Summer Camp

Did you go to a summer day camp?  What do you remember?  

Did you have fun activities?  Was there a pool where you could swim?  What was your favorite part and what about your least favorite part?

Summer camp can bring back many feelings.  It can be a wonderful experience with some challenges but hopefully it’s a happy and fun time.

First, you get to know fellow campers from different backgrounds, some might turn out to be friends for a while and others acquaintances for the week or so while you are at camp.

There are counselors you’ll meet, many counselors.  Your group counselors for one.  They keep you together and lead you to various camp activities.  They are there to listen and help.

Specialists are counselors who run activities.  You work on fun projects at arts and crafts.  Put on your thinking cap for Science and Nature.  Think of a skit to perform at Theater.

You learn how to play different games at Sports and get a racket and learn some tennis.

Get musical at Music and look for fun games to play. Music is universal.  

Sometimes there are moments that are not as easy or fun as others.  You probably carried a backpack around with you, usually on the heavier side.  You need swimsuits, a towel, snack and lunch.  Let’s not forget water!

Additionally, you may remember waiting.  Waiting for everyone to change.  Waiting to line up and waiting for activities to begin.  Not always easy to do for campers.

Overall, a day camp can be a wonderful experience and create memories and friendships for a lifetime.  Some camps also include children with special needs.  These campers get the same experience as everyone else.

Private Home Health Care hopes that you have had a chance to experience a summer day camp. It can be such a fun time in your life and is sure to leave you with memories.

Hearing Loss

Today we are thinking about hearing as you age. Have you noticed any changes?

You discover that you need to turn the volume up on the television when you are watching your favorite show.  You might ask people to speak up when talking to them or you may even not realize when someone is talking directly to you.

Once you are into your 70’s and 80’s you are likely to have hearing loss.  Often with hearing loss, you find yourself getting frustrated and it could be that you are less social and withdrawn without realizing it.

The first thing you should realize is that hearing loss is a common problem and not your fault.   

Next, you should check in with your medical professional to see if hearing loss has begun.  There are times that earwax can cause hearing problems and that is easily fixed.

Your next step with a diagnosis of hearing loss is for you to think about if you want to use hearing aids. Today you’ll find that there are many hearing aids available and you could get overwhelmed. 

You can visit the Mayo Clinic’s website for more detailed information but in general you will find:

Hearing aids that are molded and fit into your ear.

Some that fit into your outer ear.

Aids that go over the back of your ear or behind the ear and partially in the ear..

Your hearing aids can have noise reduction, directional microphones and rechargeable batteries.

Private Home Health Care knows that it can be difficult to decide on how best to handle hearing loss.  We hope that you can work with your medical professional and a family member if you need help.  Hearing is an important part of an active and happy life.

Melons

Can you guess which melon is full of beta-carotene, vitamins and water?

If you guessed the cantaloupe you are right.

One cup of cantaloupe has only 60 calories and an amazing amount of healthy nutrients.

You get lots of beta-carotene which is packed with Vitamin A for your eyes, red blood cells and a healthy immune system.  The other punch you get from it is the antioxidant that fights the free radicals that damage your cells.

You also absorb 100% of your Vitamin C from that cup of cantaloupe. That helps your blood vessels, cartilage, muscle and bones.

Cantaloupe is like watermelon in that it is full of water so it’s great for hydration.  You’ll find the differences between these two, along with how they look, is in the beta-carotene and Vitamins A and C.

When shopping for cantaloupe, you often see whole cantaloupe at the store.  You may have the same problem as we do with finding one that is ripe and ready to eat.

Here are a few tips that we’ve learned:

• You can find the freshest and sweetest cantaloupe in the summertime, so right now.

• You should look for one that is symmetrical and slightly heavy.

• If you see lots of green, keep looking.  The color should be light-yellow orange.

• Give the cantaloupe a sniff for sweetness too.  (No one will notice!) 

Finding a nice, sweet, fresh cantaloupe is a treat. You will enjoy juicy and delicious pieces and you’ll give yourself a great health boost too.
Private Home Health Care is headed to the store to work on picking out a fresh cantaloupe.  We hope to bring a fresh one home to cut up this week.

National Lazy Day

Yes, we are going to talk about National Lazy Day which happens to be tomorrow, August 10, and it falls on the perfect day… Saturday.

Can you find an excuse to take advantage of this day?

The goal of the day is for you to not do any work at all.  Hmmmm.

Tomorrow is your day so you get to choose how to relax.  This National day gives you permission to stay in bed late or sit on a couch and eat snacks.  Your choice, all day.

What do you like to do in your spare time?  Do you like to read books?  Catch up on your favorite streaming series?  Play games or cards?  Lounge on the couch like a potato?

The question is, can you do it?  A full day of relaxation.  

Dusting, vacuuming, cleaning a bathroom?  Seems like “housework” to us. 

Gardening? That sounds like work.

Washing a car?  Too much elbow grease.

Pay bills?  No, no, no.

Private Home Health Care is not sure who dreamed up this National day but we think that it could be one day that we might actually enjoy. The question we have is will you?? 

Aged Care Employee Day

The number of people over the age of 65 in the United States is 58 million as of 2022.  Of that group there are a large number of people who are considered aged and who need extra care.  

Your day is today because you care for our aged and elderly.

You may be 1 in 3 of adults who are informally or as a family member acting as a caregiver for an elderly person.

You could also be one of the many people employed by an aged care facility with responsibilities for caring for the elderly.

Your job as a nurse is key but your work as a kitchen worker, janitor, laundry worker and volunteer is what is celebrated today.  You play a role in providing a happy and supportive environment.

It’s important that you remember to take care of yourselves along with your charges.  

• Are you supported in our job or role?
• Does your body feel ok or does it ache?
• Are you eating properly and taking care of yourself?
• Do you get easily annoyed?

You should listen to how you feel emotionally and physically.  If you have any concerns, be sure to reach out for help. 

There are times when a person may need extra care either at their home or at an elderly care facility.  

At Private Home Health Care we provide compassionate care to help shoulder your burden.  We have over 30 years of experience and “Compassion is at the Heart of Our Care.”  Contact us when you need help.

Couscous

Couscous has been around approximately since the 13th century.  

Believe it or not it is actually a form of pasta.  Made from durum wheat (semolina) it is tossed   with wheat flour until pasta dough balls are formed.  The balls are left to dry and then go through a steaming process.

Your visit to the grocery store should have three different varieties to choose from. 

Moroccan couscous – Very small grains of couscous.  These are very fast cooking.

Israeli or Pearl couscous – Developed by David Ben-Gurion to help with the influx of immigrants to Israel these are much larger balls.

Lebanese Couscous – the balls of couscous are pea-sized and the largest of couscous varieties.  These take the longest to cook.

You can get great health benefits by eating couscous.

• One cup of couscous gives you 60% of the daily intake of selenium.
  • Selenium is an antioxidant that helps repair damaged cells and decreases inflammation.  It can also help with your thyroid gland function.

• You may decrease your risk of cancer by eating couscous.
  • Selenium combined with vitamins C and E has shown to reduce cancer in smokers.

• You can boost your immune system.
  • Selenium can also help regenerate those same vitamins C and E.

• Good source of plant-based protein.
  • Plant-based protein has an incomplete set of amino acids but if you are vegetarian or vegan it’s a great option for protein.

One bit of bad news for those of you who cannot eat gluten: this grain has gluten.

Private Home Health Care pairs couscous with meat or vegetables as a side dish, adds it to soups or makes it our main course.  We love couscous.

National Coloring Book Day

Get out your crayons, it’s National Coloring Book Day!

In your childhood you probably did your share of coloring.  You colored in school, maybe at your kitchen table or at a friend’s house.

Coloring is one of those activities that can bring you back in time.  You don’t have to go back in time to color however as it is becoming a very popular activity among adults.

You can easily find adult coloring books on Amazon.  Some titles are Stress Relief: A Coloring Book for Adults, Spooky Cuite: Coloring for Adults and Teens and Cute and Groovy: Coloring for Adults and Kids.

Additionally, you will actually reap some benefits from coloring according to the Mayo Clinic.

Coloring can help promote mindfulness.  You focus on coloring and staying inside the lines and choosing colors so it helps your focus.

Less stress is also a benefit for you.  Coloring is not the only stress reliever but the activity can help to calm your mind.

You don’t need to be perfect in your coloring.  You can avoid being judgemental and it’s a solo activity so there isn’t any competition involved.

Private Home Health Care hopes you’ll feel like grabbing some crayons and a coloring book after reading this. 

We also realize that coloring is not for everyone so look for other activities to make you happy.

Psoriasis Awareness

As we end the month of July we are thinking ahead to the last month of Summer.  August begins Psoriasis Awareness month.

Do you know anyone with Psoriasis?

Psoriasis can be a scary diagnosis because if you have it you learn that it is a chronic disease without a cure.

You’ll learn what type of Psoriasis you have out of the six different possibilities.  The most common form is Plaque Psoriasis.  Additionally, there are different degrees of severity.

Your body will have dry, itchy raised skin patches with scales.  You can be very uncomfortable and your sleep can be affected.  You could also find that your concentration is having issues as well.

This disease can be very difficult because it can go in cycles and there is no cure but the good news is that there are therapies and medicines to help you manage it. 

The various treatments look to keep the skin cells from growing so quickly and also remove the scales.

Your choices are:

Topical – you can use a variety of oils, creams, lotions, gels, foams, sprays and shampoos.

Light Therapy – if you have moderate to severe psoriasis this could be a good option for you.  This can include exposure to sunlight, UVB broadband and narrow light exposures.

Oral or Injected Medicines – your moderate to severe psoriasis can be helped with steroids, retinoids, biologics, methotrexate and cyclosporine.

Your medical professional will work with you to determine what is best for your level of psoriasis.  It’s most important to have a coordinated effort so you can make informed decisions.

Private Home Health Care is hopeful that there will someday be a cure for psoriasis but for not there are treatments to help you manage this disease.

Reading a Book

Having just come back from a week’s vacation and having enjoyed a novel it made us think about what a fun and relaxing time it can be to read a book.

These days you can find a book in many different formats.

An obvious choice is picking up an actual paper book.  Do you prefer hardcover or paperback? Too old fashioned?

Try reading an ebook.  Your choices include an Amazon Kindle, a Barnes and Noble Nook or an Apple iPad plus more to be found online..  

Audiobooks are great if you find yourself driving in the car a lot.

Once you decide how to read a book, what else do you get from reading a book in addition to pleasure and enjoyment?

It turns out that books can also be beneficial to you both physically and mentally.  

• Reading can strengthen your brain. Studies have shown increased brain activity after reading a book.

• This pastime can help increase your ability to empathize.

• You can build your vocabulary by reading different books.

• While not a cure all, reading can help prevent cognitive decline.  

• You should feel less stressed and it can help with making you sleepy at bedtime.

Private Home Health Care loves to read all different types of books.  We hope this summer and all year round you too enjoy some good reading!  It’s good for your health and enjoyable.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Today, Private Home Health Care is thinking about a delicious “guilty” pleasure and that is vanilla ice cream.

Now it is true that we often talk about the health benefits of different foods.  Vanilla ice cream may not seem to you to be full of a long list of healthy nutrients but we may be able to find some good things along with some interesting facts.

Vanilla ice cream can leave you feeling calm and relaxed due to the vanilla aroma.

Additionally, there are potentially healthy benefits from the vanilla bean.  This includes possible antioxidant effects along with anti-inflammatory properties.

We believe that we (and you), need to have something sweet and delicious once in a while.  Vanilla ice is a treat you can eat on its own, in a sundae or on brownies.  

Now we want to share with you some interesting facts about the versatile vanilla ice cream.

• Vanilla is the most popular ice cream in the United States
• Vanilla from vanilla beans is the main ingredient of vanilla ice cream.
• Madagascar and Mexico are the leading producers of vanilla beans.
• Marco Polo brought vanilla back from Asia to Europe in the 17th century.
• Vanilla ice cream can be traced back to Persia though it was made with milk and rice.

We hope that you have enjoyed our discussion on vanilla ice cream enough that you might want to get a scoop or two to savor soon!