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Mindfulness For Mental Health Awareness Month!

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 19, 2020

If you are struggling with mental health challenges or just trying to manage every day stress, mindfulness and gratitude are great tools to use. They are simple, research backed ways of improving your mental health and your overall well-being.

Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is the quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment — free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.

The best part is, mindfulness exercises can be done by anyone, at any time, at any age or level of ability. A breathing exercises like the one below takes just one minute, and the results are immediate! One can do this mindfulness breathing exercise when you are in any unpleasant situation such as sitting in traffic, or before a job interview, or if you are feeling really blue. A mindfulness meditation may at first sound like funky new-age medicine, but rather it is a simple, common-sense breathing exercise that anyone and everyone can benefit from!

Posted in: Healthcare

May Is National Mental Health Awareness Month!

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 19, 2020

In 1949, May was established as National Mental Health Awareness Month. This national movement aims to raise awareness about mental health. Over 450 million people worldwide are currently living with a mental illness, yet nearly two thirds of people with a known mental illness never seek treatment. Mental health issues are much more common than we realize – it is estimated that more than half of all Americans will face mental health challenges in their lifetime. Mental health is just as important as physical health and at Private Home Health Care we encourage people to live their healthiest and best lives. Every May for Mental Health Awareness Month, Americans are called upon to help #breakthestigma about mental health.

Posted in: Healthcare

More National Devil’s Food Cake Day!

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 19, 2020

National Devil’s Food Cake Day

Ina Garten, our patron saint of baking (and cooking!) shares her famous Devil’s Food Cake Recipe. (Make sure to do right by Ina and use GOOD vanilla extract!)

DID YOU KNOW: Although there are conflicting tales, and published cookbooks to contradict the story, legend has it that the devil’s food cake was created at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. One account even suggests that a customer loved the cake so much, that she asked for the recipe. The customer got the recipe, but it came with a price—the Waldorf also served her a bill for $100. Now that’s an expensive cake!

Choosing the cake – our administrator’s great-grandmother was an esteemed baker. When she asked her son if he wanted a bicycle for his 12th birthday, he said that he wanted her Devil’s Food Cake instead! Who knew the power of Devil’s Food Cake?!

Posted in: Healthcare

National Devil’s Food Cake Day!

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 19, 2020

Today, May 19, is National Devil’s Food Cake Day!

Devil’s food cake is the creme de le creme of chocolate baked goods. It is a decadent cake, rich in flavor with an irresistibly moist texture that is a national favorite. Hmm, I somehow have a sudden craving for Devil’s Food Cake now…

Devil’s food cake is not your ordinary chocolate cake. It’s a unique mix of ingredients that brings out the chocolate. Recipes often call for boiling water, instead of milk, and some even add coffee to bring out the chocolate flavor! Mixing science with desserts, the cake gets its darker color from its higher pH levels due to the added baking soda. The cake uses cocoa instead of chocolate squares, making it even fluffier! Some say the cake gets its name to distinctly contrast from the Angel’s food cake, which is much lighter in comparison. As more and more types of cakes have been created over the years, “devil’s food cake” is often used as a catch all name for a super-choclatety cake that doesn’t have nuts.

Enjoy this recipe!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/devils-food-cake-recipe-1928104?fbclid=IwAR3CcCcgJCmsBh2K95HcKDZpv69e-KWBRgKy8oKDg79s4RVCQQHC2MZUXhs

Posted in: Healthcare

National Do Something Good For Your Neighbors Day – Part 2

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 18, 2020

May 16th was National Do Something Good For Your Neighbors Day! Here is an opportunity to ask yourself – What would Mr. Rogers do? Here are suggestions for how to do something good for your neighbor:

Even if neighbors have to physically distance, you can still do good for each other.

Examples:

-Ask (call or text) if your neighbor needs anything before going out shopping. You can leave it outside their door and they can either let it sit for a while to be rid of any possibility of infection (such as a container of laundry detergent), or they can clean it at their own house if it is something like bread.

-Signs or notes! Post a friendly sign on your window or front yard that brings positivity and goodwill to your neighbors!

-Simple greeting. Saying ‘Hi, good morning!’ to your neighbor in the yard next door is a simple but easy way of showing kindness.

-Yard work. Elderly neighbors or people who are front line workers may not have the ability or time to tend to their yard. Helping clear some branches in the yard or pruning a bush would be very appreciated!

-Technical Assistance! If you have tech skills and have a neighbor with a fussy computer, you can help log in remotely and fix it for them. Or, if your neighbor’s wifi is down and their kids need to access their virtual classroom, you can share your wifi for a bit until theirs is fixed.

-Call an elderly neighbor to say hi and let them know that you are thinking of them!

There are so many ways to get creative and do something good for your neighbor! What are your experiences or suggestions??

Posted in: Healthcare

National Do Something Good For Neighbor Day – Part 1

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 18, 2020

May 16th was National Do Something Good For Your Neighbor Day!

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2020/03/18/want-to-help-out-your-neighbors-during-coronavirus-here-are-the-dos-and-donts?fbclid=IwAR2FBIcIjKfUhb5LCFfDta36rELuxTWBO4ml4S2C61yekJhOehN7gcNWZM8

National Do Something Good For Your Neighbor Day on May 16th each year encourages individuals and organizations alike to be neighborly to each other.

A neighbor is defined as:

-A person who lives near another.
-A person or thing that is near another.
-One’s fellow human being.

Our neighbors are our community, and it is important to show them kindness at every opportunity. This day is a reminder that we are all neighbors, and that we should treat each other with love and respect. This is especially important right now when we are all going through this challenging time together!

Posted in: Healthcare

National Visit Your Relatives Day!

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 18, 2020

Today is National Visit Your Relatives Day! Nowadays it is especially important to stay connected, even if we cannot do so in the exact way we could like. The good news is that there are so many options to still stay connected while social distancing! A visit can be a phone call or a face-to-face live chat on the computer. With today’s technology, we are now able to communicate with loved ones living far away, yet seeing them as if they are right beside us. You can also meet up at an open place like a beach and set chairs farther apart so everyone can stay safe!

National Visit Your Relatives Day on May 18th encourages family members to stay connected. Our hectic lives makes it easy to get so caught up in the busyness of today’s fast-paced lifestyle. We often lose touch with our relatives. Take some much-needed time and visit those relatives we care about and have not seen or spoken to for a while.

Life is much too short not to make time for family.

Posted in: Healthcare

Vaccines

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 18, 2020

Today, May 18th, is National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day.

Vaccines are of special importance right now. They are at the forefront of our efforts to cure COVID-19. Typically vaccines take years to develop, but scientists all over the world are working around the clock to speed up the process and find a cure. Once a vaccine is developed and distributed, we can return to our familiar daily life!

See the link below to read the facts about creating a COVID19 vaccine.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-vaccine/art-20484859?fbclid=IwAR0QV3bMxKkJ4maSL4k1muEsK7ytMT9p7qDsjTRyJjez2SJ2vSX6J03eOPc

About National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day:

May 18th annually recognizes thousands of volunteers, community members, health professionals, and scientists who work together to find a safe and effective HIV vaccine.

The day also promotes continued awareness and education concerning HIV vaccine research. Over 30 years have passed since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS. However, researchers continue in their mission to develop a vaccine. While treatments and preventative measures exist to help those impacted by HIV and AIDS, a viable vaccine is still the only means to prevent its spread.

Posted in: Healthcare

Reopening Massachusetts Phase 1 – Start!

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 18, 2020

On May 18:

Essential Businesses stay open and continue to operate. Must comply with safety standards and self certify by May 25 2020.

Manufacturing

Construction

Places of Worship

Hospitals/Community Health Centers who attest to specific public health/safety standards can provide high priority preventative care, pediatric care, and treatment for high risk patients.

Reopening Massachusetts will not be a very speedy process, but if everyone continues to stay safe and healthy then we can keep going forward! That is encouraging news!

Posted in: Healthcare

No Dirty Dishes Day!

Posted by Mary Demakes on May 18, 2020

Whether you’re a mother, father, sister, brother, or roommate, no one likes dirty dishes. That is why on May 18, we celebrate National No Dirty Dishes Day. A holiday most likely created by an upset parent, National No Dirty Dishes Day has sinks around the world rejoicing at the thought of having a light workload and a clear space on this day. So keep sinks happy, and do your part by saying, “NO” to dirty dishes. We all deserve a break once in a while from dishes, and today is the day!

How to:

1. Order take out! You do not have to soil any pots and pans, but you are supporting local businesses!

2. Use paper plates and plastic cutlery. This quick switch will keep your sink clear and make clean up a lot faster. Allowing you more time to enjoy doing what you desire.

3. If all else fails and you still have to dirty some dishes, clean them right away. Start by cleaning any dish that may be in your sink, then wash everything you use thereafter. If you’re lucky, this may even become a habit.

Posted in: Healthcare