• 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 friends, and they may have lost much of their support systems. It is so critical for seniors to be socially engaged to help their mental and physical health. Everyday, we see examples of how socialization eases anxiety and reduces depression, and when this changes, seniors are more open to engaging in physical activities.   Connecting with others, laughing and doing activities together have the potential to change someone’s life.

Just yesterday, someone came to our center for an assessment. She was timid and withdrawn when she arrived. Upon entering the activity room, she found 2 seniors she knew from her hometown in Haiti! It was amazing to see the difference in her personality and mood when she saw them – her whole affect changed, she was completely engaged in discussion and activities, and she can’t wait to come back. How life changing for her to find a new support system in a matter of moments!

Remarkably, this happens fairly often at our center. Our participants come from over 30 countries and when they come to our center in Woodside, Queens, they find people they knew from their hometowns. It’s amazing to me that they find each other in our little corner of the world, and equally amazing how it can have far reaching effects outside our four walls!

September Eleventh Two Thousand and One.

My life is clearly delineated into two parts separated by that clear, crisp beautiful Tuesday morning in September. I drove into the Brooklyn VNSNY office from my home in Queens listening to Howard Stern (yes, I like Howard Stern) on the radio as per my usual routine. He announced that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I was parking my car and said to myself “how could that happen, what a horrible accident.” As I walked into the office, it became increasingly clear that it was not an accident. I don’t need to recount the details of the day as you all know them. Volunteers were sought to go triage victims of the attack and so I went along with many of my colleagues. I wore my VNSNY issued navy blue sweater so I could be easily identified among the throngs of people, police and firefighters milling about in what seemed to be a fugue. I wound up at Stuyvesant High School across the street from the World Trade Center where we prepared and waited for victims. Mostly what I did that day was wash the eyes out of the firefighters in order to send them back out for what would become months of searching and removing debris from Ground Zero.

What I saw in those brave men when I looked into their eyes was the most profound, childlike sadness and fear I had ever seen and have not seen since. They were desperate and determined along with the police officers and many, many other heroic rescue workers to find and help their fellow citizens and fallen comrades. Late that night I left the triage site and walked alone up the West Side Highway to a friend’s house on 24^th Street. I left a piece of my soul, many, many prayers, and my VNSNY navy blue sweater there.

Here I sit reflective almost ten years later. I have since lost over 140lbs, finished my baccalaureate degree, met my future husband Robbie, started pursuing my masters degree in public health, got married, left VNSNY, had my precious daughter Madeline Grace, bought a house, and proudly returned to VNSNY and now once again I am working in the great city of Brooklyn.

I ask my self how has the experience of that day as a VNSNY employee changed me?

I remember and pray for those lost and their families’ everyday.

I have infinite gratitude that is beyond the use of words that I have life and the ability to profoundly appreciate it.

I strive to feel more of the love in the world and give more love everyday.

I know this can come off as hokey and trying to wrap up a tragic event into a “feel good” message, but the absolute truth is that I am forever changed…

and I have never replaced that navy blue sweater…

Peace,                                                                                                                                         Lisa HS 8.1.11

Dedicated to Louis Modafferi Battalion Chief, his family and all of his brothers at Rescue 5.

Caregivers, how about giving this idea a try…   You can do one activity at a time or all together – cognitive stimulation and movement can be good, not only for your loved one, but for you as well!

How can a smart phone be used to help others?

Yes, I’ve posted a blog about how caregivers can use some iPhone apps during the course of their care with their loved ones, but those apps can enhance the experience of caring. They do not replace real presence. It’s one thing to hand the phone over to a loved one so he or she can watch a You Tube clip of a classic movie while the caregiver completes another task. It’s a whole different experience to watch the clip together, to share the moment as one.

If my mom had a choice between a week of text messages from me wishing her a good night or a 30 minute back rub, I know she’d take the back rub. Caring touch is deeper. In some cases touch (in the form of massage) can diminish pain and anxiety. The research backs that up. As a culture, we’re still accumulating data for the positive effects of mobile apps and smart phones devices.

The National Alliance for Caregiving and United Healthcare “found more than two-thirds of family caregivers who have used some form of technology to help them with caregiving believe web-based and mobile technologies designed to facilitate caregiving would be helpful to them.” The article doesn’t indicate the kinds of technologies that would help. I’m sure there are many effective uses that will benefit caregivers (and already do), but we need to consider the patients too.

If an insurance company offered to give my mom a tablet device with cool apps to document her daily blood pressure and caloric intake for three months OR biweekly visits from a professional trained in guided imagery and massage, she just may go with the real person. In fact, charting the data would require more work for her; whereas, the holistic practitioner would allow her time for self-care and rejuvenation. Each option promotes health, but different individuals may select one choice over the other.

So as we move further into this age of technology, how do we ensure that tech doesn’t replace the importance of touch? How do we balance the two?

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 of my male colleagues what they do to stay healthy:

• Yousef said, “I find that staying physically active boosts my mental health. After working out or playing sports, I’m in an overall better mood and tend to be more relaxed.” He adds, “I believe a healthy man has some sort of release to attribute to a portion of his good health: sports, work, intimacy, hobbies…the more you have, the better you are.”

• Alex said, “I take few vitamin supplements and I started going to the gym at least three times per week. I also get together with my friends at least 2-3 times per week to clear my head and for the laughs.”

• Carlos shared a cute story about his son who forgot to wash his hands after coming in contact with poison ivy. “Then he went to the bathroom,” Carlos said. “Hand washing is real important to him and to me now!”

No matter if it’s something as simple as hand washing (one of the most effective ways to decrease infection) or as disciplined as a regular exercise regimen, there are endless activities one can do to achieve better health.

Make an appointment for a general physical if you haven’t seen your doctor in a while. (If  you don’t have insurance, seek out free or community clinics. Know your options.) Learn to meditate to decrease stress. Take a walk a couple of times per week. Be social. Laugh with your friends. Just do it! Be healthy!

It was enlightening to hear from colleagues about their thoughts on health, especially since most of our conversations revolve mostly around work processes and tech-related themes. (Thank you, Carlos, Alex and Yousef!)

As the month of June continues please consider talking to your male friends, colleagues and family members about the importance of healthy choices. Ask them what they do to stay healthy. Encourage them, support them, join them.

Visit the Men’s Health Month for general information.

Check out the CDC website  for more info on Men’s Health.

What will you do to celebrate Men’s Health Month? What actions are you taking to improve your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health?

At this year’s event, we included a wide variety of activities and health discussions. Yoga, meditation and therapeutic touch were offered to both our dementia and physically frail programs. Members were also treated to a Falls Prevention in-service delivered by a physical therapist, and a Healthy Eating in-service accompanied by a rousing game of nutrition bingo run by a registered dietitian. Our Spanish-speaking members attended a presentation and discussion on depression given by a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

It was a great day, filled with lots of activity and practical information for our seniors. We constantly see the benefits of making fitness a part of everyday life and continue to offer daily exercise opportunities to keep this theme going throughout the year.

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 week and the reporter, Denise Grady, was there.

The article is beautiful not just for its writing and the way it combines medical information with personal and specific detail, but because we get a sense of the love Mirtala had for Julio. “What would he have wanted?” she was asked. “He would have wanted to help people,” was her response.

The article places in stark language the importance of organ donation and the way in which humans become interconnected by the experience. It conveys this message in a way that no well-intentioned blog possibly could.

Please read the whole story and discuss it with the people you love. After you hug and kiss them for no apparent reason, of course.

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 nurses to remember to take care of yourselves. It’s impossible for us to teach caregivers about self-care if we don’t practice it ourselves. The wonderful thing about self-care is that it doesn’t have to cost a thing. An entry in a journal to reflect on a hard day at work. Ten minutes of meditation during a break. Listening to a song on your iPhone or iPod that makes you smile. Tap into your personal creativity as a nurse. It will strenghten your practice, feed your soul, relieve your stress … one moment at a time.

Nurses rock!

The following are some links to various nursing scholars’ websites. Nurses are doing some amazing things around the world. Check it out!

Lorraine M. Wright explores the concept of how nurses can help to soften suffering.

Jean Watson promotes caring in nursing.

Margaret Newman discusses how nursing can be transformative by observing patterns.

Also, this Thursday, May 12th at noon marks the 12th Annual Worldwide Commemorative Moment for Nursing’s Florence Nightingale. More info here which includes ways nurses can celebrate this important week.

Enjoy your week!

Yet in terms of  just exercise in general, any activity that gets you moving and active is a positive one. Not only is it good not for your health and well being, but it can also benefit some physical conditions. In particular, arthritis is a condition that may actually improve with movement. As it happens, May is National Arthritis Awareness month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arthritis affects 50 million U.S., adults mostly over the age of 65 and is the most common cause of disability. One way to manage symptoms is through physical activity for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, which can be done in 10-minute blocks throughout the day. There are stretching, weight training and water exercises that can decrease stress on joints. Even yoga can help. The Arthritis Foundation has some good information on what people can do to help alleviate the symptoms of arthritis, reduce joint pain and decrease stiffness.

Share with us what you do to get up and get moving. Have a great May!