Golden Nuggets, March 2019

A publication of Golden Horizons Elder Care Services, Inc.

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 

the breeze. Then my eyes drop down and I sigh wistfully. Snow and ice are everywhere. I love snow as much as the next person, but I 
am ready for a green landscape and warm days. We’re almost there though. Two weeks to the solstice (not that I’m counting)!

​As we transition winter to spring, from hybernation to rebirth, it is a
​good time to take inventory - of ourselves, of our homes, of our

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

Cultural Tidbit: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22,1859 – July 7, 1930) was a British author, best known for his works of fiction with

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

March 2019: Amanda P. - Amanda P. started with Golden Horizons in August 2018. Since joining our team, Amanda has proven herself as an asset to the company through her professionalism, dedication and excellent care of her clients.  Thank you for all your hard work Amanda. Congratulations!

March Birthdays

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

Clients
- Mr. A, March 1
- Mrs. G, March 13
- Ms. M, March 21
- Mr. E, March 27
- Ms. M, March 29

Caregivers
- Jackie B., March 1
- Mary Ann C., March 1
- Diane F., March 2
- Carmen R., March 3
- Rosslyn M., March 4
- Kathy N., March 15
- Sandy L., March 22

March is National "_____________" Month

March is chock full of good things - National Umbrella Month, National Celery Month, National Noodle Month, National Peaunut Month... and a few more serious ones including National Woman’s History Month, National Multiple Sclerosis Month, National Kidney Month, National Nutrition Month. Oh, and it’s the month where we change to Spring!!! In this newsletter, we’ll explore more on kidney health, good nutrition, and spring

Three Important Things in March​

March contains three important items in it: 1) National Kidney Month 2) National Nutrition Month 3) The Spring Solstice (aka spring starts!). Let’s begin a little exploration of what these entail.

Kidney Health - Let’s start with the basics. What are kidneys? Kidneys are fist-sized, bean-shaped organs found in the human body below the rib cage and symmetrically placed on either side of the spine. Each person has two kidneys in their body. The function of the kidneys is to filter our blood to remove waste, excess fluid and acid build-up in our cells. This process helps our bodies maintain healthy levels and balance in salts, 
minerals and water. Kidneys also ​

Location of kidneys in the body.

help produce hormones that control blood pressure, maintain healthy bones and make red blood cells.

Now, you’ve probably heard the word dialysis before. Dialysis is a treatment that removes waste and water for the kidneys when they are in failure, usually 85-90%. There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Hemodialysis cleans the blood by running it through an artificial kidney (hemodialyzer) outside the body. The blood is fed through the hemodialyzer through an access into the blood vessels, usually in the arm or leg. Peritoneal dialysis
cleans the blood within the body. A catheter is placed in the peritoneal cavity in the abdomen using surgery, then during treatment, the cavity is filled with dialysate and it cleans the blood. 

Proper nutrition goes a long way in helping to preventing illnesses, including kidney disease. Those who develop it though do well in limiting intake of sodium, potassium, phosphorus, as well as proteins. Damaged kidneys can’t remove these wastes well.  Some good foods to include in a diet if you have kidney disease: cauliflower, blueberries, sea bass, buckwheat, garlic, egg whites, red grapes, cabbage, olive oil. They are low in the nutrients listed above.

Springtime - March 20, 2019 = Spring! With spring comes greenery, sunshine, warm weather, open windows and the time to clean and air out our homes. Here are a few tips:

1. Clean from top to bottom
2. Wear a mask when dealing with heavy dust, mold etc.
3. Slow and steady, don’t rush and hurt yourself
4. Make sure the batteries in your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are working
5. Make sure your air purifiers are working properly and filters are clean
6. Try to use natural, greener, less toxic cleaning products.

Stay clean, stay healthy and visit our blog for more info.

Sources:
- "Your Kidneys and How They Work", National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- "Dialysis", National Kidney Foundation
​- "The 20 Best Foods for People with Kidney Problems", Healthline.com
​- "A Complete Spring Cleaning Safety Checklist", David Narayan, December 18, 2018, Safewise.com

​Nutritious Spring Cleaning

What do spring cleaning, nutrition and kidneys have in common? Flushing. ...You read that right. Through good nutrition, your body, including kidneys, flush out toxins. Spring cleaning flushes dust,dirt and germ buildup in your house. Let’s find some words related to all this flushing. Words may be up, down, diagnol, backwords, forwards.

​We want to hear from you! Call 860-388-1788, or email caitlin@goldenhorizonseldercare.com with your feedback.