Tuesday, April 15, 2014

An Inspiration To All People


There are about a zillion and a half live TV talent competitions. Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, The Next Food Network Star, Design Star, Project Runway, Chopped, America's Next Top Model, X Factor, The Singing Bee, The Voice, America's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, Poland's Got Talent, Arab's Got Talent, Holland's Got Talent, Got Talent France, and Russia's Got Talent (although the legitimacy of their voting results is often questioned).

With so many different opportunities for people to show their "gifts" to the world, I am not often taken by surprise.

The video below took me by surprise.



After her performance,  one of the judges remarked that she was "an inspiration to old people." I disagree. She is an inspiration to ALL people.

It is never too late to live your dreams and THAT is what Home Instead Senior Care is all about.

For more information on Home Instead Senior Care in Chapel Hill and the way in which we support seniors and their dreams click here.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

The Driving Dilemma


It is an issue with which we are very familiar. It is a question which has driven a wedge between families. It is a fear which resonates with almost every senior.

Many adult children believe that their elderly parents shouldn't be behind the wheel any longer.

Just yesterday, I was sitting at a stop light when a seemingly driverless car crept across the intersection. After rubbing my eyes, I spotted a tuft of silvery white hair behind the steering wheel. Given the length of the hood on her 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Classic and the easily-apparent-from-across-the-street thickness of her glasses, it is beyond comprehension to expect that she was able to see what she needed to operate a vehicle of that magnitude; or a vehicle of any magnitude.

I did what most of us have probably done in that situation. I said a quick prayer, switched my blinker from left to right, and turned the other way.

The independence that driving represents is something woven deeply within the fabric of each of our beings. It is a topic which we are reticent to broach with those we care the most about because we know that driving is the 'Ark of the Covenant' of senior independence.

To be fair, I find myself more frequently infuriated by teenagers and college students who are entranced by their smartphones while driving than I find myself concerned for senior drivers. Maybe we should start by taking THEIR licenses away and THEN worry about the grey headed road warriors.

The decision to take away a senior's license or even to begin to have conversations to that effect is a difficult one to make. It is important to remember the emotional impact which will be felt by the aging parent.

If you are struggling with how to have "the talk" with your aging parents, check out our website for some great, free resources.

http://www.homeinstead.com/106/RESOURCES/Pages/SeniorCareResources.aspx

This brief video is an accurate picture of the way many seniors feel when their well meaning children take away their independence.

"I was heartbroken. It made me feel old. It made me feel useless."





Thursday, April 3, 2014

Short Naps Boost Productivity and Lower Risk of Heart Attack


In a house with small children, naptime is war. One side of the battle is firmly entrenched and unwilling to concede. They shout and yell and have even resulted in kicking and stomping their feet on occasion. And that's just the parents. The all too obvious irony in this ubiquitous battle for the sanity of our afternoons is that the people being forced to take naps would avoid them like the plague if given the chance while the nap enforcers (a.k.a. Mom and Dad) would cut off all of their fingers and potentially even an entire arm for the opportunity to sleep during the day.

In stark contrast, everyday I hear the commercials for "5 Hour Energy Drink." The attractive sounding voice on the radio encourages us all to fight back against that dreaded '2:30 feeling' by drinking their product. It is apparently packed with B-vitamins to give us all the energy we need to power through the day. Right. And Frosted Flakes are the cornerstone of a healthy breakfast. Tell me another one.

The idea of an afternoon nap is not a new concept. Even as far back as the middle ages, Roman Emperor Charlemagne is recorded by Einhard to have enjoyed an afternoon nap."In summer, after his midday meal, he would eat some fruit and take another drink; then he would remove his shoes and undress completely, just as he did at night, and rest for two or three hours." When in Rome...

European cultures have kept alive this beautiful tradition in a concept known most commonly as "siesta." During the heat of the day, people in certain countries enjoy a long lunch hour which provides them enough time to take a brief nap if they so desire. Our American-ness may urge us to look down our highly productive and driven noses at those self absorbed Europeans who waste time napping during the day but that there are significant health benefits to this ancient ritual.

Studies have shown that a 10-20 minute power nap can give you just what the doctor ordered to 'power through your afternoon.' A nap of that length can increase mental alertness and clarity with minimal grogginess. Buyer beware: sleeping past the 20 minute mark will leave you wanting more and will frequently place you in an even groggier state. One suggestion is not to fully recline while enjoying your afternoon nap. This will help prevent you from falling into a much deeper sleep.

Companies such as Google and Apple have recognized this and are some of the more high profile outfits to allow employee naps as part of their work day philosophy.


Increased mental alertness and clarity can potentially be a tough sell to your slave-driver of a boss. So try this one on for size.

Studies have additionally shown that napping decreases your risk of dying of heart disease. In a huge study of 23,000 Greek adults, it was found that people who regularly took midday naps were more than 30% less likely to die from heart disease.

So the next time your boss catches you snoozing at your desk, tell him that you are working to increase your alertness and clarity. If he still isn't buying it, then tell him you might die if you don't nap and send him the link to this blog.



Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Study Shows That Being Bilingual Delays The Onset of Dementia


http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/speaking-two-languages-may-delay-dementia-onset

In one of the largest studies of its kind, scientists have concluded that being bilingual can delay the onset of several different types of dementia by an average of four and a half years.

The benefits of speaking two languages is not a new concept. The collective benefits of bilingualism are described as "an improved executive function." Broken down, those functions include: memory, focus, planning, and problem solving. The study shows that the benefits apply to many types of dementia including Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, was conducted in Hyderabad, India and included 648 patients from a local hospital memory clinic. Many feel that conducting the study in Hyderabad lends tremendous credibility to the results. That particular region of India is a cultural melting pot where many different languages are spoken. All of the subjects of the study would have been surrounded by different languages their entire lives with some choosing to work towards fluency. It was the fluency that made the difference.

The authors of the study explain that "the constant need of a bilingual person to selectively activate one language and suppress the other is thought to lead to a better development of executive functions and attentional tasks." In short, having to choose between two languages makes our brains stronger.

But before you run out and buy the Rosetta Stone programs for every language from Aari to Zyphe, the study does suggest that there is no apparent benefit to speaking more than two languages. So pick two and stick with 'em!

For more on this study:

http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2013/11/06/01.wnl.0000436620.33155.a4