(photo by Craig ONeal)

Bringing home baby is what any new Mother wants, beyond all else. That happy, healthy bundle of joy that we have waited in anticipation for. For many this moment happens smoothly but for some mother’s it never happens. Fetal Demise, a diagnosis that no one wants to hear, but is happening in all ages of mothers. From high risk pregnancies and those with normal pregnancies. VNSNY Maternal Newborn Pediatric Nurses work closely with mother’s that are referred to us after a fetal loss. The emotions run high for all involved. Why? When? How? Among other questions, are on the list. What happened, no bringing home baby? The nest is ready but yet there is no baby? Keeping open lines of communication is vital to allowing that acceptance to happen in due course. There are also community based programs to help counsel and meet other Parents who have been there.  Emotional support from family and friends can be a foundation. Feeling all those emotions  and talking when your ready provides an opportunity for acceptance by the parents. Siblings will also need help addressing their fears or questions. I recall one young sibling saying to me “Why can’t I have a baby sister? She belongs here, not in Heaven!” Mom being unable to reply, but feeling anguish in this innocent question. Over time there will be many questions, fears and concerns about this tragedy. Listening and compassion are often the best path when you are missing baby.

Ms. R. is a great example of how an adult day center, a Medicaid Managed Care Program and caregivers at home can work together to keep seniors living at home safely.      Ms. R., 82 years old with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease, has been attending our center for over 2 years.    She’s been consistently attending 3 days a week, loves to socialize and participates enthusiastically in activities.       

In recent months, she became more confused and depressed, and her attendance at the center became more sporadic.  Day center staff reported the changes to her nurse and social worker in the VNSNY CHOICE Medicaid Managed Care Program.    They immediately followed up with her physician and family caregiver.    Her daughter voiced concern about Ms. R being able to  remain at home safely.

Our Recreation Coordinator spoke to Ms. R’s daughter about trying activities at home to provide stimulation and help with depression.    We started sending activities home, including jewelry, puzzles and word games.   Ms. R’s daughter worked with her Home Health Aide to do activities at home on the days she doesn’t attend the center.   Since Ms. R. started doing activities at home, she’s more alert, her depression has lifted, and she’s attending the day center regularly again.   There’s a noticeable improvement in cognitive and mental health.     

Ms. R’s daughter shared with us that keeping her mother stimulated and working with the VNSNY CHOICE care team is key to helping her continue to live at home safely and function as highly as possible.   If you would like more information on the VNSNY CHOICE Medicaid Managed Care Program (MLTC), please check out http://2012.vnsnychoice.org/.

Credit: pdphoto.com

In my many years in pediatric nursing, I have seen many changes in the health of our youngest population and one of the biggest issues I see is weight. Children born today will be 18-year-olds in 2030, and the CDC projects that by 2030, 42% of people in the United States will be obese. One word: WOW!!! What are we doing to cause this horrible trend that will cost our nation over $500 billion in healthcare costs? We cannot afford nor should we stand back and let this happen.

For anyone that has ever dieted it seems so much easier to put on weight then to try and loose it. Pounds don’t want to be lost! And with the more sedentary lifestyles of families and children they won’t be lost. So what CAN we do? A young patient I had seen not long ago said to me, “I only eat when I am hungry. I am hungry all the time. Why I don’t know?”  To figure out why, we need to get to the bottom of behaviors and change food from being poisonous junk to a healthy life. It’s not easy to change behaviors, but here are a few simple steps:

• Cut out the junk food.
• Don’t “super size” your meals
• Get off the sofa and move
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Walk instead of taking the bus, or even walk 2 stops before getting on the bus
• Put pressure on your children’s schools to start gym and sports programs

15 minutes a day of physical activity can help, and one hour a day can jump start metabolism and improve health. Parents, this means you! Start now before it’s too late.

Credit: pdphoto.org

The VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center serves seniors speaking English, Spanish, French Creole and Chinese from over 30 countries. We embrace all ethnicities — our  staff and seniors love to share their culture and history.   We’ve learned a lot from each other over the years. Everyday, our members teach us about tolerance and respect.

Because Cinco de Mayo fell on a Saturday this year, our center celebrated with fiestas all day long last Friday. Activities included cooking groups, games and discussion groups. They cooked delicious Mexican dishes and reminisced about their childhoods. They talked about similarities and differences among traditions in various cultures. Some members enjoyed Spanish Karaoke and danced so much that our staff were more exhausted than the seniors! Others participated in bi-lingual word games.  Even our lowest functioning members participated to the best of their ability.

It’s always amazing to me how open the seniors are to experiencing and learning about different cultures. We’ve created a community where everyone feels comfortable and our seniors are at the heart of this inclusive center!

A few years ago, I invited 30 friends over for dinner. It was the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and I seem to remember thinking that everyone would be busy with family stuff or on vacation. Nope. I started to panic when everyone RSVP’d that they’d love to come. It wasn’t the cooking that scared me—I only have 11 chairs. Where would I put all these people?

Anyway, I made a pot of chili and some Caldo Verde, and a couple of salads, but then I started panicking that I wouldn’t have enough food. My sister said, “What about quiche? You can cut it into small slices and you can make it ahead.”

“Make ahead? They’re coming in five hours.”

I found a few quiche recipes. I opened the fridge: Yes to pie crust, no to cream or half-and-half. Do I have time to go to the store? Wait! There might be… is there… yes! I found a can of evaporated milk in a cupboard.

Now, I am a big believer in real ingredients. I’m not a fan of substitutes or fat- or sugar-free versions of foods that are all about fat or sugar—but if there’s a way to replace a less-than-nutrient-rich food or ingredient with one that isn’t so bad, and if it’s unlikely anyone will be able to notice the difference, sign me up. Evaporated milk is processed to remove some of the water, which gives a thick consistency that’s more like heavy cream than milk. I’d never pour myself a glass of evaporated milk, but I have no problem cooking with it. (For the record, I wouldn’t pour myself a glass of heavy cream, either.)

I made two quiches, but I had to combine five recipes to make them because I didn’t have enough ingredients to make any one recipe the way it was written. I do this a lot, but I try not to do it three hours before 30 people come over for dinner. If I’m going to have a kitchen failure, I prefer to limit the number of witnesses.

The party was a success: Everyone found a place to sit and no one left hungry. People even emailed me and asked for recipes. And I ran into a friend the other week who said, “You know, your quiche was the best I’ve ever had.” And as I smiled and said thank you, I thought, “if only you knew…”

Nutrition Facts

Nutritional Analysis
Good points

• Very high in calcium and vitamin A
• High in manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, vitamin C

Bad points

• Very high in cholesterol and sugar

Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated fat-free milk
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 frozen deep-dish pie shell

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. Whisk the milk, ricotta, eggs, cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

3. Spread the spinach into the pie shell, then pour the egg mixture over.

4. Bake the quiche for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into 6 or 8 slices. ]]> http://blogs.vnsny.org/2012/05/07/incredibly-easy-spinach-quiche/feed/ 0 http://blogs.vnsny.org/2012/05/04/generations-helping-each-other-in-home-activity-kits-for-seniors/ http://blogs.vnsny.org/2012/05/04/generations-helping-each-other-in-home-activity-kits-for-seniors/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 19:29:08 +0000 Debbie Stricoff http://blogs.vnsny.org/?p=8589 The VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center had an Intergenerational Day with the Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Daisies this week.  It’s wonderful to see how they’ve grown, matured and opened their hearts to seniors since starting at our center years ago.

Victoria, who did an amazing job planning the day of activities, presented about their experience at the American Society on Aging Conference in Washington D.C. in March. She spoke about the Girl Scouts responses the first year they were scheduled to come – “What’s the point, they’re old” or “What…

When you eat like this, though, you have to be careful that your snacks aren’t empty calories. Fueling yourself on chips and cookies might get you through the day, but if you’re like me, you’ll be cranky by the time 5 o’clock rolls around.

So how do I turn nibbles and noshes into a balanced diet? One of my favorites: Dips. Although I love Lipton Onion Dip and ruffly potato chips, that’s not part of my repertoire. You will always find salsa and hummus in my fridge, and cheese- or yogurt-based dips like Sun-dried Tomato Aioli and Herbed Cheese Spread are frequent guests as well.

Hummus might be the most popular bean dip around, but other beans take well to pureeing: Whirl white beans with pesto, or try black beans or pinto beans with salsa.

Although I usually scoop up this dip with warmed tortillas or bell pepper strips, my son uses it to fill burritos or quesadillas, and it’s also tasty spooned into avocado halves. It will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, but if you plan to store it for more than a day or two, hold off on adding the scallions until you serve it. Their flavors become very pronounced by the third day.

Makes about 1½ cups, or 6 minimeal servings or 12 snack servings

• 1 can (15 ½ ounces) black beans, drained and liquid reserved
• ½ cup medium or hot chunky salsa
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 or 3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• Chili powder, to taste

Combine the beans, ¼ cup of the salsa, lime juice and about half of the scallions in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the container if necessary. If the dip looks thicker than you prefer, add a little of the reserved bean liquid.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in the remaining salsa. Taste and add chili powder, if desired. Just before serving, stir in the remaining scallions, or scatter them on top.

Nutrition Facts

Nutritional Analysis

• No saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Very high in dietary fiber
• Very high in iron
• Very high in magnesium
• High in potassium

]]> http://blogs.vnsny.org/2012/04/30/black-bean-dip-just-in-time-for-cinco-de-mayo/feed/ 0 http://blogs.vnsny.org/2012/04/29/stay-active-with-5-easy-steps/ http://blogs.vnsny.org/2012/04/29/stay-active-with-5-easy-steps/#comments Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:18:18 +0000 Jeffrey Jue, PT http://blogs.vnsny.org/?p=8457 Staying active can be as simple as going out for a walk. That’s right, there’s no expensive equipment to buy or gym contract to sign. If that’s not enough incentive, here are some benefits of daily walking.

• According to a recent NY Times Magazine article, scientists have found that routine exercise which includes walking can improve cognitive flexibility and resist physical shrinkage in the brain
• Walking works out all your major muscle groups and can help prevent physical decline

Follow these easy steps reap the benefits of an outdoor walking routine.

Dress your feet

Reduce your…

Staying active can be as simple as going out for a walk. That’s right, there’s no expensive equipment to buy or gym contract to sign. If that’s not enough incentive, here are some benefits of daily walking.

• According to a recent NY Times Magazine article, scientists have found that routine exercise which includes walking can improve cognitive flexibility and resist physical shrinkage in the brain
• Walking works out all your major muscle groups and can help prevent physical decline

Follow these easy steps reap the benefits of an outdoor walking routine.

Dress your feet

Reduce your risk of falling by wearing comfortable sneakers or shoes that provide good traction. Take a look at my guide to finding a pair of safe shoes.

Start Out Slow and Steady

Prevent injuries by gradually increasing the speed and length of your route.

Plan your route(s)

• Find a walking route that is relatively level and not too congested.
• Many of my seniors walk to nearby parks that will provide shade and benches for sitting breaks.
• Try different routes through the week to keep things interesting.

Invite others

Invite your spouse, friend or a relative to join you. Good company can make exercise more enjoyable.

Make the time

Schedule your walks during the part of the day when you feel most energetic.

May you have a peaceful week

Image courtesy of Simon Howden

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Today: Rehab specialist on roller blades.

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