Today’s Holiday

Many of us have today off to make a three day weekend to enjoy.

You may celebrate it as the traditional Columbus Day or you may think of it as Indigenous People’s Day.

It’s interesting to look at this holiday from both sides.

Christopher Columbus was and is considered a great navigator.  From a job on a merchant ship to later studying mathematics, astronomy, cartography and navigation, sailing the world was quite a feat.

In 1492, he began what would be three journeys sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean, a new route to travel.  He made land on a Bahamian Island, likely San Salvador with later trips to Trinidad and the South American mainland. 

He never did actually sail to North America but his journeys did open up new possibilities for exploration.  He died in 1506.

From the Indigenous people’s point of view, the trips made by Columbus had harsh repercussions for the native peoples. 

Along the way Columbus enslaved many native people and on the trips to the places of their enslavement the trip or from the work required many died. 

One example is the Taino population of South America.  They were forced to search for gold and work on plantations.  They were decimated to only a few hundred within 60 years of Columbus’ journeys.

Additionally, when Columbus and his men traveled to new countries they brought with them diseases.  The native peoples could not fight them and many died.

Private Home Health Care can see both points of view and we hope that whatever your feelings you can find time to make the most of the extra day off.

Bones and Joints

The foot bone is connected to the leg bone, the leg bone is connected to the knee bone, the knee bones connected to the . . .

Do you remember that song that taught us about the bones in our body?  It’s most remembered by the older folks but it was a fun song.  It didn’t talk about the 206 bones in our body but it got us thinking.

Your bones are an important part of your body and we know we have to be careful of osteoporosis, both men and women.  Calcium and physical activity are key along with watching tobacco and alcohol use.

Your joints are also important though and until you have a problem with one, it’s possible that you don’t think about them too much.  They connect your bones and help to protect a lot of structures in your body.

What do we need to do to keep our joints healthy?

Healthy joints need the right foods and exercise like your bones.  In addition, you need to watch your weight as too much weight puts extra pressure on your joints.

Your diet can help both your bones and your joints and truthfully many other areas of your body.  Good items to choose include:

Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids. Think salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, white fish and even European anchovies.

Vegetables that include cruciferous vegetables like arugula, broccoli, bok choy, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower to name a few. 

Turmeric, used in many curry dishes.  It’s best absorbed by the body when in food.

Yogurt, best are the unsweetened and plain yogurts with live and active yogurt cultures so check your labels.

Ginger, add ginger to foods for best absorption and good anti-inflammatory agents.

Green tea, get a good quality tea that is either organic or loose leaf that you make yourself.

Private Home Health Care tries to take care of our bones and our joints.  As we age it gets harder but adding some of the foods and exercises above can help.

Salmon

Salmon, that great pink fish that tastes delicious and is filled with great health benefits.

You may already know that there are a number of different types of salmon.  The ones from the Pacific coast are Sockeye, Pink, Coho and King (Chinook).  

On the East coast Atlantic salmon are an option too, but only farm-raised.  It is prohibited in the United States to fish for Atlantic Salmon.  

What are the benefits from salmon and what is the difference between farm-raised and wild salmon?

Both are low in calories and high in protein. You’ll get a high amount of Vitamin B12, potassium, and iron and Vitamin D as well.

Additionally, you’ll love salmon for the omega-3 fatty acids.  These are healthy fats that support all the cells in your body. You can get help for your heart, with symptoms of autoimmune diseases and depression to name a few.

With farm-raised salmon you could find more pollutants and contaminants.  The levels are considered safe by the FDA but it is something to keep in mind.

Overall, salmon is a great and healthy choice for fish.  You should check with your fish store and see the kinds available.  Think about the benefits of wild versus farmed and decide.

Private Home Health Care loves to have a nice fish dinner at least once a week and salmon is often a delicious choice.

October 7 – A Day to Remember

One year ago, Israel was attacked on October 7 in the Gaza area.  

This attack happened on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, a holiday that marks the end of the cycle of public readings of the Torah.  There was also a music festival going on.

During the attack by the Hamas militant group, there were over a thousand people killed, including some attending the music festival. 

Additionally, hostages were taken and many are still in captivity one year later.

Private Home Health Care remembers our Israeli friends and we pray for the families of those who lost a loved one or who are still waiting on word.  We hope that a tragedy like this never happens again.

Meningitis

We are thinking about meningitis today because it is World Meningitis Day.  This is an important day because this disease is a worldwide problem and the hope is that it can be eradicated by the year 2030.

You may not be aware of details about meningitis so we hope to share information to help explain a bit to help to raise awareness.  

Meningitis is an illness that causes inflammation of the tissues that surround your brain and spinal cord.  The two most common forms are viral and bacterial.

In the United States, the viral form is up to 75,000 each year.  Any age can contract meningitis, including the elderly.   The more serious bacterial illness has about 2,600 cases in a year, mostly in children ages 5 and under.

• Viral meningitis is the most common and while it can be painful, it will often resolve without medical intervention.

• Bacterial meningitis is much more serious as it can be deadly and you must receive immediate treatment.

Additionally, there are a few other forms but these are extremely rare.

You contract meningitis from viral infections however this does only happen in a few people.  

Your most common symptoms would be a sudden fever, headache and a stiff next.  A diagnosis is obtained by blood tests, lumbar puncture or an EEG.  You could also have a CT scan or MRI if needed.

The key to treating this illness is early detection.  This helps determine the course of treatment and improve your chances of recovery.

Private Home Health Care would love to have this disease wiped out.  We hope that sharing some facts about this illness will help spread awareness.

Rosh Hashanah

Today at sundown begins the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, meaning Head of the Year.  This holiday celebrates the beginning of the Jewish calendar year. In the Jewish new year it begins the year of 5785.  

If you are Jewish this two day holiday represents the beginning of a new year but it also has a more solemn piece to it.  These two days mark the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance.

The ten days that start with Rosh Hashanah end with Yom Kippur, a high holy day of repentance.  Over the ten days you should reflect on your life and contemplate any sins that you many need to atone for at Yom Kippur.

For this holiday if you are a practicing person, you would attend prayer services at your synagogue and spend time with your family. At the service you would hear the sounding of the shofa, or ram’s horn.  It is important to think about how you have been living your life.

Additionally, you light candles each evening and eat traditional foods during seder, a meal with family.  Apples and honey are enjoyed which represent a happy and sweet new year.  Your meal also includes challah bread, pomegranates and fish heads.

The symbolic foods are called simanim.  Other food might include beets, pumpkins, leeks, gourds, spinach and dates.  Often a new fruit or food is eaten to say a special blessing called, the shehecheyanu blessing.

These next ten days are an important part of the faith of our Jewish neighbors.

Private Home Health Care respects the traditions of our Jewish friends and we plan on greeting them with “shana tova” to say Happy New Year.

Knitting

Knitting and crocheting are two of the most popular yarn crafts in the United States.  

If you are a knitter do you know that it’s a hobby that gives you many health benefits, especially for seniors.

Physically, Knitting is an activity that you can do anywhere and it’s also very low impact to your body.  It helps improve eye-hand coordination, your dexterity and fine motor skills.  

If you have arthritis the movement helps the joints and additionally it can lower stress and your blood pressure.

Mentally, your benefits continue.  Knitting requires focus along with attention to detail and at times problem solving skills.  These all help with your cognitive abilities.

When you knit you can get a feeling of accomplishment. It is also an activity that can help with isolation or loneliness if you can find a group to knit with.

As with everything, yarn has increased in cost so that can make the hobby a bit more expensive.  For those of you seniors however, if you can afford it knitting has many benefits both physically and mentally so it’s a great hobby.

Furthermore, knitting can just be plain fun!  It’s an activity that you can enjoy for a long time.  Bring on the scarves, mittens and sweaters!

Private Home Health Care is thinking that knitting might be a great hobby to begin.  The fall and winter seem like great seasons to start.

World Deaf Day

This Sunday is World Deaf Day.  It’s a day to raise awareness about those with hearing loss.  There have also been some very accomplished people who were not a part of the hearing world. 

You and I as we age are most likely going to experience some hearing loss.  This is a natural course of life.  There are those people however who have been born deaf so they’ve never experienced hearing sounds.

For those of us with hearing it can be hard to understand what life is like for a non-hearing person.  We perhaps don’t know the best way to communicate with them other than sign language which is not something taught to us in school.

According to one deaf person there are some suggestions on how you can best communicate:

1.  Be patient.  It can be hard at first but you can also write what you are saying down or use your phone to help.
2. Get their attention first.  Wave or tap the person’s shoulder before you talk.
3. Ask questions, don’t assume.  Don’t be afraid to ask the deaf person questions about his or her self.
4. Speak clearly.  The deaf person may be trying to lip read.  Speak normally and don’t force it.
5. Don’t give up.  If at first communication is hard, try and try again.

Your life is not over if you are deaf.  Sign language is a huge help in communicating although not everyone in the list below had access to it.  Some deaf people have had great accomplishments.

Beethoven, deaf at age 46 composed beautiful music and Thomas Edison was deaf in one ear and had significant hearing loss in the other but that did not stop his inventions. 

Additionally, Helen Keller was deaf and blind but she earned a BA degree and became a disability rights activist.   Marlee Matlin is the only deaf person to win an Oscar for a film and she has written three books and been an advocate for deaf rights.

Private Home Health Care wants to be aware of the issues that our deaf friends have to deal with during their day.  We will take some time this Sunday to raise our awareness.

Dreams

Have you had any dreams lately?  Dreams can happen at any age from the very young to the very old.

Today, we find dreams very interesting.  Not nightmares because they are too scary but regular dreams that all of us have.    

No one has a definitive answer for why we dream so that’s not on the agenda for today.  We can however talk about when we dream, types of dreams and common themes of our dreams.

When do you dream?

The most common time is during the REM part of your sleep.  That’s a time in your sleep when your eyes move more rapidly behind your eyes, your heart rate increases and your breathing gets irregular.  

REM sleep sounds a bit alarming but it’s a perfectly normal part of sleep for all of us.  It usually lasts about two hours each night.

What are the types of dreams?

A lucid dream is when you are aware that you are actively dreaming.  A vivid dream is realistic and has clear content.  Bad dreams are of course when they make you scared and recurring dreams are ones that happen over and over with the same content.

What are some common themes for each of us?

Have you ever dreamt of losing your teeth?  We have.  Have you had a loss, a big change in your life or are you overly stressed?

What about a dream about snakes?  Has this happened to you? This could be giving you a warning or represent a personal transformation for you.

Did you dream that you were pregnant (this could be at any age)?  Are you experiencing a new or exciting development in your life?

We at Private Home Health Care find dreams very interesting.  There are many discussions about dreams and some people who enjoy interpreting them.  See if you can remember any of your dreams and share them with a friend. You never know what you might discover.

A New Season

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Fall Equinox, a new season.

It feels as if we were just talking about Summer and now here we are again at the next change of the seasons.

You may feel as we do that time seems to go by very quickly at times.  This new season can also bring a few feelings with it.

Sadness could be one of those feelings.  You may feel sad that the warm summer days are behind us.  Cooler weather arrives and right behind that is the colder weather of the winter months.

Happiness may be another.  Your favorite season could be the Fall with all of the beautiful color changes in the leaves, the chance to pick apples or take a walk in the woods with a light jacket.  It’s not too hot and not too cold.  Some say the perfect season.

To be positive, it’s great to embrace all the beautiful changing colors of the leaves as this new season begins.  It turns out that changing into this season is shared in many places.  

Our home in New England is one area but there’s also an Arboretum in Chicago for those in the Midwest.  Internationally Kyoto, Japan, Iceland, Ontario, Canada and Bavaria (Germany) all share in the color and festivals of the Fall.

Whatever your feelings are, it feels important to make the most of what every season has to offer.  Life can go by very fast so the phrase “carpe diem” feels like a good motto to follow.

Private Home Health Care is looking forward to the colors of Fall.  We may take a trip up North on a bright sunny day to enjoy the full effects of  what nature has to offer in this new season.