Taking Care of You

As professionals and caregivers we work hard to help those in need.  But we tend to forget about taking care of ourselves.  We can't help others if we are not healthy.  Here are a few tips on taking care of you:
1) Exercise daily, even if it's only a short walk
2) Stay involved in hobbies
3) Pamper yourself: take a warm bath, have a massage on a regular basis, make time for a  
     manicure or pedicure
4) Keep a journal
5) Eat healthy balanced meals
6) Laugh

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Looking at the Big Picture; Physical, Mental and Social Health

The word health comes from the Old English word “hale” meaning “wholeness, a being whole, sound or well.”  Health is defined as the general condition of the body (Merriam-Webster) and a state of complete physical, mental or social well-being (Wikipedia).  This shows that the body is intended to be examined as a whole and not in bits and pieces.

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not. – Mark Twain

Your physical health is the body’s ability to function without restrictions on a daily basis.  Your eyes can see, your ears can hear and your legs can walk, jump, run.  Physical health is the most vital element of your overall health.

Some ways to maintain your physical health are by:

1. Keep fit by regular exercise – Your will have more energy, maintain your weight or lose weight, increase your confidence and battle chronic diseases.  The general goal is to try to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
2. Avoid tobacco, alcohol and drugs – They interfere with messages to the brain and alter perception.
3. Maintain your ideal body weight – this is measured by height and female/male
4. Eat a balanced meal – Oil, margarine, reduced fat spread, butter, sugar should all be eaten in small amounts; lean meat, eggs, fish, chicken, yogurt, milk, cheese should be eaten moderately; vegetables, beans, cereals, fruit, rice, lentils, bread should be eat most.
5. Practice good grooming habits – be neat & properly dressed, bathe daily, care for teeth and gums, good posture
6. Get plenty of rest – your body likes routines, so try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day; amount of sleep depends on age, health, genetics but typically 7-8 hours.

Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded. – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Your mental health is how you think, feel & cope with daily life, being able to decide what’s right and what’s wrong.  It’s the way you express your emotions and adapt to a range of demands.

Some ways to maintain your mental health are by:

1. Develop thinking and decision making skills and strive to learn new information
2. Take responsibility for decisions, feelings and actions
3. Control and fulfill desires and impulses in an appropriate manner
4. Function and interact effectively with others
5. Adapt to change
6. Care for yourself and others and give and accept love
7. Deal with situations that cause anxiety, disappointment and frustration
8. Learn how to deal with life’s problems and ways to deal with stress

Your social health is the how you interact with people around you and how well and how often you do.   A good social health is one with a good circle of friends and a good support system from family.   Your social health includes parts of your personality and social skills and is closely related with well-being, adjustment and social functioning.  Studies have shown that a poor social health can be as bad as a poor diet and not exercising is for physical health.

Some ways to maintain your social health are by:

1. Getting along with family and friends
2. Make and keep friends
3. Work well in groups
4. Disagree without fighting
5. Give and get support when needed

Your health triangle is made of 3 equal sides: physical, mental and social health.  This helps you keep all aspects of your life and health in balance with each other.  They are all equally important to maintain the best health.  If one side is neglected or overly emphasized, the other sides will suffer.  For example, a person who is strict about their diet and exercise often neglects socializing with friends because s/he doesn't want to miss a workout.  This person may also avoid having dinner with friend because of this strict diet.  This may lead to loneliness.

Although you are taught to think in terms of pieces and parts when it comes to your body, our body, mind and emotions together form the whole person.  Physical health is connected to mental and social health.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. – Siddartha Guatama Buddha

Communication

Communication can be hard at times with a person who has dementia.  Too much information may be given or too fast for the person to comprehend.  For a person with dementia, s/he would most likely still be reading the first sentence of this blog.  The key is to decrease the amount of information being given, at a slower pace, in shorter sentences. 

Laughter; Is it the Best Medicine

Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health. - Paul E. McGhee, Ph.d.
Laughter is to show emotion with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound.  It's to find amusement or pleasure in something.  Babies learn to smile weeks after birth and learn to laugh after that.  Laughter is a natural part of life.  It undeniably improves your quality of life.  Laughter lightens your burdens, inspires, and helps physical and emotional health.

An optimist laughs to forget; a pessimist forgets to laugh. - Tom Nansbury
Laughter is a great way to boost your heart rate and it also burns calories.  Ten to fifteen minutes of laughter burns 50 calories.  However to lose one pound you will need to laugh for twelve consecutive hours (Maciej Buchowski, researcher from Vanderbilt University). Children laugh hundreds of times a day but adults can go through an entire day without laughing.  This may be because children don't carry the anxiety and stress adults do.  

Laughter gives us distance.  It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on. - Bob Newhart
Laughter is the body's natural feel-good chemical.  It helps dissipate anger, sadness and any other negative emotion.  Laughter helps reduce stress so we are able to relax and focus.  It brings a general sense of well-being.  Even knowing you will be involved in a positive event days in advance lowers your stress and aids in relaxation.  Laughter allows you to be more realistic and look at a situation in an optimistic way.  

Laughter is inner jogging. - Norman Cousins
Laughter helps our physical health in many different ways; relieves pain and discomfort, works out your muscles, and stimulates blood flow.  When you laugh, you breathe faster.  This sends more oxygen to your tissues and brain.  A good hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after laughter has subsided (helpguide.org).  Laughter gives you an internal workout.  It exercises your diaphragm, contracts the ab muscles and works out your shoulders.  Laughing 100 times is the equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on the exercise bike (helpguide.org).  

Laughter lets me relax.  It's the equivalent of taking a deep breath, letting it out, and saying, "This too, will pass." - Odette Pollar
Laughter is said to be the best medicine and there is much evidence that laughter does a lot of good things for us.  It reduces pain and allows us to tolerate discomfort.  It reduces blood sugar levels, stimulates the heart and lungs, relaxes muscles and improve mental functions and overall attitude.  Laughter does so much more for us than any other medication can.  Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free and easy to use (helpguide.org).  So what do you think?  Is laughter the best medicine?

Have a laugh!!!
Did you know it's illegal in the State of Ohio to...

• Get a fish drunk
• Fish for whales on Sunday
• Sell beer while wearing a Santa Claus suit, even if you are a dog
• Walk a cow down Lake Road in Bay Village
• Throw rice at weddings in Chillicothe
• Honk your horn "excessively" in Fairview Park 

Mishaps in church bulletins:

• Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale.  It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house.  Don't forget your husbands.
• The sermon this morning is "Jesus walks on water." The sermon tonight is "Searching for Jesus."
• Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and the deterioration of some older ones.

An extension of your family’s care and compassion.

CaringTree Senior Care.

An extension of your family’s care and compassion.

There is no greater source of support than family. There are times, however, when every family needs help caring for an aging senior parent or elderly loved one. 

CaringTree Senior Care's personalized and affordable in home senior care services are available from 3 hours to 24 hours a day. A partial list of our in home senior care services can be found on our senior care services page. For more information about our in home senior care services and how CaringTree Senior Care can help you or your senior loved one.

Contact our main office at:

(440) 386-4660

OR

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