If you suspect that an elderly person is at risk from a neglectful or overwhelmed caregiver, or being preyed upon financially, it’s important to speak up and stand up for them. Everyone deserves to live in safety, with dignity and respect. These guidelines can help you recognize the warning signs of elder abuse.
Neglect/Self Neglect:
-Lack of adequate food and water
-Dirty clothes and changes and hygiene
-Unusually messy home
-Lack of medical aids or medication
Financial Abuse:
-Basic needs not being met
-Bills not paid
-New credit cards and increased cash withdrawals
-Unusual purchases by caregiver
Physical abuse:
-Bruises, black eyes, and welts
-Broken bones, cuts, and sprains
-Sudden changes in behavior
-Caregiver refusal to leave elder or dependent adult alone
Mental abuse:
-Threatening significant physical harm
-Derogatory or inappropriate names, insults, profanity or ridicule
-Harassment, coercion, intimidation, humiliation
Sexual abuse:
-Unusual bruising on thighs, chest, or genitals
-Unexplained sexually transmitted diseases
-Unusual stains on clothing or sheets
-Withdrawn from social interaction or panic attacks
As older adults become more physically frail, they’re less able to take care of themselves, stand up to bullying, or fight back if attacked. Mental or physical ailments can make their lives more challenging. And they may not see or hear as well or think as clearly as they used to, leaving openings for bad people to take advantage of them.
If there are ANY suspicions of elder abuse, speak out IMMEDIATELY to social workers for the elderly, elder abuse advocate professionals, senior centers, or law enforcement.
Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Elder abuse is a heartbreaking, and very serious issue. At Private Home Health Care we are dedicated to raising awareness and fighting this injustice against older adults. Elder abuse is defined as an intentional act or failure to act that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult.
Types of elder abuse include:
-Physical abuse
-Financial abuse
-Emotional abuse
-Neglect
-Sexual abuse
Fortunately, Private Home Care’s founder and President, Mary Demakes, R.N. has for decades been a leader for advocating for seniors, including addressing elder abuse. She has dedicated her life to the well being of seniors, and has helped create legislation to ensure that. ‘Compassion is at the Heart of Our Care’ is the foundation of Private Home Care, and our full compassion extends not only to every one of our clients and their loved ones, but to older adults everywhere. We are proud to be leaders for the well-being of seniors on a local, region, national and world scale. We carefully hand-pick each and every one of our employees to maintain the highest standard to care and respect for each of our clients. We also provide training to our company and the public about how to identify, prevent, and seek help for elder abuse.
Thankfully there are people like Mary who are one the forefront of fighting elder abuse and protecting seniors. Elder abuse is an absolutely terrible act – everyone deserves to live in dignity and happiness, especially our seniors. If there are ANY suspicions that a senior is being abused or neglected, call the Massachusetts 24/7 elder abuse hotline (anonymously if you wish) at (800) 922-2275 or file an online report at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/report-elder-abuse. You can also contact a local senior services center or law enforcement. Your local senior services center can be found at https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx or by calling 1800-677-1116
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” —Thich Nhat Hanh
National Smile Power Day
Today is National Smile Power Day! This national day celebrates smiles and how they add happiness to the world and also make you happier! It is also scientifically proven that smiling is very beneficial for your physical, mental, and emotional health! Remember, when you smile the whole world smiles with you!
Falafel is a chickpea fritter that is very popular in the Middle East. It is a dish that is part of the Mediterranean diet (our favorite) and has made it’s way to the US as a delicious plant based, protein packed food!
Traditionally falafel is fried, but we prefer this baked falafel recipe that is just as delicious, but much healthier! It can be served in pita bread stuffed with other delicious goodies like hummus, techina, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled onions, spicy sauce, and more! It can also be eaten as part of a rice platter with vegetables.
This recipe is for fried falafel, but you can bake the falafel for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Private Home Health Care loves the Mediterranean diet! It has been scientifically proven to be the one of the healthiest diets in the world!
There are regional variations, but the foundation of the Mediterranean diet is vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans and whole grains. Meals are built around these plant-based foods. Moderate amounts of dairy, poultry and eggs are also central to the Mediterranean Diet, as is seafood. In contrast, red meat is eaten only occasionally. It has just the right amount of ‘good fats’ – like olive oil and avocados.
Loving Day is an annual celebration held on June 12, the anniversary of the 1967 United States Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which struck down all anti-miscegenation laws remaining in sixteen U.S. states. Because of this important ruling, now everyone can love each other and get married no matter their background, religion or race! Nothing should ever stop true love, and we celebrate that today!
Private Home Health Care’s philosophy is “Compassion is at the Heart of Our Care”. Compassion for all is an integral part of love, we practice that every day in our expert home care services for your loved ones.
How to observe National Loving Day: Tell your loved ones that you love them, and spread extra loving kindness into the world.
Happy National Loving Day from Private Home Health Care!
Today, June 12th, is National Loving Day! Go tell your friends, family, and partners that you love them! Love is the most powerful force on earth, practice love and kindness to everyone!
National Iced Tea Day on June 10th each year celebrates one of summer’s favorite drinks. Whether you prefer sweetened or unsweetened, with or without lemon, many love and enjoy ice tea by the glass full all summer long.
Creating your custom iced tea is as easy as adding a hint of flavor. Whether you add a squeeze of lemon or the juice of raspberries, lime, passion fruit, strawberry, or cherry, make your iced tea your way.
An alternative to carbonated soft drinks and quite popular in the United States, iced tea makes up about 85% of all tea consumes. Restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines, grocery stores, and self-serve soda fountains make finding iced tea easy and convenient.
From soothing stress to providing weird minerals you didn’t know you need, iced tea provides more than just a refreshing boost. While heavily sweetened iced tea can’t really be considered a health food, iced tea, in general, is fairly healthy. There has been much research done, and compelling conclusions that tea can reduce the risk of heart disease, and possibly help prevent a number of other health issues.
Whether black, green, white, or oolong, all teas do a body good. Here are a few of the ways in which they do so.
1.Keeps You Hydrated
Dehydration sucks, so to speak. Hydration is good. The Harvard School of Public Health lists teas as a great source of hydration. Despite the common myth that caffeine dehydrates the body, there is ample evidence that such is not the case
2. Boosts Your Antioxidants
Everything is all about the antioxidants these days, we can’t seem to escape the heaping of accolades on these plant compounds that fight cell-damaging free radicals in the body. But if they really prove to be as beneficial as science seems to think they are, then we should be focusing on getting them as frequently as possible. Tea is a great source of antioxidants with about eight to 10 times the polyphenol antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.
3. Better Alternative to Sugary Soda
A 12-ounce can of regular cola contains 39 grams of total sugar, which is about 9 1/2 teaspoons of sugar and 140 calories. Twelve ounces of unsweetened iced tea as 0 teaspoons of sugar and 2 calories.
4. May Help Your Teeth
Some research has shown that drinking tea may help prevent tooth loss; tea changes the pH in your mouth, which may prevent cavities. At the very least, it appears not to harm tooth enamel like some beverages do.
5. Could Fight Cancer
The Tea Association of the USA explains that more than 3,000 published research studies exist that evaluate the role tea and tea compounds, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), may play in cancers or various sites. The effects apply to a number of different cancers and are linked to varying degrees of significant success.
6. Chills the Nerves
A British study found that people who drank tea were able to de-stress more quickly than those who didn’t. As well, during the study the tea drinkers had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their body after a stressful event as compared with a control group who drank a placebo.
7. It Helps Your Heart
A comprehensive review study found nearly 20 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack and a 35 percent reduced risk of stroke among those who drank one to three cups of green tea daily.
Brew and enjoy a glass of iced tea with friends. With so many ways to brew iced tea, it’s become more convenient than ever, too. Create your favorite flavors by adding mint, lemon or fruit. Enjoy a drink during lunch at your favorite restaurant. While enjoying your iced tea, be sure to share on social media using #NationalIcedTeaDay.
Men’s Health Week was instated to encourage men to take better care of their health. Unfortunately, on average men die five years younger than women, and die at higher rates from nine of the top 10 causes of death. This includes preventable conditions such as heart attack, heart disease, and stroke, which occur at higher rates in men. Men are also less likely than women to be insured. All of this impacts their health and their ability to be involved fathers, supportive partners, and engaged community members.
“One of the reasons why men don’t pay attention to prevention for health issues is because they [are stubborn – just kidding] – because success in prevention is when nothing happens – you don’t see the heart attack or cancer that you prevented.”
**Prevention does not only prevent the risk of chronic diseases long term, but can improve quality of life immediately**
But, when something happens they tend to pay attention and realize that they need to bolster their efforts for better health. The good news is that there are many simple and easy habits to improve your health!
Mayo Clinic Dr. Donald Hensrud explains that one reason why men may not appreciate preventative health care is because women tend to see their healthcare provider more often, and at a younger age for routine examinations.
Men – follow women’s lead and embrace preventative health!
June 10-16 is National Men’s Health Week – the week leading up to Father’s Day. What better way to celebrate dad than to encourage him to take care of his health? The week is all about healthy bodies, plenty of exercise, good diet, and regular visits to the doctor.
It’s part of Men’s Health Month, and it is celebrated worldwide every June. It is a month-long recognition of men’s health with activities and events to remind men to take care of their bodies. So whether you are a man or just love them, take some time this week to celebrate the male form and keep it in tip-top shape! Help the men in your life that you love by helping them to prioritize their health, even if they may be stubborn about it! 🙂
We are now living in unprecedented times, and may be more likely to go on a food binge. Maybe you ate almost a whole loaf of chocolate chip and banana bread and feel like a bloated slug.
HOWEVER, not all is lost! Here is what you should do after a food binge.
-Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate with water! It helps flush out your system and makes you feel better and less sluggish.
-Go for a walk! Going for a walk right after you’ve overeaten can help you clear your mind and will make your body feel better, too. Walking has been shown to help accelerate stomach emptying, which may relieve uncomfortable feelings of fullness or bloating caused by overeating. It can also help burn some of the extra calories that you might have consumed during a binge
-Don’t beat yourself up! Going on a food binge happens to everyone at some point, and it is understandable when we are living in different times and people may be stressed.
-Take vitamins! Your body may need extra nutrients to process the extra food, and it is likely that the food you ate was not fully nutritionally sound. Taking a supplement like JuicePlus after a binge can really help!
-Eat a healthy breakfast! While it may be tempting to skimp on breakfast or lunch the day after overeating, starting your day with a healthy meal can actually help you get back on track. Not only does it allow you to start fresh after getting a good night’s sleep, but it can also help you get right back into your routine, stabilize blood sugar, and make healthier choices throughout the day.
-Fill up on veggies! Loading up on veggies post-binge is another effective strategy to help prevent overeating. Vegetables are high in fiber, which moves slowly through the gastrointestinal tract undigested, helping promote feelings of fullness
Lastly, the best way to deal with a food binge is to prevent it before it starts. Make sure to eat regular, healthy meals and stay hydrated. People are much more likely to overeat when they are overly hungry or confuse thirst with hunger.
