National Book Awards Week

This week begins the National Book Awards Week as created by the National Book Foundation.  Have you heard of this before?

“The mission of the National Book Foundation is to celebrate the best literature published in the United States, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in our culture.”

Consequently, the Foundation focuses on blossoming authors and it covers five categories.  The categories are fiction, non-fiction, poetry, translated literature and young people’s literature.

The judges are independent of the National Book Foundation. There are only five finalists in each category and from a list of 1,772 titles submitted by publishers!   

The winners for each category will be announced on November 16. You can find the ceremony on youTube and Facebook.  Winners are awarded $10,000 and a bronze medal and a statue.  

Reading a book at any age is a wonderful way for you to learn about something new.  It can help you escape for a bit to another place or time.  You may feel relaxed reading a book, especially if it holds you attention or touches you in the heart.  

Print books are still very popular.  You can purchase them or likewise get them from your local library. Do you prefer reading on a Kindle or iPad?  Those are options too.

There is a good free site to search for books you might like to read and there is no cost:  https://www.goodreads.com/

Private Home Health Care enjoys reading and we hope that you can find a good book to relax with.  You might even try starting a book group to discuss what you’ve read.  Find some friends and start reading!

Happy Veteran’s Day

Private Home Health Care sends a warm thank you to all of our country’s veterans.  We wish you a very Happy Veteran’s Day.

This day to honor America’s veterans for their services and patriotism in defending our country for the common good is important.

A look at the history of the holiday is interesting with a few twists and turns.

To begin, in November of 1919, Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Armistice Day after the end of World War I, “The Great War”.  The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28,1919.  It was called The War to End All Wars.   

Origin of the date . . .

Fighting between the Allied Forces and Germany had ceased due to a temporary cessation of hostilities or an Armistice. This happened on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, November 11, 1918.

A turn  . . .

An official act in 1938 created the legal holiday of Armistice Day.  The name changed after World War II in an amendment to the act and this is how it became Veteran’s Day.

A twist  . . .

In 1968, there was a time when the holiday was moved to a Monday.  The thought was to keep all the legal holidays on Monday to avoid confusion.  This had the opposite effect.  

It turns out there was a lot of confusion so President Ford in 1975 moved the official holiday back to November 11.  This is where we are today.

Our country has been involved in a number of wars.  Private Home Health Care hopes that you can thank a veteran you know today. We thank them all for their service.

Crafts for Seniors

Private Home Health Care is thinking about Seniors today.  If you are a Senior do you have any free time?  Would you like to have fun, be creative and keep you busy? Different crafts are a way to do just that.

We found a website for seniors that have a lot of suggestions.  You’ll find  links to sites that can teach you how to do some of the crafts.  Want to have some fun?

In addition to filling up free time and having fun, crafts can help you with motor skills.  The time spent on crafts can also be a time for social interactions because you can do them together.  Furthermore, activities and crafts can help make you feel less stressful.

Here are a few examples from the site:

Do you like painting or coloring?

• Coloring books – there are coloring books for adults.  You can even find some in large print.  Get some crayons or markers and get started.
• Rock painting – you can find or buy some small rocks, use acrylic paint and create some designs or messages.

Are you a knitter?  Do you like to sew?

• Make a heating bag – make sure your material is cotton!
• Dish cloths – these can be a handy gift.  Watch a youtube video to learn.
• Coffee cozies – hot coffee cups can use a knitted cozy to ward off the heat.

Other ideas include:

• Pressed flowers – you just need flowers, wax paper and a heavy book
• Homemade greeting cards – save money and make your own! 
• Paper flowers – these can help decorate a room
• Beaded bracelets – watch a video and learn
• Birdhouses – if you like working with wood this could be for you.

Private Home Health Care loves to create things and also keep busy!  This website has great ideas and many links to instructions to help guide you with your creations.  Here is the link: https://www.greatseniorliving.com/articles/crafts-for-seniors

Epilepsy Awareness Month

Epilepsy is a general term for recurring seizures. There are many different types of epilepsy as well as types of seizures. It cannot be cured but there is medication to help control it.  This month highlights the disease for awareness and continued research for a cure.

Epilepsy affects children and adults.  Currently in the US there are 3.4 million people living with epilepsy.

If you are diagnosed, there are more than 20 different anti-seizure medications available.  You would work with your doctor to find the right one.  It might be that a combination of medications would be right for you.  

According to the Mayo Clinic more than half those diagnosed with epilepsy will be helped with the first medication.  There are also instances where medication can be stopped. 

It is important for you to understand  your condition. You should keep taking your medication once prescribed. Keep a record of your seizures.  Notice if there are any patterns.  You might be able to avoid some triggers.  Get enough sleep and maintain a well-balanced diet. Regular exercise is also important.

Private Home Health Care recommends that you learn more about epilepsy.  The Epilepsy Foundation website is https://www.epilepsy.com. Visit it to learn more about the disease and what you can to raise awareness. 

National Family Caregivers Month

November is set aside for family caregivers.  Caregivers are those family members or friends who provide long-term, unpaid care and assistance to older adults.  As a caregiver, you could care for chronic health problems or disabilities.  Likewise, you could care for a person having trouble managing daily routines.

What would you do as a caregiver?  You would typically help manage bills, shop, cook as well as help with bathing and dressing. 

If you guessed that a large number of caregivers are women you would be correct.  The CDC estimates that about 58% of caregivers are women.  Additionally, close to one-third of the caregivers work at least 20 hours a week.  

The ages that require care based on information from the CDC are interesting.  There are about 79% of caregivers who care for adults ages 50 and up. For those ages 65 and older it is 76%.

You may have noticed that the US population is aging.  Consequently the number of caregivers is increasing.  From 2015 to 2020 the number of caregivers has gone from 43 million to 53 million. That number is expected to continue to climb.

Below are some suggestions from the CDC on how best to support a caregiver:

You can pitch in with chores, errands or tasks.

Make sure the caregiver has emotional support.

You could work out times to check on the caregiver’s well being.

Help them to be sure to manage their own health care.

Be available if they need help coming up with a care plan.

Reach out and let them know there are mental health services available. 

Private Home Health Care knows that caring for loved ones with health issues can be difficult.   We support and respect family caregivers.  We offer our services if there comes a time when you need additional help.

National Fig Week

This week is National Fig week. This fruit, but not technically a fruit, is shaped like a teardrop and packed with delicious flavors and good health benefits.

Health Benefits:

Figs are a great source of vitamins.  Vitamin A, B1 and B2.  Minerals too.  Manganese, potassium, iron and phosphorus.

Your digestive system can benefit from figs.  They are full of fiber and can help you regulate.

If you are diabetic figs are a great snack.  They are sweet and the potassium helps to keep your blood sugar level even.

Looking for calcium? Figs are a wonderful source.  Great for your bones!

Most figs are exported.  The countries who export are Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Iran and Spain.  The season is late spring to early summer.  

California also produces figs and that can make the season a bit longer.  Often you can find figs through early fall.  Don’t forget about dried figs!  These are an option and available for much of the year.

If you do buy fresh figs here’s a few tips on storage:

Figs will last on your counter for 2-3 days.

Ripe figs are a bit wrinkled and saggy.

You should eat them at room temperature for best taste.

It’s ok to store your figs in the refrigerator.  

Make sure you put them in a veggie crisper or loosely wrapped them in plastic.

Consume the figs within 2 weeks if in the fridge.

Private Home Health Care wishes it was fig season.   Enjoy them raw or in a recipe.  We’ll have to make due with dried figs for now and wait for the next season to enjoy them fresh!

It’s Halloween!

Private Home Health Care would like to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween!

It has become such a popular holiday with candy, costumes, decorations and celebrations in the United States costing a little over $10 billion dollars!

According to history.com, the day began as a Celtic festival of Samhain (SaH-win).  Bonfires were lit and costumes were worn.  The people wanted to keep away ghosts. Samhain was seen as a time that the physical world and the spiritual world barriers would be broken down.

Fast forward hundreds of years to the 1950’s.  That’s the time that the holiday started to center around children and giving out treats.  

Today children dress up and celebrate in school and by trick-or-treating in neighborhoods.  There’s usually a contest to see who can collect the most candy.  We know a lot of grown-ups who like to dress up and celebrate the holiday too.  It’s fun for everyone!

Question:  when you were growing up, were you someone who ate their candy quickly or did you save it so you could have it for a month or so?

We hope you all have a hauntingly fun Halloween!  Enjoy!

National First Responder’s Day

This is a fairly new national day as it just started in 2019 with a resolution from Congress. October 28 was designated as National First Responder’s Day.

Who are our country’s first responders?  

They are in all of our communities.  

They are men and women who deal with crises on a daily basis as their primary job.  You will find firefighters, police officers. emergency medical technicians, paramedics and 911 operators on the list. 

Do you know any of these people in your neighborhood, town or city?

On this day we are to honor and thank our first responders.  You never know when you will need their services but there could come a day when you do. First responders are always ready to help if the urgent call comes in.

Additionally, we especially want to remember those first responders who have lost their lives. There were many who sacrificed their lives during the 2011 terror attacks.  In 2020 in Worcester, Massachusetts there were 6 firefighters who lost their lives.  

Recently in the past two years our police officers have been under fire and it has become an even more dangerous profession.

How can you thank a first responder?

You could go big and organize a community reception.

Organize a blood drive for EMS week.

Drop off a thank you note to your local EMS office.

TIe some yellow, white and blue ribbons around a tree to home EMS

Say thank you by buying a coffee or dropping off a gift certificate.

Private Home Health Care has great respect for first responders.  Tunnel to Towers Foundation is one group that is dedicated to helping first responders and their families.

Thank you to all the first responders who help us every day!

Games for the Elderly

Today Private Home Health Care is sharing information on the importance of keeping our minds and bodies functioning through games.

As we age our memory and activity level can become challenged.  We can get lonely too.

You can choose activities to help promote your thinking and cognitive (reasoning) functions. If you are mentally stimulated this can help.  Crosswords and Sudoku are great but usually these are done alone.  

To help with feeling lonely it’s good to do activities with others.  In order to do this there are three areas to focus on:

1. Games to keep your mind busy and functioning.  They can improve your memory;.
2. Activities to get your outside and keep you physically fit.
3. Friends. Participate by playing with a friend.  It can help you with loneliness.

Here are some ideas:

Scrabble

Chess

Golf

Walking

Bowling

Card games

Jigsaw puzzles

Dominoes

Many of these games are available online too.  You may need a family member or friend to find the best website for you.  There are many possibilities.

Private Home Health Care wants us all to stay active in both mind and body.  You might find that games can bring a lot of fun to life as well!

Anticancer Lifestyle Program

Meg Hirshberg is the founder of this program. During the month of October there is a lot of money raised for Breast Cancer Awareness month.  This money for research is awesome.  Meg is a believer in cancer prevention as well which is why she started this program.

Her program believes that there are 5 areas that can improve your life and help prevent cancer.

They are:

Change – can you look at your life and try to make changes or adjustments?

Mindset – are you able to practice mindfulness and see choices for a new way of life?

Diet – are you ready to review your diet and make simple changes if needed?

Fitness – what type of activities do you like?  How can you get more active?

Environment – are you exposed to toxins that you can reduce?  

This anticancer lifestyle program is free of charge and available online.  Donations are accepted however.

While Private Home Health Care is not endorsing this program we do want to make you aware of it.  The program may be something you might find helpful to your life.  

Here is the URL:  https://anticancerlifestyle.org/