Memorial Day, first called “Decoration Day”, is a day of remembrance for individuals who have perished in our nation’s service. You will discover numerous stories as to its actual origins, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were adorning graves previous to the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet offered the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove without doubt the origins of the day. It is much more likely that it had many individual beginnings; each of those towns and every scheduled or spur-of-the-moment meeting of people to honor the war dead in the 1860′s established the normal human need to honor our dead, each added honestly to the expanding movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not vital who was the very first, what is vital is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about compromise; it is about coming together to honor those who gave everything they had.

Traditional observation of Memorial day has diminished over the years.

Many Americans these days have forgotten the importance and customs of Memorial Day.

Since the late 50′s on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing.

In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye’s Heights (the Luminaria Program). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps.”

For those providing senior care to veterans, this is a great time to get them involved in a remembrance tradition. Ask them if they would like to place flags or gather with some old friends.

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

If you would like information about senior care in the Cypress area, contact Synergy HomeCare. We are dedicated to provided quality and affordable care to our loved ones. Call  281-407-1200.

Around the United States, registered nurses are being commemorated.

On May 6, 2012, we are joining the American Nurses Association in commemorating Nurses: Advocating, Leading, Caring, as partof National Nurses Week, which is held May 6-12, each year. The goal of the week long observance is to raise awareness of the importance of nursing and assist with educating people about the role nurses perform in meeting the health care goals of the American people.

In tribute to the dedication, and tireless commitment of the nearly 3.1 million registered nurses countrywide to enhance and sustain the health of the US, the American Nurses Association is honored to recognize registered nurses anywhere on this given day for the caregiving and excellent work they provide seven days a week, 365 days a year.

In honor of Nursing: all registered nurses in America are inspired to proudly wear the official ANA “RN” pin or any other pin that distinctly recognizes them as registered nurses, and/or their nurses uniform the week of May 6, 2012.

Nurses: Advocating, Leading, Caring

Quite often identified as an art and a science, nursing is a career that connects with serious persons with distinct likes, skills and passion because of the many options the profession suggests. Nurses are caregivers, work in emergency rooms, school based clinics, and homeless shelters, amongst others. They have many jobs – from staff nurse to educator to nurse practitioner and nurse researcher – and serve all of them with devotion for the career and with a commitment to patient safety.

National Nurses Week History

National Nurses Week commences annually on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

These dates enrich organization and make National Nurses Week a nationally recognized event. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be recognized once a year. And as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year.

The nursing profession has been endorsed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896.

Each of ANA’s state and territorial nurses associations promotes the nursing profession at the state and regional levels. Each conducts celebrations on these dates to recognize the contributions that nurses and nursing make to the community.

If you know a registered nurse, be sure to thank him or her for their service during National Nurses Week 2012.

Contact Synergy HomeCare if you need help from caregivers for your aging loved one. We are dedicated to providing quality and affordable home care in the Houston area. Call  281-407-1200.

May is Older Americans Month, a terrific time to clearly show our gratitude for the older adults in our neighborhoods and a great time to get the elder receiving senior care at home to get out and get active!

Since 1963, areas nationwide have joined together to celebrate Older Americans Month—a proud tradition that shows our nation’s commitment to acknowledging the influences and accomplishments of older Americans.

The theme for Older Americans Month 2012, “Never Too Old to Play…” motivates older Americans to stay involved, active and involved in their own lives and in their neighborhoods.

Here are some ideas to make Older American’s Month fun and enjoyable:

Physical Activity

Here are some physical activity ideas:

• Wii bowling tournament. Wii bowling is a well-liked activity among older adults, and a smart way to connect elders and young people in an intergenerational lesson of energizing activity that supports fitness and fosters intergenerational connections.
•  Miniature golf. Miniature golf is a superb method of light exercise and a good time for people of all ages. For your Day of Play give some thought to an outing to a local miniature golf course. Call beforehand to determine if there is a group rate or senior discount. To make this an intergenerational event even more enjoyable, ask the older adults to bring along a friend from another generation such as a child or grandchild.
• Choreographed fitness. There are quite a few possibilities for fun group exercise activities for older adults. For your Day of Play you may want to organize training in one or more of these exercises in movement:

• Tai chi is a group activity in which participants move slowly and gently in unison. Tai chi improves balance and strength.
• Water aerobics is exactly what it sounds like. The gentle resistance of the water in a pool intensifies this low-impact aerobic workout. And exercising in a pool reduces the risk of injuries from falls.
• Yoga uses stretching and breathing to relax the mind and body, and it’s very good for circulation.
• Dancing improves balance and coordination. Plus, it’s a great creative outlet and way to meet new people.

Even if your senior loved one is receiving senior care at home, You are ‘Never Too Old To Play!’ Take care of the seniors in your life and celebrate National Older American’s Month.

For information about how Synergy HomeCare can help your family with senior care in the home, call our caregivers at  281-407-1200.

Here are some helpful and fun ways to spread the heart of gardening in your neighborhood.

Plant a Row for the Hungry at a Local Community Garden

In this land of plenty it’s difficult to imagine not having access to high quality food at a reasonable cost. Even so, for numerous Americans, obtaining a healthy meal is not always easy. It’s projected almost 33 million people, including 13 million children, try to use emergency food because they cannot find the money for the food they need.

Host a Plant Swap at a Nearby Church

The finest plants aren’t always from your nearby garden center or seed catalog. As a replacement they are collected through quick cuttings or by collecting seeds from the garden of a friend or family member. These “pass-along plants” supply both natural beauty and sentiment to your garden.

Have a Spring Cleaning Green Up Day at a Senior’s Home

Spring cleaning — indoors and out — is a ritual that marks the end of winter and the beginning of a brand-new season, and just like many things to do, it’s more fun when you share it. A senior’s home, your street, neighborhood, town park, and any other public space could use some greening up; it just takes someone to organize a small group and seniors and those providing senior care will appreciate neighbors stopping by! Yet another way to meet your neighbors.

Yard Sale Philanthropy

The appearance of spring, accompanied by lengthier days and higher temperatures, gives you ideas of green oases teeming with tomatoes and brimming with beans. Spring is also a time for cleaning out. This year, celebrate National Garden Month in an unexpected way-by visiting yard sales in search of second-hand things that every senior’s garden could use.

Organize a Garden Visit with Senior Friends, Over Tea!

Gardeners grow more than plants – every one of us has stories to share. For a change, why not share them in over tea? Socialization and admiration of another person’s garden brings joy to everyone.

Other suggestions for celebrating with seniors in your area:

• Prepare or take part in a town beautification day.
• Check out your nearby farmers’ market.
• Flatter a neighbor on his or her garden.
• Get together with neighbors to purchase compost and mulch in bulk quantities.
• Volunteer to plant and maintain a garden at your town library.
• Present a gardening article or essay to your nearby newspaper.
• Talk to an elder to learn what foods his or her family grew when he or she was a child.
• Search for neighbors from various ethnic groups to learn about their native cuisine and gardening techniques.
• Green up your street or a local park by picking up trash.
• Share a cutting of one of your favorite landscape or houseplants with a senior neighbor.
• Inventory your gardening gear (e.g., pots, seeds, stakes) and offer the excess to a local community gardening program, assisted living facility or school garden.
• Celebrate other important “green” holidays: Earth Day (April 22) and National Arbor Day (April 26).
• Volunteer at your local school’s garden.
• Volunteer at a local senior center’s garden.
• Start a neighborhood garden club.
• Share your garden’s bounty with a senior neighbor.
• Have fun doing a gardening project with a senior.
• Deliver houseplants or flowers to a nursing home, assisted living or children’s hospital.
• Donate past issues of gardening magazines to your library, or buy the library a gift subscription.

If you or an aging loved one need help with senior care, contact the caregivers at Synergy HomeCare. We provide many levels of service to help your loved one live a healthy and comfortable life at home. Call 281-407-1200.

Home Care Spring TX: Today’s anti-depressant medications can ease depression in Parkinson’s patients without worsening other symptoms of the disease, according to a study published online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

“Depression is the number-one factor negatively affecting the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease,” said Irene Hegeman Richard, M.D., who led the study. “It causes a great deal of suffering among patients. The great news here is that it’s treatable. And when the depression is treated adequately, many of the other symptoms become much more manageable for patients,” added Richard, a neurologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The findings are good news for patients with Parkinson’s disease, a chronic neurologic disorder best known for causing slow movement, stiffness, balance problems and other motor difficulties. However, about half of Parkinson’s patients also struggle with depression.  Other good news is that home care caregivers can help with medication reminders and companionship, which can also help ease depression.

“It’s very important to note that these patients are not depressed simply because they are dealing with a chronic neurological condition,” said Richard. “Rather, the depression is caused by the underlying disease process, which also causes problems with movement and balance.”

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Contact the caregivers at Synergy HomeCare for more information about how home care can help your family member suffering with Parkinson’s Disease. Call 281-407-1200 today!

Occupational therapy allows individuals of all ages to enjoy life by enabling them to boost health, prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. It is a practice deeply rooted in science and is evidence-based, meaning that the plan designed for each individual is supported by data, experience, and “best practices” that have been developed and proven over time.

If a senior in your life is receiving home care services, you might also consider asking their physician about Occupational Therapy services that are often covered by Medicare.

Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants focus on “doing” whatever occupations or activities are relevant to the person. It is occupational therapy’s reason to get past troubles to the methods that assure living life to its fullest. These treatments may be adaptations for how to do a task, changes to the surroundings, or supporting individuals to change their own behaviors.

When making use of an occupational therapy practitioner, approaches and changes are tailor-made for each individual to resolve issues, boost function, and help everyday living tasks. The target is to maximize potential. Through these therapeutic methods, occupational therapy assists consumers style their lives, develop needed skills, adjust their environments (e,g., home, school, or work) and build health-promoting habits and exercises that will enable them to progress.

By taking the full picture into account—a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social makeup as well as their environment—occupational therapy assists clients to do the following:

• give an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
• help with customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• provide an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.

Founded in 1917, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) represents the interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants and students nationwide. The Association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards including accreditations and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., AOTA’s major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, go to www.aota.org.

For information about how Synergy HomeCare can help your senior loved one with home care services in the League City area, call our caregivers at  281-407-1200 today.

Elder Care in Cypress TX: Seasonal Allergies and the Elderly
Published on March 7, 2012
By Lance Bullock

Spring is my favorite time of the year! The weather starts warming up, the trees start turning green, and flowers start blooming. However, when the trees and flowers start blooming they bring a lot of unwanted allergies with them. Some of the symptoms that are caused by seasonal allergies include: runny nose, watery eyes, and sneezing. For most people, treating seasonal allergies is really simple and all that is needed is an antihistamine and perhaps a decongestant. However, for seniors, treating seasonal allergies can be more difficult. This is when elder care providers can help by assisting when speaking with the pharmacist or doctor regarding medications.

As I mentioned before, seasonal allergies can be treated with over-the-counter antihistamines. All antihistamines, to some degree, will cause drowsiness, dry mouth, dry eyes, and constipation. Some antihistamines are worse than others about causing these side effects. There are two classes of antihistamines: first-generation antihistamines and second-generation antihistamines.

The first-generation antihistamines include: Chlor-Trimeton® (chlorpheniramine) and Benadryl® (diphenhydramine). This class of medications should be avoided in the senior population. The reason why is because of the side effects that these drugs may cause. As a class, the first-generation antihistamines can cause drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, constipation, urinary retention, dry mouth, and dry eyes. The senior population are at an increased risk of already having problems with dry eyes, dry mouth, and constipation. So when a medication that causes these side effects is administered to a senior, it just increases these unwanted symptoms that they may already be experiencing. As a general rule, this class of medication should be avoided in the senior population.
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If you or someone you know needs help with elder care in Cypress or the surrounding area, contact the caregivers at Synergy HomeCare. We provide quality and affordable in-home care for many disabled and elderly loved ones in our community. Call us at  281-407-1200 for more information.

When I reflect over the past 20 years since I began my career in senior home care services, the world has gone through dramatic changes, but seniors’ most concerning issues have remained pretty much the same. The problems that I’ve observed that most seriously affect the health and wellbeing of seniors are the following:

1) They are not getting the proper nutrition and hydration. They tend to neglect themselves when there is no one around to cook or to serve them. Why, heck, even young people will skip meals, or pick up fast food, which are loaded with salt, trans fat, and unnatural ingredients. They are likely to eat things that they can make quickly but which may not be very good for them on a regular basis. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is ideal but how many seniors are going to the market every few days to pick up the fresh foods and how many are spending time making themselves nutritious and healthful meals which usually requires cutting up lots of healthful ingredients such as chicken, carrots, and celery. When you are dealing with pain, memory issues, or chronic disabilities, you often tend to want to keep things very simple and that can lead to omitting the things your body needs for optimum health.

Hospitals are full of seniors who are admitted for dehydration. They are just not taking in the amount of liquids their bodies require. Not enough water, tea, fruit, and soup—the things you would take in if you were around people who care about you or for you. The most common diagnosis we hear is malnutrition and dehydration which are both easily avoided with the right care which can easily be obtained through home care services.

2) They are at risk of falling. Seniors who have had strokes, brain injuries, ear or eye conditions, equilibrium issues, feet and leg problems, migraines, circulation problems and a whole host of other conditions, may have more trouble navigating around their own homes than they care to admit or accept. Many will walk down their home’s corridors balancing themselves with their hands on the walls instead of using a walker. Others will minimize how dizzy they get and will try to go from room to room too quickly. Some allow way too much clutter to accumulate around them which become obstacles to their ability to navigate safely around their environment. Also there are plenty of elderly people whose homes have not been modified with safety bars in the bathroom or those who have unnecessary throw rugs or wires strewn along the floors that are trip hazards. Then when you think about how many older folks are living with knee, hip, and back problems, it’s no wonder that falls are one of the biggest reasons seniors end up in hospitals. Unfortunately, for many, some falls are too big to recover from, while others mark the beginning of an irreversible health decline.

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If you have questions about how home care services can help your senior loved one, contact the caregivers at Synergy HomeCare. We can help your senior with many different levels of service to keep them safe and comfortable at home. Call 281-407-1200.