Good Memory Day – January 19

January 19 is Good Memory Day. The human memory is one of the most amazing, yet fragile aspects of life. Today is a day to cherish good moments from our past and present as well as making new ones. From the moment we are born, our brain takes in and process all kinds of information. Unlike a computer, that stores memory securely for eternity, the human memory does not have that luxury. Many factors play into memories being preserved and for how long. There are also many studies on how brain functionality can change over time.

Alzheimer’s Disease

An organization near and dear to us is The Alzheimer’s Association. This organization leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. This is done by accelerating research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support (https://www.alz.org/about). They are one of the premier groups that fundraise, spread awareness, as well as advocate for Alzheimer’s and dementia research.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

Another leading concern for brain injury and memory loss that has garnered headlines recently is Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE, which is a brain condition thought to be linked to the repeated head injuries, like concussions. CTE has made the news being linked to the National Football League (NFL). A large number of former NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE. With the violent collisions and helmet to helmet hits in football, brain injuries are a major problem. Furthermore, retired and even active players are coming forth with struggles they are facing do to CTE. There are ongoing studies of former players and their brains after a career in football with the repeated blows to the head.

These are only two potential problems that affect the memory. Researchers and doctors are striving to find ways to help prevent, lessen and hopefully cure these problems. Today is a day to look into what you can do to protect yourself and loved ones. As stated previously, the brain is a very complex and fragile part of the body. We only have one.  Please take some time in honor of good memory day, to reflect on those positive memories you have and informing yourself on how to protect those memories.

How to Celebrate!

• Scroll through old photo albums and
• Take time to reflect and share positive memories.
• Play games geared brain stimulation
• Taking time to research ways to keep the brain active
• Fundraise/donate to causes related to causes that work with brain memory and functionality
• Sign up for a walk or fundraising activity to shed light on these causes.

Tomorrow is National Popcorn Day!

Popcorn is a quick, easy and depending on the popcorn, a healthy snack. 

Traditionally you think of getting popcorn when you go to a movie theater.  You can also pop it or buy it and enjoy watching a movie at home.  It’s also a great snack if you are on the go!

We’ll talk about the packaged brands later but if you pop it yourself and limit the salt and butter you’d be amazed at some of the health benefits. 

Find a brand that you can add your own salt and oil.  To make it healthy, use a light butter or olive oil rather than butter.  You might also try grated cheese or chili flakes for some variety!  

According to WebMD, you’ll find in a three cup serving of air-popped popcorn (low in salt and butter) the following stats:

Calories:  only 93

Protein: 3 grams

Carbs: 18.6 grams

Fiber: 3.6 grams

Sugar: .02 grams

Fat: 1.1 grams

Add on some antioxidants and vitamins like B6, A, E and K and you get more nutrition.  

If you are looking to purchase popped popcorn from the store, Livestrong.com worked with dietitians to come up with the top 10 healthiest popcorn brands. 

Their criteria:

• Nutrition (especially calories, fat, fiber and sodium)
• Flavor
• Ingredients list
• Packaging

Here are some of their suggestions:  Skinny Pop Original, Lesser Evil Himalayan Pink Salt, Quinn Aged Parmesan and Rosemary, Boom Chicka Pop Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn, Newman’s Own Organic Touch of Butter, Whole Foods 365 Organic Yellow Popcorn, Trader Joe’s Organic Popcorn with Olive Oil.

Private Home Health Care loves to eat popcorn for a quick healthy snack.  You might just find us eating some on National Popcorn Day tomorrow!

#NationalPopcornDay

Customer Service Day

Customer Service Day is celebrated each year on January 17. No company or brand would exist without a customer. All goods and services are created with the consumer in mind.  “Customer service [department],” plays the all-important role of ensuring that the customer receives the best service possible, building positive relationships to build brand loyalty and making sure that their complaints are heard and followed up on.

The adage, “The customer is always right,” dates back to the 1800’s, and exhorts service staff to give a high priority to the customer. This ideology stems from keeping customers happy to ensure they will continue coming back. The customer service department is a liaison between the customer and the company, working to make certain the customer has the best possible experience while working with the company. This relationship can make or break the possibility of doing business in the future.

In this day and age, where the internet places almost anything a person may need at their fingertips, customer service plays a major role in where people will take their business.  Consumers would prefer a brand where they can get problems resolved right away. Gone are the days of working hours being 9:00-5:00, consumers do not want to wait over the weekend, the next day or even hours for responses.  They are looking for immediate satisfaction, and any prolonged wait time can hinder the way they view the company.  For many larger companies, “customer service” is available around the clock. As the demand for services is becoming more fast paced by the day, the need for customers to be able to contact a business is also more in demand than ever. This has led to companies having designated customer services phone lines that are available 24/7, E-mail accounts set up solely for customer service inquiries and websites having customer service representatives available online to “live chat.”  As technology is advancing, everything is judged on how quickly a person can get what they need. Companies like Amazon rose to the top by offering options like same, overnight, or next day delivery. The aphorism, “time is money,” is as true in customer services as any other department. 

Excellent customer service is critical to running a successful business. One Major way a company can judge how their relationship with the customer is, is through customer reviews.  The internet has provided many references consumers can use to evaluate who they would like to take their business to.  Sites like Google, Yelp and even Facebook offer consumers insight on how others have had experiences with companies, through their consumer reviews.  If you have unsatisfied customers, they will not be returning nor will they recommend others. On top of losing their business, they will leave negative reviews warning others of the missteps a company has had, leading other potential customers to look elsewhere. These reviews and customer feedback are also important internally for the companies, as they provide them with insight on what they need to improve on, their strengths and weaknesses and can provide vital information they can use to grow and succeed. If a company cannot quickly resolve any issues that arise, they may suffer negative reviews.

Today is a day to reflect on those folks who typically deal with unsatisfied customers, and work hard to resolve any issues. Most of the time that I have contacted customer service, I was very unhappy. That was no fault of the person that I spoke to on the phone, yet before the conversation even began, I was in a frustrated mood. These workers face unhappy customers all day long, and work hard to give us the best service possible.  When I call customer service, the first thing I do is apologize upfront, knowing that I am already unhappy to even be making this call, and tell them I understand that it is not their fault. I think most people can attest to taking out some of their frustration on the person on the other end of that line. Hopefully next time you are stuck having to make a call to customer service, you will remember this blog, and will at the very least, remember it is not personal with the person you are calling, and the issue is with the product/company.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Today, Private Home Health Care honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  

Dr. King was a man of peace who stood up against racism and segregation without violence.  He was very charismatic and a wonderful speaker.  He believed that all people, no matter the color of their skin, were created equal.  

He began as a Baptist minister in the South.  He had a small following that grew with his speeches.  His righteous movement was driven by faith and led by civil disobedience without violence.  

Dr King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and spoke on the right to vote, desegregation and basic civil rights for people of color.  He helped organize the Montgomery Alabama bus boycott and nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama.

His highly memorable “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered on the Washington Mall in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial.  There were thousands of people in attendance. 

This truly faith-filled and amazing man’s life ended when he was only 39 years old but his life and inspiration live to this day.

On this day, we laud Dr. Martin King Jr. and his peaceful quest for equality for all people.

National Gluten-Free Day

Gluten.  These days you hear about Gluten quite a bit.  There are gluten-free options in restaurants, in grocery stores and there is a lot of information on the web too.

Why is it so important?  There are somewhere between 2.5 and 3 million people that have an allergy to gluten and it can cause major issues with your body.

What exactly is gluten?  Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and triticale.  Triticale is a cross between wheat and rye.  Amazingly gluten is found in many foods that we all eat. Foods like baked goods, breads, soups, pastas, cereals, salad dressings, food coloring, malt, and beer.

Celiac’s disease is an autoimmune disease.  It is hereditary.  If you have celiac’s disease gluten is a trigger to your digestive system.  This causes damage to your small intestine. If unchecked it can lead to additional health issues.

When you eat at a restaurant you need to take precautions.  Food cooked for you should be cooked separately from other meals so that gluten is not transferred to your meal.

An allergy to gluten can be challenging but there is good news.  People with these allergies are creating a need and therefore a growing market.  The younger generations are also opting for  a gluten-free diet. Companies are discovering a growing market which is good for business too.

How to celebrate National Gluten-Free Day?  Try inviting a friend to lunch for a gluten-free lunch, take photos and then post them to social media.  You can also try to make a gluten-free recipe.  Coconut flour or rice flour can be very tasty in a recipe!

Private Home Health Care understands issues around gluten.  We hope that you can find more helpful information around great gluten-free foods!

Paget’s Awareness Day

Today’s blog is to raise awareness on Paget’s Disease.  

A bit of history . . .

Sir James Paget was a British surgeon and surgical pathologist who worked at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. This was in the 1800’s.  Paget is known for finding the parasite that causes trichinosis.  In addition, he discovered this disease of bone tissue.

Your bone tissue usually has old bone tissue replaced with new.  A sign of Paget’s disease is when this pattern gets disrupted.  This disruption causes an excessive breakdown of bone tissue weakening and excessive bone formation.

If you have this disease your bones can become deformed and brittle so they can fracture.  The most common parts of the body affected are the spine, skull, pelvis and femur.

Some Statistics  . . .

This disease affects about 2%-7% of people in Western Europe and North America who are of Northern European descent.  It usually affects people over the age of 55.   Asian or African descent are not usually affected.

Some helpful information  . . .

There are no known cures for Paget’s disease of the bone but there are some medications that can inhibit bone cell activity.  You should get regular exercise and make sure you take adequate daily amounts of calcium and Vitamin D.

In 1973, a British woman named Ann Stansfield founded Paget’s Association.  Her husband contracted the disease and she wanted to raise awareness.  The other goals of this UK charity is to get research funds and offer support to those with the disease.   

Private Home Health Care is thankful that this disease does not affect a lot of people but we believe it is important to share information.  There are those who must deal with it however and we believe knowledge is always better.  

Here is a link to the Paget’s Association:  https://paget.org.uk/

Worldle – A New Game

Private Home Health Care blogged about Worldle for words last year.  There is a new Worldle game that has become wildly popular.  

It’s called Worldle for Countries.  Instead of trying to guess a word, you have to guess the country shown.

Here’s how the game is played:

You can play this game in five languages:  English, Portuguese, Spanish (Espanol) and German (Deutsch).  You can play it on your phone, iPad or computer.

Each country in the game is a real country in the world. 

First, you are shown a black and white outline of the country.

You have five chances to guess the correct one.

When you enter the name of the country and make a guess you see green and orange tiles.  These tiles will tell you how geographically close your guess is to the actual country pictured.

You have to think about how close or far your guess is.  You’ll also know how far it is North, South, East or West.  It’s a great test for your brain!

Hmmm . . .

We wonder if you can guess the countries who play this game the best? It is based on the average number of guesses it takes people to complete the game.   It might be surprising to you:

#1 Sweden – average time to complete the puzzle – 3.72

#2 Switzerland – 3.78

#3 Poland – 3.79

Best score for an English speaking country is Australia and they are tied with Belgium with a score of 3.83.

Here is a link to the game if you’d like to try it:  https://worldle.online/ 

National Bean Day

On this National Bean Day we would like to celebrate the mighty beans and their health benefits.

There are so many different varieties of beans like soy, black beans, pinto and white beans.  In general, beans are a healthy option.  They are high in antioxidants, and they have a low glycemic index rating so they are good if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

In addition, beans have both soluble and insoluble fiber.  Soluble fiber helps with your digestive system.  Insoluble fiber shows positive signs of helping reduce the risk of some cancers and helping to reduce heart disease.  You can thank the phytonutrients found in beans for these.

You can add beans to so many recipes!  They are delicious in soups and salads.  You can use them to make black bean burgers and even black bean brownies.  Very tasty!

Private Home Health Care loves beans.  We especially like Boston baked beans.  They are easy to make and they carry lots of nutrients like plant protein, fiber, B vitamins and minerals.  

We have a homemade Boston baked beans recipe to share with you. They are easy to make and this recipe makes enough for a meal for many people.  Leftovers freeze great!

Here is the recipe:

2 lbs. White navy beans

2 tsp. Dried mustard

1 c. molasses (scant)

4 Tbsp. brown sugar (you can use Swerve brown sugar to reduce sugar)

Wash the beans and then soak them overnight in water.  In the morning, drain the beans and put new water in just to cover and cook them on the stove over medium heat.  When you can blow on a couple of beans and the skin starts to crack they are done.  

Place a small whole onion in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Pour in the beans.  Add the dried mustard, molasses and brown sugar.  Cover the beans with water so they are fully immersed.  Cook on high until there is steaming, then change to low.  Cook for approximately five hours, checking intermittently to be sure some water is always covering the beans.  

You can also cook these in a bean pot in the oven.  If you do, you’ll want to follow the bean post directions.

National Spaghetti Day

It’s National Spaghetti Day so time to bring out your favorite spaghetti and have a nice bowl for dinner!  You could have it with a nice red sauce, a pesto or a yummy alfredo sauce to name a few.

Did you know that we saw an estimate online that there were over 300 different types of pastas?  That’s just crazy right?  Spaghetti is one of those and within it there are many different types too.

It’s also unclear how the pasta came to be.  Did it start in China?  Did it start in Italy?   Who knows for sure but in the end does it really matter?  Pasta is a great option if you’d like to have a meatless meal.

Spaghetti is one of the simpler pastas to make because you simply roll and cut the dough.  We aren’t recommending you make it yourself but it’s one reason it is plentiful in stores.  

If you want to be extra healthy there are whole wheat spaghettis and also spaghetti made from chickpeas.  Both of these spaghetti are better for anyone dealing with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

There are stores that carry fresh pasta and while it might be a bit more expensive it is extra delicious.  Look for different sauces there too.

Whatever type of spaghetti you choose and whatever sauce, remember that you can always add vegetables to up the nutrition.  Let your creative side lead the way and eat the vegetables that you like.  Add a nice salad with a homemade dressing.  You’ll have a very nutritious and delicious mea.

Private Home Health Care says mangia!