Music Therapy and Positive Effects on Seniors

Everyone can benefit from music activities in some capacity. Some can be effective music therapy. It has been found to be especially helpful to the elderly and seniors in geriatric care, palliative care and with Alzheimer's and other dementia.

Although music therapy is a specialized area for trained therapists, it doesn't take special training or musical background to apply music and musical elements for general benefit to seniors and the elderly patients in the many care facilities.

Since music for seniors has nonverbal qualities it can promote:

creativity

awareness

expression

communication

Different forms of music and music therapy activities are beneficial to elderly patients.

Music therapy for stress can dispel anxiety, tension and fear. Music therapy for depression can alleviate a sense of loneliness and isolation, especially in group sing alongs or musical participation activities.

Music activities and music therapy for elderly patients has garnered respect as a means of helping patients deal with the above conditions, but also grief, healing from surgeries, and overall health as well.

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Five Tips for Spring Cleaning with Kids

Spring cleaning is on the horizon, and you could use some help.
Many hands make light work ... so how do you get the kids to pitch in when it's time to spring-clean the house?

Try these five tips to involve children with housecleaning chores:

Think teamwork

It's downright lonely to be sentenced to clean a bathroom on your own, but paired with a parent, even a 5-year-old can work safely and happily. While Dad wields the bowl cleaner and the tile brush, his helper can scrub the sink, polish the fixtures, empty the trash and trundle towels and rugs to the laundry room.
Working as a team involves kids in the cleaning process, helps them learn cleaning skills, and most important, models both the attitude and the job standard you're trying to teach.

Take your voice out of the process

Children have an innate ability to "tune out" parents, when the subject is chores. What parent wants to spend a Saturday nagging, threatening and hollering, "You get back here and finish the vacuuming!"?
Instead, post a list of the day's jobs, or write them out on index cards. Divvy the jobs up between the teams, or let each team choose one until the work is done. Putting the work on paper removes the tussle of wills.

For More Tips and the Original Article.

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Mediterranean Diet for Heart Health

The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating plan combining elements of Mediterranean-style cooking. Here's how to adopt the Mediterranean diet.

If you're looking for a heart-healthy eating plan, the Mediterranean diet might be right for you. The Mediterranean diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating — plus a splash of flavorful olive oil and perhaps a glass of red wine — among other components characterizing the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Most healthy diets include fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains, and limit unhealthy fats. While these parts of a healthy diet remain tried-and-true, subtle variations or differences in proportions of certain foods may make a difference in your risk of heart disease.

 

Benefits of the Mediterranean diet

 

Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. In fact, a recent analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality, a reduced incidence of cancer and cancer mortality, and a reduced incidence of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

For More Info and the Original Article.

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We Care Online March Staff Highlight - Colleen Villa

Staff highlight for this month is Colleen Villa.

Colleen Villa has worked in the healthcare field for five years.  She was attracted to the field and to educate others in the field from her desire to provide the “best education to students as possible in order to provide the Best Healthcare to individuals in need.”   Colleen’s father passed away from cancer.  She witnessed the care he received ranged greatly in quality.  Colleen would like to see everyone receiving great care at all times.

Colleen recently moved to Topeka, Kansas.   She was born and raised in Concordia, Kansas.  Colleen met her husband in Texas.  The Villas have one daughter.

When Colleen is not working she likes to decorate and spend time with her family. 

Colleen wishes she would have known how much she would enjoy the healthcare field.  She states:  “I love working with nurses; they truly are special.”

Everyone at WeCareOnline plays an important role in helping students have the best online learning experience possible.  Colleen coordinates the Home Health Aide and Certified Medication Aide Update courses.  She also has started testing students in the Certified Medication Aide courses in Topeka.  Colleen’s goal is to provide high school students WeCareOnline courses at their high schools.  Colleen also helps market WeCareOnline.

Over the years Colleen has seen more and more students learning through online courses.  Her background in the insurance field had trained her that LTC would be in very high demand with baby boomers.  To Colleen’s surprise the census is down in terms of demand for long term care facilities. This has convinced Colleen that more than ever, there is a great demand for Home Health Aides to provide individuals care in the comfort of their own homes. 

Since WeCareOnline is an online company, Colleen knows that people don’t get to see her face to face or to see her workspace.  Colleen has a picture of a Hereford bull behind her desk with a blue ribbon from the 1917 Nebraska State Fair.  Colleen’s great grandfather raised Hereford bulls and Colleen asked her mother if she could borrow the picture for her office.  She states that her office is "a little manly" as she originally decorated the office for her husband.

10 Completely Creative Ways to Save Money

Why does it feel like everyone is broke this time of year? Is it because we just got done paying off the holiday bills? Or are we all really broke? Whatever the reason, now is as good a time as any to start saving money.

Oh, but you've tried that and it never works? Folks, I promise you that it's possible. If you really want to save money, you just have to be a little creative. Just check out these creative ideas that are guaranteed to keep the cash in your wallet:


1. Only run full loads. How many times do you run the dishwasher when there's still room for dishes or run the clothes washer for just a few towels? STOP doing that! Running full loads means running fewer loads overall -- saving you on your electric and water bills.

2. Use less. Whether it's the cleaning products you spray liberally on your kitchen counters or the coffee you load in the filter, try to use just a little bit less. You'll be surprised how it adds up ... and how much longer you'll be able to go before buying replacements.

3. Ask about sales. It's all well and good to read the sale circulars, but they only tell you what the sale is right now. If you're looking to make a big purchase, it's worth it to ask the salesman if they know of upcoming sales. One mom saved $300 on her laptop by going back the next day!

4. Pack lunch on weekends. We all know about packing lunch to take to work. But what about the weekends when you're running errands? You work up an appetite doing all that running, and it can be so tempting to just pop into the local pizza place for a slice ...

5. Save old clothes. Turn them into rags or napkins, and you will save a ton on paper towels and, well, napkins.

6. Become a swapper. Whether you throw a fashion swap for your girlfriends so you can all exchange the clothes you've gotten tired of or you trade babysitting services with another family in the neighborhood, it's the best way to get the things you need without spending a dime.

For more tips and the original blog.

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Cholesterol and Alzheimer's Disease

Although no one definitively knows clear measures to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, research now shows a promising link between cholesterol in the blood and the brain disease that diminishes memory, thinking and reasoning skills. Researchers at Vanderbilt University reported in the June 2012 issue of Psychcentral that the specific amyloid precursor protein (APP) found in Alzheimer’s disease binds to cholesterol. Because of the breakthrough discovery, researchers are now searching for a drug to block cholesterol from binding to the Alzheimer’s-related protein.

Even if such medication becomes available, it is still wise for people to keep their cholesterol levels in check to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s as well as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other health concerns. Too much waxy cholesterol in the blood causes buildup in artery walls and limits oxygen to the heart. Cholesterol levels should be monitored regularly for individuals over age 45 or in anyone with higher risk factors such as high blood pressure and smoking. Consider preventing and treating high cholesterol through the following lifestyle habits:

Stop smoking. Quitting improves good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and lowers blood pressure.

Lose excess weight. Even losing 5 to 10 pounds can lower cholesterol.

Increase physical activity. Doctors recommend 30 to 60 minutes of exercise such as brisk walking or swimming once a day to improve cholesterol levels.

Limit cholesterol-rich foods. Consume less saturated fats (organ meats, egg yolks, and whole milk products)

 

 

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Tips for Dealing with Difficult Coworkers

If you have a job, chances are that you've come across at least one person with whom you've found working with difficult. Infact, most of us over the course of our careers will have encountered many of these difficult coworker types. I sure have! While working with difficult coworkers can be stressful and really take the fun out of our days, it's important to remember that dealing with these challenging personalities is unfortunately part of having a job. That is.. unless you work for yourself but that's a whole different story.

Read on because I am going to identify four types of difficult coworkers and ways you can deal with them.

Are your difficult coworkers making you pull your hair out at work?

1. The Grumpy Coworker

You know the type - they walk into work in the morning, don't say hi, won't even make eye contact with you or crack a smile. While we do not all have to be best friends at work, it is pretty awkward when you can't interact with these people the way you would with a normal person who will at least say hello. What to do:

• Try to find some common ground: There's got to be something - anything - that you have in common with this person and if you're able to find it, you just might be able to crack them. Maybe you and her have the same favorite tv show - you could ask her what she thought of last night's episode! Maybe you both have kids starting school this year - ask how that's working out. The point is to find something to get that person talking so she feels like you're both on the same side. She still might not say hello to you in the morning, but you might get a glimmer or a smile every once in a while that can lighten the tension. 

Read About the Other Three Types Here in the Original Article.

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Red Wine & Red Grapes Help Protect Against Hearing Loss & More

Red wine and red grapes contain resveratrol, a substance which appears to protect against hearing loss and cognitive decline, researchers from the Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, reported in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

In an animal experiment, the scientists found that laboratory rats would suffer less from the long-term effects of noise-induced hearing loss if they consumed resveratrol before listening to extended periods of loud noise.

Study lead author Michael D. Seidman, director of the Division of Otologic/Neurotologic Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital, said:

"Our latest study focuses on resveratrol and its effect on bioinflammation, the body's response to injury and something that is believed to be the cause of many health problems including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, aging and hearing loss."

For More and the Original Article.

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