Health

HE A LTH • Winter 2020 19 Health, happiness, and comfort reinforce a senior's choice to live independently in their home and age in place. When daily activities require assistance, they choose Home Care through Family Services of Central Massachusetts (FSCM). FSCM Home Care's Senior Living Care (SLC) Suite of Services includes: FSCM Home Care is an affordable option to Assisted Living facilities. Contact Marnie Dow, Director of Home Care & Long Term Supports, at 508.756.4696 or mdow@fscm.org to discuss your SLC needs, today! • Companionship • Respite Care • Personal Care • Light Housekeeping • Meal Preparation • Laundry • Shopping • Prescription Pickup • Transportation 31 Harvard Street, Worcester, MA 01609 • 508.756.4696 • fscm.org HOME CARE Professional Supports for Independent Senior Living H Find business insights and sponsored content articles with relevant and helpful tips and tools for your business. www.wbjournal.com/sponsored/business-insights BIZ MARKETPLACE WBJ WBJ Biz Marketplace is a sponsored content section of wbjournal.com Above & Beyond: COVID Champions T he coronavirus pandemic has not been an easy thing for people to experience, especially for those who had to watch it unfold firsthand. For Dr. Becky LaMay, seeing the effects of COVID-19 was just part of her job. After having major back surgery and seeing how the medical professionals around her were so vital to her recovery, LaMay was inspired and decided to go into medicine to be a nurse practitioner, landing at UMass Medical School in Worcester. After watching the pandemic unfold in March, LaMay graduated early from the UMass MGraduate School of Nursing in May, so she could enter the workforce to assist as a nurse in an intensive care united for COVID-19 patients at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. LaMay said what got her through the trying time was the camaraderie she developed with her co-workers and a tremendous amount of perseverance. "It was scary because none of us really knew what we were dealing with and none of us knew if we were going to bring it home to our families, if we were going to get sick. There was a lot of uncertainty," said LaMay of the first experiences with COVID. When many of the pop-up ICUs started to close around Massachusetts Dr. Becky LaMay graduated from UMass early so she could join the COVID fight • By Aliya Larkin "It was scary because none of us really knew what we were dealing with and none of us knew if we were going to bring it home to our families, if we were going to get sick. There was a lot of uncertainty," – Dr. Becky LaMay as the spring surge died down, LaMay moved on to become a nurse practitioner. Now LaMay is working as a neurosurgery nurse practitioner where no day is quite the same. While she no longer is dealing with pandemic up close and personal, she is still seeing the effects of it. LaMay said patients who are coming in had delayed their care due to COVID and now are sicker than they would have been if they had come in earlier, which is challenging for severe cases. However, even in her new role, a feeling of uncertainty remains, especially with the new surge in cases being seen Massachusetts and around the nation. While COVID has become a part of life, LaMay said she could be sent out to work with the pandemic again, only this time as a nurse practitioner rather than a nurse. For now, LeMay is focusing on her day-to-day working with neurosurgery patients. She has an important message for those who are hesitant to come in whether it be because of the pandemic or other reasons. "We are encouraging people to come in as soon as they notice that something is wrong," she said. "That what's really important for people to know is that we have safety measures in place at the hospital; and it's really important to not delay care because we can keep you safe from COVID, but if your medical condition gets worse, then it's tougher to deal with."

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