We all make mistakes, what should you do if you do get a sunburn?
-Immediately place a cold compress of wet washcloth to cool the burn
-Drink lots of water, you need to re-hydrate! In addition to water, a sports drink or tablet with electrolytes can help.
-Take aspirin or ibuprofen, which is an anti-inflammatory and helps reduce swelling, redness and discomfort.
-Apply aloe vera gel or any lotion with aloe vera.
-Keep the sunburned area completely covered from the sun while it is healing.
-Take frequent cool baths or showers to help relieve the pain.
-If your skin blisters, allow the blisters to heal. Blistering skin means you have a second-degree sunburn. You should not pop the blisters, as blisters form to help your skin heal and protect you from infection.
-Most importantly, learn your lesson and do not get sunburnt again! Skin damage builds up over time starting with your very first sunburn. The more you burn, the greater your risk of skin cancer. Subsequent UV damage can occur even when there is no obvious burn.
Don’t Fry Day! Really, sunburns do not look good and they are very dangerous to your short and long term health.
Private Home Health Care is here to tell you the tried and true tips and tools for sun safety.
Did you know that people of different ages and skin types may need different types of sunscreen? Make sure to apply sunscreen every. single. day. at least to your face and hands no matter the season. If you are unsure what kind of sunscreen is best, talk to your dermatologist about which is right for you. Some people prefer to use different types of sunscreen for their face and their body. Often you can buy special or high-rated sunscreen at your dermatologist’s office.
Apply a lot of sunscreen. Yes, more than that! The minimal amount for your body should be about the size of a shotglass of liquid sunscreen. Depending on your activities, apply every 1-4 hours. Also, sunscreen expires. Make sure to check the expiration date and throw it out if it is past that because the sunscreen will be much less effective for protecting you from the sun!
During the warmer months, stay out of the sun when the sunlight is strongest. about 12-4pm. It is also a good idea to find shade from the sun when you can.
Protective hats are a must. Baseball caps are okay, but bucket hats and wide-brim hats provide even better protection.
Wearing a tank top? Apply sunscreen underneath the tank top sleeves to make sure you are fully covered because the fabric may move around.
Drink plenty of water – even if you are wearing sunscreen you still sweat, and your body and skin can get dehydrated.
Cover up! A light linen shirt or cover up sometimes keeps you just as cool. Many athletic clothing lines offer shirts and pants/short with SPF and UV protection in the fabric itself!
Shades really DO make you look cool. Wearing polarized sunglasses with UV ray protection are vital for keeping your eyes healthy in the sun!
Especially for those with fair complexions, there is no such thing as a healthy tan!
Today is National Don’t Fry Day! (No, we don’t mean french fries, go ahead and eat those!) We mean don’t fry your skin in the sun!
Each year on the Friday before Memorial Day, National Don’t Fry Day aims to raise awareness of all the risks of overexposure to the sun. It is important for everyone, no matter their skin tone, to remember to use sun protection and sun safety practices.
Unfortunately, skin cancer is increasing in the United States, and the American Cancer Society estimates that one American dies every hour from skin cancer. The risk for ultraviolet (UV) damage to the skin increases as we spend more time enjoying the outdoors now that warmer weather is upon us. We need to take precautions when we are outside in the sun. Using a good sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat are a few ways to get started with sun safety.
Sun safety should be practiced EVERY day of the year, not only during the summer months! Even if it is cloudy, you can still get a sunburn or have sun damage to your skin. Make it a habit by putting sunscreen on at least your face and hands every day, or using moisturizer in the morning with SPF in it.
Skin cancer is curable if it is found early. Be aware of changes on your skin with growths and in moles. See your doctor if you have any concerns. Be safe!
Today, May 20, is National Rescue Dog day! National Rescue Dog Day recognizes all the benefits of allowing a four-legged canine to adopt you into their immeasurably lovable life. Tails That Teach founded National Rescue Dog Day on May 20 to honor the inspiring ways rescue dogs become apart of the human family and increase awareness about the number of dogs in shelters. Given a chance, they would fill their forever homes with unconditional love and un-abandoned joy with every belly rub.
Bringing home a new pet is incredibly exciting. And adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue group is not only exciting, but it’s truly a feel-good experience as well. Every day, about 2,000 dogs and cats are killed in America’s shelters simply because they don’t have safe places to call home. By adopting, it means that each time you look into your pet’s eyes, you can feel good knowing that you truly did save a life. Use #AdoptDontShop on social media to help spread awareness!
According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs enter shelters every year. When these abandoned and abused animals find their way to a shelter, each one needs a forever home and their potential is limitless. They’re rescue dogs. No matter their size, color, or breed, dogs will find a way to nuzzle, fetch, or beg their way into your heart. You’ll find it hard not to scratch one behind the ear.
Rescue dogs often overcome extreme obstacles and yet provide comfort, security, and friendship as family pets. But, rescue dogs are capable of much more. With training, they contribute to the independence of people with disabilities as service animals and give comfort to the elderly. In these circumstances, they become our eyes, ears, or legs as well as our best friend.
Rescue dogs provide a variety of therapeutic benefits. Children, teens, and adults with autism may benefit from services provided by trained rescue dogs. As emotional support companions, rescue dogs help to relieve anxiety, depression, and PTSD among the military or those who suffer from mental illness.
They make excellent teachers, too. Rescue dogs show children about caring and kindness. Rescue dogs can even be trained to rescue us from dangerous situations or help to investigate the cause of a fire.
When it comes to four-legged friends, they improve the human condition by leaps and bounds, barks, and yips. It’s hard to imagine a more helpful, worthy companion. Give them a treat!
Is there a rescue dog in your life? Share your rescue dog stories and use #NationalRescueDogDay on social media!
Another wonderful tool for improving mental health is gratitude. Gratitude a strong feeling of appreciation to someone or something for what the person has done to help you. It helps improve your mental health and life your spirits by reminding you of the good things in your life. Like mindfulness, gratitude is scientifically backed and proven to help improve your mental health and overall well being!
A great way to practice gratitude is to regularly remind yourself of what you are grateful for. It can be helpful to write a list every single day of three things you are grateful for, either when you wake up or before you to go sleep (or both!) It can be as silly being grateful for seeing your dog chase it’s tail and it made you laugh, or as deep as gratitude for the love of your family and friends.
Writing a gratitude list with just 3 items takes only one minute, it is absolutely possible to squeeze it into a busy schedule, and it immediately makes you feel better. You can even download a gratitude phone app! Give it a try!
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!
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.
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?!
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.
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??
