Category: Top Lists

Healthy Living, Placement, PrePlanner's Webinar, Self-Care, Top Lists

People are Interesting

People truly are interesting. Every story unique and special. I share these posts to tell you about the people I am lucky enough to meet. Many of these people would be judged as outcasts. To me they are simple wonderful stories of what I get to do as a job every day. To me it is never work. They are an honor to get to know. Here is one such story.

I knocked on the front door in a nice neighborhood of a senior I was supposed to evaluate. I could hear laughter of a child, but no one was answering. I called the family and they directed me to go to the side door, a butler’s entrance of sorts. I could not hear the laughter here, but I called out and knocked. The door opened on its own.

I called out and the owner of the home came out with flour on her face. upon entering I realized what I thought was a child’s laughter was in fact the wife of the patient I was supposed to see. They were a prominent family in the region I worked. The house was a mansion on the outside. It was somewhat frozen in time on the inside. I couldn’t see the patient I was supposed to see at first. The wife started to give me a bit of a tour of her home. “We set him up in here.” She says. “I need your help to get him up, will you?” “Of course” I reply.

He is sitting in the living room. His care was simple and I was able to set up additional services for them as well. As I left the back entrance, which she informed me was their main entrance was piled high with unopen delivery boxes. Some of them so old they were fading in the sun. I couldn’t help but ask when was the last time her children had been to visit. She looked at mean and the boxes and said, “We don’t let them come here anymore. We meet at a restaurant nearby.”

I asked if she would allow me to help. I promised not to judge. She accepted my help with a subtle smile and then gave me hug as the tears flowed. I told her, I would like to think if I ever needed this type of help, someone would be there for me. Who around you could use your non-judgmental help and support? Connect them CayCare. We won’t judge. #gethelp #loveeveryone

Goal Setting, Healthy Living, Legacy Living, Self-Care, Top Lists

What Exactly is Meditation

Meditate – What exactly does it mean to meditate?

First, let’s explore what it means to meditate. The basic definition – Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.

To meditate is to think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.

Let’s explore the benefits of meditation. A meditation study done by the National Institute of Health shows to improve the following conditions –
1. Stress
2. Anxiety
3. Cardiovascular Health
4. Depression
5. Insomnia
6. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
7. Addiction

American Psychological Association concluded that Transcendental Meditation had relatively strong effects in reducing anxiety, negative emotions, trait anxiety and neuroticism while aiding learning, memory and self-realization.

The bottom line is that exploring meditation has many well-being benefits. Where do you actually start? We have how-to meditate cards going around for self-care week 2. Here are the simple tips now.

One article reads, put simply, meditation is a tool for stress relief, Fletcher says, adding that by relieving stress, you’re setting yourself up to be able to perform at the top of your game. “I believe we meditate to get good at life, not to get good at meditation,” she says. Many people have the misconception that meditation is about focusing on the present, but Fletcher actually considers that to be mindfulness (which we’ll get into later). Meditation, on the other hand, is about getting rid of all of the stress the body has stored from the past.

To join the self-care movement and earn prizes fill out the form in this QR Code or follow the link Join the Self-Care Movement to Win

Register HERE to Win and Join the Self-Care Movement

Healthy Living, Legacy Living, local outings, Top Lists, Uncategorized

Do the Self-Care Dance!

Let’s face it. Dancing is something we talk about doing, but leave for others. Did you know that little release isn’t just good to help you relax but it is good for your muscles after having sat a while? In fact, we would even suggest it is good for a little giggle that will occur from a short jig.

It doesn’t have to be ballroom level. We are talking a quick move to a song in your head or actually coming from the radio. The benefit if you share your jig with others can be contagious. *But that is entirely up to you.

Some songs that may help your jig come out more effectively can include (but trust me any old tune will do)

  • @dance.tut on Instagram has some fun tutorials for all ages.
  • Macarena
  • KyleYouMadeThat (Yung Baby Tate) (This content may have profanities)
  • Beggin’
  • Bring Me to Life (by Evanescence)
  • Dance Monkey (Tones and I)
  • Hot N Cold (Katy Perry)
  • Immortals (Fall Out Boy)
  • Just Like Heaven (The Cure)

Let’s see those dance moves. Post your short videos on our Facebook and/or Instagram. We want to see you movin’. All ages welcome!

@caycareplacement

Goal Setting, Legacy Living, Top Lists, Uncategorized

6 Pillars of Brain Health

The 6 Pillars of Brain Health

  • Physical Exercise– People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Spend up to 30 minutes a day to improve your cardiovascular health. Activities such as walking, jogging, or riding your bike outside are fantastic ways to improve your health.
  • Food and Nutrition– As we grow older, we are exposed to oxidation from lifestyle and the environment. Oxidation damages brain cells. Eating foods rich in antioxidants can fend off the oxidation effects in the brain. Eating green also has brain health benefits. Bad fats such as trans fats, along with other sugar-loaded, processed foods can debilitate your brain’s function. As they say, you are what you eat.
  • Medical Health– Diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression and anxiety, head trauma, higher cholesterol, and smoking all increase the risk of dementia. Remember to check-in with your doctor and take medications as prescribed! It is important to not ignore emotional and mental health, since the risk of mental illness increases if ignored.
  • Sleep and Relaxation– A good night’s sleep energizes you, improves your mood/immune system, and may reduce buildup of beta-amyloid plaque, an abnormal protein. Practices like meditation can help improve your brain health and sleep habits. See our Sleep Awareness blog post for more information on how sleep can affect you.
  • Mental Fitness– Mental exercise is just as critical as physical exercise. Doing brain exercises can improve your brain’s function and promote new brain cell growth, which is great against developing dementia. With games like Sudoku, My Brain Trainer, and Brain Age 2, brain exercises are easy to practice whenever available. Doing organic exercises are also a great tool, including doing math in your head, keeping a journal, and learning a musical instrument. The more your brain is put to the test, the more active it is!(6)
  • Social Interaction– Having an active social life can protect you against memory loss. Studies have shown that people who communicate with others are memory boosters – they have the slowest rate of memory decline. It is also able to lower blood pressure and can improve life expectancy.

Author

Brain Health Awareness: Take Care of Your Brain! (rapidwristbands.com)

Healthy Living, Legacy Living, local outings, Top Lists, Uncategorized

What Does Eggs Have to Easter?

Why do we have Easter eggs?

Although eggs were a symbol of fertility and rebirth in pagan cultures, Easter eggs were used by early Christians to symbolize parts of the Easter story. Easter eggs represent the empty tomb from which Jesus resurrected.

In early Orthodox churches, Easter eggs were blessed by the priests and distributed to the congregants at the end of Paschal vigil, which is the Saturday before Easter known as Holy Saturday. In some denominations today, Paschal vigil is still observed where a service is held on Saturday morning or night. The service is similar to a Christmas Eve service. During the Paschal vigil, Scripture is read, candles are lit, and baptisms take place.

During the service, Easter eggs are handed out to symbolize Jesus’ resurrection: The hard shell represents the sealed tomb and the cracking of the egg represents Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

While it might seem like a strange tradition to hand out Easter eggs in a church service, early Christians abstained from eating eggs and meat during Lent, a period of 40 days where Christians fast, repent, and pray to prepare for Easter. Therefore, Easter was the first time Christians could eat eggs.

As a symbol of Jesus’ tomb and resurrection, Christians developed different traditions surrounding Easter eggs.

Why do we dye Easter eggs?

The early Christians of Mesopotamia began the custom of dyeing Easter eggs. Originally, Christians dyed eggs red to represent the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. Over time, this tradition spread throughout eastern Orthodox churches and eventually made its way to Catholic and Protestant churches in Europe.

 

According to Good Housekeeping, early Christian missionaries dyed the eggs different colors to represent different aspects of the Easter story. They used yellow to represent the resurrection, blue to represent love, and red to represent the blood of Christ. Sometimes, the missionaries would paint biblical scenes on the eggs and hide them. This is one of the earliest forms of the Easter egg hunt.

Why do we hunt for Easter eggs?

Early Christian missionaries hid Easter eggs painted with biblical scenes for children to find. The children would find the Easter eggs and tell the story associated with the paintings. Therefore, early Easter egg hunts helped children learn about the significance of Easter.

One of the earliest Easter egg hunts that most resembles the modern Easter egg hunt can be traced to Martin Luther. Martin Luther was a key leader in the Protestant Reformation. During this time, men would hide eggs for women and children to find. The joy the women and children experienced as they found eggs mirrored the joy the women felt when they found Jesus’ tomb empty and realized He had risen.

Just like early Easter egg hunts, we hide eggs for children to find. For our modern Easter egg hunts, we hide special goodies inside each egg. Therefore, when children open the Easter eggs to find their surprise inside, they experience happiness and joy—the same happiness and joy Jesus’ followers experienced when they heard the Good News of His resurrection.

What are other Easter egg traditions?

Every year, the White House hosts their annual Easter Egg Roll. Egg rolling is a symbolic reenactment of the stone rolling away from Christ’s tomb. At the White House, children are invited to roll their eggs across the lawn. At the end of the event, the children receive a commemorative wooden egg.

 

Having its roots in the Greek Orthodox tradition, children across Europe and eastern countries play egg tapping. In its early days, red eggs were cracked together when people exchanged Easter greetings. Eventually, it evolved into a competitive game for children. The children are given hard-boiled eggs, and they hit each other’s eggs against one another. The winner is the child that has an intact egg at the end.

The history behind the Easter egg traditions are embedded in the roots of early Christianity. Understanding the different symbols of Easter eggs may give us something new to teach the children in our lives.

Article from Easter Eggs: What Is the History Behind This Tradition? | Chase Oaks