Heimlich Maneuver – A Life Saver

The Heimlich Maneuver is lifesaving, here are the steps. It is important to remember that the Heimlich Maneuver needs to be preformed differently on different people for safety reasons and require alternate methods This includes infants (under 1 years old), pregnant women, and performing it on yourself.

Standard Heimlich Maneuver:

Determine whether you need to perform abdominal thrusts. If a person who appears to be choking is conscious and coughing, they may be able to dislodge the object on their own. Administer first aid if the person is:

-not coughing
-unable to speak or breathe
-signaling for help, typically by holding their hands around their throat

First, if there’s a bystander, have them call 911 (or your local emergency phone number) for emergency help. If you’re the only person present, begin first aid treatment:

1. Get the person to stand up.
2. Position yourself behind the person.
3. Lean the person forward and give five blows to their back with the heel of your hand.
4. Place your arms around their waist.
5. Make a fist and place it just above the navel, thumb side in.
6. Grab the fist with your other hand and push it inward and upward at the same time. Perform five of these abdominal thrusts.
7. Repeat until the object is expelled and the person can breathe or cough on their own.

Alternatively, if the person can’t stand up, straddle their waist, facing their head. Push your fist inward and upward in the same manner as you would if they were standing.

Video demonstration by a registered nurse (also named Mary 🙂 )

National Say Something Nice Day: How to Spread Positivity

On National Say Something Nice Day we have an opportunity to make June 1st extra pleasant for everyone. The purpose of this holiday is to counteract bullying and the lack of civility and common courtesy that is growing among people in today’s world. Hopefully, the practice of saying something nice today will continue into all tomorrows.

This day is about more than saying nice things to others, it is about genuinely listening to others and tending to put others first. Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

There are different ways to practice kindness. One way to be kind is to open your eyes and be active when you see people in need. Do you notice when people could use a helping hand? A sense of community is created when people are kind to those who need help.

Opening your eyes means noticing when others are suffering. A kind word, a smile, opening a door, or helping carry a heavy load can all be acts of kindness. Celebrating someone you love, giving honest compliments, sending an email thanking someone, telling someone how s/he is special to you, helping an elderly neighbor with yard work or food, taking a photo of someone and sending it to the person, sharing homemade food, refusing to gossip, and donating old clothing and things you don’t need are all ideas about how to practice kindness. 

Kindness is a spark from a match that creates a fire within a forest of anger, selfishness, and cruelty. Kindness can burn through all of those things. In dark times, kindness can be a light to make bleaker things brighter.

We currently live in distressing times where so many people seem polarized and are quick to express their outrage and disdain for others. Our country’s politics have certainly reinforced this way of behaving towards others. People seem to have strong opinions and they are not shy about expressing them with vigor. However, regardless of one’s point of view, refusing to treat others with respect and civility become a toxic virus that can spread easily.

Being nice matters, and perhaps now more than ever. Focusing on being nice is important but seems very hard to do in current times. First, try and accommodate others by putting yourself in their shoes to better understand appreciate, and connect with their experience of the world. Second, approaching conversations with humility and acknowledging that you may not have all the answers can help you be kind. And finally, expect goodness in others, anticipating them to ultimately want to work towards the common good with good intentions. If we try to embrace accommodation, humility, and goodness in our interactions with others, being nice will quickly follow.

Give kindness a chance. Let’s bring it back in fashion. We need it! And perhaps it can act like a positive and healthy virus that will spread far and wide in our currently toxic environment.

National Say Something Nice Day!

Today is National Say Something Nice Day! Private Home Care loves to promote kindness and positivity, and saying something nice is a great way to practice that!

Watch this video of a ‘say something nice’ experiment in New York City. It is impossible not to smile watching it!

It only takes a moment and does not cost anything to say something nice, but it can make someone’s day! It also brings joy to the person saying something nice, and it makes you beautiful inside and out!

Special Benefit of Tai Chi and Qi Gong – Fall Prevention!

Private Home Care is an expert source for fall prevention and provides educates about it. Qi gong (CHEE-gung) and Tai Chi are an incredible tool for fall prevention.

Many older adults start practicing tai chi and qi gong after a fall. Tai Chi and Qi Gong not only help strengthen the body and provide flexibility, but importantly they help build confidence and overcome the fear of falling! The fear of falling can actually be a contributing factor in provoking additional falls. The gentle physical activity from Tai Chi and Qi Gong, meditative aspects and overcoming the fear of falling are all terrific for boosting physical and mental health for older adults, and anyone!

Top Exercise for Older Adults: Qi Gong

Science has long proven that there are many mental health benefits from physical fitness. Private Home Care wants to discuss a special kind of exercise that integrates both and can be particularly beneficial for older adults. It is called Qi gong (chee-gung).

What in the world is Qi gong?!

Qi gong (pronounced CHEE-gung) is an ancient Chinese practice that combines gentle and slow deliberate movements, hand-eye coordination, meditation, and breathing exercises. It is even more gentle than yoga.

The moving meditation is a very low-impact exercise that puts minimal stress on joints and muscles. The routines were not designed to burn calories or raise your heart rate. Instead, qi gong is a martial art that can help your circulation, flexibility, balance, and alignment, as well as restore energy. With a focus on breathing and mindfulness, qi gong is wonderful for your mental health!

When you do qi gong,you are building strength and flexbility in a subtle way. Your body weight is all you need. It’s not about powering through muscular poses, but about engaging your whole body through slow movement and breath.

The postures flow together, making qi gong look like a slow, graceful dance that keep your body in motion. Qi gong is available to every level of accessibility, it can be done standing, sitting, or lying down. It is very flexible – you can take a class or do the exercises outdoors, on your own, with a group or at home. You can benefit from practicing qi gong for 2 minutes or 62 minutes – there is no time limit!

Mental Health, Coping, and COVID

Feeling a little more blue lately? Snapped at your partner without meaning to because you were feeling a bit more irritable than usual? Many people are experiencing this, you are not alone!

This is ok and is not your fault! We are in an unprecedented situation with extra stresses on our mental health.

Private Home Care hopes that this video can help you understand what may be going on with yourself and try to improve mental health.

COVID Mental Health Distress and Suicide

Private Health Care consistently emphasizes the importance of mental health, especially this month during Mental Health Awareness Month.

A sad consequence of COVID, lockdown and social distancing has been the toll on people’s mental health.

Unfortunately, there has been a rise in suicides that are attributed to mental health struggles stemming from COVID. Increased levels of anxiety, depression, isolation, and stress can impact those particularly with pre-existing mental health conditions.

It is heartbreaking to face that there has also been a rise in suicide among minors. Let’s spread awareness of this tragedy and hopefully prevent others from suffering.