Golden Horizons Elder Care Services blog. Senior in-home health care companions, Dementia, Alzheimer’s, elderly healthy tips, community involvement and other topics.

Take a Leap

2/28/2020

Civilizations throughout history have sought ways to keep time using celestial bodies and stars. Some were lunar, some solar. The one we use today, the Gregorian calendar, counts our year based on the one complete orbit of Earth around the sun. One day is 24 hours, one full revolution of the earth's axis. Our calendar is 365 days. However, one actual complete revolution of the earth around the sun is approximately 365.2421 days. So, with about 1/4 day more per year, Julius Caesar began adding February 29, a full 24 hours, to the calendar to help account for this time. The first Leap Day and Leap Year, was in 45 AD.

Leaping is a versatile word. We leap physically...jumping, mentally... to conclusions, emotionally...in mood changes, spiritually...of faith.

We take "leaps of faith" into the unknown, taking risks. These leaps and risks, or lack thereof, are what shape our life experiences.

At Golden Horizons, we work with clients and caregivers whose experiences and accomplishments are wide and varied. They inspire us with their lives and have taught us never to take for granted the time and seasons gifted to us. We never know who we will impact. You count.

2020 is a leap year. Let it inspire you to take a leap in your life!

Source:
https://www.history.com/news/why-do-we-have-leap-year

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Protect Your Heart in Cold Weather

2/21/2020

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Your heart is one of your most vital organs. It is responsible for cleaning and pumping blood throughout your body. When something goes wrong with your heart, every other function in your body is affected. It is imperative we protect it.

With cold weather here, how do we protect it during the winter? Here are a few tips to help keep you and your heart healthy

during the colder seasons:
- Eat healthy. Our colder months host the holidays, which means many rich foods. Additionally, it is sometimes harder to get fresh fruit and veggies during these months. Make it a point to eat healthy, and get all appropriate nutrients.
- Stay current with all your vaccines so you don't fall prey to diseases like the flu.
- Wash your hands, and use hand sanitizer. Keep yourself clean and germ free to help prevent the spread of sickness. Illnesses make your heart and blood work harder.
- Continue to exercise, but at a reduced regimen and duration if you go out in the cold.
- Get plenty of sleep.
- Stay hydrated.
- Dress warmly.
- Keep a close eye on your blood pressure, and if anything noticeable happens, consult with your doctor.

Sources:
- Protecting Your Heart in Cold Weather, Hillcrest Hospital
- Keeping Your Heart Safe in Cold Weather, January 17, 2018, Advent Health Orlando

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It Makes the World Go Round...

2/7/2020

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"It's love that makes the world go round." -W.S. Gilbert

I believe love is the most powerful force in the universe. It is incomprehensible and illusive, yet understood and always within reach. You can find it in the most unlikely places, from the most unlikely people. Here's a look at how it has inspired some.

"Love is a choice you make from moment to moment."
- Barbara De Angelis

"The deepest love is often hidden." - Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Today is Valentine's Day. The day we acknowledge and celebrate love. True love is patient, unconditional, deep and selfless.

At Golden Horizons, we would like to express our wish for your love to take root, blossom and grow, whether in giving or receiving it.

Happy Valentine's Day, from our family to yours.

"Love isn't a state of perfect caring. it is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now."
- Fred Rogers

"Love is a commitment to protecting another person's heart with the same passion you use to guard your own."
- Rob Hill Sr.

"We judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
- Immanuel Kant

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Golden Nuggets, February 2020

2/4/2020

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Message from the Office

February 17th is an important day. No, it’s not a national holiday (well, it is Presidents’ Day this year - 3rd Monday in February - so I guess it is, but we don’t get it off)

or religious holy day. It is not a day that will live in infamy, but every year, it plays a vital role in the collective national attitude. This day, February 17, is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. It is a day that invites each one of us to go out of our way to pay it forward. It encourages us to cross our arbitrary boundaries - creed, religion, color - to recognize and affirm the humanity in each of us. For the duration of February, on the 17th, for every day going forward, live out the Golden

Rule, which embodies RAK Day - do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Be kind. Encourage others to be kind. Pay it forward. ~ Golden Horizons Office Tea

Mr. W's Newsletter Inspiration

“It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.”
~ George Washington ~

George Washington, ‘Father of our Country’, is one of America’s most famous Founding Fathers, serving as commander to the Continental Army during the War of Independence and as our first President (1789-1797). Born February 22, 1732, in Virginia, he didn’t have the same formal education as his older brothers, but he had an inquisitive mind. Washington studied trigonometry

and mathematics, and in 1749, received his surveyor's license from the College of William and Mary. Upon the death of his older brother, Washington inherited the famed Mt. Vernon plantation. He was husband to Martha Custis Washington (m. Jan 6, 1759), step father to Martha’s two children, veteran of the French & Indian War, statesman in the Virginia legislature (and Continental Congress and 1st President). He died December 14, 1799, from sickness and blood-letting, at 67, leaving a legacy that impacts us today.

Monthly Safety Tip

Get enough sleep!

Eat healthy. Drink plenty of water. Moderate alcohol intake. Don’t smoke. Get plenty of exercise. Stay positive. Follow your doctor’s orders to hopefully live a long, prosperous, healthy life.

February is National Heart Month. If any problem, ie. heart disease, runs in your family, take precautions. Visit your doctor to get an accurate picture of your heart health. Get enough sleep.

Eat healthy!

Caregivers of the Quarter

Q1 2020: Amanda M. & Mary Ann C.

Amanda M. is celebrating 4 years with our team this month. Amanda is a consummate professional and dedicated caregiver. Her clients have nothing but good things to say about her work ethic and personality. Thank you for all your hard work Amanda!

Mary Ann C. joined the Golden Horizons team in November 2018. In her time with us, she has shown great compassion and provided excellent care to her clients; they have repeatedly thanked us for sending her to them. Thank you for all you do Mary Ann!

February Birthdays

We would like to wish the happiest of birthdays to all our clients and caregivers with February birthdays. May this next year be full of blessings and adventures!

Clients
- Mr. G, February 2
- Mrs. B, February 5
- Mrs. D, February 16
- Mrs. M, February 18

Caregivers
- Tynasia D, February 12

All About Your Heart Health

As we said on page one, February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the USA, with a rate of 600,000 per year, or 1 in 4 deaths. In women, the rate of deaths is 1 in 3. These statistics translate to a scary figure in the US - every 37 seconds, a person dies of heart disease. So what causes it?

Visited your doctor recently?

Heart disease is an umbrella term for many cardiovascular issues, including heart attacks, heart rhythm problems, heart blood vessel illnesses and more. There is no one-size-fits-all for heart disease symptoms, and

they will differ depending on the specific issue, and in men and women (ie. men have more chest pain, women have more discomfort - short breath, fatigue, nausea), but there are some common factors to watch

for in order to prevent, diagnose, or manage heart disease. Here are a few examples of symptom categories for Heart Disease:

- Heart Disease in Blood Vessels - shortness of breath, chest - pain, tightness, pressure; pain in places like one’s back, jaw, neck, upper abdominal region, throat etc.; if blood vessels are narrow in body limbs, it may include pain, numbing, cold or weakness.

- Heart Disease because of Irregular Heart Beats - tachycardia (racing heartbeat), bradycardia (slower heartbeat); feeling lightheaded, dizzy, faint, short on breath, chest pain or discomfort, fluttering in the chest.

- Heart Disease in Weak Heart Muscle (Cardiomyopathy) - always feeling breathless (with or without exertion); swelling in legs, ankles, feet; irregular heartbeats - fast, fluttering, pounding; feeling dizzy, lightheaded or faint.

Some risk factors that may contribute to a heart disease include: genetic predisposition / family medical history, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, unhealthy diet (ie. high in saturated fat), excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, diabetes, little to no exercise. Almost half of all Americans have at least three risk factors.

So what do we do? As we said in the Monthly Safety Tip, first visit your doctor! Know what the health status for your heart is. Listen to what your doctor says to improve your health - eat healthy, don’t smoke,

moderate (or quit) your alcohol consumption, exercise, take any medications prescribed as directed. Take control of your health!