World Dream Day

World Dream Day was started back in 2012.  The goal is to encourage people all over the world to follow their dreams.

An educator from Columbia University named Ozioma Egwuonwu started the day to “heal and inspire humanity.”

All of us have had dreams at some point,  When you were younger it may have been a dream about what to be when you grew up.

As you age other ideas come to light.  Your dreams may turn to sports, writing, teaching or creating something unique.

Perhaps you wanted to become an architect so you could create skyscrapers. This must have been someone’s dream because there are many skyscrapers around the world today.

Did you dream of starting your own company?  Did you have people who helped and supported you? Would you consider Martin Luther King Jr. a dreamer?

We need dreamers like you in our world today because dreams give you hope and inspiration.  It can help give you a reason to get up in the morning.  In addition, dreams can connect you with other people.

Don’t let age be a factor in your dreams.  

C.S. Lewis said, “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.”

Lewis produced different writings over the years but it wasn’t until he was age 52 that he wrote one of his most famous works, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Basically, if you can dream it you can make it a reality.  You may have ups and downs but if you keep on your path your dream has the best chance.

Private Home Health Care loves this day.  It is such an inspiration to dream and to see what dreams can accomplish.  

Falls Prevention Awareness Day

Today is a day to think about falling and how to prevent falling as you age.

According to the CDC, one in four adults over the age of 65 fall each day.  There are over 36 million people who fall each year, with about three million of those people going to the emergency room for treatment..

If you are a woman you are more likely to fall than a man.  You would likely injure your hip since 95% of falls cause hip injuries. That’s enough to scare anyone.

The good news is that there are recommendations for you on how to avoid falling.  You do not need to anticipate falling if you can follow some basic guidelines.

• You should talk to your health professional about your medicines.  Review what you are taking and make sure they are still ok for you.  Check your Vitamin D and see if you need any supplements to help promote your bone and muscle health.

• Next, be sure to exercise for strength and health.  Lifting weights, even lighter ones can help to improve overall health.  There are also exercises to help with your balance. Talk to a professional about what exercises are good for you.

• Call your eye and foot doctor to have both checked regularly.  As you age cataracts can form in your eyes and that affects how you see.  You want to make sure your feet are ok and that you use the right footwear.,

• Finally, make sure your home is safe for you.  Wherever you live check that your bathroom has grab bars and non-slip mats.  Be certain that any throw rugs are safe and be sure that there are not a lot of piles in your living areas.

Private Home Health Care understands why people are afraid of falling.  Serious injuries can occur.  It’s important to be sure to take care of yourself to avoid needing a trip to the emergency room.

World Alzheimer’s Day

World Alzheimer’s Day

Every year World Alzheimer’s Day is celebrated on September 21st.

The day is set aside to help raise awareness for you and I, to support those caregiver’s dealing with family members or patients.  Another goal is to work to take the stigma away from the disease.

Today in the US, the Alzheimer’s organization estimates that there are 6 million Americans living with the disease.  Worldwide estimates increase to upwards of 55 million people.

It is a scary disease and as you age it’s easy to wonder if you might be getting a bit of Alzheimer’s.  

The truth is that it’s a natural occurrence for you to get forgetful the older you get.  The brain naturally declines and there are differences between what is natural and what has the signs of Alzheimer’s.

Memory Loss  

Memory loss is more severe.  It leads you to be confused and have difficulty performing familiar tasks. Your memory loss progresses more rapidly than normal forgetfulness.

Disorientation

You can get lost in familiar settings, lose track of time and experience a general disorientation. Additionally, you  may also find it difficult to cook, dress or use normal household appliances.

Language and Communication

You have trouble finding the right words in situations or following conversations.

Your personality changes.  You experience mood swings or become irritable and you might even have social withdrawals.  

Private Home Health Care knows how difficult this disease can be for the patients and the caregivers. We feel it is important to understand the disease and to support those affected by it.

Respect for the Aged Day

This day for respecting the aged was begun in Japan.  The world is full of senior citizens.   We feel that the concept of respecting our aged is just as important here in our communities in the United States.

You all have the expectation of getting older as time goes on.  With age can come some chronic illness, loss of family members and loneliness.

Your advancing age also brings with it experience and wisdom.  You live through many ups and downs, happy times and sad times.  Your stories become many and varied.

On this day, it’s important for each of us to make sure that you feel valued.

• We can listen to the stories of your family and friends.  Our history is your history. We gain insights on our lives and why we came to live in certain areas and how our families grew.

• We should try to listen to any advice that our seniors offer.  You can take it with a grain of salt but there could be points that may be helpful.

• Additionally, spend time with an elder and concentrate on being extra respectful.  You could try lending them a hand too.

• Spend the day at an activity that your senior would enjoy.  The time spent will be felt for many days to come.

Private Home Health Care comes in contact with many of our older population and we understand the worth of our seniors. It’s important to us that you feel listened to and respected.

International Eat an Apple Day

As the peak of apple season begins, it seems very appropriate to celebrate a day of eating an apple.

Apples are delicious. Believe it or not there are actually over 100 different kinds of apples!  You won’t see them all in the grocery store however.  What you will find are the most popular varieties in stores or in apple orchards.

Some varieties offered are Fuji, Macintosh, Golden Crisp, Red Delicious, Granny Smith and Gala to name a few.

The health benefits are tremendous.  Apples contain antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C. Apples may also support weight loss and heart health.  Likewise they show links to lowering your chance of Type 2 diabetes.

Unfortunately some growers use chemicals to keep them from spoiling. It’s important to be sure to wash your apples well in warm water before you eat them.   Talk to your grocer about where the apples come from or locate an organic grower if possible.

There are so many different ways for you to enjoy apples.  You can eat them with some peanut butter, make apple butter, use them in a Waldorf salad or in pancakes.  You might also try using them with roast pork.  Delicious. 

Additionally, you might treat yourself to an apple pie!  There are some folks who think either the macintosh or cortland apples are best!.  We’ll let you be the judge of that.

Private Home Health Care loves to enjoy an apple, especially during this peak season. Johnny Appleseed would certainly endorse that!

Encouragement

Can you think of anyone who doesn’t need encouragement at some point in their life?

One definition of encouragement is “to inspire with courage, spirit or hope.” Is there a time in your life when you were given hope?

It’s often natural and easy to give encouraging words to children or young adults.  We want them to succeed, so words like “great job” or “fabulous thinking” come easily.

What about as we get older?  Is encouragement still as important?  We say yes it is!

As you age activities can get more difficult.  Your mind may not respond as quickly.  Positivity and encouragement become even more important.

It’s easy to second guess yourself and perhaps even shy away from activities or events.  

Try to surround yourself with people that uplift you.

If you deal with an aging friend, try and share supportive words with them.  Check in and spend some time focusing on the positives.  

Life can get overwhelming at times and encouraging words can often make a person feel better.  When you feel better your outlook on life improves.

By being kind with our seniors it can make them feel still valued and important.  Words like “I value your wisdom” or “you make the world a better place just by being in it” are just a couple of examples of encouraging words.

Private Home Health Care respects our seniors and we strive to be encouraging to them as we administer care.  We hope you can find ways to be encouraging too.

September 11, 2023  

September 11, 2023 is a day of remembrance.

It was 22 years ago that the United States suffered its largest attack on our country. There were a total of 2,977 Americans who lost their lives.

You may have lived through that day and remember the awful images and news reports.  You could also be too young to actually have experienced it. 

No matter your circumstance, we all should work to remember this horrific event and those who lost their lives.

In New York first responders went in to try and save those people in the twin towers.  Many did not survive but for those who did there are ongoing health issues.

Tunnel for Towers is one organization that cares for the families of the first responders who lost their lives.  There are many other organizations still taking donations.  Be sure to check Charity Navigator and check the group’s rating before you donate.

In addition to financial donations you could visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.  This is located on eight acres of the World Trade Center site.  It is a very moving memorial.

You might also travel to Pennsylvania to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial.  This memorial remembers the passengers on Flight 93 who stopped the terrorists from attacking another government building on that day.

On September 11 you are encouraged to take some time during your day to remember those who gave their lives.  We remember to honor those 2,977 people.  We hope and pray that an event like this will never happen again in our country.

Private Home Health Care will set aside time in our day to remember that day.  We extend our warmest thoughts to those people who lost a family or friend on that day.

#NeverForget

World Physical Therapy Day

The other day we wrote about chronic pain, the difficulties in living with that pain and raising awareness about it.

Today is a day to think about physical therapy and how physical therapy can help you and I with some of the incidental or chronic pain we experience.

For example, your issue may have been caused by an injury and you need help getting your body back to normal.

In other instances it may be that you’ve developed chronic pain and the physical therapy helps you manage the condition. Physical therapists are there to help in both cases.

Your personal experience with a physical therapist may have convinced you how important sessions with them can be.  Discussions about the pain and then strengthening muscles so you can better support yourself is usually the way to begin.

We know of a friend who was diagnosed with scoliosis or curvature of the spine later in life.  Walking distances had become painful and consequently managing day-to-day activities became difficult.

Sessions with a physical therapist focused on pain points and then strengthening the core and right hip muscle.  Manipulating areas of tightened muscles began the healing process. 

In addition, exercises given by the therapist were done at home.  What followed was a change in that person’s life. They could support taking longer walks and living life to their fullest.

Perhaps you are a person who has never needed physical therapy.  You are very lucky if that is the case.

For those of us who have been aided by a great physical therapist, we know how skillful they are and how much they can restore us to a stronger self.

Private Home Health Care supports the critical role that physical therapists share in private settings, hospitals and schools.  We salute their work today.

National Pain Awareness Month

Are you a person who lives with chronic pain?  This month of September is meant to bring awareness to those people who you come in contact with.  This could be your medical professional, family or friends.

Chronic pain can be difficult to diagnose. You may have experienced visits to multiple doctors to find out that you have arthritis.  

Fibromyalgia is another type of chronic pain.  Some days you feel fine and other days you are very achy and may even find it difficult to participate in your normal day.

Additionally, you could have feelings of misunderstanding and stigmas around your pain.  This month the goal is to help you and those around you understand how difficult it can be to live with chronic pain.

There are some things that you can do to help spread the word.

• You can try to have people listen and understand your pain.

• Your friend may be having a bad day.  Try to be aware that it could be caused by their chronic pain condition.

• Attend a webinar on pain management.

• Are there limitations caused by your pain?  If so, find out what they are and try to manage them.

• Find opportunities to share symptoms and feelings around your diagnosis.  

Private Home Health Care understands that many people live daily with chronic pain. We strive to learn and understand so that we can help with pain management.

#PainAwarenessMonth

We at Private Home Health Care would like to wish everyone a very Happy Labor Day!

You and I work very hard throughout the year so it’s nice to have a day off to celebrate.

Have you heard, like we have heard, that some of our younger people may not realize why we have this day off from work?  Just in case that is true here is a quick explanation of how hte day began.

The holiday has been around for about 129 years. At the beginning, the industrial revolution was in full swing in our United States.  Workers often had 12-hour days, seven days a week.  Children ages five and six were also working for lower ages.  Conditions could be poor.

You know there are labor unions for today’s workers. These came into existence to curb the overworking and bad conditions of the average worker in the 1800’s.

Unfortunately, the early unions had learning curves.

For example, at the Pullman Car Palace Company in Chicago there were bad conditions and then workers were told of reduced wages.  That strike was on and union representatives were fired.

If you look back in the history books, Pullman was the lead company in railroad transportation.  When there was a call for the whole Pullman company to strike you can imagine how that hindered railroad shipping across the country.

The next actions by the federal government trying to stop these strikes caused workers who were rioting to be killed.  This caused a huge rift with the US government.

As you can imagine, Congress quickly wrote a law making the first Monday in September a holiday for all workers.  Grover Cleveland was the President and he happily signed the bill on June 28, 1894.

You and I, along with our family and friends, celebrate this day and throughout the weekend each year.  Cookouts, trips, even some fireworks mark the commemorating all the achievements of the United States workforce.

We hope you enjoy it!