Hi everyone,
Happy October! Can you believe it? I can’t and this is book launch month for me - so I’m simultaneously joyful/excited and equal parts nervous. I’m so proud of the book, so I’m very excited for the book to get out into the world.
For today’s Neighbor Tuesday post, I want to focus on our wise neighbors - and, by ‘wise’ I mean well-earned wisdom by living 65 years or more. =) Wise, mature, lovely, all-the-words are great and fitting to me. When I went to New York last month, I was so surprised who wasn’t wearing a mask on the plane or in large conference rooms - including those over 65. We know that group is most at risk for a bad case of COVID and have a harder time fighting off infections, in general, due to an immune system that has worked hard for decades. Let’s give it up for our immune systems!
I have also been surprised in my local grocery store and doctor’s office and library (3 places I frequent the most) at the older adults not wearing masks. Even in the doctor’s office! So, I wanted to focus on them for this post. Well, and talk to the caregivers who take care of our wise neighbors. If you are caring for an older adult or you are one, here’s some friendly-neighbor-epidemiologist-recommendations for you:
Encourage your wise neighbors to wear those masks! They are not perfect, sure. But, good gracious they work well if they are the right type. Select KN95s or N95s and make sure the fit is tight. And, don’t believe the wacka-doodle disinformation out there saying that masks are an infringement on freedoms, they aren’t healthy for us…blah blah. Not true and move on.
Ask your healthcare provider to wear a mask too. This might be hard to do if you are Southern. =) If you go to an urgent care, doctor’s office, or hospital, you have full right to ask your doctor (and nurses) to wear a mask if they do not have one on. I’ve done it multiple times in the past few months and they have all said yes. If they get wonky to you, just ask them again. =) You are paying for the visit so it’s fine to ask and ask again if you need to.
Make sure your wise neighbors/family members have hand sanitizer in the car and encourage hand washing. My kids know the drill. We use hand sanitizer every time we get in the car and wash our hands every time we go in the house. Encourage your family members to do the same! And, give them a sticky note with that encouragement for their car or home if you think it will help.
Help them make their flu and COVID-19 vaccine appointments. I was at my annual doctor’s appointment last week and easily got my flu vaccine. But, I asked for the COVID-19 vaccine and they didn’t have it. What? The US vaccine roll-out for COVID-19 has been so weird. So, that means our family members might need some help scheduling and finding where to get it. Maybe this can be an encouragement to call them and help them schedule that or drive them to a CVS/Walgreens to get it. The vaccine is our best protection against severe disease, especially among older adults. This is a great website to find and schedule a COVID-19 vaccine near you.
Order more at-home test kits. Here’s the site to do that and they will be sent to your house in a few weeks.
Encourage them to not watch Fox News’ coverage about the COVID-19 vaccine. I kid, I kid. But, not really. Some family members might only get their news from one specific news outlet. I picked on Fox because they historically have done an awful job at sharing good vaccine information during the pandemic, and I still see wacka-doodle stories coming from them about COVID-19. It’s fine if you like more right-leaning news coverage - Just be careful what you listen to about the vaccines. They are safe, effective, and older adult’s best defense against severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
Give them a hug. We all know that loneliness has skyrocketed in the past few years. So, hugs are good (so are pictures of grandkids!). Maybe this can be a reminder to hug our wiser neighbors and family members a bit more this week.
Speaking of my wise family members - Here’s one of my favorite pictures of my Grandmother and I (circa 1980something). Look at my hand scrunching her neck! Y’all, she was the best. I wrote my first book at her house, so this month is extra special with my first published book coming out. I’d give a bazillion dollars to give it to her.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
-FNE
Thanks, Emily! Will order book when I return from seeing my brother--5 years! This was encouraging for me as I live in a State where our governor, apparently, considers himself an epidemiologist!
I'm one of very few people who still mask-My friend, who I think is a couple years older than I am (75,) recently went into rehab post ICU tx for Covid; fully vaxed, fully boosted (before the updated vax came out) but don't know if she was still masking. I'm up to date, and you are right, this roll out has been a mess! Join you in your excitement with the book launch. May it be blessed!