A Message from the Office ​April is the month of Spring in which we see the most dynamic change in nature. The weather starts warming, the trees budding, the grass growing, the flowers peaking out, the birds chirping, the peepers peeping. All around are signs of rebirth and renewal. Both these words are terms we associate with hope. Mirriam Webster Dictionary defines

hope as "desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment."  ​Hope, desire, expectation, belief are powerful feelings and tools that can help us focus on the good and see success in any area of our lives, or those we love. April is National Month of Hope. It is a campaign designed to spread positivity, kindness and yes, hope to people around us, both strangers and loved ones. This month, follow the example of nature and spread

Mr. W's Newsletter Inspiration

“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

​Cultural Tidbit: He graces the American $100 bill. He founded one of the first volunteer fire departments in the US. He invented bifocals and the lightning rod. He served in the PA legislature, was the first US Postmaster General. He mapped and coined the Gulf Stream. He received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Oxford, St. Andrews. He was a voracious

An estimated 15% of adults in the United States have Chronic Kidney Disease. That's 1 in 7, approximately 37 million people.

9 in 10 people don't know that they have Chronic Kidney Disease, especially when it is in the early to mid stages. A Dr. Alex Chang, MD, MS, from John Hopskins University lead a

Chronic Kidney disease affects about 15% of women and 12% of men.

Diabetes (38%) and high blood pressure (26%) are the two leading outside causes reported in end-stage Chronic Kidney Disease. The National Kidney Foundation published some eating tips based on

A Message from the Office Sitting at my desk composing this message, I look out my window and observe for a moment. White clouds dance across the deep blue skies riding on

priorities. We just finished moving into a new office. Moving provided us an opportunity to look at what we had to keep and what we didn’t need any more. It is refreshing to declutter, whether in our  homes, our businesses, or within ourselves. On the page ​two, you will find some tips for spring cleaning your home, but this season, take some time to think about spring cleaning on all levels. It’s a great part of our health. ~ Golden Horizons Office Team

Mr. W's Newsletter Inspiration

“You see, but you do no observe.” ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson

detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Born Arthur Ignasius Conan Doyle in Edinburgh, Scotland, Doyle’s first career was as a physician. He earned his medical degree (1881) and his Doctor of Medicine (1885) from the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He then studied in Vienna, Austria, to become an eye While trying to get his opthomology practice started (with little success), he wrote his first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet. He went on to become a prolific writer in crime fiction, fantasy, and science fiction genres. Much as his chief character, Doyle was passionate aboutjustice and through his own deductive reasoning andobservations, he helped solve two cases in Britain.

Caregiver of the Month

"If music be the food of love, play on...!" ​
​~ William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act I, Scene I ~

We've all heard that famous line from Shakespear, "If music be the food of love...". He meant it soulfully, but perhaps it can also have a literal impact? Yes, music has an incredible healing ability in humans!

Today, music therapy is a growing field, but music and healing have been intertwined since ancient times. In Chinese, the character used is the same for medicine and music. In the ancient Greek culture, music

• "~ At Massachusetts General Hospital, a nurse-led team found that heart patients confined to bed who listened to music for 30 minutes had lower blood pressure, slower heart rates, and less distress than those who didn't listen to music.
• ~ Another nurse-led team at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that heart attack survivors who listened to restful music in a quiet environment for just 20 minutes were less anxious about their health than those who rested in a quiet room without music.
• ~ At Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, men and women who listened to music soon after undergoing cardiac surgery were less anxious and reported having less pain than those who just rested quietly.
• ~ At the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, researchers measured blood flow through the forearm (a stand-in for blood vessel health) as healthy volunteers listened to music or relaxation tapes. Blood flow increased significantly while the volunteers listened to music that evoked joy or to relaxation tapes, and decreased while they listened to music that provoked anxiety.
• ~ In a study from Hong Kong, older volunteers who listened to relaxing music for 25 minutes a day for four weeks lowered their systolic pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by 12 points and their diastolic pressure (the bottom number) by 5 points, while a control group that didn't listen to music had no change in blood pressure.