As the rates of diabetes increase in both children and adults, it is time to discuss a very important part of being a diabetic — your diet. You diet is a vitally important to your heath. There are many resources online and in print (books,articles etc) but there are reasons to be cautious when recommendations for dieting seems extreme. Crash diets are not an option if you  are a diabetic. Here are some key points in monitoring your nutrition:

• Consume breads that are highest in fiber.
• Protein is important and make it…

Photo by graur codrin

I recently visited a patient who had undergone cataract surgery on her eyes.  She had told me that as she got older and started to have vision changes, she just thought that was a natural part of aging, the way people eventually use reading glasses or bifocals. It wasn’t until a “cloud” started forming on her eye that a friend told her to get an eye exam and have it professionally looked at. According to the MayoClinic, the symptoms of cataracts include:

• clouded, blurred or dim vision
• increasing difficulty with…

Last week, we celebrated the 10 year anniversary of our center. We were grateful to receive Proclamations from Mayor Bloomberg, the City Council of New York and Helen Marshall, Queens Borough President. We are proud to partner with New York City to help serve seniors in Queens and Brooklyn.

We had a wonderful celebration and I’d like to share some comments from our participants:

• Age has no meaning here.
• Without this place, I wouldn’t be going out.
• I have learned a lot since coming here.
• I feel accepted with open arms.
• The staff here appreciate seniors’…

I have written a few posts on parenting and feel the need to touch on those parents that raise children who may not be so healthy or may have disabilities. It is rarely a topic you read in a parenting book. It may not even be in the parenting section of your local bookstore but in a special section. There are few words that can truly describe how difficult it can be for many parents who are raising these children. I have worked with many families over the years and…

Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Many people are able to stay active outdoors with the assistance of canes, walkers, rollators and wheelchairs. However these devices are a safety hazard when certain parts start wearing out. Please take a moment to check the condition of your assistive device before going outdoors.

Brakes

Wheelchairs and rollators with worn brakes are a safety hazard. Your local surgical supply store or medical supply vendor can assist with repairing or replacing worn brakes.

Rollator Brake

Rubber Tips

Walkers and canes have rubber tips that provides traction and absorbs impact. Over time these…

This week, our Day Center is celebrating our 10^th anniversary! It’s quite a milestone and I’m filled with pride as I see what we’ve created. You can gather people in any space, but it’s what the staff and seniors bring that give it life and meaning.

Ten years ago, we started our center with about 15 participants on our census. Over the past 10 years, we’ve enrolled over 1,100 seniors from Queens and Brooklyn. Our seniors came here not knowing a soul and now they have a family. Not only do they…

Exercise is something many of us want to do more of, but we just can’t always find the time to do it or find the expenditure of energy overwhelming. In fact, sometime the mere mention of the word conjures up images of treadmills, heavy weights, and expensive gym memberships. (OK, perhaps it’s just MY images!) For many of our patients however, it can be a challenge to start or resume exercises and physical activity after surgery. Speak with your doctor or physical therapist about what activities would be safe for…

When it comes to writing I have been a procrastinator my whole life. From the Western Civilizations paper in high school to the take home final for an arts in education class a few years ago, I can’t churn the work out. It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing, in fact I’m really quite fond of it, but when I set out on assignment, I am always waiting for that elusive divine spark of inspiration… that flash of brilliance that will make the essay poignant, memorable, and worth the reader’s…

This is Caramel. She’s a 16 year old female Calico cat that has been in my life since 1995. I brought her home from the Animal Protective League in Cleveland while I was in my second to last year of nursing school. She was 7 months old and feisty.

Caramel has lived with me in a total of five different apartments since I graduated college. She consoled me through the end of a relationship, encouraged me with her approving meows into a new one, and she moved to New York with…

Parenting is not easy.

No one ever said it will be easy. And no one ever said things will just be the same as they were. If you or someone you know is having or has recently had an infant, they are often exuberant in this new role. It is a wonderful thing, but there are a few wise rules that make you see just how it will be in reality. Here are some popular points (I am sure there are many others!)  to ponder as you partake on the parenting…