Be Kind to Humankind Week

We’ve blogged about kindness before on this blog but this week of being kind to humankind week is just too good to not mention.

In 1988 Lorraine Jara from New Jersey started this week.  In her hometown a young man passed away from a boating accident where people passing by did not want to get involved.

This sad story made Lorraine realize how important every life is and how important kindness is to each of our lives.  

The week runs from August 25 to August 31 each year.

Lorraine stated that this last week in August is: “a week of reflection and kind thoughts of others to make this world a better place. Of course we suggest practicing kindness daily, but this is the week you can take.” 

You can choose kindness at any time and anywhere of course but this week especially there is a path to follow to help guide you.   

Below are some of Lorraine’s suggestions for the rest of this week:

• Willing-To-Lend-A-Hand Wednesday – find a way to help someone you know today.

• Thoughtful Thursday – treat whoever you run into nicely.  You could do a favor also.

• Forgive-Your-Foe-Friday – ohh.  This can be hard.  Can you make up with someone you’ve had a disagreement with?

• Speak-Nice-Words-Saturday – you know what this means right?  If you can say anything nice stay quiet but if you can spread the love.

Private Home Health Care loves to share good thoughts.  We appreciate each of you and we hope you have a wonderful rest of your week.
#BK2HK

Thoughtfulness

Thoughtful is defined as “given to or chosen or made with heedful anticipation of the needs and wants of others”.  (Merriam-Webster.com)

What does it mean to you to be thoughtful?  Today is a day for you to focus on thinking about how you can be thoughtful to others.

Would it be thoughtful for you to try and help a senior citizen do their grocery shopping?  How about if you sit with someone and have a discussion.  A conversation can spur any number of things.

You could take a walk with someone and listen as you walk. What about sending someone a note to say hello?

To be thoughtful it really is all about thinking of another person over yourself.  This is not always an easy thing to do especially if you have any health or other life issues going on.

The good news is that by being thoughtful to someone you might feel good after.  You might also discover that you have a good deed done for you.

As the summer winds down, it’s always nice to have goals and to focus on different things outside of ourselves.  This day of thoughtfulness is the perfect solution.  

Expressing thoughtfulness is a win-win situation.  Here are some additional suggestions on thoughtful things to do:

• Bring a bunch of fresh flowers to someone you know.
• Share a book idea and even bring someone the book.
• If you know a child, bring them to a park for some fun.

Private Home Health Care works to be thoughtful in our care and we hope that you can find time today to show how thoughtful you can be.

#NationalThoughtfulDay

A Day of Remembrance

On this rather somber Black Ribbon Day you and I are asked to join Europe in remembering all of the victims of Stalinism, Nazism and fascist regimes over the years.

Many of you were alive during WWII and you recall the inhumanity of the Nazi regime.  Terrible atrocities were done to millions of Jewish people and we must never forget.

Likewise Joseph Stalin may have appeared to be a hero in WWII however during his reign from 1924 until 1953 again millions of people died.

Recently friends traveled to Eastern Europe.  They found thriving societies in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary.  

Were you to visit these countries you would also find bustling and happy communities.  In addition, you would see leftovers of communism in the architecture and some monuments and statues and perhaps some buildings with bullet holes visible.  

On your visit you’d learn how early it is for these countries to live a freer life.  It was as recently as 1989 that fascist regimes fell and the people took over.

Think of that.  So many difficulties to endure over so many years and now for a mere thirty-four years these countries have enjoyed the freedoms that we in America take for granted.

This day is set aside so all of us around the world remember the victims who died under these leaders.  

Private Home Health Care pledges to remember so that history does not repeat itself.

#BlackRibbonDay

Senior Citizen Day

Well this is a very special national day today!  The day is for all of the awesome Senior Citizens we know.

Ronald Reagan had the idea back in 1988 to set aside a national day for some of the most treasured among us.

You might be surprised to learn that as of 2020 the number of people over the age of 65 has grown to 55.8 million!  That makes up about 18% of the US population.

If you are considered a senior citizen, think about all that you have seen in your lifetime.  You have lived through an amazing number of changes over the years.

You have experienced huge changes in technology for one thing.  The internet made life more digital and now there is so much information available at our fingertips.  Many of you embraced and contributed to this new way of life.

You need to remember that you are valued and that your contributions have been plentiful.  Perhaps you have experience in the sciences, medicine or government.  

You may have had the important job of raising a family.  Whatever your path, remember that you have made contributions to society.

On this day it’s important for each of us to find time to pay tribute to the seniors in our lives.

• Visit with a senior in your life and show them appreciation and support.
• Do you have any interest in volunteering at a nursing or retirement home?
• Find out about the life of a senior.  Spend some time talking with one.

Private Home Health Care loves and respects our senior citizens.  Don’t forget!  If you are a senior now look for discounts and special deals today and every day.

#SeniorCitizensDay

Serendipity

Today is Serendipity Day.  What is that you might say?

Merriam-Webster defines serendipity as “the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for”.

You’ll find that serendipity is a positive thing, never negative.  The day encourages all of us to look for the beautiful things around you, things you might not ordinarily notice.

A common phrase comes to me, “time to stop and smell the roses!”  If you do, you’re bound to have  some unexpected good fortune.

You might not know that the word serendipity just came to be in the 1700’s.  An English author read a Persian novel called, “The Three Princes of Serendip.”  

The story was set in Sri Lanka (called Serindip) and had three princes travel the world after being banished.  The trio had many serendipitous encounters with unexpected revelations. 

Thus the word serendipity came into play.

On this day the point really is for you to be positive and look for unexpected things in your day. You may be on a walk and you have a chance meeting with an old friend.  Perhaps you are out and about and see the most beautiful garden that you never noticed. 

The organizers of the day really want each of us to be open to and enlightened by any new experiences or encounters.  

Private Home Health Care knows that life is full of the unexpected and the way that we approach and handle these can have a very positive and happy outcome for each of us. 

#serendipityday

End of Summer Blues

It’s the middle of August and perhaps it’s starting to feel like the days of summer are coming to a close.  How does that make you feel?

Early on the days are warmer and the nights are longer and it feels like a whole new world ahead.  

You may go camping.  That visit you planned to visit friends and family might come off.  If you are a gardener new plants go in to add color.  You might spend a few hours weeding or the new birds out and about may catch your eye.

The summertime is great for enjoying sunny days either by swimming in the ocean or a lake, by taking a nice walk or sitting at a cafe having coffee and watching the world go by.

For those of us in New England the seasons are part of the joy of being a New Englander.  We look forward to some seasons more than others but we have four seasons to enjoy each year.

If you are beginning to feel like the summer is slipping away, try not to dwell on it.  Try and enjoy the remaining days and make the most of them.  You could be surprised at how long warm days stick around.  Remember too that it will come back again.

Private Home Health Care has tried to have a fun-filled summer and to appreciate each day.  We hope that you can do the same thing and enjoy the summer as long as we have it.

World Conservation Day

Today is a special day to think about our world and how you and I can contribute to keeping it healthy for all of us .

As of July 16, 2023 there are an estimated 8 billion people across this glorious world.  That’s a lot of people who use the earth’s resources.

Not everyone in some countries are able to help but you and I who are in better positions here in the United States can do little things to help.

It’s likely that you already are practicing some of the simple ways to conserve.

• Recycling and reusing materials
• Turning off lights when you aren’t in the room
• Car pooling or using public transportation
• Having a digital footprint rather than using paper to print

You may find events in your town or city today that are meant to spread the word on conservation.  Join an event in person or online and see if there are any other suggestions that you feel comfortable adding to your daily routines.

If you like to read books you might choose one by people who are famous conservationists.  People like John Muir, Theordore Roosevelt, David Attenborough and Jane Goodall.

Private Home Health Care supports conservation. We believe it’s important for all of us to contribute as best we can to keeping our world’s resources available to all. 

#WorldConservationDay

Anti-Boredom

Is July a good month to try and keep away boredom?  Some people seem to think so since they dedicated this month to finding fun experiences.

You and I have our routines. We usually get up at the same time, go about our day, eating and maybe working, then we go to bed.  You can definitely feel in a rut at times.

Getting in a rut can put you in a bad place mentally and bring you down.  Not a great state of mind.

This month, and for the rest of the summer, see if you can try something different. Go on a trip to discover new things in your neighborhood, your town or your state.

Do you have any passions that you’d like to explore?  Are you creative?  Try a new hobby. Have a sense of adventure and do something new.  Try to get out of your comfort zone.

Art exhibits, musical festivals or interactive workshops are some ways that communities look to bring fun and inspiration to your life.  Check out the events around you, grab a sibling or some friends and enjoy.

Private Home Health Care hopes that you can seize a day and plan an adventure, big or small.  If you live in the northeast our summers pass by much too quickly.  

We hope you have great fun and smile!

#NationalAntiBoredomMonth

Cousins

Cousins are those relatives that you might see once in a while or often.  You might see them at family events or perhaps you visit each other’s houses over the years. Strong bonds can be built with this family member.

Often a relationship begins with your cousin when you are very young.  Your parents’ brothers and sisters might have children who add on to the family.  

When your families get together it’s natural that children would play with each other and that’s when relationships begin. The relationship grows as you age.  It can be dependent on family ties which are hopefully positive.

Due to those family ties a cousin is someone to play with when a lot of adults are around.  At family gatherings, it’s someone you can talk to or play with.  A cousin your age might be someone who has the same skills at a pick up family baseball game that you do.

A summer family vacation at the beach or pool adds to the camaraderie. You might go on an adventure or find ways to get in trouble together.  That definitely creates close bonds.

Over the years the experiences grow, the stories accumulate and the bonds get stronger.  You might even find that a cousin might be a better listener than a sibling at certain times.

As the years go on and lives get busier, it might get more difficult to make plans.  Hopefully there are traditional family gatherings, during the summer or around the holidays for time to catch up.  Private Home Health Care believes that family relationships are important to our mental health and well being. We hope you can reach out or visit with a cousin soon.

Loneliness and Social Isolation

In 2019, the National Institute of Aging, NIA, began conducting research studies on the two areas of loneliness and social isolation.  

Private Home Health Care believes this research is informative today.

The initial study asked:  are loneliness and social isolation two different processes that therefore affect health differently or is it that loneliness leads to social isolation that then affects health?

The late Dr. John Cacioppo, Ph.D found that living alone, social isolation, is an objective physical separation from other people. Loneliness is more of a distressed feeling of being isolated from people and is subjective.

You could feel lonely when surrounded by a group of people and vice versa when you are alone you might not feel lonely. The continued feeling of loneliness can lead to social isolation and additionally affect your health.

As an elderly person you are particularly at risk. Your loneliness can lead to an increase in cognitive decline, depression and heart disease.

According to the NIA approximately 28% of the US population or 13.8 million people are living alone.  Many of these people do not feel lonely or isolated.  Why? 

People who are engaged with others in meaningful and productive activities tend to live longer.  These give you a sense of purpose and help to boost your mood. Your overall well being and your cognitive functions are maintained.

Do you admit that you are lonely?  Here are a few suggestions to help.

Remind yourself you are not alone.

Be realistic and persevere.

Write down positive memories.

Smile.

Make a note of all the things you are grateful for.

Volunteer.

Get a pet or spend time with someone else’s.

Join a club or take a class.

Pick up the phone.  Talk to friends and family.