A publication of Golden Horizons Elder Care Services, Inc.
Message from the GH Office Team
 | Here come our May flowers...Finally! It seemed like the cold winter and the recent raw, rainy weather is giving way to warm sun and gentle breezes. Mother Nature has seen fit to send us spring - something to be thankful for. |
Speaking of thankfulness...In 1999, Congress designated May as Military Appreciation Month to ensure the opportunity for our nation to publically honor our active military members and our veterans for all their service and sacrifice. Those of us in the GH office come from families with strong ties to our military. We value our men and women in uniform, our veterans and those who have died in defense of our freedoms. Remember to thank them this month. ~ Golden Horizons Office Team
Nameless has a Name!
| In April, we introduced you to Nameless, our new GHECS mascot. At that time, Nameless was sad because he was nameless. We are pleased to announce that Nameless is now happy; he has a name! May we present Finnegan. The name Finnegan takes 1st, Rainbow is 2nd, |  Meet Finnegan! |
Patrick is 3rd. Those who submitted these names will be contacted with their prizes. Thank you all for helping us make him happy!
May Happenings
May 5: Cinco de Mayo is a minor holiday in Mexico that recalls their victory at the 1862 Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). In the US, it has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture / heritage.
May 14: Mother’s Day was created in the US by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and instituted as an official holiday in 1914. Fun fact: She tried to remove it from the calendar after it became so commercialized.
May 20: Armed Forces Day is a day set aside to honor all our military branches. It was established when the Department of Defense was created, showing the uniting of all military branches under one department.
May 29: Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, was first instituted in the years following the Civil War. Established as an official holiday in 1971, it is a day to honor and remember our fallen military heroes.
*Sources:
- Cinco de Mayo, www.history.com
- Mother's Day, www,history.com
- Armed Forces Day, www.miltary.com
- Memorial Day, www.history.com
May 5: Cinco de Mayo is a minor holiday in Mexico that recalls their victory at the 1862 Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). In the US, it has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture / heritage.
May 14: Mother’s Day was created in the US by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and instituted as an official holiday in 1914. Fun fact: She tried to remove it from the calendar after it became so commercialized.
May 20: Armed Forces Day is a day set aside to honor all our military branches. It was established when the Department of Defense was created, showing the uniting of all military branches under one department.
May 29: Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, was first instituted in the years following the Civil War. Established as an official holiday in 1971, it is a day to honor and remember our fallen military heroes.
*Sources:
- Cinco de Mayo, www.history.com
- Mother's Day, www,history.com
- Armed Forces Day, www.miltary.com
- Memorial Day, www.history.com
Caregiver of the Month: Patrick B.
Patrick joined the Golden Horizons team in July 2015. In his time with us, he has demonstrated great care and commitment to his clients. Patrick, thank you for your hardwork and dedication.
Mr. W's Cultural Tidbit
We’ve all heard the saying “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned” ...what we don’t all know is it was first written by noted English dramatist, William Congreve, in his piece The Mourning Bride, 1697. “Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.” Culture - go explore!
May We All Thank Our Mothers
We’ve finally made it through April and wait in joyful anticipation for our gardens to grow. We can pack away our winter coats and let the air gently brush our skin without feeling the harsh sting of the cold. May is such a happy month. It brings warm days filled with blue skies and big billowing clouds, the kind you can find yourself getting lost gazing in to. It also brings a very special day to honor a very special person in all of our lives, our mother. Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 14, 2017. A special and very warm “Thank you” to all Mother’s out there. There will never be repayment worthy enough for all that you do. ~ Sarah White, Director of Client Services
May is National Month For
May is the National _______Month for many things:
- National Military Appreciation Month
- National Blood Pressure Month
- National Lyme Disease Awareness Month
- National Brain Cancer & Brain Tumor Awareness Month
- National Mental Health Awareness Month
- National Salad Month
...just to name a few.
As evidenced above, May is a month many choose as the month to bring awareness to important diseases and issues. While we do not have the room to explore each as we would like, we are providing a sampling of several below as a jumping of point for your own research.
National Blood Pressure (HBP) Month
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension is a condition where “the force of your blood flowing through your blood vessels is consistently too high”. The issue affects about one out of every three adults over age 20. There are no overt symptoms, many don’t know they have it. If left undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to
other problems like heart attack, stroke etc. HPB can do significant damage to your circulatory system. One has to be tested in order to be diagnosed and appropriate treatment prescribed and pursued. Some of the most effective help is simply to change habits - eat healthy, exercise regularly and see the doctor for their prescribed
treatments.
Throughout May 2017, CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Million Hearts are teaming up to educate Americans on how to manage risk factors for HPB and stroke, how to be healthier. Check out their info in sources below.
*Sources:
- Million Hearts, www.millionhearts.hhs.gov
- American Heart Association, www.heart.org
National Mental Health Awareness Month
What is mental health? When people are first asked that question they think of stress, anxiety, depression etc. Mental health is indeed affected by the above; it includes and affects our emotional, social and psychological well-being. It affects how we think, feel, behave; how we handle stress, anxiety, moods etc. Contributing factors to
our mental health include life experiences, family history of health or mental problems, biological influences like genes and/or brain chemistry. How positive or negative these factors are will help determine our overall mental health. A sampling signs that someone might be suffering with mental health problems: using drugs, drinking or smoking more than usual; hearing voices/believing untrue things; thinking of harming themselves or others; drastic mood swings; low energy; sleeping/eating too much or too little; feeling helpless/hopeless and more. General treatments for mental illness may be therapy, medication or a combination. For more on mental health, please look to sources below.
*Sources:
- US Dept. of Health & Human Services, www.mentalhealth.gov
- Mental Health America, www.mentalhealthamerica.net
National Lyme Disease Awareness Month
We’re all familiar with Lyme disease, a tick-born illness caused by the borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Though tick disease have been around for thousands of years, Lyme disease was only officially classified in 1981. The journey of recognition actually began in our own backyard - Lyme, CT. In the 60s and 70s, groups of adults and
children were suffering from an odd plethora of symptoms and health problems including paralysis, skin rashes, headaches, swollen knees, arthritic symptoms, chronic fatigue etc. Through the efforts of the mothers in this group of CT residents who started taking careful notes, doing research and communicating with scientists, scientist Willy Burgdorfer began to study Lyme disease
and found the connection with the disease and the deer tick indigenous to the Lyme, CT area. The connection was the spirochete bacterium, carried and transmitted by the tick bites.
Because of these efforts, Lyme disease has been well researched and there are several antibiotics that can successfully fight and cure it, especially if diagnosed in the first few weeks. Lyme disease research continues, as does that for other tick-born diseases. Not all are curable. As we head into late spring/summer. Make efforts to prevent tick bites. If you go out in the woods or long grass, wear long pants and check your body for ticks. If you suspect you have a tick bite, consult your doctor immediately. Enjoy the warm weather, but be cautious.
*Sources:
- Bay Area Lyme Foundation, www.bayarealyme.org
- National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, www.niaid.nih.gov
At the end of May, we will kick of summer with Memorial Day. It is a great day for family, friends and summer fun. Remember to thank our Veterans and Service Members, remember to thank your mothers, remember to research and raise awareness for things like we talked about above and remember to enjoy the rest of your spring!
- National Military Appreciation Month
- National Blood Pressure Month
- National Lyme Disease Awareness Month
- National Brain Cancer & Brain Tumor Awareness Month
- National Mental Health Awareness Month
- National Salad Month
...just to name a few.
As evidenced above, May is a month many choose as the month to bring awareness to important diseases and issues. While we do not have the room to explore each as we would like, we are providing a sampling of several below as a jumping of point for your own research.
National Blood Pressure (HBP) Month
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension is a condition where “the force of your blood flowing through your blood vessels is consistently too high”. The issue affects about one out of every three adults over age 20. There are no overt symptoms, many don’t know they have it. If left undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to
other problems like heart attack, stroke etc. HPB can do significant damage to your circulatory system. One has to be tested in order to be diagnosed and appropriate treatment prescribed and pursued. Some of the most effective help is simply to change habits - eat healthy, exercise regularly and see the doctor for their prescribed
treatments.
Throughout May 2017, CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Million Hearts are teaming up to educate Americans on how to manage risk factors for HPB and stroke, how to be healthier. Check out their info in sources below.
*Sources:
- Million Hearts, www.millionhearts.hhs.gov
- American Heart Association, www.heart.org
National Mental Health Awareness Month
What is mental health? When people are first asked that question they think of stress, anxiety, depression etc. Mental health is indeed affected by the above; it includes and affects our emotional, social and psychological well-being. It affects how we think, feel, behave; how we handle stress, anxiety, moods etc. Contributing factors to
our mental health include life experiences, family history of health or mental problems, biological influences like genes and/or brain chemistry. How positive or negative these factors are will help determine our overall mental health. A sampling signs that someone might be suffering with mental health problems: using drugs, drinking or smoking more than usual; hearing voices/believing untrue things; thinking of harming themselves or others; drastic mood swings; low energy; sleeping/eating too much or too little; feeling helpless/hopeless and more. General treatments for mental illness may be therapy, medication or a combination. For more on mental health, please look to sources below.
*Sources:
- US Dept. of Health & Human Services, www.mentalhealth.gov
- Mental Health America, www.mentalhealthamerica.net
National Lyme Disease Awareness Month
We’re all familiar with Lyme disease, a tick-born illness caused by the borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Though tick disease have been around for thousands of years, Lyme disease was only officially classified in 1981. The journey of recognition actually began in our own backyard - Lyme, CT. In the 60s and 70s, groups of adults and
children were suffering from an odd plethora of symptoms and health problems including paralysis, skin rashes, headaches, swollen knees, arthritic symptoms, chronic fatigue etc. Through the efforts of the mothers in this group of CT residents who started taking careful notes, doing research and communicating with scientists, scientist Willy Burgdorfer began to study Lyme disease
and found the connection with the disease and the deer tick indigenous to the Lyme, CT area. The connection was the spirochete bacterium, carried and transmitted by the tick bites.
Because of these efforts, Lyme disease has been well researched and there are several antibiotics that can successfully fight and cure it, especially if diagnosed in the first few weeks. Lyme disease research continues, as does that for other tick-born diseases. Not all are curable. As we head into late spring/summer. Make efforts to prevent tick bites. If you go out in the woods or long grass, wear long pants and check your body for ticks. If you suspect you have a tick bite, consult your doctor immediately. Enjoy the warm weather, but be cautious.
*Sources:
- Bay Area Lyme Foundation, www.bayarealyme.org
- National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, www.niaid.nih.gov
At the end of May, we will kick of summer with Memorial Day. It is a great day for family, friends and summer fun. Remember to thank our Veterans and Service Members, remember to thank your mothers, remember to research and raise awareness for things like we talked about above and remember to enjoy the rest of your spring!
We Want to Hear From You!
Call 860-388-1788, or email caitlin@goldenhorizonseldercare.com with your feedback.
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