Kathy's Blog

Home Care Assistance will be celebrating Heart Month throughout February. Heart disease is a prevalent and serious issue in both America and Canada for many reasons.  To start, every 25 seconds an American will have a coronary event and once every minute an American will die from a heart related disease.  Furthermore, heart disease and stroke are responsible for the deaths of one in every three Canadians and it is the leading cause of death among Canadian women.

It is an issue of dire importance for all people which is why it is so imperative that we properly recognize and raise awareness for Heart Month this February.  Aside from understanding ways to ensure heart health like eating a proper diet, adequate exercise and not smoking or binge drinking and participating in activities like National Wear Red Day this Friday will help raise awareness around this cause. “We need to be aware, we need to keep healthy,” Sparrow Ionia Hospital Community Relations Director Laurie Tjalsma said. “We always encourage everyone to wear red.”

This February do your best to educate yourself on how to prevent and cope with the many different forms of heart disease and coronary events which currently devastate our society and many other individuals around the world.  Understanding the cause of congestive Heart Failure, Heart Attack, Stroke or other cardiovascular condition is the first step toward delaying the onset of these events. 
 

As a caregiver, you accompany your client or loved one nearly everywhere they go – depending on their physical and mental capacity.  From eating together to running errands, caregivers are always by the side of the person they are caring for.  In turn, they build a certain level of rapport with their client or loved one that others may not have. 

This raises a question: how can caregivers utilize this close relationship to help improve their loved one’s health and quality of life?  For example, it may be as easy as accompanying him or her to the doctor’s and serving as an intermediary between the doctor and the patient.

A recent study found that caregivers help doctors communicate better with their patient.  The study found that out of all of the elderly patients who came in with a caregiver, 70% of these companions provided the doctor with additional information while 67% asked additional questions.  Caregivers act as a sounding board and can ensure that the patient follows the prescribed care plan based on their needs.

"Continuity of care is a central tenant of an effective patient-provider partnership," said Jennifer L. Wolff, PhD, lead author of the study and an associate professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of HealthPolicy and Management. "This work suggests that quality of care improvements may result from more productive communication and education that targets both patients and their companions."

To read more click here: http://www.caring.com/blogs/fyi-daily/doc-visits-its-good-you-came-along?utm_campaign=fanpage&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

What do the Peruvian, Scandinavian, Japanese and the Mediterranean women know what American women don’t? It’s to eat your way to a long life…yes we said eat! 

Maintaining simple changes like portion control, eating farm fresh foods, reducing stress and eating foods with good oils and fats can make a significant difference. Eating certain foods may even ward off the chances of developing depression, obesity or cancer. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like fish can help keep you slim and happy well into your later years.

Places where these healthy lifestyles prevail are called Blue Zones, which some of you may or may not be familiar with.  Blue Zones are areas where people traditionally lived healthier and more active lifestyles and many times live to ages 100 and older. Cold regions also have the lower rates of heart disease, depression and certain cancers, compared to those who live in warmer, Western regions. Studying these cultures and their lifestyle habits can help Americans and others adopt healthier eating habits and implement them into their daily lives. 

The important thing to remember is that it’s not about a complete lifestyle change, but more how small changes to one’s lifestyle habits can have significant benefits to one’s health and happiness. For example, eating out less and choosing smaller portions can help cut out unwanted calories.

“One thing we Americans have going for us: We are always up for a challenge. So try these healthful Blue Zone — and Cold Spot — inspired ideas. Click HERE for 7 things to do starting today!
 

A recent study has confirmed what many of us already know: that caregiving is one of the most stressful occupations in North America.  This study found that caregivers are the third most stressed group in America behind the obese and the depressed.  Coincidentally, these are two issues that many caregivers are at risk for; this only amplifies the already high stress level of caregivers.

“Caregivers are not only more likely to report stress than other groups; they also report it at higher levels,” said Caring.com senior editor Paul Spencer Scott. “Caregivers are more likely than the general public to have a chronic illness (82 percent vs. 61 percent) and to rate their own health as fair or poor (34 percent vs. 20 percent). Caregivers also appear to manage stress in less healthy ways than the general population. Caregivers are twice as likely, for example, to report smoking to manage their stress (20 percent vs. 10 percent).”

It is more important now than ever to take time out of your day to takes steps toward protecting one’s health and avoiding caregiver burnout.  The ability to provide care to another individual is an invaluable service to society, but the caregiver and their patient’s health need to be of equal importance.

Other interesting findings garnered from this report are that people still refuse to accept how stress affects their daily lives.  Nearly one third of those polled do not believe that stress affects their physical or mental health.  Tests have proven that the truth is quite the opposite; reduction of stress is a major step towards a healthier lifestyle.

To read more click here: http://www.caring.com/blogs/fyi-daily/caregivers-top-list-of-most-stressed-psychologists-say?utm_campaign=fanpage&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

Life’s biggest questions are naturally the hardest to answer, and if you choose the wrong action you could end up regretting it in the long run.  We all hope to live with no regrets, but for many, this is not the case.  Thankfully, Karl Pillemer of Cornell compiled a list of life’s greatest trials and sought out advice from people who have already made their life changing decisions and lived with their results.  These people, of course, are our elders.  As they say, another year older, another year wiser.

On Regrets – The seniors questioned on how to avoid regret came to a consensus on two major points.  First, always be honest while taking advantage of new opportunities and embracing challenges.  It is impossible to regret something if you did everything within your power to accomplish it.  Second, try to travel as much as possible.  Most seniors believe that this should take precedent over many other things young people spend money on.

On Happiness – Happiness is a choice and not a culmination of positive or negative circumstances life throws at you.  You may not be able to control what happens to you, but you can always control how you react to it.

On Marriage – While love can initially bring people together, a lasting friendship and complementing qualities will build a lasting relationship.  As one 89-year-old woman put it, “too many young people are giving up too early, too soon.”

On Careers – Out of the seniors polled on careers, not one said that they achieved happiness by working in a profession they did not like for a big paycheck at the end of the day.  As one 83-year-old former athlete and recruiter put it, “the most important thing is to be involved in a profession that you absolutely love and that you look forward to going to work every day.”

On Parenting – It is important to spend more time with your children despite whatever busy work schedule you may have.  Sacrifices may have to be made along the way, but spending time with your children should come before your career.

Click here to read more life tips from our wise elders.

In the world of caregiving, we strive to meticulously plan out every activity to ensure a stress free experience for the elderly we serve.  However, the best course of action might be to just slow down and simplify our activities.  Not only does slowing down reduce stress and anxiety. but it also can lead to a more enjoyable experience for both parties involved.

“Rushing and old age don’t mix, causing all kinds of tension between seniors and their caregivers. Stiff joints, muscle weakness, aches and pains, fears — whatever the reason, old age is, in the natural life cycle, a time for slowing down.”

Caring.com proposed a list of suggestions (seen below) on how to best achieve “slowness” in our fast paced world.

• Be realistic about how much time daily tasks will take.  Consider small things like getting in and out of a car or climbing up and down stairs. Everything takes time, so it should all be taken into consideration when you are planning your day.

• This same concept should be applied to daily activities like eating, dressing and bathing.  Everyone should have ample time to complete these tasks. When one is rushed through activities of daily living it throws the rest of their day off as well.

• Consider natural body rhythms; if the senior you care for is a morning person, then tailor their daily activities and schedule with this in mind.

As for a more philosophical angle towards slowing down, acceptance of a senior’s slower pace is integral to a stress free outing. “In most cases, seniors can’t help moving more slowly — there’s simply nothing they can do about it. If they could, they would. Accepting this, taking a deep breath, and going with the flow — even if it's slower than yours — is much easier than fighting it. Plus, there's a domino effect: When caregivers relax, the seniors they're caring for do, too.”

While it is hard for caregivers of all people to slow down a conscious and concerted effort to do so could pay dividends in the long run!
 

Adopting healthy habits is a common New Year's resolution, but following a few simple dietary rules also can help individuals manage incontinence, according Dianna Malkowski, physician assistant, nutritionist and professional adviser for The CareGiver Partnership.

1. Monitoring fluid intake. When individuals don't drink enough and become dehydrated, their urine can become concentrated with bladder-irritating salts. Conversely, drinking too much at a time increases the amount of urine and can irritate or overwork a bladder. Some find it helpful to measure and record daily fluid intake, along with incontinence episodes, to help them see patterns and help health care providers monitor their condition.

2. Increasing dietary fiber. Eating a high-fiber diet can help avoid constipation. Compacted stool can cause nearby bladder nerves to become overactive, increasing urinary frequency. Insoluble fiber helps move stool and is found in vegetables, wheat bran and other whole grains, nuts, beans and berries. Soluble fiber helps soothe the digestive tract and is therefore often recommended for those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. Soluble fiber is found in fruits such as apples and oranges, pasta, white bread and potatoes.

3. Avoiding bladder irritants. For those with bladder control problems, it may be helpful to limit alcohol and caffeine. Both are bladder stimulants and diuretics, which can cause a sudden need to urinate. Even teas and carbonated beverages may contribute to bladder problems. Other known irritants are sugar and artificial sweeteners, corn syrup, spicy foods, and acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/12/29/prweb9066886.DTL#ixzz1hxipJjuK
 

Ideally, many would welcome the opportunity to avoid the negative effects of aging, but realistically it affects us all at one point or another, so the important question becomes: How do we delay the process?

Dr. Oz recently released a 5 day plan to help get rejuvenate your five senses that can sometimes decrease with age. This is particularly interesting for those at risk for Alzheimer’s as the plan Dr. Oz outlines also serves as an early indicator for signs of the disease.  Below I have highlighted the first two days of the plan as they proved to be the most educational and beneficial.

Day 1: This day focuses on elevating your senses by seeing which areas need a pick me up and which are functioning at their full capacity.  This is what Dr. Oz suggests for each sense:

Touch
Test: Hold your arms straight down with your wrists pressing against each other for 10 seconds. If numbness is felt in some of your fingers then there may be some nerve compression in your hands.

Remedy: “To maintain and strengthen the sensation in your nerves, take 10 mcg of vitamin B12 each day.”

Smell
Test: Take an alcohol swab and open it near your waist.  Slowly raise it towards your nose until you can smell it.  If you can smell the alcohol around chest level then your sense of smell is fine. If not, read the below remedy.

Remedy: “If your sense of smell is lacking, try taking 600mg of the supplement alpha lipoic acid daily to wake up the olfactory nerve, which is instrumental in one’s sense of smell.”

Taste
Test: Mix zinc sulfate with water and swish it around your mouth for 10 seconds.  If you cannot sense a metallic taste, then there may be a deficiency in your sense of taste.

Remedy: “Take 15 mg of zinc daily if you experience a deficiency in taste. Within 2-3 weeks your sense of taste should be restored. Otherwise, consult your doctor.”

Day 2: The second day focuses on skin rejuvenation which, as we grow older, begins to wrinkle and show signs of aging.  Surprisingly, the mixture of nutmeg and cinnamon can serve as a rejuvenation agent for wrinkled skin.  Take 6 teaspoons of cinnamon and nutmeg and run it though your coffee machine’s filter.  Then, pour this mixture directly into a warm bath and soak in it.  Alternatively, you can let the mixture cool and use it as a face or body wash instead.

Like what you have read thus far? For the remaining three days of the plan click here: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/5-day-full-body-recharge-plan?page=3#copy

We all hope to age gracefully, but maintaining independence into your later years can become difficult.  That said, some individuals seem to defy the laws of aging more than others!  One person in particular, Ray Nauroth, of Dunlap, Iowa just celebrated his 100th birthday.

Nauroth has worked as a bartender at the Gold Slipper in Iowa for 46 years and resides in a two story house by himself.  He drives himself to work, cleans his house, and prepares meals without the help of an aide and then goes to work.  “He does an awesome job and is a pleasure to work with,” said co-worker and supper club owner Nick Behrendt, “everyone loves him.”

The Gold Slipper threw a birthday party for Nauroth and served a fixed price meal for $19.11 to commemorate the year he was born.  Over 600 people came out to wish Nauroth a happy birthday because even in his old age, he has managed to stay young at heart and continues to establish new friendships as well as keep up existing friendships.

“Nauroth draws a steady crowd, but prefers to work alone no matter how busy it gets. “Ray never loses his sense of humor,” Behrendt says. “He’s always in a good mood and has an answer for everything.’” 

The question that many of you are probably thinking is what is his secret to aging so gracefully and acting biologically like he is in his 50s or 60s?

His answer: “My secret is waking up every day.”

To read more about Ray Nauroth click here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45722058#.TvEcuCM6SFe