National Blood Donor Month Part 2

January is National Blood Donor Month!

There are many benefits of donating blood! Private Home Care encourages all who are able to donate, so donate blood at your local Red Cross today!

Reduces Risk of Disease – Donating blood can help those who eat foods rich in iron limit the build-up and oxidation of iron in the body, which has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and cancer. Studies have shown that regular blood donors are 88% less likely to suffer a heart attack.

Emotional Well Being – The satisfaction of knowing that you helped save a life.

Improves Blood Circulation – After donating your body creates more blood, which is distributed and circulated more evenly.

Mini Medical Exam – During the blood donor screening process your pulse, blood pressure, body temperature and hemoglobin levels are checked. Your blood is also tested for certain diseases. This provides great insight into your health because screening can detect problems or irregularities that could otherwise go undetected.

January is National Blood Donor Month! Part 1

Donating blood can save lives, and less than 10% of eligible donors do. January has been designated as National Blood Donor Month because it is usually a period of serious blood shortages. People tend to stop donating blood during the busy holidays or due to illness during cold and flu season. Blood donations may also be cancelled due to snow. 

Almost everyone knows someone who has required a blood transfusion due to illness or injury and how important it is. Blood donations from people with rare blood types are especially critical.    

Private Home Care urges you to give the gift of health and save a life by donating blood!

National Winnie the Pooh Day

“Pooh, how do you spell love?” – Piglet

“You don’t spell love Piglet, you feel it.” – Pooh

Today is National Winnie the Pooh Day! Private Home Care loves the timeless heartwarming character Pooh and his friends. Spread some kindness today inspired by Pooh Bear!

Research has shown that familiar music can engage those with Alzheimers and dementia, and so can reading classic childhood stories like Winnie the Pooh! https://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/many-alzheimers-patients-find-comfort-in-books/

Winnie the Pooh is named after a black bear in the London zoo during WWI whose name was Winnie. The author A.A. Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, loved visiting Winnie in the zoo, and wrote a book about it.

January is National Glaucoma Month

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that steal your vision, and can go undetected in early stages. Populations over sixty are at higher risk for glaucoma so make sure to get your eyes examined at least once a year! Private Home Care makes sure to always keep an eye on you and your loved ones 🙂

Like many other illnesses, you can reduce your risk or slow progression for glaucoma with a healthy diet.

https://www.brightfocus.org/glaucoma/article/there-connection-between-diet-and-glaucoma

Genes Are Not Destiny Pt 2

In Dr Neil Barnard’s TEDtalk a study indicated that you can literally ‘reverse the clock’ in your brain!

The hippocampus region of the brain (pictured above) is responsible for memory, and gradually shrinks in older adults as we age. The brain images of subjects who went for a brisk walk three times a week for a year showed that not only did their hippocampus stop shrinking, but gradually grew – as if time was going backwards! Those who walked also did substantially better on memory and cognitive tests. Yet another reason for Private Home Care to promote exercise!

Dr Neil’s exercise ‘prescription’ for making walking a habit:

Week 1: A 10 minute walk three times a week

Week 2: Add 5 minutes to each walk, for a 15 minute walk three times a week. Increase tempo.

Week 3: Add another 5 minutes to each walk, for a 20 minute walk three times a week, with the tempo increased.

Keep increasing until you have reached a 40 minute walk at a brisk pace three times a week!

TIP: Feel like you don’t have the time? Try splitting the walks up, perhaps 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening.

Harsh weather conditions? If the weather is bad, you can go to a health club. Or you can invest in a recumbent stationary bicycle with back support to ride at home. A good idea is to have the bike stationed next to a window – that way you can get the benefits of sunshine. You can even make it a part of your day and enjoy your morning coffee and read the newspaper while pedaling on a gentle setting!

Card Games for Your Brain!

December 28th is National Card Playing Day! Playing cards is not only fun for the whole family and friends, but it can improve your memory and has been linked to larger brain volume! People of any age and ability can enjoy, and all you need is a deck of cards. Playing weekly games of Bridge (or any card game!) can offer both intellectual and social stimulation. Private Home Care can sure support any activity that is fun and is healthy for your brain!

Other great brain-stimulating games include checkers, mahjong, backgammon, chinese checkers dominoes, scrabble, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles and more.

https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-2015/bridge-for-brain-health.html

The Holidays and Alzheimer’s

Family rituals and holiday traditions can be a positive experience for those with Alzheimers, which connects them with a more familiar past. However, all of the hubbub and the increased amount of people around can cause confusion or anxiety for those with Alzheimers. Private Home Care is here to assist and reassure caregivers that holidays can go smoothly for you and your loved ones with Alzheimers. We are experts at caring for clients with Alzheimers and provide the best care that is tailored to your needs.

Here are suggestions for caregivers of those with Alzheimers:

-Try to involve your loved one with Alzheimers as much as possible! This could mean helping with simple holiday preparations or observe the preparations. 

– Simplify your holiday celebrations. As a caretaker, your situation is different now and you do not have to live up to others’ expectations.

-Limit the number of people visiting at one time, try to plan visits around the times when your loved one is doing best. 

-Try to keep their daily routine as close to normal as possible. 

Happy Hanukkah from Private Home Care!

Today, December 23rd, is the first day of Hanukkah! Hannukah is the festival of lights, meant to brighten the darkness of winter. May we bring more light, positivity, kindness, wellness, health and joy into our world! Private Home Care wishes you and your loved ones a happy Hanukkah and a great holiday season.

World Arabic Language Day

Sabach alkhyr! (Good morning!) At Private Home Care, we speak many languages, including Arabic.

December 18th is World Arabic Language Day, which celebrates the Arabic language, we well as promoting multilingualism and cultural diversity. More than 290 million people around the world speak Arabic, making it the 6th most spoken language in the world, and it is one of the official languages of the United Nations. It is also one of the many languages spoken at Private Home Care, which helps us take the best care of your loved ones of all backgrounds!

Did you know that many common words in English come from Arabic? Words such as algebra, alcohol, lemon and coffee are all of Arabic origin. 

There is another invention from Arabic that is critical to our lives that we use every day. Can you guess what that is? 

Numbers! Our modern numbers are actually Arabic numerals (1-10), and without them our lives would be very different! 

The Arabic language has a strong history in the arts due to the beautiful way it is written, such as the gorgeous ceramic wall pictured above!