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How to Have a Healthy Thanksgiving

Posted on by Martin

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, everyone is busy coming up with a menu for the big feast. Thanksgiving is famous for being all about overindulgence and eating, but it can be a stressful experience for those who need to be careful about what they eat, such as seniors and diabetics, or even just for individuals who are highly health conscious, since Thanksgiving meals tend to be rather high in unhealthy substances such as sodium, sugar and fat.

Of course, it is not a good solution to completely skip the festivities just because you are afraid of weight gain or if you are worried about there not being anything that you are able to eat. Believe it or not, it is actually possible for you to enjoy the holiday and stay healthy at the same time. Here are some simple but effective tips for you to enjoy a healthy thanksgiving.

Making Healthier Food Choices

Watch your portions

If you can, try to limit yourself to just one plate. This helps to prevent over-stuffing yourself. Sample small portions of each dish, and avoid going back for seconds if you can. In the case that you are tempted to return for seconds, wait for about 20 minutes to half an hour first. This is because it takes a while to feel full, and after waiting for about 20 minutes you may find that you no longer want to go for seconds.

Don’t gobble down your food

Since it takes a while for you to feel full, try to eat slowly. If you gobble all your food down, you probably won’t feel satiated even after you have cleared your plate. This increases your likelihood of going back for seconds even though you have in fact already eaten a lot.

Have breakfast in the morning

Some may think that it is a good idea to skip breakfast in the morning in order to save up calories for the big feast. This is a common misconception. By skipping your morning meal, you will be ravenous by the time the Thanksgiving feast comes around, and you are likely to end up overeating. To avoid this, you should have a small breakfast so that you will have more control over your appetite. Including some protein and fiber in your breakfast will also help to take the edge of your appetite.

Stay properly hydrated

Ensure that you drink adequate water throughout the day. Not being properly hydrated will result in thirst, which is often mistaken as hunger pangs. This will cause you to overeat as well.

Make healthy substitutions

Thanksgiving dishes tend to be richer and more filling than your everyday fare, but here are some healthy substitutions and choices you can make in order to have a healthier Thanksgiving meal. These are especially ideal for seniors and diabetic, and for any individuals who need to watch their diet.

  • Instead of eating the dark meat with skin, opt for the white meat without the skin. When you make this substitution, the same 6oz portion of turkey can have a difference of 190 calories and 17g of fat.
  • Use fat-free chicken broth to baste the turkey, and in your gravy.
  • Don’t add the marshmallows on your sweet potatoes. You can choose to add other spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg to keep things flavorful. This helps to reduce your caloric intake by about 100 calories.
  • Skip the pecan pie for dessert. Instead, you can go for healthier dessert options such as a pumpkin pie. This cuts more than 100 calories from your Thanksgiving meal.
  • Use fruit purees instead of oil in your baked goods.
  • Try using plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream when making your creamy dips, mashed potatoes, or casseroles.
  • Make your own cranberries, instead of going for the jellied cranberry sauce. This saves you more than 100 calories.

Healthy Thanksgiving activities

Aside from making healthier food choices, you can also choose to engage in some healthy Thanksgiving activities in order to neutralize the effects of the rich and calorie-dense meal.

Socialize during the meal

Instead of focusing on the food, engage in conversation with your friends and family. After all, you can’t talk and eat at the same time!

Volunteer to help clean up

Instead of spending your time finishing up the leftovers or going back for seconds or thirds, why not volunteer to help your host clean up? This not only helps to take your attention away from the food, but the physical act of cleaning up itself will also help you to burn some calories. Not to mention, your host will definitely appreciate the gesture.

Plan a post-meal walk

After enjoying your scrumptious meal, go for a post-meal walk together. A brisk walk will help you to burn some calories. It is also a great opportunity to get some fresh air and to bond with your friends and family.

Plan to work out the next morning

Most people will feel bloated the lethargic the day after Thanksgiving. Instead of lazing around the house, plan a work out. The knowledge that you have committed to burn off the extra calories the day after allows you to feel less guilty when indulging during your Thanksgiving meal. What’s more, knowing that you have an early-morning workout the next morning might keep you from reaching for that additional glass of wine!

If you are worried that you will not have the discipline to keep to your morning workout, schedule a fitness date with a friend for that morning. You can then keep each other accountable, and you won’t be able to bail!

References

http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-programs-article/3303/ACEFit-workout-advice-and-exercise-tips/

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20545918,00.html

http://www.webmd.com/diet/10-tips-for-a-thinner-thanksgiving

http://greatist.com/health/fit-healthy-thanksgiving-tips

http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101/shopping_cooking_guides/healthy_thanksgiving_guide

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/healthy-thanksgiving-tips/

September is Healthy Aging Month: 7 Steps to Aging Healthy

Posted on by Martin

Healthy Aging month is an initiative dedicated to making known and embracing the positive aspects of aging. A national observance for the past fifteen years, it’s a time for Americans over the age of 45 to step back, look at their overall well-being, and adopt better health practices to preserve good health.

To age “well” is more than just a state of being. Healthy aging includes being well-rounded psychologically, socially, and physically, and includes taking active measures to ensure such. While some may associate being diagnosed with certain physical ailments as inevitable due to genetic predispositions, many physical maladies are actually not determined by genetics alone and can be combated with appropriate preventative measures.

Here are some general tips for aging successfully and living a healthier lifestyle:

  1. Take the time to get your eyes checked

Slight changes in vision can be normal as time goes on, but a marked or sudden decrease may not be. Because vision is such a vital part of daily life, it is important to maintain regular check-ups with your physician and discuss any concerns with them as well. The aging population is at a higher risk of developing eye issues, including: floaters, dry eyes, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, dry eyes, and other retinal disorders.

  1. Hearing

Age-related hearing loss is most commonly caused by changes to the inner ear, although certain medications and prolonged exposure to noises that are too loud can also play a role. Hearing loss can cause someone to have difficulty hearing the doorbell or phone ring, or have trouble maintaining a conversation with a friend. However, treatments for those with hearing loss can be promising. Even for those with severe hearing loss, hearing aids (or cochlear implants), speech-reading treatments, and auditory training can produce a significant increase in the quality of one’s life.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), about 17% of American adults are affected by some form of hearing loss (1).

  1. Blood Pressure Screening

Check with your physician every year for abnormal blood pressure. A normal reading of blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg, although the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 29% of Americans suffer from hypertension, or high blood pressure, and that this condition costs the nation $46 billion per year (2)! Hypertension is a blood pressure reading above 140/90 mmHg (3) and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Based on one’s situation, a physician may suggest medication, changes in diet, and physical exercise (3) to alleviate the situation. While age, race, and genetics all play a role in developing this condition, there also steps that the average person can take to reduce the risk of developing it, including: reducing sodium intake, maintaining a healthy weight, consuming less alcohol, and not smoking (3).

Hypotension, or low blood pressure, can be dangerous as well. One of the symptoms of hypotension is dizziness, which is caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain.

  1. Meeting with family

There are plenty of new things to appreciate as you get older and spending time with a growing family is one of them. Allocate a bit of time each week for social activities with family, as this makes for priceless memories and carefree laughter.

  1. Volunteer

Volunteering is worthwhile way to spend time because it gives the person a feeling of accomplishment and is also a perfect way to give back to the community. To find out if an organization is in need of volunteers, give them a call or look on their website online.

  1. Practice something challenging

Learning a new language or playing a challenging puzzle game, like Sudoku, is a great way to keep the brain sharp. In addition, a study called the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) discovered that a series of specific “brain exercises” were found to improve cognitive function in its 2,832 elderly participants. A CBS News article reports that participants in this study “reported that they had an easier time with daily activities such as managing their medications, cooking meals or handling their finances than did participants who did not get the training” (4).

The article acknowledges that the study’s “training course was designed to bolster specific cognitive abilities that begin to slip as people age. It does not aim to prevent dementia caused by underlying disease such as Alzheimer’s” (4).

  1. Keep your body moving

Whether this is taking a long walk at the end of the day or spurts of short activity spread throughout the day, physical activity is important in preventing certain health conditions and strengthening the body.

The Centers for Disease Control outlines a time goal for physical activity per week, by the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, for adults here and older adults (ages 65+) here. If you have any concerns about physical activity due to a condition you may have, be sure to consult a physician first.

September may be Healthy Aging month, but taking active measures for healthy aging should be a priority no matter what time of year. As a famous person once said, “The greatest wealth is Health”.

 

Be Kind to Humankind Week: Seven Daily Tips to Make the World a Better Place

Posted on by Martin

Be Kind to Humankind Week (BKHK) is a global celebration that takes place from August 25th-31st every weekend and strives to promote kindness, happiness and cohesion between people from all walks of life.

Each day of the seven-day celebration carries a specific goal. These goals can be adopted by anyone at any time and are often used to promote positivity in schools, home care facilities, workplaces and even correctional facilities. Each goal is accompanied by a simple, actionable statement of kindness, which can go a long way toward boosting morale in any environment.

Use these seven handy tips to make the most of Be Kind to Humankind Week this year:

Day One: Show Them That You Care

Day one of Be Kind to Humankind Week is all about demonstrating compassion, which makes it a great time to get involved in volunteer work. Find a cause that you’re passionate about and seek out an organization in your area that offers services. You could volunteer to dish out meals at the soup kitchen, run food deliveries for the local food bank, read to seniors at an assisted living home, bring some small gifts to children in a cancer ward or volunteer at the local women’s shelter.

Helping other people has been scientifically proven to do everything from increasing life span to boosting happiness and decreasing pain and there’s no time like now to show them that you care. Even if you only volunteer for a week, the time spent in service of others will benefit you for years to come.

Day Two: Drive Courteously

Road rage is all too common these days. Even if you don’t actively get out of your car to chase another one down the road screaming, most of us are guilty of being a little too aggressive at one point or another. All of this stems from the fact that we are constantly in a hurry, rushing from place to place, very absorbed in our own realities.  Fortunately, day two of the Be Kind to Humankind celebration is meant to remedy this exact problem.

During day two of the celebration, focus on driving as courteously as possible. Check out this guide on how to be a more courteous driver or simply pay attention to the needs of others while on the road. Let someone into your lane, pull over promptly for emergency vehicles, avoid tailgating and make plenty of room for cyclists and pedestrians on the road. In addition to making you a more courteous driver and drastically reducing stress levels, these simple tips also help keep you and everyone around you safer on the road.

Day Three: Spread Kindness, One Heart at a Time

Kindness: it’s free, easy and it makes the world go around. Day three of the Be Kind to Humankind celebration is dedicated to encouraging kindness and helping people understand that kindness doesn’t have to be huge or showy. It is easy to carry out random acts of kindness and the third day of the BKHK celebration is the perfect place to begin.

Kindness is often as simple as writing a heart-felt “get well” card or cooking a meal for a family with a brand new baby. Other great ways to be kind include complimenting people, calling a loved one just to say hello, offering to watch a friend’s kids so the parents can have a special date night, encouraging someone’s dreams and plans or simply listening to a friend, loved one or stranger who is in distress. Being kind is easy and the ripple effect of genuine kindness and compassion truly has the power to change the world.

Day Four: Offer a Helping Hand

Have you ever driven by people picking up trash on the side of the road? What about the people who volunteer to organize charity events or community events? These people provide an important community service that increases the quality of life for many people and the fourth day of the BKHK celebration strives to encourage people to lend a helping hand.

There are many great ways to offer a helping hand and fantastic options include volunteering for a community project, helping a sick relative clean or go shopping, giving a hard-up acquaintance a ride to work or donating unused clothing, home goods or appliances to people in need. Lending a helping hand doesn’t just uplift the person receiving the help; it uplifts the person offering the help, as well.

Day Five: Treat Others Well

Being thoughtful and considerate is a powerful skill that has the potential to increase the quality of life for many people. On day five of the BKHK celebration, focus on being increasingly thoughtful of others.  “Thoughtful Thursday,” as it is called by the celebration’s website, encourages simple actions like holding the door for a stranger, cooking lunch for someone in need, being supportive for friends and family in need and simply remembering to say things like “please” and “thank you.”

To take your thoughtfulness a step further, you could clip coupons for those in need or buy a struggling family some diapers or baby goods. It’s easy to be thoughtful and, although the actions required are simple, the practice is powerful.

Day Six: Come Together

Day six of the Be Kind to Humankind celebration is aptly termed “Forgive Your Foe Friday” and, you guessed it, this day is all about letting go of grudges and starting fresh. Although forgiveness is often easier said than done, learning to forgive is an integral part of living a healthy, cohesive, happy life.

Start your journey toward forgiveness by simply minding your thoughts and refusing to harbor negative, nasty or aggressive thoughts toward your so-called “foe.” When that gets easier, you can either reach out and attempt reconciliation or simply begin to temper back you feelings of anger and hurt toward this person. In the words of author and psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estes, “Forgiveness is an act of creation…You can forgive for now, forgive till then, forgive till the next time, forgive but give no more chances it’s a whole new game if there is another incident. You can give one more chance, give several more chances, give many chances, give chances only if. You can forgive part, all, or half of the offense. You can devise a blanket of forgiveness. You decide.”

No matter how you choose to forgive, rest assured that the act of forgiving will improve life for you and those around you.

Day Seven: Say Something Nice

“Speak Kind Words Saturday” is the last day of the Be Kind to Humankind celebration and is intended to encourage kind thoughts, actions and words. The words we speak inform our thoughts and actions and it is amazingly important to ensure that we are speaking kindly to one another and ourselves. Additionally, since speaking kindly can reduce stress and promote a better lifestyle, it is obvious that this simple tip benefits individuals as well as society at large.

On the seventh day of this celebration, focus on complimenting people you admire and encouraging kind words from others. Tell a friend that you love him or her or make it a point to thank someone for his or her hard work, kind deeds or special attention. Teach children to speak gently and avoid gossip. Although these actions are simple, they can go a long way toward encouraging kinder speech patterns and a more welcoming world.

Be Kind to Humankind week is a celebration that seeks to make the world a better place and enhance the quality of life for everyone who lives here. This week, focus on meeting each day’s objective and pay attention to how these simple practices transform your life, work and mind.

National Friendship Week: How To Build Better Friendships

Posted on by Martin

Friendships are important to our lives. In addition to providing a support system, unwavering love and some much-needed comic relief, good friendships can also make us happier, healthier and more confident.

Friendships provide us with a fallback system and have the potential to teach us lessons about the world and how we run our lives. Although friendships, like any relationship, can sometimes be challenging, it is important to nurture them in order to build lasting partnerships that can stand the test of time.

Friendship Week came about as a way to honor existing friendships and focus on building new ones. The holiday week is often celebrated by the distribution of bracelets with positive messages on them or through various school and workplace programs.

Friendship week offers a great opportunity for in-home care specialists to create some fun events with their clients and use the week as a way to promote bonding and increase closeness between themselves and their patients.

In honor of Friendship Week, here are the top five tips to build, nurture and maintain great friendships:

1) Be Open

In many ways, friendships are lessons for the rest of our lives. Friendships can teach us many things and provide us with a forgiving platform to improve ourselves and be honest about our faults and mistakes. Because of this, one of the most important aspects of nurturing strong friendships is learning to be open.

Being open means sharing feelings honestly, discussing any annoyances or bothersome occurrences that may pop up and learning to be respectful. Friendships, like many of life’s other relationships, have a hard time surviving if open communication isn’t happening. Focus on being open in your closest friendships and you will be rewarded with an unwavering support system and plenty of laughs for years to come.

To apply this to a home care setting, work on telling your clients one of the things you appreciate about him or her, each day. In addition to strengthening the bond between you and your clients, this will often serve to help a client with depressive symptoms feel happier and more positive.

2) Practice Acceptance

As much as we love our friends, nobody is perfect and it’s possible (and very likely) that there will be times when you don’t agree with a friend’s choices. In these instances, practice acceptance and let your friend make his or her own decisions.

In addition to allowing you to let go, practicing acceptance is also a great way to show our friends that we respect and love them, no matter what. Feel free to share your opinion if your friend asks for it, but then take a step back. Remember: your friend has his or her life and you have yours.

Respecting a friend’s intelligence and autonomy and accepting them just as they are at any given moment is the best way to ensure that you get the same treatment down the road. Additionally, practicing acceptance does nothing but make you a bigger, strong person that is more capable of handling anything that might come down the road.

To apply this to a home care setting, practice accepting the choices, moods and opinions of your clients, even when they don’t align with yours. Home care is an intimate environment and one of the best ways to ensure you are providing the best care you are capable of is to ensure that you are not attempting to change or coerce your clients in any way. By doing this, you meet your clients where they are and provide them with the respect and assurance of caring for them without also trying to change them.

3) Make Friendships a Priority

In order to build great friendships, it is important to ensure that your friendships have priority in your life. In today’s busy world, it’s easy to get wrapped up in work and various other obligations at the expense of our friendships. Unfortunately, this carries the very real risk of damaging relationships in the long run.

To avoid this pitfall, ensure that you make your friendships a priority, even when things get busy.  Think of your friends as your life jackets. You don’t want to throw them overboard in the middle of a stormy sea.

Learning to apply this to a home care setting is twofold: on one hand, this means that you should focus completely on every client while you are with him or her, thus making that client and the relationship between you your priority. On the other hand, it also means taking the time to nurture your friendships outside of work. Home care is a rewarding yet stressful environment that can easily make it difficult to make time for friends. In order to avoid this pitfall, learn to consciously make time to see your inner circle, no matter how tired or stressed you may be.

4) Listen

The act of listening is a central feature in any great friendship. It is impossible to have open, honest or fulfilling communication without being able to listen actively. In order to build and maintain a great friendship, it is important to learn to listen. Active listening means making eye contact, turning your body toward the person speak and using reflective responses to convey understanding and attention.  In addition to helping your friend feel heard and respected, the practice you get listening to friends will benefit you in almost every other area of your life.

People who know how to listen without interrupting, becoming defensive or actively trying to “fix” things help make other people feel safe and comfortable, which is especially important for those engaged in-home care or healthcare settings. Practice listening to your friends and your clients and watch how it ripples out into the rest of your life.

5) Express Gratitude

At the end of the day, great friends are one of our biggest blessings and they deserve to know how special they are to us. To show your friends how much you appreciate them, hand-write a small thank-you note, schedule a special dinner or purchase a small gift or a bouquet of flowers.

To apply this to a home care setting, don’t be shy about telling your clients what they have taught you. People in a home care setting often have depressive symptoms and may feel as if they are no longer useful or wanted. By being open with your clients about how they have positively affected your life, you can help uplift your clients and inspire a gratitude ripple effect.

Expressing gratitude helps our friends feel appreciated and valued and, in turn, produces stronger friendships, deeper bonds and more lasting connections.

Elbert Hubbard is famous for having said, “A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” In that spirit, we honor Friendship Week. Our friends are our greatest support systems, cheerleaders, court jesters and psychiatrists and life would be much different without them.  This week, dedicate some time to nurturing, building and maintaining your great friendships because, come what may, our closest friends make our lives distinctly better.

 

 

National Smile Week: 10 Fun Facts About Smiling

Posted on by Martin

Smiling. It feels good and looks great but did you know it could actually increase your life span and  do everything from making you more attractive to helping you land that promotion? In order to help you celebrate National Smile Week, we’ve compiled a list of fun and surprising facts about turning that frown upside down. Get ready to smile because these facts about smiling are nothing but good news:

Fact #1: Smiling Helps You Live Longer

Smiling has many benefits, not the least of which is that smiling can actually help us live longer.

People who smile more often are generally happier and, since smiling decreases blood pressure and releases endorphins, it’s a great way to boost health and protect your golden years.

Fact #2: Smiling Makes Promotions More Likely

Who knew that landing that exciting new position would be as easy as smiling? As it turns out, people who smile at work are more likely to be promoted than those who do not. This is because smiling conveys a message of happiness, approachability and confidence, all of which are things managers typically look for in employees that are up for promotion.

Fact #3: Smiling Boosts The Immune System

In addition to making you look more attractive, successful and approachable, smiling and laughter may also protect you from the common cold. According to recent data, smiling can help boost the immune system by decreasing stress levels, which in turn increases white blood cell count and releases beneficial antibodies that help fight infection and disease.

Fact #4: There Are Many Different Types of Smiles

People smile for all sorts of reasons and, as it turns out, we smile all sorts of ways, too. According to Paul Ekman, an American psychologist who studies human emotions and facial expressions, humans display very different types of smiles depending upon the situation. Types of smiles include the felt smile, the fear smile, the miserable smile and the flirtatious smile.

Fact #5: Smiling is Contagious

Have you ever been around someone who seemed to be smiling all the time? Chances are, you found yourself smiling as well. This is because smiling is incredibly contagious. Research suggests that happy people influence the people closest to them and provide a boost of good energy, smiles and laughter. So, next time you’re feeling down, seek out your happiest friend and let the smiles begin.

Fact #6: Smiling Is A Global Sign of Happiness

There are a few human gestures that cross language barriers around the world and smiling is one of them. No matter where you are on the globe, smiling is recognized as a universal display of happiness and good nature.

Fact #7: Babies Can Smile Moments After Birth

Most of us have heard that babies are not capable of smiling during their first few months of life. As it turns out, this is untrue. According to research and ultrasound evidence, babies can smile in utero and immediately after birth, although it is important to distinguish between automatic smiles and social smiles. Automatic smiles are produced as a result of pleasurable physical sensations, such as falling asleep, resolving gas or eating. When babies smile during the first few days after birth, it is typically an automatic smile.

Social smiles, on the other hand, are produced as a result of facial recognition and the type of conscious happiness that arises when a baby recognizes a parent’s face or sees a favorite toy. Babies do not generally begin to exhibit social smiling until about two months of age.

Fact #8: Women Smile More Often Than Men

Studies have found that women smile more often than men but the difference disappears when men and women occupy similar business or social roles. Many scientists interpret these results to indicate that gender roles are fluid and that both men and women act differently depending upon their social or business environment.

Fact #9: Smiling Drastically Reduces Stress

Feeling stressed out and over-loaded? Try smiling. According to recent studies, smiling has the power to reduce stress and increase our ability to deal with trying situations.  This is largely owing to the fact that smiling boosts endorphin output and forces us to breathe deeper, resulting in a calmer outlook and increased coping ability.

Fact #10: Smiling Can Make You Happier

If you’re having a bad day, force yourself to smile. Research suggests that the act of smiling can actually trick the brain into feeling happier, no matter how bad the current situation may be. While smiling certainly doesn’t fix all problems, it certainly has the power to make us feel just a little better at any given moment.

Smiling eggs

 

The Case for More Smiles

National Smile Week is a wonderful way to bring some consciousness into your everyday life. We all know that it feels better, emotionally and mentally, to smile than it does to frown and it is obvious now that smiling offers some serious, scientifically backed benefits that have the power to boost our lives and improve the quality of almost everything we do.

A Boost in Morale

The simple act of smiling can go a long way toward boosting morale in difficult situations, as well, and is a powerful practice for those employed in difficult fields, such as medicine, hospice and home care. These jobs often entail dealing with great sickness, disability and transition and the simple act of smiling has actually been proven to significantly boost morale in hospital settings.

Increased Comfort for Patients and Caregivers

Because smiling is a global signal of happiness and confidence, patients who are cared for by smiling, upbeat caregivers are more likely to feel at ease, positive and comfortable, not to mention that the hormonal and endocrine changes induced by smiling may actually reduce pain and promote quicker healing.  It is easy to bring National Smile Week into a home care setting by simply paying more attention to the things you can do and say that will help your clients smile. This could be as simple as baking a favorite meal or playing a favorite song. Smiling is a practice that is accessible to everyone, at all times, and it is clear that nurturing a life with more plentiful smiles is synonymous with nurturing a healthier, happier, more confident and more resilient life.

A Happier World

We’ve all heard the saying “turn that frown upside down” but who knew that smiling could actually be so beneficial to health and happiness? With perks like increased life span, greater happiness, reduced stress and boosted immune function, it seems obvious that a smile a day can truly keep the doctor away. In honor of National Smile Week, get out there and give the world your best grin.

Many different smiles

Don’t forget to smile today!

Communication is Key in Homecare

Posted on by Martin

Aging, disabilities, and chronic illness make it difficult and challenging for individuals to care for themselves.  That’s where we come in……health aides can help.  Health Aides improve the quality of life with hands on care and kindness.  For many, Health Aides become trusted friends.

Family membrs may be worried about a loved one recovering after surgery or who is weak and forgetful, and they turn to us to provide excellent and reliable care.  We may be needed on a full time basis, or just be helping hand from time to time.  Our responsibility is a great one.  We are being entrusted with someone’s loved one; a parent, sibling, cCommunication is keyhild or friend.

As with many issues in health care, communication is key.  If your patient suddenly becomes rude or stubborn or starts acting differently from the way they normally do, this kind of behavior can actually be masking health problem.

If this occurs with your patient, it is very important that you contact your agency, physician and family members.  Remember, communication is key.