Type 1 & 2 Diabetes

Education and awareness is key to fighting diabetes. At Private Home Health Care, we are passionate about advocating for health and wellness, including diabetes. In honor of National American Diabetes Association Alert Day, here is more information that may help you or a loved one.

There are two types of diabetes. While Type 1 diabetes is not as preventable, it can be managed well with insulin injections. Managing Type 1 diabetes might also require frequent blood sugar monitoring, eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight. Education is key to learning how to manage symptoms of Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes often has a very strong genetic component.

However, type 2 is much more preventable, and some actions can be taken. Making healthy choices provides the best chance of protecting against type 2 diabetes. In the United States, 9 out of every 10 cases of diabetes can be avoided if the above lifestyle changes are implemented. Families, schools, workplaces, communities, and healthcare providers can all work together to make healthy choices easy ones.

Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes:

-Eliminate sugar and refined carbs

-Work out regularly and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle

-Make water the primary beverage

-Maintain a healthy weight

-Quit smoking

-Eat a high fiber diet-Optimize Vitamin D levels

The best way to treat disease is to prevent it in the first place. By leading a healthy lifestyle, it is the best way to set yourself up for long term health.

National Goof Off Day!

Yesterday was National Goof Off Day!

Everyone needs to goof off every once in a while! Being goofy and silly is a wonderful way to relieve stress and have smiles all around. Celebrate National Goof Off Day by doing something like telling jokes, playing charades, watching a comedy, wearing a silly hat or playing fun games (office chair races, anyone?)

Whatever you choose, let yourself goof off a bit! Scientific studies show that people who add more fun into their life are not only happier but more productive and successful

National Let’s Laugh Day

Today is National Let’s Laugh Day! The old saying is true-laughter is the best medicine! There are many health benefits of laughing. It releases feel-good chemicals in your brain such as endorphins that improve your mood. Laughter is also a proven pain reliever, is great for the lungs, and just makes you feel good!

Have you ever had a bad day and then something funny happens that turns it around around? Anyone can tell you that laughter is a great stress reliever. It also helps social bonding, which is a known factor in longevity. Try to laugh at least once a day! At Private Home Health Care, we love laughter and enjoying life! Mary is always cracking jokes and making everyone laugh. We suggest to everyone to make sure to laugh at least once a day for health and happiness!

On National Let’s Laugh Day, do things to make you laugh! Tell a joke, watch a funny movie, or be silly with loved ones. Laugh it up!

Certified Nurses Day

Private Home Health Care proudly celebrates National Certified Nurses Day!

Certified Nurses Day, celebrated annually on March 19, shines a well-deserved spotlight on nurses who have chosen to enhance their professional knowledge through certification. There are over 3.8 million nurses in America today. Not only is it one of the largest professions, but it is also one of the most significant and far-reaching in its impact on society.

Did you know there are over 200 nursing specialties and subspecialties? The complexity of the medical field is ever-growing and nurses strive for professional excellence and superior patient care in their desire to become certified in one or more of these areas. Today, let’s thank and recognize the work these men and women have done to obtain their professional certifications.

At PHHC, we support nurses for their amazing work that they do every single day, around the clock to keep us all healthy and well. Thank you nurses!

Your Brain on Naps

Napping is not just for cats. Medical studies have found that napping has many health benefits. In fact, it is one of the healthiest things you can do for your physical, mental, and emotional health. Napping results in increased awareness, brain performance and a decrease in stress. One of the biggest benefits is that it keeps your heart healthy. People who nap reduce the risk of heart disease and heart related death.

Your Brain on Naps: Napping can improve your memory and job performance. Sleep plays an important role in storing memories. A nap can help you remember things learned earlier in the day as much as a full night’s sleep. Napping works to keep you from forgetting things like motor skills, sense perception, and verbal recall, too. After resting, the brain is also better at recognizing patterns and making connections. 

Naps are great for healthy aging. As you age, your energy levels decrease. By listening to your body’s natural rhythms and taking a nap, you keep yourself healthy. As we know, stress plays a big role in aging. Naps help relieve stress, which is key to maintaining brain function later in life. Using brain scans, scientists have found that seniors who regularly nap generally have more blood flow and activity than those who do not. This decreases the risk of cognitive decline.   

National Napping Day

Who doesn’t love a good nap? Today, March 15th, is National Napping Day. At Private Home Health Care, we certainly think that it is worth celebrating! March 15th was chosen as National Napping Day because often people feel jet-lagged after daylight savings. Naps are the perfect day to help you

recuperate from the “spring forward.” Studies have shown that people are already at their most tired and sleep deprived after daylight savings changes. The change of the hour really makes a difference, but National Napping Day can make you feel like there was no change at all.

National Plant A Flower Day

At Private Home Health Care, planting flowers is one of our favorite spring activities! March 12th is National Plant a Flower Day. Each year, this day is dedicated to the planting of flowers and looking forward to the spring season. Flower gardening has become a hobby for many, young and old, and National Plant a Flower Day is a start to the new season each year.

There are known health benefits of flower gardening. Being in nature is calming, and the clean outdoor air is great for the lungs. Gardening is an excellent activity for seniors, and can be a form of exercise, because you use different muscle groups while you do it. It also helps maintain flexibility and balance because it requires up and down motion, as well as reaching. Movement and exercise helps prevent disease and illness such as heart disease and stroke. 

Gardening is used as a therapy for treating depression in seniors. Because you are focused in the moment, it has meditative qualities that can distract you from low feelings. Gardening also helps relieve anxiety and stress. It is important for seniors to have things to look forward to, and it can be quite exciting to watch your plants grow and blossom! In addition, just looking at beautiful flowers puts you in a good mood, wouldn’t you agree? 

Today, celebrate spring and plant a flower for National Plant a Flower Day!