National Personal Chef Day Pt 1

Personal Chefs and How They Can Help Improve Senior Health

We all love convenience food, but one of the simplest ways to improve your health is by preparing more home-cooked meals. When you prepare your own meals, you have more control over the ingredients. By cooking for yourself, you can ensure that you and your family eat fresh, wholesome meals. It also allows you to further monitor portion controls. Many restaurants serve portions that are two to three times larger than the recommended dietary guidelines. This encourages you to eat more than you would at home, adversely affecting your waistline, blood pressure, and risk of diabetes. Preparing your own meals can help you look and feel healthier, boost your energy, stabilize your weight and mood, and improve your sleep and resilience to stress.

Despite all the benefits, many of us still think of preparing meals as a chore or something we don’t have time for. Maybe you’ve tried cooking before and didn’t like the end results, or maybe your kids just prefer take out food. Others may have difficulty with the ability to cook. Older people may find cooking to be a much more difficulty task than others due to disabilities, trouble remembering recipes, or no longer being physically able to cook for themselves in the kitchen. A personal chef may be the perfect solution!

National Cherry Day

National Cherry Day is celebrated on July 16, making it the perfect summertime celebration. Cherries range from sweet to tart, they come in shades ranging from red to yellow, and you can create a wide variety of dishes, desserts, and drinks with them. We can’t blame George Washington for allegedly chopping down that cherry tree. Today, the U.S. cherry industry produces more than 650 million pounds of tart and sweet cherries each year.

At Private Home Health Care, we love cherries! Not only are they juicy and delicious, but they are packed with nutrients! Cherries are a great source of fiber, Vitamin C, and potassium. Because they are a berry, all cherries are high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which may reduce chronic disease risk and promote overall health! Cheers to cherries!

National Eat Your Jello Day

Today, July 12, is ‘Eat Your Jello Day’ With plenty of flavors to choose from, you should have no problem finding one you like. It is easy to eat and fun to make!

Private Home Care loves jello because it is a great food for caregiving. Many seniors may have difficulty swallowing, and jello is easy to consume. This is very important for when seniors have trouble swallowing medications and pills. A pill can be crushed up and stirred into jello for easy consumption, or pressed deep into the jello as a whole to help facilitate swallowing.

The elderly are more prone to dehydration due to processes that happen when the body ages. Those with dementia or alzheimers are particularly prone to dehydrated because they may simply forget to drink or not realize when they are thirsty. The high water content of jello is a fantastic way to keep seniors hydrated, and it is easy to swallow. It is a great way to make sure that your loved ones who find the taste of water to be bland are hydrated.

National Picnic Month

July is National Picnic Month! In New England, we wait all year for the perfect summer picnic weather. Now that it is here, time to enjoy picnics as much as we can! Picnics are a fun activity for the whole family and friends. They can take place in any outdoor setting, whether it be in the woods, a park, at the beach, or more.

Picnics are a great way to socialize – picnics are a fun way to socialize! Being in the company of others and socializing Social engagement is associated with a stronger immune system, especially for older adults. This means that you are better able to fight off colds, the flu, and even some types of cancer. You will enjoy better mental health. Interacting with others boosts feelings of well-being and decreases feelings of depression.

You get to spend time in the great outdoors! Enjoying outdoors in a beautiful environment is calming and a great stress reliever. Fresh air outside is very healthy for your lungs! Being outside on a beautiful day just makes you feel good in general, doesn’t it?!

Vitamin D – when you are outside, you absorb Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is important for fighting depression and building strong bones!

Mindful eating – eating outdoors at a picnic helps with mindful eating because you are not rushing to get the next task done. At a picnic you are also socializing while you are eating and enjoying being outside, which makes eating even more enjoyable! When you are eating while you are happy and having a good time, it is less likely that you will overeat to deal with emotions.

Stay active – going on a picnic encourages being active, whether it be going for a walk, playing catch, or swimming. You are also being social while you are moving, especially when you are doing a group activity like playing catch, instead of just solo exercise.

Enjoy at any age – picnics can be enjoyed at any age, from young babies to older adults. As long there is fair, temperate weather and there is a comfortable chair, seniors can join in on the fun! For seniors who may need increased assistance, having a backyard barbecue or picnic can be a great and accessible option.

National Hug Day!

Tomorrow, June 29th, is National Hug Holiday!

Everyone loves hugs! By nature, humans are very social. Research has found that social ties and bonding is very important not only to wellness, but health, including emotional, physical, and mental. Hugging is an important social act that creates strong bonds. Hugging releases oxytocin. This hormone alone has tremendous health benefits. Besides giving us warm and fuzzy feelings, oxytocin reduces pain. So when the cold has made those muscles and joints ache, cuddling can help reduce those aches and pains. Oxytocin also helps relieve stress. Stress is tied to many chronic conditions and prolonged stress is harmful to your health. Regularly getting enough oxytocin from hugging can help reduce heart disease, lowers blood pressure, stress, and anxiety. Hugging also releases dopamine — a chemical in the brain that helps improve focus and memory.

Communication is more than just e-mails, texts, or conversation. Physical touch can communicate trust, commitment, safety, and reassurance. This goes for human to human contact as well as human to pet contact. Hugging expresses all these things, which are vital to a healthy relationship. If you live on your own or do not have a significant other, you can still benefit from hugging! There is nothing like hugging a pet. (Cats may not always like it, but depends on the cat!) You can get the same benefits from hugging and cuddling with your pet dog or cat as you do with another human.

Hugging someone enhances your bond with that person. Even if you’re not verbally communicating, this type of contact helps increase feelings of trust, comfort, safety, and reassurance between cuddle partners. These feelings can also remain long after the cuddle session is over. It is so important that when babies are not hugged enough, it is harmful for their health. Hugging is a natural thing, and it is good for you in every way.

So today, on National Hug Day, do just that, and find someone to hug! Private Home Health Care encourages hugs! 

National Insurance Awareness Day

National insurance awareness day

On June 28th each year, National Insurance Awareness Day encourages us to review our insurance policies. Insurance is one of those things we forget about until we need it, kind of like a spare tire.

Insurance offers security, covering loved ones, and recovering losses in the event of damage, illness, or death. It offers protection but over time the value of our homes and the items in them may appreciate or change. What was once worth $100,000.00 a decade ago may be worth much more today. Be sure your policies keep up with the values.

No matter where we live, replacing everything we own would be difficult if disaster struck. From the first-time apartment to the 30-year mortgage, our possessions, property, and loved ones deserve the protection that comes with homeowners or renters policy.

To observe National Insurance Awareness Day, review your insurance policies. It is a good opportunity to compare competitive rates, evaluate life changes that may call for insurance adjustments, or find out about added features and services.

World Laughter Day

Yesterday, May 2cnd, was World Laughter Day. Every year on the first Sunday in May, World Laughter Day raises awareness of laughter and the many healing benefits it provides. Another goal of the day is to manifest World Peace and build a global consciousness through laughter.

You have probably heard the saying, “laughter is the best medicine.” At Private Home Health Care, we are big believers in this, and take every opportunity we can to have some laughs. Even psychologists and medical doctors say there is truth to this statement. That’s because there is evidence that laughter can do so many wonderful things.

Here are just some of the many benefits of laughter:

-Helps to reduce pain and allows people to tolerate discomfort-Reduces blood sugar levels and increases glucose tolerance

-Improves job performance-Makes marriages and intimate relationships healthier

-Synchronizes the brain of speakers and listeners

-Restores a positive emotional climate between two people

-Helps blood vessels function better, which is good for the heart and brain

-Relieves stress and helps the body to relax

Additionally, laughter boosts the immune system and triggers the release of endorphins which promotes an overall sense of well-being. One more amazing benefit of laughter is that it burns calories! If you laugh for 10 to 15 minutes a day, you will burn about 40 calories.

It’s easy and fun to participate in this day. All you need to do is have a good laugh, try doing things like:

-Tell someone a funny joke

-Look up inspirational quotes about laughter

-Post a funny picture to social media

-Read a funny book

Melanoma Monday

Melanoma Monday on the first Monday in May is an awareness campaign during National Melanoma Month. The American Academy of Dermatology has set aside this day to raise awareness about skin cancer.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer, and it is the deadliest of skin cancers. The observance focuses on skin health, sun safety, tanning prevention, and skin cancer screenings. By providing resources and information, it’s hoped to reduce the number of melanoma diagnosed.

While melanoma and other skin cancers aren’t 100% preventable, there are ways to reduce your risk.

-Wear sunscreen to protect yourself from harmful UV rays. Reapply sunscreen throughout the day, too.

-Other types of sun protection include wearing a broad-brimmed hat, long sleeves, and pants. And don’t forget the back of your neck.

-Find shade. Trees, umbrellas, and awnings provide excellent sun protection on warm sunny days.

-Don’t let the clouds fool you. UV rays still reach the Earth and your skin on a cloudy day!

-Avoid tanning beds. The UV light in tanning beds puts you at risk for melanoma, too.

-Regularly check your skin for abnormal moles. If you notice changes, see your dermatologist to have it checked.

Today, make sure to take proper precautions and make sun safety a habit for life!