Respiratory Care Week

Breathe easy – it is Respiratory Care Week! Respiratory Care Week (October 25-31st) is a full week that is set aside each year in order to appreciate and acknowledge hard-working Respiratory Therapists around the world. It began in 1982 when President Ronald signed a proclamation declaring the third week of each October as National Respiratory Care Week. Respiratory Care Week is now a yearly event that is designed to promote and bring awareness to the field of Respiratory Care!

According to the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), “Respiratory Care is the health care discipline that specializes in the promotion of optimum cardiopulmonary function and health and wellness. “ As part of this work, respiratory therapists diagnose, manage and work to control illnesses affecting the lungs.

Typically, Respiratory Care Week is celebrated in all parts of the world, and is most notably recognized in the United States and Canada. Respiratory Therapists around the world use Respiratory Care Week as a way to celebrate their profession and dedication to high-quality patient care. Respiratory Care Week not only focuses on efforts to reduce disabling lung conditions like asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) but the week is also devoted to panel discussions and special events to help raise public awareness about what they can do to reduce lung conditions and illness.

Private Home Care extends a big thank you to Respiratory Care professionals who help take care of our breathing and lungs!

Healthy Vision and Aging

More about World Blindness Month:

Some age-related visual impairment is genetic (if your parents wore glasses as they aged, then you are likely to need them as well), but some is environmental and is determined by your lifestyle. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision loss in adults over age 50. Macular Degeneration is an eye disease affecting the macula (the center of the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye), causing loss of central vision. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1.8 million people have AMD and another 7.3 million are at substantial risk for vision loss from AMD. This eye disease occurs when there are changes to the macula, a small portion of the retina that is located on the inside back layer of the eye. In its early stages, the following signs of macular degeneration can go unnoticed: gradual loss of ability to see objects clearly, the shape of objects appearing distorted, straight lines look wavy or crooked, loss of clear color vision, dark or empty area in the center of vision. In it’s more advanced stages, Age-Related Macular Degeneration can lead to severe vision impairment or blindness. Causes and risk factors include heredity. UV light exposure, smoking, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise.

While there is no specific treatment for dry AMD, studies have shown a potential benefit from vitamin supplements, a Mediterranean diet, protection from the ultraviolet light of the sun and cessation of smoking. AMD is linked to oxidative stress, autophagy decline and inflammation. Research has revealed that the polyphenol (a plant-based compound) abundant in the Mediterranean diet is responsible for lowering inflammation. This confirms what Private Home Care knows – the Mediterranean Diet is at it again! There’s no substitute for the quality of life good vision offers. Adding certain nutrients to a diet every day—either through foods or supplements—can help save the patient’s vision. A large clinical study linked lutein and zeaxanthin, omega 3, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc to reducing the risk of AMD. Some foods in particular are important for eye health and preventing AMD, like green, leafy veggies, oily fish, and eggs.

National Check Your Meds Day

Tomorrow, October 21st is National Check Your Meds Day.

This is a time to bring your prescription medications and other pills to your pharmacist or physician for a comprehensive review. Many patients have prescriptions from multiple providers and each drug has a different dose and needs to be taken at different times. It can be difficult to keep it all organized. Having a provider review your prescription and non-prescription drugs can be helpful and even important to your safety. These reviews are often called “brown-bag reviews” because most individuals will toss all their medications and supplements into a brown bag and take it with them to their doctor’s office or pharmacy.

Medication reviews can greatly improve patient safety by catching errors made in the prescribing and/or dispensing of the medications. The review also gives providers an opportunity to determine whether the patient still needs each medication or if the dosage is correct. Another good thing about medication reviews is that they can also catch miscommunication between providers and eliminate duplicate prescriptions. National Check Your Meds Day is particularly important for patients with multiple health conditions taking multiple drugs from several providers.

The pharmacist or physician will review:

-That your prescription drugs are correct

-That your dosage is correct

-That you are taking the drug correctly

-That the medication has not expired

-Check your supplements, vitamins, and other over-the-counters

-Answer any questions

Many providers offer electronic record systems, such as “My Chart”, that allow you to log in through the internet and update your over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and other supplements. These electronic systems also let you view your prescriptions, send refill requests, and email questions to your provider. When you have multiple health conditions with multiple doctors, these electronic systems are a good way to update your providers when your health status changes or when prescriptions change.

In honor of National Check Your Meds Day, Private Home Care encourages you to bring your medications to your pharmacy or doctors office for a review. This review can not only be helpful, but important to your health.

National Health Education Month

October 19-23rd is National Health Education Week. At Private Home Care, we are passionate about health education and promoting wellness. We are proud to incorporate health education in caregiving, as well as via social media and hosting community events and lectures. The purpose of National Health Education Week is to improve the health status of people, communities, and the nation. Healthcare professionals and educators work to strengthen the quality of life for all individuals and reduce premature deaths and disabilities. Health education specifically focuses on prevention, which is a major factor for reducing the risk of developing chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Private Home Care loves to educate about nutrition and healthy diets. We cannot overstate the importance of a healthy diet. All disease starts with inflammation, and a healthy diet such as the Mediterranean Diet can help decrease inflammation in the body. Exercising regularly is also vital for health, and PHC has provided community education about tai chi, particularly for benefits that it can provide seniors, like fall and injury prevention.

Created in 1995, National Health Education Week has worked to raise awareness of the importance of health education specialists and their contribution to consumer wellness as well as educate the next generation of students. People in this profession provide knowledge, skills, and training to complement health providers, policy makers, human resource personnel, educators, and other professionals that impact human wellness. Without this subject being taught by education specialists, members of omitted communities may be negatively affected. Private Home Care believes that everyone has the right to wellness and a healthy life. Living a healthy lifestyle increases the likelihood of living a long, high quality life. We are proud to have held public events for the community about subjects like healthy aging and brain health to spread awareness and help encourage people to make healthy choices.

The three main goals of National Health Education Week are:

-To train and educate the public on health issues and where to access information.

-To increase awareness of health education and health literacy across the country and empower individuals to get involved in their personal care.

-To provide support and resources for health education specialists and other health education professionals.

National Dental Hygiene Month

Private Home Care is glad to announce that October is National Dental Hygiene Month! This month is dedicated to promoting healthy mouths all across the country, and celebrating the hard work your favorite dental hygienist or dentist does to keep your pearly whites squeaky clean. Dental hygiene is simple, and regular small habits can go a long way. It is as simple as 1-2-3: floss, brush for two minutes, and rinse with mouthwash twice a day. Dentists also recommend chewing sugar free gum to keep your mouth and teeth nice and healthy.

While sometimes overlooked, oral hygiene is key to overall health and wellness. There is no pain quite like a toothache (ouch!), and others can be impacted by your level of care for your teeth – no one likes bad breath!. Dental hygiene can be critical and even life saving. If it is neglected, plaque from food residue can build up around teeth and gums. That plaque, along with sugars, are acidic to your teeth and gums and start to break them down, which is how cavities and gum disease forms. If the tissue underneath the teeth gets infected, it can cause a dangerous blood infection that can travel throughout the whole body. When this happens it is life threatening and it can even result in death.

Oral health is serious for more vulnerable populations like seniors. As our bodies age, our teeth break down over the years. During later years, people are more prone to tooth infections that have built up, and because of their age, may take longer to heal. That is why a lifetime practice of proper dental hygiene is important. There are a number of things that dentists notice with their patients that can help them achieve optimum dental health:

-Floss! Flossing is imperative for getting rid of debris between teeth and stuck in gums. It also provides a little ‘massage’ for gums and keeps the blood stimulated and healthy. There are so many different ways to floss with traditional floss, mini plastic flossers, water flossers, etc., that there is a good option for everyone.

-Don’t brush too hard! Many people think that if they brush harder, it will clean their teeth better. This is damaging to the enamel and gums, and wears down the teeth, as well as increases sensitivity. Make sure to use a soft bristle and brush in gentle circles.

-Two whole minutes! Sometimes when we are in a rush, we do not brush for long enough. Taking the extra time to brush your teeth properly makes a world of difference (ask any dentist). A good way to ensure this is to use an electric toothbrush that is timed. Don’t forget to brush your tongue!

Ironically, National Dental Hygiene Month is during the same month as candy-centric Halloween (or is this on purpose?). Diet plays a large role in oral health. Eating a diet heavy in sugar, processed foods, salt, and fat is not tooth-friendly. Anyone with a sweeth tooth can tell you that their trips to the dentist are not fun, as sugar helps cause tooth cavities. This is especially so when proper dental hygiene is not practiced. A diet that is low in sugar, such as the Mediterranean Diet, is ideal for oral health. The Mediterranean Diet is rich in fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean meats, dairy, and healthy fats. A nice addition that supports oral health is coconut! Coconut has natural antibacterial and enamel-strengthening properties that bolster oral health!

In honor of National Dental Hygiene Month, Private Home Care encourages you to call and schedule an appointment with your dentist for a cleaning! You can also celebrate by buying a new toothbrush or eating more coconut!

National Long Term Care Planning Month

October is National Long Term Care Planning Month. It was established to remind people to plan properly for their later years or on behalf of a loved one. While no one can predict the future, Long Term Care Planning Month provides an opportunity to explore the options available should the time arise when the services would be needed. Private Home Care provides exceptional caregiving for seniors, and our clients stand that choosing PHC was sincerely the best choice for long term care. For National Long Term Care Planning Month, it is important to anticipate what your or your loved one’s needs may be.

Take the time to familiarize yourself or loved ones with what caregiving may entail. Long-term care involves a variety of services designed to meet a person’s health or personal care needs during a short or long period of time. These services help people live as independently and safely as possible when they can no longer perform everyday activities on their own. This includes assistance with activities of daily living (ADL’s), support for cognitive decline, medication management, companionship, and more. Private Home Care has over 30 years of experience providing personalized care and pride ourselves on our flexibility and dedication to meet individual needs and preferences. We invite you to inquire with us today about how we can best work with you and your loved ones to create a successful long term care plan.

Aging in place is the most comfortable, familiar, and dignified manner of living for the elderly. Private Home Care provides highly skilled caregiving in order to support healthy aging in place. It has been proven time and again that aging in place is the healthiest option for seniors for nearly all measurements of health. This is proven to help slow advancement of memory loss in part due to routine and familiarity, which helps trigger memory. Smell is one of the most powerful memory facilitators for example, and studies have shown that in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, smells increase memory recall. Staying in your own home helps ensure familiar sights, sounds, and smells to help keep you connected cognitively.

Also, because of the increased network connection and being able to maintain your current social network that comes with staying in your home and community, cognitive decline can be slowed. In fact, a study found that seniors with frequent social activity and participation enjoyed a 70% reduction in cognitive decline compared to seniors who were more isolated.

Private Home Care encourages people to learn more about senior care and establish the right later in life plans for Long Term Care Planning Month. Private Home Care has a wealth of knowledge about long term care planning and can help you understand how we can best help your loved ones. We are proud that our experienced care providers blend human touch with professionalism creating a warm, comfortable and memorable experience. Trust Private Home Care and no one else to provide the best care possible.

More About Chocolate’s Health Benefits!

Private Home Care is glad to share more about dark chocolate in honor of National Chocolate Cupcake Day!

Chocolate supports brain health! One study of healthy volunteers showed that eating high-flavanol cocoa for five days improved blood flow to the brain. That, coupled with antioxidant properties, has shown to significantly improve cognitive function in elderly people with cognitive impairment. Additionally, cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which can provide short term help with memory and focus. Improvements in brain health may be due to the high levels of flavonoids in dark chocolate, which in the long term has found to have accumulated in regions of the brain responsible for learning and memory.

Science officially supports what we have known all along – dark chocolate is a mood booster! Research has shown chocolate stimulates neural activity in areas of the brain associated with pleasure and reward, which in turn decreases stress and improves your mood.

Improves skin- The bioactive compounds in dark chocolate may also be great for your skin. The flavonols in cocoa can protect against sun damage, improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration. The minimal erythemal dose (MED) is the minimum amount of UVB rays required to cause redness in the skin 24 hours after exposure. In one study of 30 people, the MED more than doubled after consuming dark chocolate high in flavanols for 12 weeks. Before going on vacation to a sunny place, have some dark chocolate for a while beforehand (in moderation of course!).

Private Home Care encourages consuming dark chocolate in a healthy way! Check out this healthy chocolate cupcake recipe! We like this one because it uses oat flour (which is high in fiber and makes it gluten free), protein added from eggs, coconut sugar instead of refined sugar, and coconut oil instead of butter. Each cupcake only has 167 calories!

National Chocolate Cupcake Day

It is National Chocolate Cupcake Day! Who doesn’t love chocolate cupcakes?! Private Home Care is happy to share that the best part about this treat is that there are many health benefits of eating dark chocolate! 

Dark chocolate is packed with nutrients and rich in antioxidants. The darker the chocolate the better, but any 70 percent dark chocolate or higher contains antioxidants, fiber, potassium, calcium, copper, and magnesium. The fatty acid profile of cocoa and dark chocolate is considered excellent by dieticians. Fatty acids play an important role in cell functioning. The fats are mostly saturated and monounsaturated, with small amounts of polyunsaturated fat. In other words, chocolate boasts ‘good’ fats – the cocoa butter that makes up chocolate contains oleic acid, which is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.

Chocolate is good for the heart – Indulging in dark chocolate on a regular basis may reduce the risk of heart disease. Studies found that people who ate dark chocolate more than five times a week reduced their risk of heart disease by 57 percent. Researchers hypothesize it’s the flavonoids in dark chocolate that maintain heart health by lowering blood pressure. These chemicals help produce nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to relax, improves blood flow to the brain and heart, and makes blood platelets less sticky and able to clot. 

Dark chocolate also helps protect against important risk factors for heart disease because it raises ‘good’ and lowers ‘bad’ cholesterol. Cocoa powder has been found to significantly decrease oxidized LDL cholesterol in men. Oxidized LDL means that the LDL (“bad” cholesterol) has reacted with free radicals, and is capable of damaging other tissues such as the lining of arteries in the heart. It also increased HDL (“good” cholesterol) and lowered total LDL for those with high cholesterol. It makes sense that cocoa lowers oxidized LDL. The abundance of powerful antioxidants found in dark chocolate that when in the bloodstream, they protect lipoproteins against oxidative damage. Also, dark chocolate can also reduce insulin resistance, which is another common risk factor for many diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Insulin resistance is in part thought to be caused by oxidative damage from free radicals, and the antioxidants in cocoa combat that!