Brain Awareness Week

This week begins the global initiative of Brain Awareness Week.  The goal is to nurture public interest and support for brain science.

Your brain is the most complicated organ in your body.  We’ve made progress understanding the brain’s functions but with 100 billion neurons in each brain there is still much to discover.

Private Home Health Care understands the aging process of our brains.  Cognitive abilities change.  It can be harder to learn new information.  Recalling names can be tricky.  In a noisy environment it can be hard to focus on a conversation.  Changes can vary for each of us.

Private Home Health Care reviewed a study by Harvard with recommendations of how to help your brain as you age. Sharing key highlights below.

Keep learning – get a hobby, learn a new skill, volunteer or mentor

Use all your senses – be aware of your senses in new situations

Believe in yourself – don’t buy into negativity around aging

Prioritize your brain use – leave notes, use calendars, planners and address books to remember important things.  Have one spot for things you use a lot (keys, glasses, wallet, purse)

Repeat what you know – repeat or write down something you just learned

Space it out – Don’t try learning all at once.  Learn it over time, an hour, a day, a week.

Here is the website if you want more details:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/6-simple-steps-to-keep-your-mind-sharp-at-any-age

Time to Change the Clocks

Private Home Health Care wants to remind you that this is the weekend to spring forward with your clocks!

When you wake up on Sunday morning, 7AM will be 8AM!  We don’t want you to miss out on any of your Sunday activities!  

You’ll be able to enjoy extended daylight once again. Oftentimes the Daylight Savings Time change in the Fall can be difficult.  We end up having less daylight in the evening and that can be hard, especially for people with depression.  We are hoping that the added daylight will help lighten the spirit.

Here’s a quick history of Daylight Savings Time (DST).  A proposal for the DST version we have now came from George Vernon Hudson in 1895.  He hailed from New Zealand.  Next the countries of Germany and Austria-Hungary used it in April of 1916.  In the 1970’s the energy crisis got the ball rolling in many areas of the world, including the United States.

Leave yourself a note!  The change may take a bit of adjustment for your body but give it a few days and look forward to the coming of Spring!

#SpringForward

National Cereal Day

Today is National Cereal Day. A day to celebrate that popular breakfast item so many enjoy.

Here’s a fun fact.  The first cereal was invented by mistake!  The Kellogg brothers tried to make a cereal out of boiled wheat but that didn’t work.  Next they tried an experiment with corn and it was a success.  Kellogg’s Corn Flakes were born!

As we get older we can run into problems with osteoporosis.  When you visit the grocery store you see an entire row of different cereals.  It can be hard to decide what to buy.   Having foods with calcium becomes very important.  Did you know that there are cereals that can be a good source of calcium?  Read the labels.  Watch out for the ones high in sugar.  Cereal with milk can be a good way to start off your day with calcium. 

Cereal also doesn’t need to be just for breakfast.  You can always enjoy it as a snack or even lunch if you crave it.

Private Home Health Care wants you to boost your calcium.  One way is by finding cereals that are low in sugar and high in calcium.  It is one way to get calcium into your day.

What’s in a Wordle?

There is a new digital game called Wordle that’s attracting more and more people each day.

It’s great exercise for your brain.  You have all the letters of the alphabet to choose from.  The words are all five letters in length.  Letters can only be used once.  You have to guess the Wordle in six tries.

You get hints for the wordle by the color coding of the letter.  Gray if it is not used in the word.  Yellow if the letter is used but in the wrong position.  Green if the letter is used and in the correct position.  Remember, the word has a total of five letters and is a real word. 

Private Home Health Care wants to share the fun with you!  Below are two sites where you can get the game online:

One game a day:  https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

Multiple games in a day:  https://wordle-play.com

Good luck and enjoy!

Today

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the lenten season preparing for Easter.  Around the world Christians receive ashes on their foreheads to begin the journey to the celebration of Easter on April 17th.   The Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Easter, also called Pascha, one week later on April 24th.

Preparing for Easter or Pascha is a time for meditation and quiet moments.  Time just for you even if it’s just a short time. Try to find time to read or enjoy nature.  You can work towards finding balance in a busy life.  

Private Home Health Care wants you to think about rejuvenation of the mind, body and soul during this time.  Each of us can feel happy and fulfilled, no matter our age.

This Last Day of February

Private Home Health Care has shared information and tips about the heart this month of February.  On this last day we would like to leave you with a poem.  Our hope is that you have found inspiration to begin or to continue a healthy diet and lifestyle for the best you can be.

“I Love You” by Carl Sandberg

I love you for what you are, but I love you yet more for what you are going to be.

I love you not so much for your realities as for your ideals. I pray for your desires that they may be great, rather than for your satisfactions, which may be so hazardously little.

A satisfied flower is one whose petals are about to fall. The most beautiful rose is one hardly more than a bud wherein the pangs and ecstasies of desire are working for a larger and finer growth. Not always shall you be what you are now. You are going forward toward something great. I am on the way with you and therefore I love you.

Staying Calm

The world can be a crazy and stressful place.  Do you feel stressed? 

The American Heart Association has a quick two-minute exercise that can help keep you calm.  Staying calm can help your mental health and your heart health.

Private Home Health Care would like to share the short video on how to help yourself stay calm.  This works for all ages, young and old.

We hope you will enjoy this and find a way to incorporate this method into your life to help keep you balanced and calm.

Here is the link:  5, 4, 3, 2, 1 CALM

You can also get more information on managing stress at www.heart.org.

Cardiovascular Disease and Health

Private Home Health Care wonders if you understand the difference between certain terms involving the diseases of the heart.  You have probably heard of cardiovascular disease, heart disease and coronary heart disease right?

Cardiovascular disease refers to all types of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels. It is the general overarching term for diseases of the heart.  Did you know that more than 800,000 people in the US die from cardiovascular disease every year?

Heart disease falls under the category of cardiovascular disease.  It is any disease that affects the heart’s structure and function.

Coronary heart disease is almost synonymous with the term heart disease but it’s definition is more specific.  You are diagnosed with coronary heart disease if you have large amounts of plaque that has built up in your arteries. This is what can lead to blood clots and heart attacks.

You can have a healthy heart if you focus on these areas of your life:

Blood pressure and cholesterol.

Reduce the sodium in your diet.

Get physically active.

Keep a healthy weight.

Don’t smoke.

Manage your stress.

Red Red Wine

This month of February has centered around our hearts and how to keep our hearts healthy.  Private Home Health Care is continuing by sharing some information about red wine and how it can be helpful for your heart and body.

It might surprise you but moderate amounts of red wine has shown to have some possible benefits for the heart. There is not 100% agreement but there have been studies showing positive results.  Here is the theory behind the benefits.  

Red wine, unlike white wine, is produced using the whole grape, skin and all.  The grape skin has antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols have been shown to lower blood pressure.  In red wine when these are combined with the ethanol found in wine there can be positive effects on both the heart and circulation.  You can also find small amounts of iron and calcium in a glass. 

With any alcohol, moderation is the key.  You don’t want to overdue on red or any other wine or the benefits will be lost.  People with asthma and gout could have allergic reactions and alcohol is also not recommended for any women who are pregnant. 

Be sure to check in with your doctor, but based on studies a glass of merlot, malbec or shiraz could be helpful in many ways.   Salut! 

Are you looking to make lifestyle changes?

Private Home Health Care would like to share some tips from the APA (American Psychological Association) about how to be successful with lifestyle changes. These changes can lead to a longer and healthier life!

*Map out a plan.  Make a plan that works for you.  Set realistic goals, review them and reset if needed.  Decide if you want short-term and/or long-term goals.

*Start small.  Break your goals into smaller, manageable steps that can be measured. For example, if you are looking for a heart healthy diet, try adding an extra vegetable to a meal or swap out a fruit in place of a sweet dessert.

*Change one behavior at a time.  Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to make too many changes at the same time.  Choose one goal and work on it until you feel it’s a habit.  You can then move on to the next goal.

*Involve a buddy.  Find someone that can encourage you with your goals and enlist them to help.  There are support groups out there if that works for you.

*Ask for help.  If you start to get discouraged with a goal don’t be afraid to reach out for help.  You might find a coach or if serious enough a health professional.

Lifestyle changes can be difficult but your sense of accomplishment can be satisfying and you could have an additional benefit of helping your heart!