April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month
April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. This year, Parkinson's Foundation is raising awareness about Parkinson’s disease and all of the available resources they have developed to make life better for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The Parkinson's Foundation is working hard to spread awareness about Parkinson’s disease throughout Parkinson’s Awareness Month, but they can reach so many more people with your help. They've put together a quick guide with a few easy ways you can get involved from the comfort of your home. Join them, and together we can help more people than ever #KnowMorePD.

To learn more, click here.
Vaccines You Need After 50
You already know it’s important to get your flu vaccine every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends you get your shot by the end of October, because your body needs a good two weeks after your shot to get your virus-fighting antibodies up and running. When you stop by your doctor’s office or a retail or walk-in clinic for your annual shot, it’s also a good time to consider whether you’re up to date on all the other vaccines you should be receiving as an adult.

After all, adults — yes, even those 50 and older — need a poke to protect against serious, and potentially lethal, diseases. And coupling your flu shot with a pneumonia vaccine, for instance, can help you avoid serious respiratory problems that can sometimes piggy back on a system weakened by flu. (You may have heard that the government was changing pneumonia vaccine recommendations; that hasn’t happened yet, but your doctor will have the most up-to-date information.)

To read more, click here.
Beyond Burnout: The Exhausting Reality of Unpaid Family Caregivers
At 42, Kate Washington was a busy freelance writer whose younger daughter was just starting kindergarten — a shift she hoped would give her more time to focus on her career. But life had other plans. When her husband, Brad, was diagnosed with a rare T-cell lymphoma, she experienced what she jokingly refers to as a “very inconvenient midlife crisis.” The news from the oncologist plunged her into the world of caregiver, one with ups and downs, guilt, fear and vigilance that added to her already full life.
"My children were 9 and 5 when Brad was diagnosed,” says Washington during a phone interview. “I had just begun to feel like we'd made it out of the hard part of parenting and into the elementary years. Caring for someone else beyond my children was the furthest thing from my mind.”
In her recent book, Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America, Washington chronicles how Brad's diagnosis upended any sense of security she had. She writes powerfully about the initial shock and how long it took for her to come to terms with the kind of intensive care he was going to need.

To read more, click here.
How to Schedule Your COVID-19 Vaccine
The state offers residents and workers several options for scheduling their COVID-19 vaccine appointment.

Option 1: Search for a Vaccine Site

Enter your address or zip code to view all the locations nearest you. You can also search for a specific provider to view associated locations.

Option 2: Schedule by Phone

Prefer to schedule by phone? Select sites offer appointment scheduling via phone. Due to high volume, hold times may vary.

Please note that some vaccine sites allow phone scheduling through a direct clinic phone number. Search by location to view additional sites and scheduling options.

Vaccine Appointment Assist Line: 877-918-2224

Available 8:00am to 8:00pm EST, 7 days a week

For more information, click here.
April Recipe of the Month:
Open Pan Healthy Chicken and Vegetables
A sheet pan dinner with chicken, tons of veggies, an easy seasoning mix, and cheese. Healthy, hearty, easy to make, and so delicious.

Ingredients:
  • 1 small (~1 cup) sweet potato
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 and 3/4 cup assorted sweet bell peppers (I use about 8-10 miniature bell peppers)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups green beans
  • 2 heads (~3 and 1/2 cups) broccoli

Seasoning:
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Optional: 3/4 cup finely shredded cheese (Colby Jack, Mexican blend, cheddar, Pepper Jack)
  • Optional: fresh cilantro, fresh limes
  • Serve with or meal prep with cooked rice or quinoa
VNLV is Hiring - Join Our Team!
RN Clinical Manager

The Clinical Manager will assist the Executive Director with the supervision of home health services to patients. The Clinical Manager is accountable for the delivery of patient services and clinician support in compliance with all regulatory and licensing standards. Manages, plans and supervises home care clinical operations, ensuring clinical staff competence and evaluating and improving the effectiveness of the processes, systems and programs which support patient care and staff performance.

To read the full description, click here.

Please submit resume to info@visitingnurses.org.
RN Case Manager

Full Time position - Responsible for providing skilled nursing care to patients and families in their home or community and coordinating activities of home health care. Duties include, but are not limited to, client assessment, care planning, therapeutic intervention, and overall supervision of client care and outcomes. Provides functional support and supervision to home health aides. Must be a graduate of an accredited or approved school of nursing, licensed to practice in the state of CT, and have a minimum of one year med-surg clinical experience. Home health care/OASIS/revisit documentation experience preferred. We offer flexible scheduling and a competitive wage/benefit package.

Please submit resume to info@visitingnurses.org.
Let's Stay Connected!
To learn more about Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, click here.
To learn more about Lower Valley Care Advocates, click here.
 Questions? Call Us! 860-767-0186