Alzheimer’s Disease

This disease is often discussed this time during World Alzheimer’s Day.  There are still many people dealing with it, both patients and caregivers. The good news is that there is ongoing research.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are approximately 6 million people over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer’s.  This is with a total population in the United States of 335,289,877 as of 2022.

Currently, being studied is a condition called mild cognitive impairment or (MCI).  MCI is memory or thinking problems.  As you age, you can have lapses in names, or for words for things.  This can be normal. 

Memory can develop into MCI if things worsen.  If you lose things often or if you forget to go to appointments.  Another sign is if you are missing words more often than your friends. This is the time to reach out to a doctor for advice.

MCI is a condition that can lead to Alzheimer’s.  The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that about a third of those people diagnosed with MCI, dementia usually develops within five years.

The hopeful news.  The Alzheimer’s Association is conducting New Ideas Studies.  They involve brain imaging to study MCI, dementia and Alzheimer’s.  The studies are robust involving about 7,000 people.  The study includes people from a variety of racial and ethnic groups.   

If you are interested in learning more about these studies here is a link:  https://www.alz.org/research/new-ideas-study

Private Home Health Care understands the importance of studies.  They can give us a window into a disease that affects so many elderly people.

Fall Equinox

Wow, did your summer fly by like ours did?  It was a lovely summer and while we are still having some warm days this Thursday, September 22 we turn to the fall equinox.

The fall equinox (also called the autumnal equinox) is the time when the Earth’s tilt is moving away from the sun to point straight at the equator.  That’s when we notice the hours of daylight begin to change.  If you live in the Northern Hemisphere the equinox brings about equal parts of day and night.

The words are derived from Latin. Equinox is latin for aequus which means equal and nox which means night.  In both the fall and spring we have an equinox. 

What are the signs of fall?  Have you noticed any leaves changing their colors yet?  As the fall continues we in New England have a beautiful array of colors to enjoy.  Who remembers jumping in piles of fallen leaves?  Lots of good memories.

Fall is when nature gets ready for the next season of winter.  Birds migrate, dogs and animals’ fur thickens and we start to notice that we need our coats as the temperature cools down.  

It’s also a time for apple picking, apple cider and even some apple cider donuts!  Often apple orchards have horse drawn rides they offer too.  It really is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy all the goodness around us.

Private Home Health Care loves the fall.  It can be difficult to have less daylight but we are hopeful that all the bounties of fall will help us ease into the changes in the seasons. 

Guacamole

Who likes avocados?  Did you realize that avocados grow on trees and they are technically a fruit??  

Avocados are great for us, right?  They supply you with lots of vitamins and lots of cholesterol lowering healthy fats.

You can use avocados in so many different ways.  They are delicious in a sandwich or on a salad.  You can add them to your smoothie or include them along with tomatoes and a poached age. Delicious!!

One other popular way to eat avocados is in a yummy guacamole!  Do you have a recipe for guacamole?  What do you like to eat with “guac”? Tortilla chips?  Carrots?  Celery?  Something else?

Private Home Health Care would like to share a delicious recipe from Yummly (https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Creamy-Guacamole-Dip-512225?prm-v1)

It has 7 ingredients and takes 15 minutes to make.  Enjoy it with your favorite side!

Ingredients:

1 jalapeno (remove seeds and chop)

1 clove of garlic

1 cup of plain greek yogurt

3 avocados (halved, pitted and scooped out)

1 tsp red chile powder (you can also use more to garnash)

1 lime

Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1.  In a food processor, pulse jalapeno and garlic until minced.
2. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth

#healthyeating

A Geriatric Healthcare Perspective

The American Gerariatric Society established a national nonprofit organization called The Health in Aging Foundation.  The goal of the foundation is to bring expertise and knowledge to us as we age.

We at Private Home Health Care look for interesting and helpful topics to pass on to our readers.  The Health in Aging Foundation has insightful ways of approaching geriatric care.

The foundation talks about “Age-Friendly Healthcare” and the “5Ms”.  

Age-Friendly Healthcare:

The focus on age-friendly healthcare is starting with the whole person, both physically and mentally.  

The 5Ms are:

Multi-complexity – this is managing multiple chronic or advanced illness that often affect you as you age.  

Mind (Mentation) – improving care if you have dementia, delirium or depression.

Mobility – helping with your mobility by focusing on gait and balance and working on preventing falls

Medications – reviewing your medications and making decisions on if any can be reduced or changed.

What Matters Most – working with you to make sure healthcare goals are set that work with you in your daily life. They meet your care needs. 

If you are interested in reading a bit more on this approach here is a link to get more in-depth information:  https://www.healthinaging.org/age-friendly-healthcare-you

National Day of Encouragement

Have you ever needed words of encouragement to help you through a situation?  I can think of many times that a kind and encouraging word has helped me.

The idea of a national day of encouragement was actually started in 2007 in Arkansas.  Young people came up with the idea at a National Leadership Forum.  These young people felt like a lack of encouragement was one of the biggest issues facing them.  

The mayor of their town, then the Arkansas Governor issued a proclamation.  Consequently President George Bush signed a document and then Congress made it an official day in 2011.

The day of September 12 was chosen to follow the sad day of September 11th In order to help console us.  Offering  words of encouragement to people around us creates a positive impact. You can support someone and make them happy with a few positive words.

Have you ever noticed someone struggling with an issue or an activity they are trying to do?  Try motivating by lending a helping hand or by sharing supportive words.  You may have a family member that is going through a hard time.  Spend time with them or give them a call and listen and encourage them.  A few encouraging words can change a person’s outlook.

Pope John Paull II was someone who offered words of encouragement in a very difficult situation.  There was a man who tried to harm him back in 1981.  The Pope spoke out and publicly forgave him.  Those are the ultimate encouraging (and forgiving) words.

Private Home Health Care knows how important encouraging words can be to someone.  Try to pass the encouragement along today and as many other days as you can.  You might find it becomes a habit!

Remembering 9/11

Today, Private Home Health Care remembers the attacks of September 11, 2001. We remember and honor those people who lost their lives on that overwhelming and sad day.

To the innocent lives that were lost and to the brave First Responders who perished trying to help others. We commend you and promise to never forget.

Blessings and peace to all.

#NationalGrandparentsDay

The day to celebrate grandparents is coming up!  This Sunday, September 11 is the day to celebrate and honor the grandparents in our lives.  This day is always celebrated on the Sunday after Labor Day.

Do you have a grandparent in your life today?  Did you grow up with a grandmother or grandfather or both?  Were you able to spend special time with them?  

A grandparent gives you a special kind of love, different from your parents.  Sometimes they can find ways to spoil you.  Spending time with a grandparent develops a very special bond.  Grandparents have lots of stories to tell too.  Have you ever listened to a story from the past?

In 2020, there were an estimated 80 million grandparents in the United States today.  Of those people an estimated 3 million children under the age of 18 lived in the same house with a grandparent.  How cool is that!

Sometimes grandparents live far away from us.  We get to know them from phone calls or facetime.  Our lives can get very busy but grandparents often have extra time and they love to spend it with their grandkids.

This Sunday Private Home Health Care hopes that you have time to visit or call your grandparents if they are still in your life.  We know they would love to see or hear from you. 

We will leave you with a song written in 2004 by Johnny Prill.  It is the official song of the holiday, A Song for Grandma and Grandpa, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjAECeBqM3s

Grateful Patient Day

At some point in our lives, you and I have been a patient of someone in the medical industry.  Today is set aside for us to show our gratitude to those people.

As a child, you likely had doctor’s visits to make sure you were growing.  If you had a baby the care came from nurses, doctors or midwives.  A medical issue or moving into assisted living or a nursing home involves many different medical people. 

We are grateful . . .

For the medical professionals who have dedicated themselves to helping people.  

We are also grateful to the family members and care-givers that provide life-giving care.  

We can show appreciation by . . .

Are you seeing a caregiver today?  If so, say thank you to them.  Show your appreciation in that simple way.  You may have a story to share.  Is there a doctor or nurse who helped you?  Share your story on social media or with a friend or family member.  

It turns out that if we are grateful it can help us too.  Being grateful can bring us hope. Gratitude and stories shared can also be inspirational.  Would you like to honor and inspire someone today?  

I know a woman who is extremely grateful for the doctors and nurses who helped her. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer back in 2000.  She had surgery, then chemotherapy.  

Her surgical doctor and then the doctor’s and nurses who cared for her during her treatments were phenomenal.  She overcame the cancer and is now 22 years cancer free.  She is very grateful for all of those life-saving people!

Private Home Health Care strives to provide excellent health care to our clients.  We also know that there are courageous patients who are grateful to be alive.  We are grateful for them!   

#GratefulPatientDay

Happy Labor Day!

Private Home Health Care wants to wish everyone a happy and relaxing Labor Day!

Did you know that labor activists started the Labor Day celebrations?  Labor activists started it to recognize the contributions made by the American worker to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being.

The first celebration was organized by the Central Labor Union in New York City and there was a huge parade.  Imagine the crowds and celebration 140 years ago on September 5, 1882.  

Labor Day started to become law with individual states starting with Oregon in 1887.  Consequently, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey followed suit.  More and more states added the holiday so Congress finally made a law to designate the day as a national holiday.

President Grover Cleveland signed Labor Day into law as an official holiday on June 28, 1894.  We’ve been celebrating for the past 128 years.  We hope you enjoy your day.

National Hummingbird Day

Today is a day to think about those tiny birds that love to hover over flowers.  Did you know that there are more than 300 different types of hummingbirds?  Their home is in the North and South Americas mostly.  The name comes from the humming sound made by their wings when in flight.

We at Private Home Health Care thought we would share a few interesting facts about these fast moving and petite birds.

1. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly in all different directions. Front, back sideways and upside down.  Rain doesn’t bother them because they can shape rain drops off their head as fast as 132 times per second!
2. For a small bird they are very hungry.  They have a metabolism almost 100 times faster than an elephant!   You will find them eating every 10-15 minutes.  They love nectar of course but they also eat ants, gnats, mosquitoes (yeah!) and wasps.  Each day they check between 1,000 and 2,000 flowers a day!
3. Females care for the two eggs that they lay and they build the nest.  They tend their babies for approximately three weeks.  Lest you think Dad is a loafer, he spends his time defending the nest from predadors.
4. Every year a small number of hummingbirds migrate.  They travel alone and go over hundreds or thousands of miles.  They are day travelers, resting at night.
5. For such a small bird they are very fast and they have endurance.  Their wings flap at 70 times per second.  Compare that to a Blue Jay that flaps only 40 times per second.
6. Hummingbirds go into a very deep sleep called a “torpor”.  It’s almost like a hibernation with their metabolism and heart beat lowering.
7.  Did you realize that a hummingbird’s brain is bigger than ours by percentage of weight?  A human’s brain is 2% of our body weight.  The hummingbird’s brain is up to 4.2% of its body weight.
8. The hummingbird’s sense of sight and sound are superb. They help them find their favorite flower, red ones with tubular shapes, and others filled with nectar.  Don’t look for them to find flowers by scent however since they don’t have a sense of smell.

Private Home Health Care hopes that you’ve enjoyed reading about hummingbirds.  We have had a chance to see some eating the nectar from our Rose of Sharon bush.  It’s so exciting to see them in action!