I absolutely love informative conferences! If it were up to me I would spend most of my paycheck going to a different conference every other week on different topics: nursing, writing, care-giving, women’s issues, self-help, cooking, integrative medicine, and innovation seminars. I always go home feeling inspired to build on my new knowledge. Unfortunately, attending conferences isn’t a cheap hobby, but I’ve discovered there are many free online conferences or webinars available from the comfort of your own home.

This past week I had the pleasure of watching LIVE footage from The…

Tonight I had dinner with my old friend, Dave. Dave and I met the first week of my freshman year at UCLA. We performed improvisational comedy together every week for five years at school. Our paths have crossed off and on over these, um, 20 plus-years, but we try to have dinner once a year. This year we’re on a roll – we’ve had two.

Dave is a drama therapist and life coach, which allows him to offer up some pretty astute insights, especially when I’m not expecting them.  As I…

Are you having difficulty getting in and out of your bath tub?
Do you live in a rental that prohibits the installation of grab bars?
Would you like to decrease the risk of falling in your bathroom?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above,  then you may want to consider using a tub grab bar. Installation is simple because the device clamps along the tub wall and no drilling is necessary.

Tub grab bars will also benefit those with bathroom walls which are not sturdy enough for the installation of traditional grab bars.…

Obesity has become a major health care issue in our nation.

Countless journals have published articles about the impact of obesity on our children. A recent maternity-focused study looked at new ways of lowering the number of children who become obese. Pregnant women were given nutritional instruction prior to delivery of their babies. Compared to the control group, in which no instruction was provided, the babies were noted to have close to a 30% decline in obesity rates. This may not seem like much, but in our pediatric population, the incidents of heart disease and diabetes…

This past weekend, I was privileged to join some like-minded folks, who along with me, volunteered to plant trees in Marine Park, Brooklyn. It was part of MillionTreesNYC, a program that aims to have one million trees planted and cared for in the five boroughs of New York City,within the next decade. Not only do trees provide shade, a place to relax and a source of natural beauty, but trees also help to filter groundwater— which can prevent runoff— and convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. It was a rich experience to work with others to improve…

Take a walk down any grocery store aisle and you are confronted with labels. Read any interesting ones lately? If you do read them, do you understand what you read? Or confess–are you only looking at the caloric value (and maybe the fat), and not the actual ingredients list?

As we try to understand our food sources, we are becoming more familiar with the label jargon. Maybe we will eat better and become healthier. With that said, there is an incredible amount of content on a label and sometimes understanding all those…

New York Methodist Hospital, my local medical center in Brooklyn, has created an in-patient hospice unit and a group of VNSNY Hospice Volunteers has been cross-trained to be NYM volunteers. Our mission is to be on call for patients in need, particularly to be present at the bedside of an actively dying person.

Around 4 p.m. last Thursday, the e-mail went out asking for volunteers to be with a patient that night. I signed up for the 10 p.m. to midnight shift. While it seems an odd time for volunteer work,…

When speaking to family members who are caring for their loved one night after night, the theme repeated to me is: caregiving can be overwhelming and stressful.

• “I’m exhausted. I have a full-time job and when I come home, I have to care for my mother. My work never ends.”
• “It’s difficult to keep all these medications straight. What’s the other name for the water pill? I want to make sure I give my husband the right one.”
• “I just want to know how to care for my mother as best as I can. I want…

One of the many benefits of adult day programs is having the opportunity to socialize. Seniors may have difficulty connecting with family and friends due to lack of transportation, or their loved ones may have moved away. Connecting with others can help reduce depression, anxiety and isolation. Our center provides a place for seniors to make new friends, share a laugh and establish new, meaningful relationships that provide support and companionship. We have seen many participants develop relationships that extend well beyond the center. They talk on the phone at…

With a chill in the air and the leaves falling, we are all preparing for fall. If you are an asthmatic, these seasonal climate changes may be more of a burden than a joy. Cooler temperatures can be great, of course, but the mold and other allergens in the air may be difficult to manage. Rain does a wonderful job of cleaning the air of impurities, buy the wind can quickly spread irritants in the air.

My recommendation to asthmatics: know what triggers your asthma. With your triggers in mind, you will be better…