Chicken, A Healthy Meat Choice

Is chicken a part of your weekly diet?  The healthy side of this meat makes chicken an excellent meat to enjoy.

You all have to decide on dinners on any given night.  For those of us who eat chicken, why is it such a good choice?

When you eat chicken it’s a very lean meat, very high in protein, an important piece in a healthy diet.

Protein is one thing but chicken is also high in daily supplements for three other nutrients along with other vitamins:

Niacin – turns food into energy

Selenium – helps metabolism, immune system and thyroid function

Phosphorus – good for teeth and helps nerves and muscles do their job

Chicken Breasts vs Chicken Thighs

Taste is one determining factor but there are a few things to be aware of when deciding on a breast or a chicken thigh for dinner.

A chicken breast has about 18% more protein than a thigh and it is slightly less fatty. 

A chicken thigh also has a bit more calories but not significantly higher.

A thigh is also the perfect serving size.

You won’t get any cholesterol from either of these cuts but chicken skin can add to the fat content so keep that in mind.

Finally, you’ll get the most benefits from eating chicken when it is grilled, baked or stir-fried over fried.  

Private Home Health Care loves to find different recipes for chicken, breast and thighs to add to our weekly dinners.  We love what chicken adds to our healthy diet.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Private Home Health Care wishes everyone a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day.  

We wish a great day to all of our Irish friends and to the many people who choose to be Irish for the day.

On this day, March 17, the patron Saint of Ireland died.  Did you know that Saint Patrick has never technically been canonized as a saint?  It’s true. 

Saint Patrick led an interesting life having been kidnapped at age 16 by Irish raiders and was made a slave to a Celtic priest.  After six years he escaped and fled to Britain eventually returning to Ireland as a missionary.

The search for a four leaf clover has long been a quest but it is believed that Saint Patrick used the three leaf clover to teach about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  His missionary work is what made him the Saint he is today.

In Ireland, the holiday continues for another twenty-four hours. It is called Sheelagh’s Day.  She is believed to have been married to Saint Patrick at one time.

The celebrations in the United States started around 1601 in what is now St. Augustine, Florida thanks to a Spanish colony.  

Today parades, wearing of green, finding a leprechaun with a pot of gold, a corned beef and cabbage dinner and listening to Irish music help to celebrate the day. 

The other aspect of the drinking part of the celebration happens all over and has been a concern since as far back as the 17th century.

However you celebrate this day we hope you have fun, enjoy and stay safe!

Calling all Quilters

On Saturday, it is another national day and it’s on quilting.  National Quilting day.

Quilting has been profitable in the past.  Take for example a quilt made in 1867, the Civil War Era, by Linda Ward Honstain.  Someone bought it for $264,000 and later donated it.  

You may have made quilts and now you think you’ve missed out on an opportunity.  The value of a quilt can earn you some money in some instances but in general it’s a labor of love and hopefully fun.

A quilt is defined as the process of sewing layers of fabric, by hand or machine, to create a warm covering.

If you are a quilter you are one of between 9 and 11 million people in the United States so it is still popular today.  Interestingly enough, it is almost a 50-50 split between men and women quilters.  A few more men than women actually.

When you look online there are quilting designs offered from beginner to expert quilters.  One site actually offers 98 different designs.

You can find traditional log cabins, friendship and pinwheels designs as well as a monkey wrench, ornate stars and even a Civil War design.  Could you get lucky with a Civil War design now??

Quilting is a pastime that has been a fabric of our country for a long time. Try to find a quilt exhibit this weekend.

Private Home Health Care admires the quilters in our country.  We love to visit quilt exhibits to view the lovely quilts created by talented and creative sewers.

National No Smoking Day

Thinking about stopping to smoke your cigarettes?  Today could be the day to decide to get serious about it.

As of 2022, there are approximately 28 million smokers in the United States or about 11.6% of the population.  The good news is that this number represents a drastic decline in users over the decades.

If you need any convincing, a sobering statistic is that about one half of the smokers die from smoking making it a deadly addiction.

The addictive quality comes from the changes it causes to your brain.  Your brain actually yearns for the nicotine in the cigarette making it difficult to stop.  

There are some ways to help yourself quit if you make the decision to try.  These are courtesy of WebMD.com. 

• First is to find your motivation on why you want to stop.  It could be family or fear of getting cancer.  This is a big first step.

• It’s hard to go “cold turkey”.  Work with your doctor for medical aids and family and friends for support.  You might be able to get some nicotine replacement therapy.

• Find new ways to relax instead of using nicotine.  You can exercise, meet with friends, participate in an activity or hobby.  Anything to keep you busy.

• Finally, avoid triggers like alcohol or coffee.  Choose something different like chewing gum or another type of drink.

Private Home Health Care understands how strong an addiction to nicotine can be.  We also know people who have conquered it and stopped so it is possible.  Good luck!

To Nap or Not to Nap?

This is the question we are asking today.

Current thinking is that you should get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night.  

Why then would you feel tired between 2:00 and 4:00 each day?  When you do get sleepy, should you nap or should you try and power through the rest of the day?

When you wake up early for work or if you have an internal clock that wakes you up, around 2:00 you can feel terribly exhausted.  The cause is post-lunch hypoglycemia and melatonin that is released. Both make you want to nap in a big way.

If you are a working person that can be a problem.  You can’t step away for a quick nap.  What you can do is get up and move a bit.  Change your environment for a short time and shake it off.

If you are a senior and retired, that’s a different story.  The day is yours to make of it what you can and a nap might be just what you need.

When you take a nap, the positives are that it gives you relaxation, you feel less tired and more alert.  You should also be in a better mood.

A caution about some downsides to napping.  You could have sleep inertia and feel groggy when you wake up for the next 35 or so minutes.  You might also interrupt your nighttime sleep finding it difficult to go to sleep or stay asleep.

For those who can nap during the day, what are some tips for napping?

Take short naps, between 20 and 30 minutes

Nap in the early afternoon

Plan naps as a part of your daily routine (if you can fight it, join it!)

We at Private Home Health Care appreciate naps for seniors even if we cannot do it ourselves.  Naps can be very restorative.  Embrace the sleepiness without any guilt and have a restful zzzzz.

Spring Forward

Time can seem to pass very slowly or very quickly.  It all depends on your perspective.

For Private Home Health Care it feels like Daylight Saving Time just began.  Somehow we find ourselves ready to change our clocks again this Sunday.  Where did the time go?

Winter is still with us for a bit longer but this weekend you need to remember to move your clocks ahead one hour just before you go to sleep on Saturday night.

Spring is just around the corner so it’s time for our clocks to spring forward too.  Depending on where you live the new season can feel like it’s coming or still a ways away.

The good news for most is that our phones and digital watches will automatically change.   If you have clocks around the house or are without a cell phone you’ll need to adjust them. 

The idea of daylight savings time actually came about during World War I.  Over the years it spread across the pond to our country.  

After some tweaks in Congress in 1966, 2005 and finally 2007 we landed on our current plan of going back an hour in the fall and moving forward an hour in the spring.  Now we all enjoy more light at this time of year.

If you are a person who does well with more sunlight, you should walk with a little lighter step next week.  You might also start to think about gardens and what flowers to add to gardens.  You might even start some seeds in the house.

Birds in the morning have already started to chirp here in the Northeast which is a sure sign of brighter and warmer days.  

We might not be completely out of the woods for another snow storm but with change in time we can rest assured that it’s only a matter of time if we are patient.

Don’t forget about the time change this Sunday.  You don’t want to be late to church or get togethers!

Photo by Stas Knop

The Season of Lent Begins

Today is Ash Wednesday.  For Christians around the world it begins the season of Lent.

Lent calls for Christians to focus their hearts on repentance and prayer.  This is done over forty days of praying, fasting and almsgiving.

The meaning of Lent does not change year to year but have you ever wondered why the date of Ash Wednesday and Easter varies?  You need to look at the lunar calendar and the spring equinox for the answer.

Easter is always celebrated after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox.  You then count back 46 days, 40 days of fasting minus the six Sundays of Lent which are not part of that fasting.  Ash Wednesday usually begins between February 4 and March 10. 

Today you may see Christians with ashes on their foreheads.  Last year’s palms from Palm Sunday are used to make a cross shape as the words “From dust you came and from dust you will return” are heard.  A solemn message of mortality and sinfulness to begin the season.

Christians have forty days to pray and fast on these messages before the joy of Easter brings sunlight and hope.

Today Private Home Health Care would like to wish our Christian community and friends a very blessed and prayerful Lent.

Photo by Valeria Bottneva

Our Hearing

Hearing is one of our five senses along with sight, smell, taste and touch all important in our daily lives.

You stay connected with people when you listen and hold conversations.  You get enjoyment and learn from watching the news, tv shows, documentaries and movies.  It keeps you on track with wake-up alarms, timers, bells and whistles.

Our lives would be very different if we couldn’t hear.

In our country, there are approximately 15% of Americans over the age of 18 who have trouble hearing. Naturally, as we age, our hearing is one of our senses that changes.  

As we get to be 65 the statistics change to one in 3 people.  Then it’s nearly half of the people over age 75 that can’t hear well.

Your hearing loss can be attributable to exposure to loud noises, changes to your inner ear and even your genes can play a role.

If you do experience hearing loss an appointment with your medical professional is worthwhile.  You can find out your options to help.

If there is still time there are ways you can help to prevent hearing loss.

• Be careful with noise levels especially when using earbuds or headphones or when just watching television.  Keep the volume at reasonable levels.

• If you work in a loud environment use ear plugs and try to take breaks from the noise.

• Stay hydrated, avoid too much salt and eat foods with antioxidants and vitamins.  Get leafy greens into your diet and foods with zinc, magnesium and folic acids.

• Avoid cleaning your ears with cotton swabs.  You can prevent the wax pushing deeper into your ear canal and causing blockage.

Private Home Health Care knows how important hearing is to each of us and how connected it keeps us to each other.  We hope you pay attention to any changes to your hearing and get help when you need it.

Pancakes

 “Pancake.”  Something you cook on a “pan” and is round and “cake-like” thus the name pancake.  A food that is found all around the world and eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Pancakes Started When?

It looks like the pancake has been around for quite a long time.

Pancake-like remains were found in Pompeii in 79AD.  In Africa there is evidence of grinding stones and milling tools and in Scandinavia there are images left of people flipping what look like pancakes.  Talk about a long history!

How Many Types of Pancakes?

Depending where you live a pancake can take different forms.  

In China they had “bings.  

France has two kinds, crepes and galettes if you come from Brittany.

“Scotch” pancakes are a bit smaller and thicker.

And there are more!

Here in the United States

Pancakes have been in our country since around the 17th century thanks to the Dutch.  The Dutch landed in Pennsylvania and New York and started making them.

The Indigenous people also had hotcakes made out of cornmeal which was plentiful.

For Mardi Gras and the beginning of lent and fasting, it was a way of using up eggs, milk and butter.

Private Home Health Care sees pancakes on breakfast menus all over the country.  Thanks to a collective effort and skilled cooks today we have many different pancakes all over the world.

Photo by Ash Craig

Letter to an Elder Day

Private Home Health Care loves this National Day and we like to tell you why.

Seniors for many different reasons can feel lonely at times.  We all get plenty of junk mail and they probably do too.  A handwritten letter received in the mail may sound old-fashioned but it is certain to brighten a senior’s day.  

Jacob Cramer discovered this after the death of his grandfather.  He volunteered at a senior living space to honor him and started playing games with the residents.  He began to notice that many did not get many communications or visits. 

Seeing the loneliness that was prevalent in the community he decided to try and change things.  He started writing letters to different senior communities.  He made so many friends that he wanted to expand his success.

Since 2013, Jacob has a group of 50,000 letter writers that write and send letters to elders all over the world.  Each year he hopes to spread the enthusiasm to companies, classrooms and individuals by having this national day.

Today, if you know of a senior who may be lonely try writing a letter, adding a stamp and mailing it.  Add your return address and see if you get a response.

You already spend a fair amount of time communicating?  Is it by letter or texts and emails? You send greeting cards for birthdays?  That’s great but do you add a letter and is it to an elder?

How about adding to the posse of letter writers that Jacob has?  Find a senior living facility near you.  Get in touch and find a few names of residents so you can personalize them.  Then write a letter or two on a topic or things you think they might enjoy. 

If you know the seniors it should make things easier.  Think of the joy and happiness you would spread. 

Happy connecting with others.

Photo by Ron Lach