What are probiotics?

Are they healthy for you?

What are the benefits of consuming probiotics?

By the end of this post, you will have an answer to each of these questions.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are live bacteria and other micro-organisms that are healthy for you.

Typically, when you hear people talk about probiotics, they are talking about the kind that are healthy for your digestive system.

Are probiotics healthy for you?

In order to answer this question, we will have to lay some foundations.

Different parts of your body contain resident bacteria and micro-organisms that live in symbiosis with you.

This means, these bacteria and the human body are actually co-dependent.

In the digestive system for instance, bacteria produce chemicals that help your body to ward off bacteria that cause disease.

There is research that shows that, good bacteria contribute to slowing down inflammation in the intestines.

When these bacteria are removed due to an excessive intake of antibiotics for instance, it leads to all kinds of imbalances including infection with the notorious bacteria Clostridium difficile (usually shortened as C. dif).

In fact, one study showed that, in patients who had recurring C. dif infections, replacing their good bacteria was effective in preventing another infection by over 90%!

So, good bacteria contribute many useful benefits to our bodies.

And just like you would take a vitamin as a supplement in addition to getting nutrients from your food, you can supplement your “good” bacteria and yield benefits.

What are the benefits of consuming probiotics?

As I mentioned above, probiotics contribute to the health of your digestive system in a plethora of ways.

Keeps your digestive organs in check so there is no infection
Reduces inflammation by producing chemicals that reduce the factors that trigger inflammation
There are studies that now link the quality of probiotics in your system to mental health. So this is an area where your health could be improved as well.
Brain health may be affected by probiotics too.
There is research that suggests that probiotics are useful when it comes to weight loss and maintaining it.
Certain probiotics may reduce allergies and eczema.
Probiotics boost your immune system. Since it is well-documented that elders tend to have immune system issues, probiotics are useful in reversing some of these effects.

And all these benefits have been backed by on-going research.

So there is really no end to how much you can benefit from probiotics.

What does this mean for you?

In general, probiotics are healthy for you.

As with anything however, always check with your doctor before you start taking probiotics.

This is especially important if you have any underlying health problems.

Most of the time, increasing your probiotic intake may just include eating a container of yogurt per day.

If you have persistent diarrhea due to a recurring infection, your healthcare provider may suggest that you take probiotic supplements that contain higher levels of these good bacteria.

Whatever the case is, it is always important to double-check if probiotics are right for you.

Do you take probiotics?

Have you found them helpful?

If you found this post useful, share it with someone else who is looking for the benefits of taking probiotics.

Need Home Care?

If you live in the Greater San Diego area or in Orange County, GreenTree Home Care is more than happy to help you find the professional caregivers you need for your loved one.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease.

And so it is marked clearly by different characteristic stages.

And as a matter of fact, while there is still no promising cure for the disease, early diagnosis helps the affected to live a more productive life than a later diagnosis.

In this post, I will be sharing 3 tips on caring for your loved one with early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease.

Caring for your loved one with early-stage Alzheimer’s

Most people during the early stages of Alzheimer’s can still do a lot.

They will most likely still be able to work, be involved in social activities and perform activities they have always performed.

However, you might notice that they tend to forget where they have placed items or names of people they shouldn’t be forgetting.

Damage to brain cells will cause a person to forget how to perform certain tasks which might leave them frustrated and angry.

Though these symptoms are subtle, they usually suggest that something is going on.

At this point, it is best to talk to your loved one about going to see a doctor for a check-up.

Tips for broaching the subject

Tell them that you are concerned and that you would love them to see a doctor with you. Don’t force them. But do harp on the fact that it will be a helpful exercise.
Be patient with them. Losing your autonomy is difficult and people going through it will be frustrated. Empathize and let them know that you are there for them.

Once you have confirmed with a specialist that Alzheimer’s Disease is in play, here is what you can do.

8 tips for caring for your loved one after early-stage diagnosis

Help your loved one stay independent for as long as possible. For instance, it is likely they can still dress themselves up. Let them do it for as long as possible. This will give them a sense of well-being and control.

As much as possible, include them in every decision-making process. Make sure you involve your loved one in whatever decision you make. Even though they may seem confused by the details sometimes, including them in the conversation will provide them with a sense of control.

An early diagnosis means you and your loved one can still plan the future together. This is a good time to talk about wills, advance directives and finances.

Put safety measures in place around the home. Here are 21 actions you can take to keep your loved one safe at home.

Remember to be patient and supportive. Remind them of what day it is or which grandchild it is who is visiting. It is important to be supportive and patient during this period. Depression is common with Alzheimer’s. And so if your loved one feels they are being ignored or mistreated because their condition, it could exacerbate those feelings.

Dealing with a loved one who is particularly difficult? Read this post I wrote on navigating difficult relationships.

Take care of yourself as a caregiver. Taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease is not easy for anyone. You might go through the stages of grief. Talk to a counselor or mental health professional. If you have a large family network, this is a good time for the family to come together to support. Your needs are important too. Make sure you are caring for yourself so you can provide the best care for your loved one.

Hire professional help as needed. If you live in the Greater San Diego area or in Orange County, GreenTree Home Care is more than happy to help you find the professional caregivers you need for your loved one.

The AARP and the National Alliance on Caregiving reported that 43.5 million adults were caregivers in 2014.

Although they have not come out with another study with updated numbers, it is very likely this number has increased in 2019.

Out of the 43.5 million caregivers, 34 million were unpaid.

What does this imply?

It says that a majority of caregivers still have to work outside the home in addition to being a family caregiver.

Perhaps you ‘re reading this and you are one of those people who works a full-time job and is a caregiver.

Needless to say, your responsibilities are not a cake walk.

Interestingly, a large percentage of people in the study above stated that they were afraid of talking to their employers about their caregiver roles.

This is a truly sad bit because with that many people providing care for their loved ones, more employers should be supportive.

So how do you talk to your boss about care-giving? How do you get them to support you?

In today’s post, I will share three tips on how to broach the conversation with your employer.

Career and Care-giving: How to talk to your employer about it

Talk about what you’ve already done

Chances are that your employer does not know what you have done so far to help your loved one.

They may not know that you have to wake up at 4am to help your loved one in order to make it into work by 8am.

It is possible that they don’t know that you have an hour commute and the physical demands of care-giving and driving to work everyday is hurting your back.

Whatever your specific challenge is, it is best to lead the conversation with what you are already doing to juggle your role at work and your role as a family caregiver.

Find out if there are programs to support your care-giving role at your workplace

What resources does your workplace provide for people like you who are providing care for a loved one?

This is another great conversation to have with your boss.

Some workplaces may offer:

Adult day care services
Opportunities for respite so you can get a break from care-giving
Support groups
Counselors
Resources for workers’ loved ones to help with Alzheimer’s Disease

But you will not know if you don’t ask.

So ask.

Find out about remote opportunities

Another point you can raise with your employer is the topic of working remotely.

We live in a brand new world where working remotely is becoming more and more possible.

Working remotely just 2 days of the week may be more than enough to relieve of the stress of having to rush everyday.

Ask your boss if any such opportunities exist.

Your boss is more likely to give you the opportunity to work remotely if you have already proven to be a valuable worker.

So if you are already doing a good job within the company, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Other facts to consider

Roping your employers in about your role as a caregiver benefits everybody in the long run.

I am also going to be realistic and acknowledge that not all employers are understanding.

In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear that people have been discriminated against because they are caregivers.

Thus, in opening up about this, it is important that you assess your particular work situation to see if it will be helpful to talk to your employers about it.

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Spread the love by sharing it with someone who needs it.

Looking for professional caregivers in San Diego or Orange County? Call us today to talk to a GreenTree Home Care Representative.

Everyone says to exercise; except the act of exercising is not always fun.

So, how do you add exercise into your day so you are taking advantage of its’ benefits but are not bored by the sheer thought of exercising?

You add fun to it!

In today’s post, I will go over 7 fun ways to include more exercise into your daily routine.

7 fun ways to include exercise into your daily routine

Dance

You don’t have to be a professional dancer to benefit from the dancing.

It could start by turning on your favorite music from the past and just start swaying to it.

You might even be able to get your spouse, grand-kids and neighbors in on it.

Nobody is judging you for points here.

The key is to get moving no matter how imperfect that movement is.

Play like a child

As we all know, children can be aggressively active when they play. Watching them run in circles can be exhausting!

But perhaps kids are onto something that we are not?

If you regularly babysit your grandchildren or even your neighbors kids, this could be a great opportunity to get your daily exercise in.

They will have memories of you playing with them for a lifetime.

And you will be rewarded with the benefit of getting your daily quota of exercise.

Go shopping

Love shopping? Taking a walk around your local mall may very well be the fun you need to get your exercise.

Reward yourself for completing a workout

There is a saying that the greatest thing about being an adult is that you can eat dessert before your dinner.

Well, I say, that you can rewards yourself as much as you can for completing an exercise routine.

Ice cream is definitely allowed here. Unless of course, your doctor has said you shouldn’t be eating ice cream.

Take a friend

Doing things with a friend who can chat with you and urge you on as you exercise can be fun and may become the motivating reason you exercise.

Get your pets involved

They will love it as much as you do.

Try a new exercise

It is never too late for anyone to try something new.

What would happen if you opened up yourself to:

Rock climbing
Kayaking
Crossfit?

There may seem like extreme sports but you might surprise yourself if you tried!

There are always more fun ways to add exercise to your life. Did any one of these spark any ideas for you? If it did, make sure to share it with someone else who might be looking for ways to add more fun to their life and exercise routine.

Supplements which contain essential vitamins and minerals are good for you at any age.

However, as we age, our bodies go through several changes.

Those changes sometimes require that we take supplements that will help our bodies to operate well.

In today’s post, I will talk about 7 key supplements you need to be taking regardless of your age.

7 Supplements that are great for older adults

Calcium

Calcium is well-known to contribute to bone health.

It is also required for healthy blood vessels, for proper muscle function and the release of certain hormones in the body.

One of the common problems older people face is the loss of bone and muscle mass. Even those this process is not entirely reversible, it is possible for you to continue to maintain healthy bones and muscles with the proper intake of calcium supplements.

Milk, yogurt and cheese are great sources of calcium.

Nondairy sources of calcium include kale, broccoli and bok choy (Chinese cabbage).

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium. Thus people with a Vitamin D deficiency also usually show a deficiency in calcium.

Vitamin D is not naturally plentiful in a lot of foods.

You can get Vitamin D from exposure to sunshine and from tablets that are formulated to contain it.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is important for blood clotting and for bone health.

People who lack proper blood clotting factors easily bleed and in the case of a bad accident, could bleed to death.

Thus, Vitamin K is good for anyone at any age.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C promotes healthy skin and is required for healing.

In a lot of research studies, scientists have shown that burn victims who are given Vitamin C heal from their wounds better than burn patients who did not receive Vitamin C.

Older people tend to experience more dry skin and related skin problems.

Vitamin C may help you reverse or at the very least slow down some of these skin issues.

Citrus fruits, broccoli, kale and cabbages are all very rich in Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a truly amazing vitamin. It affects the eyes, bones and skin.

You get the point, right?

Foods that are rich in Vitamin A include dairy products, fish and meat (especially liver.)

Iron

Iron is naturally present in many foods.

It is an essential component of hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin is a component of red blood cells that helps to transport oxygen to various parts of the body.

And so, a person who has an iron deficiency will suffer from anemia. One of the symptoms of anemia is dizziness. This happens because not enough oxygen is being supplied to the brain.

For an older person, iron is especially important in helping to improve this flow of oxygen to the essential organs.

Dietary Fiber

While fiber is not necessarily a supplement, I am adding it here because a lack of it can prove highly uncomfortable for many people.

Fiber helps your intestines to easy get rid of undigested food through feces.

Without it, the digestive system has a hard time getting rid of the waste.

And anyone who has gone through a bout of constipation knows how uncomfortable it is.

Taking fiber as a supplement is helpful in helping to prevent those scenarios.

If you found this post helpful, share it with someone else who will.

I know.

Getting more sleep when you are a caregiver is hard.

There is no doubt about it.

However, taking care of yourself as a caregiver is crucial if you are going to provide the very best care to your loved ones.

Care-giving is stressful.

A good night’s sleep helps to reduce that stress.

In today’s post, I will give you some pointers on how you can get some more sleep so you can be in tip-top shape to take care of your loved ones.

How to get more sleep when you are a caregiver.

1-Sleep early

This is always a hard one when you are a caregiver but with a little bit of planning, it can be done.

Going to bed early requires intention.

This means, you might have to cut out Netflix shows during the week. The good news is that you could catch up on these on the weekend.

Going to bed early will require that dinner is also ready earlier on in the evening.

You can prepare for this by prepping your dinner-time meals the day before.

Dinner prep the day before could be as simple as taking out the chicken from the freezer and thawing it out in the fridge.

Putting plans in place this way make for a smoother evening and increases the likelihood that you will get to bed early.

2-Remove electronic devices from your bedroom

Electronic devices disrupt our sleep.

Yet 99% of respondents in a research study reported that they use an electronic device an hour before they go to bed.

Using electronic devices right before bed does two major things.

It delays your body’s internal clock-your circadian rhythm. Your internal clock gets “confused” because you are giving it information that there is still “light” when it is in fact night and you should be falling asleep.
As a result of the above point, melatonin, a hormone in your body which induces sleep is not produced and you have trouble falling asleep.

This is why putting your cell phones, tablets and television away at least an hour before you go to bed is helpful if you want to fall asleep.

If you are a big reader and tend to read your books on your electronic device, an alternative might be that you read a regular book under a soft reading lamp.

3-Develop a night-time routine

Developing a night-time routine before you go to bed is another way to prepare your body to get a good night’s sleep.

Here are a few ideas for creating a bed-time routine.

Turn off all electronic devices.
Spend 10 to 15 minutes laying out clothes for you and your loved ones for the following day.
Ask your loved one(s) if they need anything as you wind down for the night. Telling people you are winding down for the night sets the tone and expectation that the day is ending. This is helpful if you want to get more sleep.
Wash your face
Brush your teeth
Put on your pajamas
Turn off all lights except for night lights to help your loved ones stay safe if they wake up at night
Use soft lighting in your bedroom especially if you need to read

Creating a simple night time routine and performing that regularly, tells your brain that you are ready to go to sleep.

And this means you will rest better.

Did you find this post helpful?

Consider sharing it with someone else who is looking to improve their sleep patterns as a caregiver.

If you have lived life for longer than 10 seconds, then you know that there are events that change your life forever.

Some of those events are subtle-like passing from your teens into your twenties.

And others are dramatic, like having your first child.

Whatever the case is, and no matter the technology, the one thing we can be sure will never change, is change itself.

Life changes when you decide to become a caregiver for your parents.

These are the people who took care of you.

You love them.

You might have a complicated relationship with them.

How do you navigate these life changes? How do you deal with them?

Well, first of all, I celebrate you if you have taken that step to care for your parents.

It is not an easy task to take on.

But you are doing this thing and thriving at it.

Go you!

How to deal with life changes that come with taking care of your parents.

Monetary changes

Taking care of your parents will take money no matter how you slice it.

Hiring extra caregivers to help, to paying for medical supplies to simple day-to-day upkeep.

Things get expensive and quickly.

Thus, it is important to have this conversation with your parent so that the money side of things can be handled as smoothly as possible.

If they do have some money that can be used, make sure you are transparent with them about how the money is being used.

There are many horror stories of how children squander the money of their aging parents.

And at the risk of sounding preachy, I will say this: don’t let this be you.

One of the ways to prevent this from happening is to involve an unbiased party.

A fiduciary is an unbiased party who can help your parents manage their money.

Moving in with you

Moving in with your parents is another change that can introduce tension.

Here are some pointers for dealing with that.

Make sure other members of your household; your spouse and children; are properly informed of this change. Let them know what they can expect now that grandma/grandpa/in-law is moving in with you.
Educate yourself on any medical condition that may apply to your loved one. For instance, if they have dementia, it is important that you realize that they might go through extreme mod swings or that they will need helping orienting to your home during their first few weeks or even months there.
Make sure your home is safe for your parent.
You have changed. So has your mom or dad. Learning to accept any changes you see will ensure a safe transition.
Talk about your own emotions with a therapist if you need to.

Care-giving is hard. Ask for help when you need it.

Care-giving has always been hard.

Whether it is for a young child or your parent.

It is normal to get burned out and tired.

Don’t just “push through” at this point.

Seek help. Talk to a counselor. Get friends and family to help you with tasks they can pick up.

When you are able to take care of yourself as a caregiver, you become a more effective caregiver.

Click here to read this post for suggestions on how to take care of yourself when you’re a caregiver.

Was this post helpful? Consider sharing it with someone else who is gearing up to take care of their parents for the first time.

Does it seem like you are getting more scam phone calls than ever?

You’re not alone!

It turns out that all around the country, there has been an uptick in scam callers.

And like any scam, they always play on the vulnerabilities of innocent citizens.

In this post, I will share how you can recognize 3 of the commonest phone scams that play on their vulnerabilities of seniors.

3 types of phone scams that target seniors

No matter what they say, don’t give them pertinent information

There are scam callers who will typically start off by saying they from your electric, water company, your bank or even the IRS.

Usually, right after that introduction, they will follow up with the question “Can I have you verify your address for me?”

While this seems like a harmless question, it is a way to get you to reveal more information about yourself.

You see, these scammers are well-versed in psychological tricks and usually, if they can get you to give up one bit of information about yourself, it is likely you will continue to share that information with them.

They will try to intimidate you. Don’t fall for it.

Another tactic scammers use these days is to purport that they are calling from a governmental agency and that if you don’t give them the information you are looking for, you will be arrested.

No government agency in the United States will call you with this information.

They will send a piece of snail mail to your home address.

And it is usually after multiple attempts to reach you this way that an arrest will happen.

If they claim they are calling from your bank or mortgage company, hang up the phone, find a piece of mail that has your bank or mortgage company’s number and call them directly using that number to verify the situation.

So if someone calls saying they are from the IRS or US Department of Education, 99.9% of the time, they are lying.

Technology scammers may try to pull the wool over older adults’ eyes

Another popular scam is one where the scammer calls and says they are calling from Microsoft.

They follow that up by saying they are receiving “problematic” signals from your computer.

These types of scammers usually play on the fact that an older adult may not be tech savvy.

I have heard of situations where these scammers were able to get an older person to pay them for a “service to fix the problematic signals”.

Don’t fall for this one either.

You have worked way too hard to get scammed by people looking for cheap ways to make money.

Share this with someone else so they can avoid these types of scams.