Recognizing Caregivers

It’s National Caregiver Day! Do you know a caregiver to recognize and appreciate today?

It is estimated that there are about 53 million caregivers in our country who help people they know.  This could be family, spouses, friends or neighbors. People you care about.  In many cases the work is unpaid.

Caregiver Statistics

59% of family caregivers are women.  They find it can be more difficult to balance caregiving responsibilities than men.

43% of caregivers are the only one providing the care.  An average of 20 hours per week.

53% of family caregivers also work in full-time jobs. 

Almost half of the caregivers don’t get support, either financial, counseling or respite care.

43% of family caregivers report sleeping difficulty that can cause feelings of depression.

Caregiver Tasks

Tasks can run from simple to more complex.

Simple:  Assistance could be needed to get to medical appointments.

A bit more:  The need can be for help shopping, doing housework or preparing meals.

And a bit more:  Older adults often need care due to mobility issues, illness or old age.

More complex:  medical or nursing needs like medication management.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of caregivers in the United States with varying responsibilities but all of their work is important.

We at Private Home Health Care can help with care.  We realize that the work can be stressful and there comes a time when it becomes too much to manage.

On this day we all appreciate and honor the caregivers that we know. The caring and special kindness offered by caregivers is to be celebrated.

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National Muffin Day

Tomorrow, February 20, is National Muffin Day.

We are sharing this with you today so you have plenty of time to find yourself a muffin to celebrate the day!

The muffin has been around for quite a while.  English muffins were first followed closely by the muffins we know today, blueberry, chocolate chip, cranberry orange to name a few.

Do you know the Muffin man who lives in Drury Lane? That’s a nursery song sung by many over the years.  

It probably started during the 19th century when you would have had men selling muffins door-to-door out in the streets.  Only wealthy people had ovens back then so buying a muffin was a real treat.

Today, muffins are easy to share.  You’ll often find them at a breakfast gathering or offered during a meeting.  

The quest is to find one that is the most delicious.  You won’t have them delivered but you can do some taste testing!

You probably don’t want to have muffins for breakfast every morning, but a splurge now and again and especially on National Muffin Day is a yummy treat.

You’ll also find many recipes for muffins that make them a more healthy choice too.  Eatingwell.com is a great resource to check out. 

Private Home Health Care knows a great place to buy a delicious muffin.  We’ve added it to our list for a treat tomorrow.

President’s Day

Private Home Health Care hopes that you are enjoying this year’s federal holiday!

Today was set aside to celebrate our first United States President, George Washington, but later Abraham Lincoln as well since his birthday is also in February.

Not all states and municipalities celebrate today as a federal holiday but the majority of us should be having a day to ourselves to enjoy thanks to George and Abraham.

On the federal agency level, you won’t get mail and your banking will have to wait since all are closed for the day.  

Many of us consider this a day to honor all of our Presidents. 

How many Presidents have you seen in your lifetime?

There could be very few who remember Warren Harding who left office in 1923.  More may remember the President who hailed from Vermont, Calvin Coolidge.  He was after Harding from 1923-1929.

If you are between ninety-five and one hundred years old you lived through the Presidency of Herbert Hoover and the Great Stock Market crash of 1929.  Franklin Roosevelt was President for what some consider to be the greatest generation who battled in WWII.

Baby boomers remember Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and beyond along with Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z following close behind.

No matter the President you decide to honor today, we hope you can take some time for yourself to relax, have some fun and do whatever suits you.  Enjoy.

Happy Valentine’s Day

This is a day for love of all kinds so Private Home Health Care hopes you make the most of showing the people you love how much you care.

If you have children you know how excited they are to make and receive valentine’s cards.  Adults find ways to enjoy it too.  

Chocolate and roses are very popular among the older folks.  A dinner out is also popular but hopefully you got a reservation way in advance.

Valentine’s Day has actually been around for centuries. You may think you know everything about it but we thought we’d share a few fun facts to see.

• It is believed that the first valentine’s note was given in the year 1477.

• The first heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolates were first created in 1861.

• In the days of the Victorians they were known to send out rude valentine’s cards.

• More cards are sent out for Valentine’s Day than almost any other holiday.

• Candy is the most common gift.  

• It’s a popular day to get engaged.  Six million people usually do.

Valentine’s Day is not a holiday for everyone but hopefully there is happiness and some love for all to go around.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Starting tomorrow and ending February 19 is a week dedicated to raising awareness about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the most common form of the disease.

Muscular Dystrophy is a group of genetic diseases that cause progressive weakness in your muscles.  The proteins used to promote good muscle health are not working for you. You also lose muscle mass. 

If you are old enough, you may remember the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon that took place Labor Day weekend for 21 years.  

The telethon ran from 1966 to 2010 and raised $2.45 billion dollars for research on this disease.  After 2010 the telethons changed and finally stopped in 2015.

This disease occurs in more boys than girls.  Symptoms can appear as early as age three to six but also in adulthood.

You cannot be cured of this disease but with diagnosis you can get therapy to manage your symptoms.  Additionally, there are medications available to help slow the progression of the disease.

It’s important to be aware of some of the signs and symptoms:

• Frequent falls
• Difficulty rising from a lying or sitting position
• Trouble running and jumping
• Waddling gait
• Walking on the toes
• Large calf muscles
• Muscle pain and stiffness
• Learning disabilities
• Delayed growth

Private Home Health Care thinks it’s important to raise awareness about this difficult disease.

Life After the Super Bowl

Were you one of the millions of people who watched the Super Bowl yesterday?

When you get ready to watch the Super Bowl you think about the game, the TV commercials and the food.  The food can be a big focus.  Was it for you?

Many times when you get together with friends there are many different kinds of food to choose from and all of them might not actually be healthy choices.  

Often there are chips and dip, hot dogs, salty snack foods like doritos or maybe fritos.  Yummy cookies or cupcakes.   Maybe you saw some hummus and veggies on a corner table.

If you live in an assisted living facility how was your food?  Did you have a nice selection and were there any healthy options?

Private Home Health Care usually talks about healthy foods.  We know however that on special occasions and in different situations it’s not always easy to make those choices.

What we want to say today is that don’t beat yourself up if you cheated during the big game.  We can’t always follow the straight and narrow path when it comes to food.  It’s one day or evening.  Don’t worry.

Today is a new day and you can jump right back on the healthy food bandwagon.  Everyone needs to have a day or take time to go off the path once in a while.  Begin again!

#healthyfoods 

National Woman’s Heart Day

Today’s National day focuses on a Woman’s Heart and its health. Red is the color of the day any way you can.  Wear a dress, shoes, pants, top or a hat whatever you have.

The goal is to raise awareness on women’s cardiovascular health and some differences between men and women’s hearts.

As a woman, your heart differs in a few ways.  Your heart’s size is a bit smaller in ratio as well as the density of the walls.  

Your heart also pumps a bit faster and your reaction to stress causes your blood to pump faster.   A man’s reaction causes the blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise.

These differences can cause women to meet less frequently with their doctors about their hearts.  Additionally, you as a woman can experience different symptoms that could indicate a problem.  

After menopause your risk increases for heart disease.  (Men don’t have to deal with that.)

Your heart symptoms could go undetected as they are a bit different.  Your symptoms appear as brief pain in your upper back or abdomen, nausea, shortness of breath and sweating.

Women’s health issues can appear ten years later than men.  Is that because they put off having their heart’s checked out or do they miss signs?

You are likely to experience heart palpitations.  Stay on top of this.

Finally, men are more likely to experience sudden cardiac death but stay vigilant.

What’s key is to understand that it’s important for you as a woman to pay attention to your heart.  Meet with your medical professional and talk about signs of potential heart issues.

Private Home Health Care believes that knowledge is key to taking good care of yourself.  Today the focus is on women and their hearts and awareness.

Reiki

Have you ever heard of Reiki?  Have you experienced a Reiki session?

Reiki is an energy healing process that is offered by Reiki Masters.  A Reiki Master works with healthy energy, also called life force energy to help with aches and pains, physical and or mental.

This form of healing has been around for a long time coming from Japan.  There is not a lot of scientific research that validates this alternative method of healing but some people have found it to be helpful.

Your insurance plan may cover a Reiki session and it may also be covered under some Medicare plans.  An estimated cost for a session is approximately $70.

The setting is at a hospital, medical centers, wellness centers, yoga studios, and even at your home.  There are usually dim lights and soft music.  You stay fully clothed.

You will feel gently touching, no rubbing or kneading.  It is not like a physical therapy session. You can come away feeling very relaxed.  Ailing parts of your body could feel better and your mental health can improve. 

People who experienced Reiki found it to be helpful in these areas:

• Better sleep.
• Reduced anxiety.
• Boosted mood.
• Reduced pain.
• Increased energy.
• Improved blood circulation.

You may be skeptical and wonder if this is a good type of potential healing for you.  That’s ok of course.  If you do have any chronic pain and your medical professional suggests it you may want to try it.  The cost is not high and it could be beneficial. 

Private Home Health Care works with many different people with a variety of health concerns.   Reiki may not be for everyone but it could be a way to help lessen some things that you’ve been dealing with.

Winter and a Groundhog

Here in the Northeast we are right in the middle of the winter season.  It’s now February and the days are cold and sometimes filled with snow.  

The wind seems to be persistent and the sun wants to shine at times but often there are clouds in the sky. You begin to start to think about warmer days.

Just how much longer will the blustery cold weather last?

Puxatawny Phil of Gobbler’s Knob has come out and made his prediction.  He has seen his shadow so it looks to be six more weeks of winter. 

Skiers may be happy with the news but many of us were hoping for a shortened season. Sigh.

You’ll have to don winter coats, hats, scarves, mittens and boots for a bit longer.  Come later in February all these clothes can feel too unwieldy.  You might long for the ease of short sleeves and lightweight pants.

You need to find ways to pass the time and still keep your sanity.

• Try an outing to a museum, a play or a concert.

• Book reading can be a good pastime, especially if you are homebound.

• You could research some of your genealogy or play some computer games.  

• Get together with other people for games, watching a movie or just chatting with a cup of tea. 

• Exercising, whatever you can do is healthy and helps keep your mind in a good place.  

The winter months can feel long so having some fun and keeping connected with others is important for your mental health.  Try doing whatever works well for you, whatever your situation.

Private Home Health Care looks forward to keeping active these next few months and connecting with friends.  Warmer weather may feel just around the corner.

Scams and How to Avoid Them

Dishonest people have been in the world since the beginning of time.  Today, however, there are many devious scammers who prey on the elderly and some of their schemes can catch you off guard.

Data from 2023 shows that fraud accounted for about $10 billion dollars in losses.  If you are elderly, you account for about $3.4 billion of that with an average of $34,000 for each instance of fraud.

What types of scams are there these days and how can you avoid them in today’s blog.

Imposter Scam

This is when the fraudster poses as a trusted official like a government official, bank representative or a trusted business.  

You might be told that your electricity is behind and will be shut off so you need to send money immediately.  You might also hear from a loved one in your family who is in terrible trouble and needs money wired to an account right away.

Solution:  Never give personal information over the phone and never send money without verifying information.  Hang up and contact the bank or business or your loved one or a family member to follow up.  

Tech Support Scams

You may use a computer and have an email account.

Beware of phony tech support people asking for remote access to your computer or a fix for a problem you might be having.  Remote access lets them get your personal information.  Your issue might not be resolved but you’ll be asked to send money.

Beware also of being told you have overpaid on a tech-subscription and they look for your banking information to pay you back.

Solution:  Never allow remote access to your computer and never send money for any services that you haven’t lined up directly.

Online Shopping Scams

Amazon, eBay and other online shopping sources are subject to scammers.

You may get an offer that is too good to be true and money is needed asap to reserve it.

There could also be a request to send money to a specific app or platform that serves only the scammer.

Solution:  Do not click on links received via email or a text especially when it asks you to update passcode information or it is something that needs immediate attention.  Amazon does not work that way.

Private Home Health Care works with many people and we try to warn them of the tricks of scammers.  They can be very sophisticated.  Bottom line is do not be too trusting and verify, verify, verify before you give you any information or money.