The MetLife Mature Market Institute conducted the MetLife National Study of Adult Day Services. One outcome of the study was to list priorities for adult day services, now and in the future. Their study asserts that priorities include:

• Delay/ prevent institutionalization
• Socialization
• Dementia Care
• Caregiver Support
• Managing Illness
• Disease Prevention

These priorities are completely aligned with what we do and what we recognize as critical for adult day programs. The services and assistance we provide helps to keep seniors at home, support caregivers and encourage socialization. As people age, they may not be living close to family or…

I was a young woman and a relatively new nurse when I began working for VNSNY in 1998. My days and years past are filled with precious memories and experiences as an employee of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. All of those professional experiences transcend to my heart and spirit to become an integral part of the person, woman, mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, and nurse I have become. But THE day that stands out for me the most is a day that is full of sorrow…

Today, we tried a new activity at the center involving puzzles and dance. It sounds like a strange combination but putting those activities together helps to stimulate both cognitive and physical functioning. First, the activity got seniors thinking and doing word puzzles by using words related to dance. Then, through reminiscence therapy, the seniors talked about different kinds of dance and the role of dance in a variety of cultures. The last part of the activity involved actual dancing and/or moving to the best of everyone’s abilities. No matter what…

It’s very easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of innovation through technology. I, like many of my friends and some family members, use a smart phone for dozens of functions: communication, navigation, research via news apps/twitter links, games, music, personal health record, notebook, photography, phone book, gratitude journal, meditation and guided imagery apps, device to record and log stories, medical and nursing reference, etc. The list goes on. But most, not all, of those applications are self-serving. They help me organize MY life.

How can a smart phone be…

Welcome to my very first blog entry! I thought I would use it as a sneak peek as to some of what I will be discussing in the coming weeks and months. The title for today’s entry struck me as very pertinent as to what is happening currently in my personal life. I guess I am in what some people refer to as “the sandwich generation.” With aging sick parents (my father was recently diagnosed with lung cancer), a two-year-old daughter with pervasive developmental disorder-nos (a disorder on the autistic spectrum), a husband…

The facts:

Heart Disease, Cancer, and unintentional injuries are the leading causes of death among men in the U.S. according to the CDC website.

19% of men under the age of 65 do not have medical insurance.

33% of men 20 years of age and older are considered obese.

31% of men 20 years of age and older have hypertension.

12% of men 18 years of age and over are in fair or poor health.

(Data retrieved from CDC Website.)

It makes sense to talk about healthy activities that inspire change in some of these trends during Men’s Health Month.

I asked some…

On May 25^th, our center celebrated the 18^th Annual National Senior Health and Fitness Day. This is an annual event observed at more than 1,000 local sites across the country. Organized by the Mature Market Resource Center, this event is the nation’s largest health and wellness event for seniors. Local organizations host senior health and fitness activities that encourage older adults to enhance their quality of life through regular physical activity. We’ve been participating in this event for the past four years. This year’s theme was “Make Fitness a Goal for Life!”

At this year’s event, we…

When I wrote about organ donation in February, I knew of one example where a friend’s father donated several organs and my friend met one of the recipients. While the pre-visit jitters were not at all justified, I completely understood them.

In today’s New York Times, there is a wonderful article about a 38-year-old man who suffered a brain hemorrhage and whose wife agreed to donate his organs. In total, EIGHT people were given hope because of Julio and Mirtala Garcia’s selflessness. Mrs. Garcia met with five of the recipients last…

Just a short post to express my gratitude to all the wonderful nurses I work with at VNSNY, and go to school with and learn from in my Masters of Nursing studies. A special thanks also, to the smart, caring nurses on Twitter, who constantly spread relevant health information to the masses. I learn from you every day.

It’s an exciting time to be a nurse because we are strengthening our collegiality in order to improve health care. We have so much to give. We are innovators. We are the glue.

I encourage all…

In my neighborhood, Cinco de Mayo is a real cause for celebration. Many of the local restaurants set up tables outside with drinks, music and even some activities for kids. What’s particularly nice is having a chance to see some people in the neighborhood that I haven’t seen in a while and catch up on what’s been going on the past few months. One person I ran into was a woman that takes Zumba classes with me. (Zumba, for those who don’t know, is a dance-fitness class that blends hip-hop,…