supplier and also inquire about availability of propane tanks and delivery service.

Set Up a Health and Lifestyle Plan

Strive to become healthier now than you were last year, but it may not be easy to do it alone. You can enlist a loved one to keep your objectives on track, but sometimes professional coaching is more effective. Some pharmacies have a wellness coach who can set you up with a health plan and recommend proper exercises, vitamins, and supplements for your goals. Having professional support along the way lets you establish challenging but reasonable goals, with a higher probability of success.

Setting New Year resolutions around health is a great start for the year. I wish you the best as you continue your health journey in 2022!

Keeping the Family Safe in Winter

Winter is the perfect season to snuggle up inside and watch the snow fall through the winter. But winter also brings some risks associated with the snow and cold. Here are a few easy ways to reduce those risks, keeping yourself and your family members safe.

Keep Fire Safety in Mind

Fire is warm and comforting, but also dangerous. If you use a candle to create ambiance, make sure you put it out before you go to bed. Don’t leave a candle burning alone in a room, either.

Also, be careful with space heaters. Make sure you clear anything flammable away from them. If you use propane for heat, make sure your tank is secure. Establish a regular schedule with your propane delivery team, and have your tank serviced periodically to keep it in good shape.

Avoid Slips and Falls

To prevent slip-and-fall injuries, make sure you keep your walkways clear of snow. Use rock salt or another ice melting agent to get rid of slick ice. If you have an older loved one, make sure they have winter boots with good traction. Consider having your in-home care provider help you get your older family member in and out of the vehicle on slippery days.

Use Medications to Your Advantage

Visit your local pharmacy, and stock up on medications and remedies that are helpful for winter. Get your Rx refills in advance so you don’t run out of medication during a storm.

Purchase some skin cream to treat dry skin, which is common due to the dry winter air. It’s also smart to keep some cold medicine on-hand, and to use some capsaicin or menthol gel to ease muscles that are sore from shoveling snow and tackling other winter chores.

Dress Warmly

Make sure you and your loved ones have plenty of warm clothing on-hand to protect you from the snow and cold. Consider arranging for a dry cleaners nearby to pick up your laundry items so you can get them cleaned without having to leave your house. This way, you can look your best in clean clothing, but still stay warm.

On cold days, it is best to dress in layers. Opt for breathable fabrics, like wool and synthetics, over cotton.

Winter is a beautiful season, but it does bring about some risks. With the tips above, you can mitigate those risks and remain focused on the seasonal beauty and family time.

One Year into the Pandemic

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.

Caring for an Aging Parent at Home

Caring for an aging parent can be both complicated and rewarding. Having a little extra help can make all the difference. It’s important to take care of yourself, as well. Being a family caregiver can be both emotionally and physically exhausting, so here are some tips for caring for an aging parent at home.

Cooking Simple Meals

Part of holding on to your dignity as you age is remaining as independent as possible. So even if your parent needs significant assistance with living by herself or himself at home, there are ways to make it so that they can do some of the everyday tasks themselves. For example, on weekly grocery trips, be sure to pick up food items that they may be able to prepare themselves. Prepping ingredients beforehand and labeling them in containers in the fridge is always a great way to lend some assistance without overstepping.

Laundry and Cleaning

Laundry and cleaning are chores that require physical exertion, so it is best to get help with these tasks as much as possible. This could mean taking certain items to and from the dry cleaners or signing up for laundry delivery service. Or just designate a certain day that you do your loved one’s laundry, even if it’s at your own home. Hiring a cleaning service is always an option. Or you could make sure your parent has easily accessible tools like brooms or dustbusters so they could still do some light cleaning themselves.

Getting the Necessary Medical Supplies

It’s imperative that your aging parent has the necessary meds and medical supplies such as walking canes, shower seats, and reaching aids. Check with your local pharmacy about automatic prescription refills. Delivery may always be an option as well. This kind of thing is where hiring a home care agency could come in hand. A home healthcare aide will be able to provide assistance not only with picking up prescriptions but also help with mobility and physical assistance.

Caring for an aging parent can be tricky, but with a little extra planning, it doesn’t have to disrupt your life. Your parent deserves to be able to live out their lives as independently and comfortable as possible, and so do you. Don’t forget to take a break every now and then. A respite care provider can provide the at home care assistance that your parent needs while you rest and recharge.

Going Green: Tips for Eco-Friendly Laundry

Laundry is one of those chores that can be resource intensive and a significant polluter, but it doesn’t have to be. Yes, you can go green and get your laundry clean. There are a few simple things you can do to make wash day more eco-friendly.

Do Full Loads

A full load uses less energy and water than two half loads. Save water, energy, and time.

Use Eco-Friendly Detergent

Choose a laundry detergent without added dyes, fragrances, and petroleum-based chemical compounds. Some dry cleaners offer eco-friendly wash, dry, fold service that uses custom detergent, formulated to be eco-friendly and boost cleaning power.

Use Less Detergent

Pay attention to the amount of detergent you use, too. Read and follow the directions on the detergent box. Too much detergent not only dumps more soap into the water, but also reduces the washer’s efficiency.

Use Non-Chlorine Bleach

Chlorine has many damaging effects on the environment, and you don’t really need it to get your laundry white. Try lemon juice or a “free and clear” bleach. To help save the environment, we should try to use only chlorine-free laundry products.

Use the Right Dryer Settings

Match the drying time to the load. For example, nylon dries faster than denim. Use lower heat to save energy. I dry all clothes in low/medium heat.

Upgrade Your Washing Machine

Commercial washers are already more efficient than home washers. The newest generation of high-efficiency washers is designed to use even less energy and less water. This new technology is available in home washers now too.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Try a concentrated eco-friendly detergent to get the same amount of wash from a smaller package. Recycle plastic detergent bottles. Reuse laundry bags, hangers, containers, and anything else you can think of – be creative. Some eco-friendly dry cleaners use reusable laundry bags for laundry pickup and delivery service, too.

Spend Time With Your Family, Not Your Laundry

I prefer to take my laundry to the dry cleaner near me, or use their free laundry pickup service. That way, the hours and energy that I spend on laundry are better spent on playing with my kids and watching TV with my family. Wouldn’t you do the same?

Celebrating Mother’s Day During COVID-19

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 Gifts

For 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 off

Mom 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 together

Do 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.

Dinner

If 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

Personal Hygiene During COVID-19

Everyday household tasks can become a source of anxiety in these times. Do you start worrying about how to get the basics done while keeping yourself and loved ones safe and healthy? Simple hygiene measures can help.

Personal Hygiene

A piece of advice that is repeatedly stated by the authorities as a top precaution is to wash our hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer. Make sure the soap or sanitizer fully covers your hands, then rub hands together for 20-30 seconds. For hand sanitizers, use those that contain at least 60 per cent alcohol. Having trouble finding hand sanitizers in the grocery store? Try your community pharmacy. If they have the ability to provide compounded medications, they may be able to produce sanitizers themselves.

Remember to avoid touching your face because the virus is spread through droplets that may cling to surfaces that you touched.

Cleaning Clothes

There’s no research as yet on how long the COVID-19 virus can survive on clothes or other fabrics, but it’s still a good idea to change and wash your clothes regularly — especially if you’ve just come home from the grocery store (or the office if you aren’t working from home). If you are doing the laundry at home, wash your clothes using the warmest appropriate water setting in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure you dry the items completely.

Consider using a laundry delivery service instead of making trips to the laundromat to avoid too much people contact and save time for other chores. Dry cleaning can help to disinfect clothing and other household items like towels and bedding because it uses high heat. Some Boston dry cleaners provide germ-free laundry services, too.

When handling dirty laundry from a person who has symptoms, wear disposable gloves. If you are using a drycleaning pickup service, you should tell the dry cleaner that the laundry may be infected.

Housecleaning

It is also important to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces or objects including tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, desks, phones, keyboards, sinks, and faucets at least daily. Clean dirty surfaces with a regular household detergent first, then disinfect with any EPA-registered household disinfectant.

Let’s all stay safe and healthy during these unusual times!

Photo by Irina Ba on Unsplash

Disinfecting Laundry at Home

With the COVID-19 outbreak surging in Boston, we are all concerned with keeping our home and family safe from germs, bacteria and viruses, especially when you have seniors living at home. You know how to keep your floors and surfaces disinfected, but what about your clothes and linens? When someone in the household becomes ill, it’s even more important to disinfect laundry to keep the rest of the family safe. Here are some easy ways to disinfect your laundry.

Tips for Easy Disinfecting

When someone in your home is sick, try to have them use 100% cotton sheets and clothes in light colors. This makes them easier to disinfectant in the washing machine using the strongest possible disinfectants. Wash all contaminated items separately from other laundry and wear gloves while handling it if possible. Wash your hands after and avoid touching your face.

Safe Laundry Disinfectants to Use at Home

Although it’s great for regular stains and soiling, regular laundry detergent isn’t strong enough to kill bacteria and viruses. Fortunately, there are several easy to find add-ins you can add to your washer to disinfect laundry.

Pine Oil Disinfectants – These are the most readily available disinfectants to use on fabric. They work best when used with warm water added at the beginning of a wash cycle. Look for 80% pine oil products for maximum efficiency.

Bleach – Bleach can be used on almost all fabrics, even colors believe it or not. Look for color-safe bleach and use the special bleach dispenser in your washer if it has one. Hot or warm water cycles work best.

In addition, innovative green dry cleaners such as Utopia Cleaners in Boston use a special environmentally-friendly soap to remove germs from your laundry. This germ-free laundry service is a good alternative to trying to disinfecting your own laundry at home.

Disinfect Your Washing Machine

After washing contaminated laundry, it’s important to disinfect your washing machine as well. Run an empty cycle with hot water and 1/2 cup bleach to kill any lingering germs and bacteria.

If you’re concerned about keeping your family safe and healthy, remember you can always take your laundry to the dry cleaners nearby to be disinfected as well. Use separate bags for contaminated items and wash or dispose of afterwards. Be sure to tell your local dry cleaner what items need disinfected and be specific about stains and damage. During this unprecedented time, it is best to use a laundry pickup service.