Snow, Snow and More Snow

This winter has been full of snow.  You’ve had to clear light snow but a lot of it, then less snow with a bit more moisture and now LOTS of snow that’s wet and heavy to shovel.

Private Home Health Care is hunkered down and waiting for the blowing snow to slow down and stop.  We hope you are all doing the same thing.

In Massachusetts, the brunt of the storm seems to have hit the South Shore and there are a number of downed trees and power outages.

In the North Shore, the wind continues to blow with wet snow clinging to windows which makes it impossible for you to see outside.

Local stations are predicting that the storm will continue all day.

They are recommending trying to clear snow twice, between 2-3pm and then again between 8 and 10pm.

Schools, banks and businesses are closed.  Essential workers are hopefully safe in their hospitals and work places.

Private Home Health Care is happy that our clients are safe with their families and we hope that you all stay home if you are able and stay safe and warm.

We can all get through this and pray to have the wind and snow calm down and bring us a new clear day tomorrow.  Stay safe!

Winter Olympics

As the 2026 Winter Olympics come to their closing days we are thinking about the impact the games have on people.

It is estimated that 25.7 million Americans have been watching each day.  If you are home you can see events live.  

For those of you working the network shows key events again or you can see it on a streaming service to catch up.

The Olympians themselves are amazing, especially those who dedicate their lives to training for an event.  

The strength of the human body is really on display during the Olympics.  Eating and sleeping well, exercising and practicing a craft.  

The athletes do all the things that you should be doing to an incredible and amazing point.

You see lots of pride from the athletes for their home countries.  Large and small countries are represented at the games.

The Olympics bring people together, bring patriotic pride and showcase athletic abilities at their strongest.  

We applaud the winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals but we also offer our best wishes and laud all those who complete in the games.

Whether it’s a team sport or individual, everyone goes in hoping for a top spot but only a few achieve it.  

Everyone should hold their head high because they were an Olympian in 2026 and only a small group of people can say that.

Private Home Health Care is proud of everyone participating and we appreciate the dedication and spectacular demonstration of excellence in sports.

Iwo Jima Day

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima.  It is a day to commemorate all those lost in the battle.

What can we say about the battle?

Iwo Jima (now known as Iwo To) was a remote island of Japan.  

The battle was waged after the attack at Pearl Harbor and the goal was to have a launch and land location for potential strategic military tasks.

It was from 2/19/45 to 3/26/45, 36 days and 35 nights.  The Marines were the ones tasked with the job.

The battle is known as one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.  Casualties on both sides were great.

Americans had over 19,000 wounded and 6,800 lost in battle.  The Japanese lost 18,000 men.

This was the first time that our fighting had happened on Japanese soil.

There are not many veterans left from this war.  At last count was only about three or four.  One survivor is named Don Graves, 99 years old.

He would have been 19 at the time of the battle.  Of his Marine Company D, 335 men went on the mission.  Only 18 survived.

This story can be told of many of the Marine companies who fought that battle.

World War II was a long war fighting evil that was spreading in the world.  The battle of Iwo Jima is just one of those battles but one that should be remembered for eternity.

Private Home Health Care honors and remembers those brave men who served in Iwo Jima, those who returned and those who did not.  On this day let us all take time to remember and commemorate. 

Cabbage

How do you feel about eating cabbage?  Are you a fan or does the look and taste of it not appeal to you?

Cabbage has been around for thousands of years and a staple in many households around the world.  

Different forms include bok choy, brussel sprouts, green (cannonball) cabbage, January King cabbage with pink and green leaves, napa cabbage, red and savoy cabbage.  

Quite the variety to choose from if you want to add goodness to your health.

Cabbage has Vitamins C and K, fiber and a small amount of protein.  It’s also rich in potassium.

Eating cabbage regularly can do wonders for your body.

• It helps to fight inflammation.
• Keeps you strong by boosting your immune system.
• Adds bulk to your meals and helps your digestive system.
• Helping with inflammation reduces risk of heart disease.
• Potassium aids in lowering your blood pressure.
• The fiber and plant sterols work to reduce your bad cholesterol.
• High amounts of vitamin K maintains bone health and helps with blood clotting.

There can be times when flatulence can be an issue with too much cabbage added to your diet.  It’s important to moderate intake if that happens to you.

Private Home Health Care loves to eat cabbage in coleslaw, sauerkraut, as cabbage cups with a turkey filling on the inside or of course in a boiled dinner.

Give cabbage a try and experiment a bit to find one that you and your family enjoy!

Valentine’s Day Around the World

For those of you who live in the United States, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

Children love Valentine’s Day and today all different types of valentines would have been passed out in schools.  

A valentine and a candy heart can still be found but so can squishies, paints, pop its and much more.  It all depends on where you live and how you celebrate.

For you grown ups, flowers, candy and dinner reservations are probably on order.  A Valentine’s Day on a Saturday is perfect for all of that.

Private Home Health Care hopes that everyone has a Happy Valentine’s Day.  

We found some interesting ways that people in other countries celebrate.  We hope you enjoy learning about these other traditions.

In Europe, Germany celebrates with a pig.  Pork is loved there so on Valentine’s Day you’ll see cartoons about pigs and you’re like to get a chocolate pig for a gift.

Wales celebrates a day of love and happiness in January.  A beautiful decoratively carved spoon is the gift.  

These spoons are so popular they are given out at weddings and anniversaries too.

Travel to Scandinavia and look for lighthearted funny notes written by the men and ending in ellipses.  

The women who guess their “Secret Admirer” correctly get an Easter Egg on Easter Sunday.

Faraway in Japan and South Korea it’s a longer process:

February 14 the women give chocolate to the men.

March 14 is White Day.  Men give white chocolate, flowers and candy to women

April 14 is Black Day.  Single people gather together and eat black bean noodles.

Finally, in South Africa women wear their hearts on a sleeve, literally.  A woman actually makes a heart with the name of their love interest and sews it on to their sleeve.

Who knew of all the different traditions of celebrating love and happiness.  Time for everyone across the world to take time to be with people we care about. 

National Shut-in Visitation Day

Today is a day that focuses on those people who are housebound or “shut-in” to their homes.

The elderly are a group of people that you think about but it’s not just them.  You can find yourself shut-in and unable to get out of the house for many reasons.

You may have physical disabilities. You might not drive anymore.  It could also be caused by mental or emotional issues as well.

Living alone and never going out can be very limiting.  Loneliness can set in.

Loneliness can make you feel gloomy and disconnected which can lead to depression.

The goal of this day is to remind us that there are shut-ins and that it’s important to their mental and physical health to get human contact.

You may know a family member or friend.  There are also organizations that can help locate someone.  We’ll list some at the end of the blog.

During a visit you might watch a favorite movie or show, play a board or card game, do a little cooking or just simply have a conversation.  

A person to talk to may be just what is needed.  You could get some smiles and laughs!

Private Home Health Care works with many people who live alone and cannot get out.  Our nurses take time to spread warmth and camaraderie.  It can make a big difference.

Some options if you are interested in finding people to visit:

• Local churches
• Council on Aging organizations
• Senior Community Services in towns
• AARP

Winning and Losing

In case you hadn’t heard the NFL’s 60th Super Bowl was last night.  It is quite the spectacle with flyovers and halftime performances and of course a football game.

We here in New England were hopeful that our New England Patriots would prevail but it wasn’t to be.  The Seattle Seahawks won their third Super Bowl of the team’s beginning.

This has us thinking today about winning and losing.  You run into these two opposites all through your life.

You win some, you lose some as the old adage goes.

When you win at something it’s a great feeling, isn’t it?  You can be on top of the world depending on what it is.

There are big wins and little wins and at times the little wins can be more rewarding.

On the flip side, when you lose it can really take you down.  You might think about what you could have done differently.  

Maybe you should have prepared better or thought things through and come up with another plan.  Again, there are big losses and little losses.

Both big and little can feel that same sometimes.

Life is full of ups and downs,  managing them is the part that can get tricky.  Hopefully the small wins and losses don’t overwhelm.

The big ones, especially the losses can get you to think a lot and can start some people into a depression.

It feels like we all need to keep breathing and try to manage the good and bad as best we can.  Friends and family can be helpful and professionals are available if things begin to overwhelm.

Private Home Health Care wishes that each of you are filled with wins and that when the losses come you are able to feel supported to manage them successfully.  A new day always dawns.

Happy Birthday!

During this month of Black History we celebrate the birth of Rosa Parks. 

Rosa (McCauley) Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913.  She lived a long life passing away at age 92 on October 24, 2005.

Having grown up in the South, Rosa experienced racism in many different ways.  

When she married at 19, her husband was a civil rights activist.  She also became a member of the NAACP which had been operating since 1909.

She is often called the “mother of the civil rights movement”  after her first act of refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man in 1955.

She was fined but refused to pay.  The Montgomery chapter president, ED Nixon offered to help her fight the conviction.  The goal was to generate outrage nationwide.

The Montgomery bus boycott was the centerpiece led by Dr. Martin Luther King.  The boycott lasted 381 and started protests all over the country.

In November of 1956, the US Supreme Court pronounced that the Montgomery segregated buses were unconstitutional and that buses must be integrated.

Rosa and her stance were the beginning of this decision and helped spark a national civil rights movement.

Private Home Health Care celebrates the birthday of this strong black woman who said no on a bus in Alabama to bring about change.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a very difficult form of arthritis.  

Osteoarthritis causes damage to your joints from overuse.  Rheumatoid is when your immune system attacks your bodies’ tissues by mistake.

It causes pain, swelling and inflammation like regular arthritis but it can do additional damage.  It can damage your heart and blood vessels as well.

In the US, arthritis appears in about 18.9% of the population.  Of that population about 1% have rheumatoid arthritis.

That is a smaller amount but if you are one of the 1% you have a lot to manage.  It is considered an autoimmune condition.

An autoimmune condition can be more challenging because the symptoms can be unpredictable and therefore hard to manage.

There is currently no cure for rheumatoid arthritis.  Early diagnosis and treatment is key to helping manage and alleviate symptoms.  

There are times when you can go into remission which is always the goal.  It is very important to be monitored by a medical professional.

Options for managing the condition:

Advil, motrin and aleve.  NSAIDs which are anti-inflammatory medications without a prescription.

Steroids – corticosteroid medicines like prednisone.  You cannot stay on this indefinitely but it could ease pain and hopefully put you in remission.

DMARDs – to slow progression.  

Conventional: Drug names include Trexall, Arava, Plaquenil, Azulfidine.

Biologic: Humira, Orencia, Simponi

Targeted Synthetic: Olumiant, Xeljanz, Rinvoq  (when the others have not worked)

Private Home Health Care understands how difficult a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis can be. Keeping a positive outlook and managing symptoms go hand in hand.

Brussel Sprouts

Saturday is all about brussel sprouts.  You know there is a national day for many things and it turns out that tomorrow is National Brussel Sprouts Day.

You may be someone who hasn’t ever had a brussel sprout.  You might often feel that it’s not your favorite vegetable.

Let’s see if we can convince you to try them and better yet, add them to your list of vegetables that you often eat.  They are a powerhouse of goodness.

Helps to control blood sugar levels

Brussel sprouts are very high in fiber which helps to break down carbohydrates and slows digestion which keeps glucose from spiking.

Full of antioxidants

This vegetable is full of antioxidants to help protect your cells from nasty free radicals.

Supports gut health

The fiber not only helps with blood sugar but it aids your digestive tract too.

Facilitates iron absorption

Brussel sprouts pack a punch in Vitamin C.  Vitamin C helps with absorbing plant-derived iron, not so easy for your body to absorb.

Aids with Blood Clotting

Your body needs Vitamin K for blood clotting and brussel sprouts are a rich source of Vitamin K.

These are just a few of the benefits of adding brussel sprouts to your diet. How can you prepare them after you buy them at the grocery store?

• Roast them in the oven.  Add spices or olive oil and salt.
• Steam them on the stovetop.  Serve them as a side dish.
• Grill them.  Be sure to steam them a bit first to keep their texture.
• Stir-fry them.  Check how to prep them for this.

Private Home Health Care adds brussel sprouts to our grocery list often.  We love all the nutrients and the delicious flavors!