February
February is Cardiovascular “Heart” Awareness Month and every year, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) utilizes this time of the year to raise awareness about heart health! The institute urges Americans to reduce their risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. This year, it is even more vital than ever, as having Heart Disease can pose a higher risk of severity of COVID-19 symptoms and disease.
What is Heart Disease?
The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart ailments. The most common type of heart disease in the United States is Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), which affects the blood flow to the heart and inevitably the remaining of the body’s organs. Decreased blood flow can cause a heart attack with reduced oxygen and inevitably a severe cardiac malfunction.
Risk Factors for Heart Disease
– High Blood Pressure
– High Cholesterol
– Smoking
– Increased or high Alcohol Use
– Diabetes (Type I or II)
– Overweight/Obesity
– Unhealthy Diet and Physical Inactivity
Symptoms of Heart Disease
Sometimes Heart Disease may be “silent” and not diagnosed until a person experiences signs or symptoms of a Heart Attack, Heart Failure, or an Arrhythmia. When these events happen, symptoms may include:
– Heart Attack: Chest pain or discomfort, upper back or neck pain, indigestion, heartburn, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, upper body discomfort, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
– Arrhythmia: Fluttering feelings in the chest (palpitations).
– Heart Failure: Shortness of breath, fatigue, or swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, abdomen, or neck veins.
What does COVID-19 do to the Heart?
We’re still learning about the long-term effects of COVID-19 on our bodies. Studies are being done across the world. COVID-19 is a virus that primarily attacks the lungs. However, it can also cause your body to produce an overactive immune response which can lead to increased inflammation throughout the body and in turn affecting the heart directly. Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) can impair the heart’s ability to pump blood and send electrical signals. Severe forms of Myocarditis can lead to more serious problems like abnormal heart rhythms, heart muscle disease, and heart failure.
Although more research needs to be done to understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the heart, we do know COVID-19 affects the heart in two ways:
1. It can directly cause myocarditis and blood clots
2. It can indirectly affect the heart by making existing heart conditions worse, leading to heart attacks, stroke, or sudden cardiac death
Quality Health Care Concierge takes the health and well-being of our clients very seriously! We are here to provide education, information, resources to remain healthy, and mostly our support!
November
Selfcare is important, hence why it’s vital to understand essential oils and their therapeutic benefits.
Aromatherapy is a form of holistic therapy that utilizes essential oils to target sense of smell and by the skin. Essential oils are plant extracts that are steamed or pressed to produce fragrances. There are many ways to use essential oils: a few drops in a spray bottle and using that on sheets and pillows, a few drops in the bathtub, rubbing a small amount of the oil on the skin, a quick sniff of the bottle, a few drops in a diffuser or vaporizer, or wearing jewelry designed to diffuse the oils.
Essential oils are beneficial in the way of alleviating stress, anxiety, depression, nausea, headaches, inflammation, insomnia, and low appetite. Essential oils are designed to target the body’s sense of smell which is directly related to the hippocampus and the amygdala. These areas of the brain are responsible for our memories and emotions.
There are many different types of essential oils and each target a different feeling or emotion: chamomile is used to reduce stress, clary sage promotes relaxation, eucalyptus clears the sinuses, ginger reduces nausea, lavender encourages a better sleep, lemon increases happiness and improves concentration, peppermint improves alertness and reduces headaches, rosemary increases focus, sweet orange reduces anxiety, ylang-ylang decreases stress, and tea tree promotes wound healing.
Quality Health Care Concierge encourages our clients to look at and understand the holistic side of medical treatment and therapy. Essential oils are just one aspect of the many holistic therapies which can help anyone at any age to improve their everyday well-being.
August
Alternative health care is multifaceted and one of the major factors that affects one’s overall health is their nutritional capacity. Any individual that stays informed and well-versed in how the right nutrition can affect their overall health and well-being is on the right track! Often people feel that they have to make significant nutritional changes and shy away from the vast effects of even the smallest changes to their diets. Education and knowledge is key to keeping positive changes simple.
Many seniors feel that facing adjustments is a massive challenge. The reality is that nutritional needs are different with age while seniors fight the loss of muscle mass and potentially decreased immune function. Most dieticians stress the need to stock up on superfoods and immune boosting foods for the elderly. Some basic tips are to look at your snack choices and switch some of them up with fruits. Fresh fruits are simple because they don’t require preparation; another good choice is dried fruits that don’t have added sugar. Another trick is to add fruits and vegetables to meals you’re already making.Another wonderful addition to any diet is a very healthy breakfast, and you can easily add in some banana slices. Immune boosting foods include teas, Acai berries, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, garlic, and lots of ginger.
Quality Health Care Concierge cares about the wellness of the elderly! Our highly trained and compassionate caregivers take care of their clients in making sure their nutritional needs are always being met in their individual journeys to a lifestyle change through alternative care.
Interesting Additional Information:
https://www.medicinenet.com/immune_boosting_foods_pictures_slideshow/article.htm
August
Home Care encompasses a wide variety of health and social services. Oftentimes, home health care is misconstrued for providing only one type of service but the industry is vast! As a generalization, home care services are appropriate for people who prefer to stay at home but require on-going care that cannot be easily performed by family members or loved ones. The services are delivered to those that are disabled, chronically ill, or have a terminal disease. The many facets of home care may include therapeutic treatments, those in need of medical/nursing/social care and mostly those in need of assistance with activities of daily living. As hospitals are in favor of decreasing hospitalizations, re-hospitalizations, and on-going in-hospital setting care, home care becomes an essential component of long term care in the community.
Home Care is cost-effective and allows for people to age in their homes where their care is delivered. This is a huge benefit as the main priority is conform at home rather than a brand new location. To that, there are many different types of care that allow for people to have the appropriate kind of care based on their individual needs. Caregivers consist of those that are Companions, CNA/HHA’s, LPN’s, RN’s, Licenced Clinical Social Workers, and more. The services may be paid by various forms of payment, all contractually dependent. These forms consist of private pay, private health insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, HMO’s (Health Maintenance Organizations), Social Services, and more.
Quality Health Care Concierge provides home care services privately and to those who have interest in holistic health management. Their caregivers are mostly certified, all educated individually on holistic health care, and all highly compassionate to provide the most personalized and elite care possible. In doing so, Quality Health Care Concierge takes pride in providing more than just home care to their clients. They provide support services to their clients who are in need of having interest in holistic health management in their own homes.
August
Oftentimes people may confuse Palliative Care with Hospice Care or they shy away from acklowedgining the beneficial experience of Palliative Care. Palliative Care is such a broad type of care that it does not particularly specify treatment for one diagnosis or for any specific severity of care needs. Generally, it treats the whole-person and relieves symptoms whether or not it may cure a disease or disorder. It should not be confused with hospice care, which typically entails a terminal disorder where an individual has been diagnosed 6 months or less to live.
Most interestingly, Palliative Care is provided by an interdisciplinary team. Thus, the care needs are multifaceted and provide so many options to treatment plans. Palliative Care doctors help to prevent and alleviate suffering.
Quality Health Care Concierge is focused on introducing people to natural healing and alternative medicine in palliative care. With focus on the support network and strong knowledge of holistic care, they provide a wide network of palliative care and holistic care physicians in Florida. We become an integral part of the journey of holistic palliative care including that of providing care givers that are individually educated on Holistic Care, thus decreasing the anxiety of their clients as they require the utmost high levels of attention through their individual journeys. Our goal is to be a part of the continuous care needs of our clients while providing the best possible support in keeping people independent, safe, and happy in the community.
January
When we think of the word “companion,” we think of a friend or someone who walks through life with us. A companion helps us in our needs. Companionship is social in nature. Companions talk to us, cook dinner with us, and watch TV with us, read to us, or play cards with us.
These are things seniors and all citizens need the most. Many seniors have lost a spouse, have regular feelings of loniness and/or anxiety. Their children or families work and have families of their own, so they might not get by to see Mom or Dad for days or a few weeks. Some seniors have outlived their siblings and friends. They’re lonely and feel forgotten or ignored. Companion care supports this most basic of human needs and promotes positive mental health in the aging community.
When an agency sends a home health aide to a senior’s home, the aide helps the senior bathe, dress, take their medications, and could perform light duties like switching out the bed linens for clean ones.
Some home health care aides help the senior with housekeeping, cooking, running errands, and taking the senior to a doctor. They may spend between two to four hours helping with these things, and then the aide moves on to his or her next client.
Companion care means just that; the companion will spend time with the senior talking or helping the senior with his or her daily routine. They’ll take the senior to the doctor, to the grocery store, or to a department store to shop.
The companion will assist the senior with tasks such as paying his or her bills or picking up their prescriptions and dry cleaning, and maybe even get lunch. The difference between the two is the quality of the time spent with the senior.
Companions come in different types just like home health care does. For example, a live-in companion would do just that. The senior would have someone with them 24/7 for companionship with all its benefits.
In-home companion care schedules someone to visit the senior to help with whatever the senior needs and spend time with the senior. The time can be spent during the day or at night or even overnight if the senior needs help.
It’s totally up to the senior what a companion can do for them. The job encompasses:
Above all things, seniors value their independence. Seniors recognize that their bodies can’t perform like they did in youth, but living in a “home”, or know as an adult facility, strips them of all dignity and desire to be independent. Seniors will opt to make choices that will facilitate them to stay at home. Companion care helps seniors do just that with dignity and compassion.
The loneliness and isolation many seniors feel as they age change their minds from normally functioning to depressed. Dealing with loneliness or Depression may lead seniors to search for medicinal fixes but all do not prefer to add more potential medication to their daily regime.
Companion care gives seniors the social interaction they need to battle the loneliness and isolation of age. The depression is lifted with the company of someone who listens, talks, and laughs with seniors.
Physical fitness is vital at any age, but it’s especially vital in advancing age. Mobility, flexibility, and strength are areas in which most seniors need help. Thanks to imminent doctors on the Internet, seniors are now aware of the benefits of even the mildest fitness routines.
Companion care won’t push a senior to become or remain fit, but they’ll be there to appropriately work out with the senior.
Your local and state Agency on Aging provides contacts for home health services like home care or hospice care. For companion care, please contact Quality Health Care Concierge at 888-981-5595 to learn how we can be of service to your senior loved one.
December
Although we don’t have much say when it comes to getting older, we do have some say when it comes to how we age. According to a study published by CNN Health, an online resource that provides information on a wide range of health topics, the average American can expect to live 78.6 years. That said, the best way for seniors to achieve or even surpass this life expectancy is by exercising regularly and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. After all, eating right and staying physically active has been shown to help fend off chronic diseases, not to mention many of the aches and pain that come with getting older.
Exercising
Studies show that 18 million seniors are struggling with limited mobility as a byproduct of aging. Physical activity has been shown to help prevent or minimize the effects of arthritis, improve bone health, and strengthen muscles, all of which can improve mobility while reducing the risk of falls. Regular exercise can also improve stamina and lower the risk of developing chronic diseases, some of which include colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. And the benefits do not end there; according to a study published by the National Institute on Aging, aerobic exercises, for example, can help improve memory. The study found that exercising increases the size of an individual’s hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for short and long-term memory.
Despite the numerous health benefits associated with regular exercise, some seniors believe that engaging in any form of physical activity will increase their chances of falling and being severely injured. Many also believe that they are too out of shape to exercise. If any of this resonates with you, you will be happy to know that there are plenty of low-impact aerobic exercises that you can do without worrying about falling. We would, however, recommend doing these exercises with someone close to you or a companion so that you feel at ease. And best of all, these exercises are not overly taxing on the body. According to Silver Sneakers, a program that encourages older adults to participate in physical activities, some of the best exercises for seniors include:
Dieting
While eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is always a good idea, it becomes increasingly important as we get older. For this reason, most dieticians and nutritionists will encourage individuals over the age of 65 to eat the following foods for good overall health:
Fiber – Along with keeping you regular, eating whole grains, legumes, and other fiber-rich foods can help reduce high cholesterol, inflammation, and even high blood pressure.
Fatty Fish – For seniors, one of the best ways to go about improving joint health and mobility is by consuming fatty fish, such as mackerel, salmon, and sardines. These types of fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce the intensity of numerous joint symptoms, some of which include stiffness, tenderness, and swelling.
Blueberries – Along with being delicious, blueberries are chock-full of antioxidants as well as vitamins C and E, all of which can help the body fight off illnesses while keeping cells healthy.
Tomatoes – Like blueberries, tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, which can help fight off many of the free radicals that contribute to illnesses. However, they also contain lycopene, a compound that has been shown to protect against prostate and lung cancer.
Yogurt – Given that bone loss is common among older adults, primarily due to diseases like osteoporosis and osteomalacia, it would be a good idea to consume more yogurt. After all, this delicious dairy product is an excellent source of vitamin D, which the body uses to absorb the calcium, a mineral that supports strong bones and teeth.
All in all, there are many things that seniors can do to improve their chances of living a longer and healthier life. But please start with small changes first before going all-in on any new food or exercise routine, and have a friend, relative, or companion by your side.
November
Disease prevalence rates (proportion of people alive diagnosed with a certain disease) for cancer, epilepsy, HIV, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and PTSD to determine the number of eligible patients with the conditions specified in the proposed ballot initiative. There were an estimated 2,038,131 patients alive in 2017 that have been diagnosed with the specified conditions during their lifetime. These patients represent the pool of eligible patients for the medical use of marijuana. These people are those that may not have had appropriate guidance, support, or personal care to assist with an appropriate approach towards living with a debilitating disorder and being supported in the community for their holistic care approach to disease management.
Although Medical Marijuana is available in the state of Florida, it does however, remain illegal under Federal Law.
November
More than 34 million adults –16 percent of the adult American population – provide care to someone aged 50 years or older. About 70 percent of adult caregivers get help from family members, friends or neighbors. And about 30 percent rely on help from paid caregivers.
July
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