Category: COVID-19
Recent Posts
- Caregivers ·
Caregiving During COVID-19
Caregiving During COVID-19 By: Laura Mantine, MD During periods of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, family members and close friends continue to provide daily care for their loved ones. These caregivers provide the initial response and defense for individuals who are often battling chronic medical illnesses. Like many first responders, caregivers often experience stress due to heavy workloads, fatigue, and anxiety. There are important steps that caregivers can take to help manage and cope with this ongoing pressure. Important Steps for Caregivers to Take Caregivers should develop habits and strategies to maintain their own physical health and emotional well-being. A caregiver…
- COVID-19 ·
COVID-19 and Guilt
https://youtu.be/w4e6v_3fLXs COVID-19 and Guilt By: Michael Larrimore, Director of Bereavement and Chaplain Services “Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death.” -Coco Chanel Feelings of Anger and Guilt Anger can be a common emotion we experience when we have lost someone close to us. We seek someone to blame or someone to hold responsible, someone who could have altered fate to erase what happened, and sometimes our target is the person looking back at us in the mirror. Guilt is a form of anger turned inward, and it can be one of the most challenging emotions to overcome. We…
- COVID-19 ·
Need a Ride to Get Vaccinated?
Free Rides to Get Vaccinated In an effort to encourage Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine, President Biden announced a new partnership with Uber and Lyft. The ride-sharing companies will provide free rides to vaccination sites for anyone in the United States from May 24 through July 4. This agreement was made to help work toward meeting the President’s target of 70% of American adults getting at least one vaccine dose by July 4. “We’re going to be able to take a serious step toward return to normalcy by Independence Day…And there’s a lot of work to do though to…
- COVID-19 ·
Impact of COVID-19 on Long Term Care Facilities
By: Patricia Hudak, RN and Chelsea Cassidy, LCSW Dr. George J. Mehfoud, MD is a Primary Care Physician with Commonwealth Primary Care in Richmond, VA. Dr. Mehfoud is an Internal Medicine Specialist with over 32 years of experience in the medical field. He graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1989. He believes knowledge is power and takes his time to educate the hospice team on best practices on quality of care on numerous topics. Recently, he in-serviced hospice clinicians on the impact of COVID-19 in long term care facilities. The geriatric population and residents of long-term care facilities were the…
- COVID-19 ·
Protecting Your Heart
By: Patricia Hudak, RN and Chelsea Cassidy, LCSW History of American Heart Month It’s February – American Heart Month – a time when the nation spotlights heart disease, the number one killer of Americans. President Lyndon B. Johnson, among the millions of people in the country who have had a heart attack, issued the first proclamation in 1964. Throughout the month, the American Heart Association’s “Heart to Heart: Why Losing One Woman Is Too Many” campaign will raise awareness about how one in three women are diagnosed with heart disease annually. The first Friday of American Heart Month, Feb. 5,…
- COVID-19 ·
Unifying the Healthcare Community
By: Patricia Hudak, RN and Chelsea Cassidy, LCSW The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived and is being distributed throughout the country to every state. The first phase included healthcare professionals and residents of long-term care facilities. We are aware that within our healthcare community and even outside, the question for many of us, specifically the minority population, remains “Can I trust those in authority that the vaccine is safe-particularly from long term effects and not getting sick?” The healthcare community as well as the nation remains divided on this question. We are looking to our leaders for guidance and education to…
- COVID-19 ·
What Clinicians Want You to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine
By: Patricia Hudak, RN and Chelsea Cassidy, LCSW The COVID-19 vaccine has landed in the United States and has been granted approval for emergency use. Many want to know what to expect in the next coming days, weeks and months. But our biggest question is… How safe is it? What does emergency use mean? Hearing this can often create a sense of fear or doubt that the vaccine was created too quickly and could cause more harm than protection. Our Pfizer source reports that the reason this vaccine could be developed at a high speed was due to government funding…
- COVID-19 ·
Home Health Care Can Help Seniors With Loneliness and Social Isolation
By: Elizabeth Townsend, RN People are social beings. With COVID-19 introducing social distancing guidelines and restrictions on visitations, social isolation and loneliness are increasing. A report referenced by JAMA discussed the need for solutions for social isolation and loneliness in older adults. There is significant documentation that social isolation and loneliness are related to a higher rate of major mental and physical illnesses, including: Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risks More depression and anxiety An increased risk of dementia According to the National Institute on Aging, people who participate in worthwhile activities with others tend to live longer and have a sense…
- COVID-19 ·
Supporting Assisted Living Facilities During COVID-19
Happy National Assisted Living Week! As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change our daily lives, assisted living facilities continue to take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their residents and employees. While keeping your loved ones safe might mean you cannot connect in person, here are some ways to support facility residents and employees from a safe distance. Get artsy. Spending the afternoon drawing pictures, painting windows, or snapping some fun photos are all great ways to get creative and share uplifting moments with residents. This can be a great way to engage children of all ages or…
