According to the CDC, individuals who are 65 years of age and older are at higher risk for severe illness if they contract COVID-19.
One of the steps you can take to protect yourself is to stay at home as much as possible. Of course, if you’re staying at home, how can you get the things you need, like food, prescriptions, soap to wash your hands and cleaning supplies to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces?
Shop during senior hours
It’s important to know that many local stores have “senior hours” first thing in the morning, when shelves are freshly stocked and the store has been cleaned and sanitized overnight. If you choose to do your own shopping, please wear a mask and either bring sanitizing wipes or use wipes (if offered by the store) to disinfect your shopping cart. Be prepared to likely stand in line before going in as stores are now limited to 40% occupancy, including both staff and shoppers.
Some stores have created one-way aisles to maintain a safer distance between shoppers. Please pay attention to social distancing while shopping and while waiting in line to check out. There may be lines marked on the floor by the registers to maintain distance between and protect other shoppers who are waiting, as well as the cashier. When unloading your groceries, stay at the end of the conveyer belt and wait for the cashier to call you forward to the register to pay. If you can, bring hand sanitizer or wipes with you in case you need to touch the keypad to complete your transaction (using a debit or credit card) and for wiping the handles of your cart. Lastly, make sure to wash your hands when you get home!
Have food and supplies delivered to your door
There are home care services that will shop for you. You give them a list and they will go shopping for you. You can also order online, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a delivery slot. Stores where you can shop online are Wegmans (Instacart), Whole Foods (Amazon Prime), Stop&Shop (Peapod), Market Basket (Instacart), specialty stores (Mercato) and Sudbury Farms.
If you are having difficulty accessing food or supplies, please call us and we will help you. Allies in Aging JFS Elder Care Solutions are your partners in safety during this time of COVID-19.
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