Tag: laundry delivery wellesley

Preparing for Memorial Day

With everything going on in the world right now, prepping for a holiday celebration is a welcome distraction. Memorial Day is coming up, and although we may have to tweak our traditions a bit, it’s still entirely possible to have a good old’ fashioned American BBQ. Here are some things to consider as you’re preparing for Memorial Day.

Get Those Flags Ready

I know you don’t need a reason to proudly display your American flag, but Memorial Day is a perfect reason to freshen it up a bit. Did you know that some dry cleaners will clean flags for free? Call your local dry cleaners and ask about their flag policies. An old crumpled flag can accumulate a lot of grime and even mold, so getting it cleaned once a year is a good idea.

Prep the Picnic Linens

Whether you’re planning a social distancing gathering with the neighbors, or a family backyard barbecue, it’s still important to make sure your table linens are ready to go. Most linens can be machine washed in cold water on a gentle cycle. However, sending your linens to a local dry cleaner with laundry delivery service will not only ensure they’re washed properly, but also save a lot of time and effort. For anyone attending your gatherings that may want some extra protection, consider washing some bandanas or small cloth squares that can be used as face masks.

Prepare for Outdoor Gatherings

We’ve all been cooped up inside for months, so it’s easy to forget about the necessary outside preparations. Your local pharmacy will have everything you need to stock up on like allergy meds for high pollen counts, insect spray for those pesky mosquitos and even last-minute paper products like napkins and paper cups. 

Once you’ve made these simple Memorial Day preparations, you’re ready to enjoy the start of the summer with your family! Enjoy!

Photo by Michael Skok on Unsplash

Helping Your Aging Parent Stay At Home

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.

old woman on a phone call with a loved one

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 ​