I was asking around the office this morning to see if anyone had any ideas about a blog topic I should write on today. One of the nurses said, “Write about Seasonal Affective Disorder. It’s that time of year and I’m really noticing the winter blues myself.” This sounded familiar so I went back through our old blogs to see if I’d written on this topic before. Wouldn’t you know I wrote on this very topic exactly one year ago today! A sunny, warm beach is definitely on my mind and I find myself feeling very sluggish on a daily basis the last few weeks so I thought I would post the blog again to remind myself and all of you how to cope with the winter blues.

I am a self-proclaimed sun worshiper; I admit it. I know – I am going to be so wrinkly when I’m older, I’m going to have sun spots all over my body, I am going to get skin cancer. You are thinking all of things aren’t you? Unless, of course, you are a fellow sun worshiper. I am aware of the risks of sunning myself on a regular basis but the fact is – the sun makes me HAPPY! So happy! During the winter, I experience a noticeable change in my attitude (and it is not for the better). Minnesota isn’t exactly having a “normal” winter this year, however, they are generally horrendously cold, snowy and lack the sunshine I crave almost on a daily basis. Many people suffer from the same attitude change and others suffer even deeper from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a very real disorder that many people deal with every winter season. The Mayo Clinic defines SAD as, “A type of depression that occurs at the same time every year.” People usually start to experience symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder in the fall and they can last all the way through the winter months. Symptoms vary from person to person but may include:

• Loss of energy
• Hopelessness
• Social withdrawal
• Feeling sleepy more often, especially during the day
• Lack of interest in normal activities
• Increased appetite and weight gain

With short, dark days and long, darker nights, winter often seems like it will never end. Even if you don’t experience symptoms severe enough to be diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder, you may still feel the winter blues. Here are a few tips to help you cope with the freezing temperatures and brighten your days:

1. Get up at the same time every day. It is sure easy to hit that snooze button on a regular basis but sleeping in, even on weekends, tricks your body.
2. Even though it’s cold, get outside! Better yet, be active outside. Take a quick walk during your lunch break, go cross country skiing or on a sunny day, find a nice place to sit and soak in the rays – just make sure you wear appropriate clothing.
3. Exercise. If it is just too darn cold to do some kind of exercise outside, make it a priority to get to the gym. If you haven’t heard, exercise is a really, really great way to fight off all bad things – depression, weight gain, poor eating habits, stress, sickness, etc… It should be a staple in your routine – period.
4. Make your environment brighter. If you can, sit by a window at work. Add bright flowers to your desk and around your home. Turn on more lights. Lift all of the shades.
5. Purchase a light therapy box. If you suffer from SAD, your doctor would likely prescribe this light therapy for you. Sitting in front of this box in the morning is supposed to mimic the sunrise and do wonders for your mood. If this is something you are considering, talk to your doctor first.

If you believe you are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, contact your doctor right away.

If the cold, dark, winter months just get you down, try using some of these tips as a way to help brighten your day. Otherwise, think about taking a tropical vacation! Doesn’t that sound fun?

At one of our offices about a month ago, we were discussing what we wanted to do for a little office Christmas party. Normally, we draw a name from the hat and spend $15-$20 on that person, have a potluck lunch and then exchange those gifts. This year was a bit different. We got to thinking – as fun as it is to receive presents, there is nothing that we want for $20 that we can’t go out and buy on our own. There are, however, millions of people in this world who go without every single day and our $20 gift would mean the world to them.

There were so many choices of where our money could go but we decided to send it with a woman from Willmar who was leaving for India to be a missionary. Below is an email from her explaining what she was able to do for over 100 children with a fairly small amount of money.

Pam and Jeff and all the employees at Divine Home Care,

Thank you for sending money with me to India to purchase some Christmas gifts for children in India.  Yesterday, the church gave an outreach near a local slum.  They call it a Fun Fair.  If you’ve ever been to the Fall Festival at the A/G church (Assembly of God Church in Willmar), it was similar to that, except on a smaller scale.  There were 10 stalls with different games and each kid that came received 10 tickets to play these games.  If they won the game, the received a winner ticket.  At the end they got to cash in their tickets for a prize!!!  There were about 100 kids in attendance and each one received a really fun bag/pack back thing as a gift and they got to put their prizes in their new bag.  We were able to purchase all the prizes and all the bags because of the $200 dollar you gave.  How crazy, huh, that $200 could by a gift and prizes for 100 kids from the church and slums of India?!!  Many of the kids in the slums have never been to a fun fair or anything like it, they had an AWESOME time.  Thank you for being generous and thoughtful by sending your money to India.  It was such an awesome time, and so very fun to see the many smiles and hear all the laughter from so many kids.  Blessings to all of you!!!

What a wonderful gift we did receive by seeing all of their smiling faces. Happy New Year from all of us at Divine Home Care! May 2013 bring you joy, happiness and good health.

We have come to that time of year! For each of us, some of our lives get busier, some slower, some wait patiently while some struggle to bear the excitement.  Nonetheless, food takes a huge role in family and friends gatherings during the holidays.  

Most of us recognize the old saying, “You are what you eat.” Why is eating a healthy diet so important? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “A healthy diet can reduce the risk of major chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and some cancers.”

Alarming statistics from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, released by U.S. Department of HHS support the prevalence and the need to take individual action.

• 37% of the U.S. population has cardiovascular disease.
• 35% of the U.S. population over the age of 20, are pre-diabetic (in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes).
• Almost 1 in 2 men and women will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.

Some tips to beat the odds are:

• Do your best to stay active during the holidays.
• Eat a healthy snack before attending a holiday party so you are not famished and risk overeating once you arrive.
• Choose a few things that you really want from the food table instead of grabbing every single appetizer that’s available. (Try to add veggies and fruit to your plate, too).
• If you overeat at one meal, go light on your next one. It’s ok to splurge once in a while.
• Watch out for high caloric beverages! Choose cocktails with low calorie mixers such as diet sodas and diet tonic water.

Healthy habits may be difficult to start or continue during this joyous season, but simply making one attainable goal for your self is just enough! 

The author of this blog post is Katie Opatz, RN Case Manager in our Little Falls office.

November is National Home Care Month. This month is a time when the home care community joins together to celebrate and raise awareness about the many individuals who make home care possible. From an array of health, therapeutic and social services delivered to patients in their homes, to the patients themselves whose courage and independence inspires us all – we work together to provide affordable, cost-effective, appropriate care in the comfort of the patient’s home.

Home care allows people to live independently, providing vital support for families while improving a patient’s quality of life. Generally speaking, individuals are most comfortable in their own homes. “Home,” whether that is in your family home, an apartment, assited living or relative’s home, it is where people experience the greatest sense of security, stability and belonging. Those receiving home care include the elderly and persons with disabilities, as well as chronically ill and post-acute care patients of all ages.

Home care is an increasingly effective option for treating and managing a growing range of acute and chronic health conditions (i.e. congestive heart failure, diabetes, recuperation after surgery) outside of traditionally defined health care settings. Home care results in shortening a person’s length of stay in a hospital or nursing home by providing post-acute care that would otherwise occur only in a hospital.

A health crisis our country is facing can be summed up in two numbers: 5 and 50. These numbers stand for the 5 percent of patients who account for 50 percent of rising health care costs. For the top 5 percent of Americans who suffer from multiple chronic conditions, home care is the cost-effective answer to keep them out of hospitals and in their homes.

As the baby boomers in America continue to age, home care is projected to grow exponentially. Nurses, home health aides and personal care aides are among the top five occupations projected to see the largest increase in jobs in the near future.

The home care nurse managing and treating chronic conditions, like diabetes or heart disease, helps oversee their client’s medications, check vital signs, monitor blood sugar levels and zero in on the most serious and oftentimes, most preventable health risk factors. In-home therapists help patients retain mobility and avoid injuries that could bring them back to the emergency room. Skilled home care agencies, made up of aides, nurses and therapists, help thousands of people with disabilities and medically frail or elderly patients avoid unnecessary or premature nursing home admissions and opt instead for the comfort of home.

We encourage you to join the growing number of passionate health care professionals that provide care and compassion and effectively work to provide high quality, cost-effective care at home!       

This blog was written by Little Falls RN Case Manager, Anne Janson.       

If you have turned on the news at any time in the past few weeks, I’m sure you have heard stories about the fungal meningitis outbreak in the United States. The outbreak has been linked to five confirmed cases in Minnesota alone. So, what exactly is fungal meningitis and are you at risk?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Fungal meningitis occurs when the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord are infected with a fungus.” It is a very rare infection and can be life threatening; meningitis is normally caused by a bacteria or a virus instead of a fungus. In general, people with weak or compromised immune systems are at a much higher risk of contracting this form of meningitis.

Common symptoms are:

• Fever
• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Sensitivity to light
• Slurred speech
• Nausea

Symptoms of the infection occurring from this outbreak have normally been showing up anywhere from one to four weeks after the steroid injection. However, there have been reports of symptoms appearing before and after that one to four week time period. This particular strain of fungal meningitis is progressing more gradually and slowly than other forms.

Are you at risk?

The current outbreak of fungal meningitis is the result of contaminated steroids that were sold to 23 clinics around the U.S. by the drug producer, New England Compounding Center. Almost everyone affected by the contaminated drug has received steroid injections into their spine area. It is suspected that about 14,000 people have been exposed to the steroid The map below outlines the states that have reported cases of this infection with the number of cases in each of those states (as of today, Oct. 15, 2012). Also, as of today, there have been 15 deaths nationwide, due to this fungal meningitis outbreak.

Different types of fungal meningitis (not related to this outbreak) can be contracted as well. Taking certain medications that weaken your immune system, inhaling soil heavily contaminated with bird or bat droppings or inhaling fungal spores that contain decaying organic matter can all cause the infection. These contaminated soils are common in the Midwest.

Treatment:

Treatment can last for months, depending on the strength of your immune system. The strong anti-fungal medications are normally given through an IV.

If you have not received a steroid injection with the contaminated drug, you are not at risk for contracting fungal meningitis linked to this outbreak. It is not contagious so it does not spread from person to person. The investigation is ongoing so if you have any concerns at all, contact your primary doctor.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Click here for an interactive tour of how Alzheimer’s affects the brain.

Alzheimer’s disease has 7 stages but not everyone will experience the same symptoms or progress at the same rate.  According to Mayo Clinic, the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease you may notice are increasing forgetfulness and mild confusion. Over time, the disease has a growing impact on your memory, your ability to speak and write coherently and your judgment and problem solving. If you have Alzheimer’s, you may be the first to notice that you’re having unusual difficulty remembering things and organizing your thoughts. However, you may not recognize that anything is wrong, even when changes are noticeable to your family members, close friends or co-workers.

Many times family will notice slight changes in cognitive and mental abilities that the person may not realize are happening. The family may notice their loved one having a difficult time counting change or remembering how to make a favorite recipe. It’s been said that you can see the difference between “old age” and Alzheimer’s disease: old age forgets where they put there keys, Alzheimer’s disease forgets what the keys are for. 

The Alzheimer’s Association provides a list of important points to remember about the disease:

• Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging, even though the greatest known risk factor is increasing age. (The majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older). But Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer’s (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.
• Alzheimer’s worsens over time. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer’s live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions.
• Alzheimer’s has no cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer’s treatments cannot stop Alzheimer’s from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with the disease and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset and prevent it from developing.

If you or a loved one is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or have noticed signs and symptoms according to this information given, please contact your primary doctor to discuss your options and try to delay the progression. If you are a family member caring for a loved one with this disease, you are not alone. The Alzheimer’s Associations is a wonderful resource!  They provide a 24/7 help line (800.272.3900), access to support groups, connect you with local resources and are always working toward a cure.

This blog post was written by the RN Branch Manager of our Little Falls office, Lyssa Mooney.