The post Scholarship Waiting Just For You! Hurry. Applications Due September 30th! appeared first on Celtic Angels.

The post Spring 2022 Newsletter appeared first on Celtic Angels.

Most prefer to age at home. If that’s the case, here are some considerations:

Adapting Your Home or Apartment

Many seniors prefer to live in one-story homes so that they have full access to their living space. If your home has multiple stories, you’ll need to decide whether to transition to first floor living, move to a one-story home, or adapt your home so that the second floor is more accessible. If there is a step-down in your living area, you’ll need to have railings installed. And if you want to live or sleep upstairs, you’ll need a stair chair. You also need to think about how to get in the front door if there are steps. You may need to build a ramp for wheelchair accessibility.

Once you’ve decided upon a place to live, you’ll need to make some modifications within the home. Good lighting throughout the house and grab bars in the shower and bedroom will reduce the risk of falling. There should be no rugs in the living area since it is easy to slip and fall on them.

Make sure you have a backup power source to run medical equipment, particularly as we move into the winter months where power outages due to winter storms may be more frequent. And if you use oxygen, notify the power company that you’ll need an auxiliary power source. Ensure you have a reliable internet connection, along with a computer, iPad, or smartphone. That will allow you to have telehealth visits from home. You’ll also be able to connect with family and friends, which is important for good socialization, isolation prevention and overall sound mental health.

Look into organizations that may be able to help with your needs, such as Meals on Wheels or your local senior center. It’s also helpful to find a pharmacy that delivers medication so you or your loved one doesn’t need to leave their home. Post emergency information on your refrigerator. And make sure you have a healthcare proxy who can make decisions on your behalf.

Maria Burke, RN is owner and founder of Celtic Angels Home Health Care. The company, with offices in Weymouth and Needham, provides a full array of the highest quality in-home health care services with certified and skilled CNAs, HHAs, and RNs.

The post Shift to Aging in Place During and After COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on Celtic Angels.

The past year has been challenging in so many ways. No one was left untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic, whether that meant adapting to lockdown restrictions, facing the loneliness of being apart from loved ones, or grappling with illness and loss of a loved one or friend.

Grieving Loss And Separation

To date, more than 130 million people have contracted COVID-19 and so many have passed from the virus. Our seniors are most at-risk from COVID, but the necessary precautions we needed to take to protect their health and lives also led to experiencing a level of isolation they never knew before. I have not seen my own mother in more than 18 months. My native country of Ireland is still in lockdown. Residents are unable to travel more than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from their homes without a guard stopping them. The next phase will only allow them to travel within their own counties. They don’t have the vaccination program we do here in the U.S.  I can say, like many of you, I miss my mother and other family members terribly. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 and other illnesses but have been unable to say a proper goodbye.

Surviving A Dark Time

We at Celtic Angels Home Health Care want to acknowledge that this has been a dark and difficult time and to express our sincere empathy for everyone who has endured loss, separation, and isolation. But we also want to highlight the resiliency of the human spirit that we have witnessed over the past year.  Millions have not only survived the pandemic but have grown in their own strength and reached out to help others. They should be acknowledged.

Recognizing The Unsung Heroes

Doctors and nurses willingly risked their own lives to travel to hotspots and treat COVID patients. Schools rallied to provide meals to students who couldn’t meet in person. And millions of people reached out to make sure neighbors and loved ones had the necessities they needed or simply took the time to provide comfort through a video chat. I’d particularly like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have worked so hard, often with little recognition. Grocery store workers returned to work each day despite the risk to their own health. Janitors and cleaning crews were tasked with cleaning and sanitizing in high-risk situations but were not compensated with high-level salaries. Healthcare professionals worked around the clock through one of the darkest times in our histories. They were often unable to see their own families while trying to save others. Most of all, I want to thank all my caregivers for taking such incredible care of our patients. We couldn’t have gotten through this without you. Know that you brought light into a dark time.

Looking Forward To The Future

The human spirit is incredible. Times like this show us just how strong we really are. It may have felt like this pandemic would never end, but at last, with vaccines and widespread inoculation, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Here at Celtic Angels Home Health Care, we have missed coming together for our annual events, like our St. Patrick’s Day Celebration and our Christmas Party. We look forward to them every year and are happy to think of holding them again in the near future. Let’s make an effort to focus on the newness of the world and the resiliency and strength so many of us have demonstrated this past year. Happy times are yet to come, and we look forward to sharing them with you.

The post The Resiliency of the Human Spirit appeared first on Celtic Angels.

https://www.testing.com/lipid-panel/

https://www.testing.com/glucose-tests/

https://www.testing.com/liver-panel-testing/

https://www.testing.com/ldl-cholesterol-test/

The post Testing Resources appeared first on Celtic Angels.

http://ticnetwork.org/audio/specialprograms/seniorfirst/seniorfirst.mp3

The post Listen to founder Maria Burke Explain Their Services appeared first on Celtic Angels.

The post Listen to Maria Burke, RN and Maureen Capistran on WATD Radio appeared first on Celtic Angels.

The post Keep Your Senior Loved Ones Safe From COVID-19 appeared first on Celtic Angels.

CLICK HERE

The post Listen to Owner Maria Burke on COVID-19 Precautions appeared first on Celtic Angels.

The post Thank You To Our CNAs & HHAs All Year Long! appeared first on Celtic Angels.