Don't Assume Your Loved One is in Good Hands

I apologize that so much time has gone by since my last post. My Mom, who is 79 years of age, just had a shoulder replacement. She fell on uneven pavement while in Virginia during Christmas holiday. When she was taken to the emergency room at Mary Washington Hospital, she had an x-ray and was told that she would not need any surgery. It would heal.

When she got back to Castle Rock where she lives, we took her to the doctor who did her hip replacement two years ago. We really like him and trust his opinion. He was out with his own surgery and healing whatever he had done on himself. So, the shoulder specialist in his office saw my Mom and said she needed surgery on that arm right away. He said her shoulder was broken in four places. Of course, he did many more x-rays than just one so that he could see the whole picture.

We felt like we wanted to get a 2nd opinion so a dear friend of the family recommended an orthopedic surgeon her son had used when he had a terrrible biking accident. We made an appointment and found out she did need surgery as soon as it was possible. Dr David Schneider did the surgery and we were very pleased with him.

Our family friend and I were in the hospital with her since she had the surgery and only left to go home to sleep. I had to leave once to take care of an emergency with my granddaughter being sick at school.

As you know, there are those who are great at their jobs in every profession. If someone were not there with my Mom, we really aren't sure how it would have turned out. She was in pain and had asked for pain meds every four hours as the doctor had told her to. The nurses also said it is easier to stay on top of the pain than to catch up.

Well, there were times when we had to chase down a nurse (her nurse) to remind her of how much time had elapsed since the request of the medication. We also had to remind the nurse to come back with ice as Mom was told to use the ice as much as possible over the incision.This seemed to be standard procedure for this particular nurse, everytime she was on duty.

This hospital is supposed to have the best standards in the US for an orthopedic ward. Can you imagine one that is average?

I just want to tell you not to assume that your loved ones will be taken care of if they are in the hospital. Overall, the treatment was good but as much as we want to believe they are all great at their jobs and love what they are doing, it isn't always the case.

We have found that because my Mom is so healthy as a 79-year old lady and not on a bunch of prescription meds, that she is not the "normal" person her age. They all want to make her into their profile of someone who just listens and does everything the doctor says, whether it is good for her or not.

This has been a trying time for me but I am thankful I was able to drop everything to be with her and see to her recovery. Our parents deserve the best we can do.

Exercise For Your Brain by Susan Tolles

One inarguable fact of aging—the older we get, the fuzzier our brains get. Whether it’s from hormonal imbalances, years of multi-tasking, or just plain being tired, our memory fades and we find it harder to concentrate on the smallest tasks.

We enter a room and wonder “why did I come in here?” We forget to put on our mascara before going out, and we can’t remember the names of people we’ve known for years.

To keep our brains healthy, we are encouraged to “exercise” them regularly. Things like learning a new language, doing crossword puzzles or playing scrabble, painting, or even reading will strengthen our brain muscle fibers and keep those neurotransmitters healthy.

An interesting exercise to stimulate your senses and give your brain a good workout is called “non-dominant handwriting,” and it is a great way to really stretch your mind and challenge it to be creative in new ways. You might even be surprised at how your subconscious mind directs your answers and gives you new insight into your “inner self.”

To read more about how to keep your brain working as you age, CLICK HERE



How Meditation Can Help You

I know you have heard for many years how meditation can help everyone in so many ways. It seems like an easy thing to do until you try to sit quietly and just let your thoughts come in and go out. For some of us, it is not easy to quiet those thoughts. Fortunately, there is more than one way to meditate, so use whatever works for you.

Read this article to see what anti-aging benefits you can achieve by doing meditation.

(NaturalNews) According to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, 90% of all adult illness is due to the degenerative processes of aging. Anti-aging medicine, aiming for longevity and optimal health, is most certainly the 'specialty' of the future and is based on the early detection, prevention and reversal of age-related disease. While science continues to search for answers, research has already revealed that meditation is a potent anti-aging practice that can take years off your physiological age.

STRESS = AGING

Aging is most certainly a complex issue with many factors coming into play, but one thing that researchers do agree on is that stress (mental, emotional, and physical) causes us to age.

Eva Selhub, MD, Medical Director of the Mind/Body Medical Institute says, "If we can affect the stress response, we can affect the aging process." She says "There`s a reason why experienced meditators live so long and look so young." (The Anti-Aging Effects of Meditation; http://www.more.com/2025/2674-the-a...)

Read the rest of the story by Angela who has www.thesoulroom.com 

Pushing Mammograms on Women With Alzheimer's Disease

Here's a story about the mammography industry that sounds almost too crazy -- and too greedy -- to be true. But the facts are documented in a new study by University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) researchers. It turns out that unneeded, expensive mammograms are being pushed on elderly women who are incapacitated from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, especially if the women have savings or assets of $100,000 or more.

The study, which was just published in the January edition of American Journal of Public Health, used 2002 data from the Health and Retirement Study, an ongoing national prospective study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging that is investigating the relationship between health, income, and wealth over time. The researchers were able to document screening mammography rates by compiling information from Medicare claims.

READ THE WHOLE STORY from Natural News

Try This Eye Exercise

Indoor living is bad for your eyes because it doesn't give your eyes practice focusing on long-range objects. To keep your vision sharp, you need to practice looking at the horizon, then looking back at something close. The problem is that in most cities these days, the horizon can't even be found! Many people who are diagnosed with "bad vision" simply need more eye exercise.

Living in Colorado makes it easy to do this eye exercise. We are so fortunate to be able to see the horizon anyway we turn.

 ~  Natural News