Some news regarding the virus remains roughly the same, and some changes daily or even more often. It's exhausting, and quite frankly, we're sick of it. Every time we turn around, we hear more about COVID: not enough vaccinations for the planet, the booster, the variant, increasing cases, a…
You don’t want to see it, but you can’t look away. Daily COVID-19 numbers were finally not the topics of conversation, headlines, or “breaking news.” But, alas, it didn’t last long. So, what wave would this be? Have we lost count? Are we becoming numb? Do we have the energy to gear up …
No shoveling or falling on ice. No scraping windshields covered with frost. No mittens, gloves, parkas, or boots. I, for one, LOVE it. Winter is a lot of work. For some, the season is irrelevant. Either livin' is easy, or it isn't. For most, it has nothing to do with the weather.
As we venture down memory lane, we feel a mixture of gratitude for what was and is, loss and longing for what is gone, and grounding in what stays the same. We have the opportunity to revisit what this Fourth of July has meant to us, a holiday big or small, major or minor. The passage of t…
It’s become popular vernacular, an everyday reference whose origins may be, “What I want to do before I kick the bucket.” Like many things, it has new meaning since our introduction to COVID-19. We’ve always known that life on the planet is finite. We understand that some of us cross the …
Hmmm. It’s the million-dollar question, and the answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Part of it may depend on where we were before COVID. We are all in a different place now, that’s for sure.
We use the word "germs" to refer to bacteria and viruses. Bacteria is the proverbial "both…and" if there ever was one: lifesaving and life-altering. We live in a world of "normal" bacteria – invisible, everywhere, and even inside of us. It's our friend and enemy all at the same time. The…
We have come to view each other as potential vectors of disease, becoming suspicious of our neighbors, colleagues, closest friends, and family. “How careful are you?” “Have you been vaccinated?” “Are you out in public yet?” We are social creatures by design and have had to morph into a M…
We have withdrawn, retreated, and have lowered our expectations… drastically. When someone asks what “we’ve been up to,” who knows how to respond? The most popular answer by far is, “not much.” Yet here we are. The panic is fading. Can you feel it to
Often in my work with families facing serious and life-limiting illnesses, I have been privileged to witness and participate in profound moments shared with me. The old saying goes that we learn the most from adversity.
We’ve had the opportunity to have learned many things, aged many years, and traveled many theoretical miles this past year. Whatever the outcome, we are not the same as we were in March 2020.
We aren’t quite at the “go anywhere, do anything” point, but we aren’t captives. We walk the beach, go to the market, aren’t terrified to pump our gas, and (with confidence) use the ATM. We are in between. If Route 128 had three lanes, we would be in the middle one.
Appointments are opening up for COVID vaccines, and Massachusetts will soon have a call-in center to aid in the ease of scheduling. We let out a big sigh of relief as we take some tangible steps forward. And yet, writes Joanne Macinnis, we're not out of the woods yet.
Despite being “so done” with living our lives around the COVID-19 virus, the severity of the current rate of infection demands our attention…and consideration. We have many months of coping and learning under our belts. We’ve become informed about the scientific facts, transmission method, a…
It is almost like midnight at 4:00 pm these days. Even if the seconds of daylight increase after the solstice on December 21, the darkness is upon us, NOW. In the darkness, I’m looking for the light: the decorated houses with window lights that feel like Colonial Williamsburg, the Chevy Ch…
This will be a holiday season like no other, writes Joanne MacInnis, RN and president of Danvers-based Aberdeen Home Care, Inc. Here are her tips for getting through, safely.
We’ve been living under a weighted blanket of worry and anxiety for eight months.
There’s already a flurry of conversation about how we’ll handle our end-of-year Holidays.
Is your loved one's neighborhood still participating in Halloween, even if in a limited capacity? Consider putting a basket of candy outside in the driveway, not necessarily right next to the door. Although this may be a "light" trick or treat year, it's a good idea to have a family member…
“Head spinning off neck” is sometimes my response to the proverbial “how are you doing?” Although my issues may not be your challenge, you have your own, writes Joanne McInnis.
As Dorothy said in the “merry old land of OZ,” which was as different from Kansas as it could be, she was in a new world. We are in that new world too. School and Testing and Vaccines, OH MY.
It is indeed. Consider just these four big-ticket topics: COVID, Economy, School, Politics, and my head is spinning. I imagine yours is too. The heat setting on our cooktop of coping seems to be on “hard boil.”
Resiliency. The new buzz word. Every crisis has one; we've had many during COVID. The "R" word has many meanings, depending on your perspective.
Do we remember what a world not dominated by a pandemic feels like? I often find myself saying to colleagues in the healthcare field, "Remember when we thought healthcare was stressful before COVID?" And we either roll our eyes, let out a huge groan, or respond with a long pause of silence.
Our culture has brought immediate gratification to a new, perhaps unhealthy, level, but the pandemic screeched all of that to a halt, and we have no choice but to slow down. Use this time to consider who you are, what makes you tick, what you value, and how you cope. It might serve you well …
A question we are all thinking about, even if we are not putting it into words. Is a vaccine the COVID-19 "Holy Grail?" Will it bring safety and normalcy back to our lives? Who is working on it? How many are in trials? Is it safe? Will it give me the virus? Can everyone get vaccinated…
Our "normal" goal is usually to be in balance, and even then, without a pandemic or social and political unrest, it's a challenge. The whole work/family ratio, "on and off-time," and as we all have become so intimately acquainted with these past months, the blur of life's factions, blended …
There has been a prevailing sense of "powerlessness" these past months. We were all indoors, working from home, no school, no socialization, yet the numbers went up and up. As our communities "reopen:" remember the power we do have. Our intentional interventions are what is bringing cases an…
We've all had experiences of being "up to our eyeballs," "underwater," or "sick to death" of a number of things. Most of us have good endurance…for a time. We are New Englanders, after all. We know that the blizzards come, the power goes out, and we have no milk. School gets canceled. I…
The scientists and medical experts certainly have amassed a vast amount of knowledge of COVID-19, since January 11th, when the first Coronavirus patient in Wuhan China succumbed to the illness. That is just over three months ago. From an unknown to a household word, inside of 3 months. Staggering.
Hmmm. It’s the million-dollar question, and the answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Part of it may depend on where we were before COVID. We are all in a different place now, that’s for sure.
We use the word "germs" to refer to bacteria and viruses. Bacteria is the proverbial "both…and" if there ever was one: lifesaving and life-altering. We live in a world of "normal" bacteria – invisible, everywhere, and even inside of us. It's our friend and enemy all at the same time. The deciding factor is whether the bacteria is naughty… or nice
We have come to view each other as potential vectors of disease, becoming suspicious of our neighbors, colleagues, closest friends, and family. “How careful are you?” “Have you been vaccinated?” “Are you out in public yet?” We are social creatures by design and have had to morph into a Monty Python sketch, “And now for something completely different.” Different, indeed.
We have withdrawn, retreated, and have lowered our expectations… drastically. When someone asks what “we’ve been up to,” who knows how to respond? The most popular answer by far is, “not much.” Yet here we are. The panic is fading. Can you feel it to
Often in my work with families facing serious and life-limiting illnesses, I have been privileged to witness and participate in profound moments shared with me. The old saying goes that we learn the most from adversity.
We’ve had the opportunity to have learned many things, aged many years, and traveled many theoretical miles this past year. Whatever the outcome, we are not the same as we were in March 2020.
We aren’t quite at the “go anywhere, do anything” point, but we aren’t captives. We walk the beach, go to the market, aren’t terrified to pump our gas, and (with confidence) use the ATM. We are in between. If Route 128 had three lanes, we would be in the middle one.
Appointments are opening up for COVID vaccines, and Massachusetts will soon have a call-in center to aid in the ease of scheduling. We let out a big sigh of relief as we take some tangible steps forward. And yet, writes Joanne Macinnis, we're not out of the woods yet.
Despite being “so done” with living our lives around the COVID-19 virus, the severity of the current rate of infection demands our attention…and consideration. We have many months of coping and learning under our belts. We’ve become informed about the scientific facts, transmission method, and most importantly, the tools and lifestyle behaviors that can protect us and prevent infection.
It is almost like midnight at 4:00 pm these days. Even if the seconds of daylight increase after the solstice on December 21, the darkness is upon us, NOW. In the darkness, I’m looking for the light: the decorated houses with window lights that feel like Colonial Williamsburg, the Chevy Chase Christmas chaos, or a wreath on the door with a little light on it. It cheers me; it warms me; it makes the darkness more tolerable.
This will be a holiday season like no other, writes Joanne MacInnis, RN and president of Danvers-based Aberdeen Home Care, Inc. Here are her tips for getting through, safely.
We’ve been living under a weighted blanket of worry and anxiety for eight months.
There’s already a flurry of conversation about how we’ll handle our end-of-year Holidays.
Is your loved one's neighborhood still participating in Halloween, even if in a limited capacity? Consider putting a basket of candy outside in the driveway, not necessarily right next to the door. Although this may be a "light" trick or treat year, it's a good idea to have a family member visit with your elder on Halloween during the evening hours. If you can't be there in person, a telephone check-in is a must.
“Head spinning off neck” is sometimes my response to the proverbial “how are you doing?” Although my issues may not be your challenge, you have your own, writes Joanne McInnis.
As Dorothy said in the “merry old land of OZ,” which was as different from Kansas as it could be, she was in a new world. We are in that new world too. School and Testing and Vaccines, OH MY.
It is indeed. Consider just these four big-ticket topics: COVID, Economy, School, Politics, and my head is spinning. I imagine yours is too. The heat setting on our cooktop of coping seems to be on “hard boil.”
Resiliency. The new buzz word. Every crisis has one; we've had many during COVID. The "R" word has many meanings, depending on your perspective.
Do we remember what a world not dominated by a pandemic feels like? I often find myself saying to colleagues in the healthcare field, "Remember when we thought healthcare was stressful before COVID?" And we either roll our eyes, let out a huge groan, or respond with a long pause of silence.
Our culture has brought immediate gratification to a new, perhaps unhealthy, level, but the pandemic screeched all of that to a halt, and we have no choice but to slow down. Use this time to consider who you are, what makes you tick, what you value, and how you cope. It might serve you well in the future...whatever that brings.
