While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the origin of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s tough to confirm conclusively the source of the day. It is much more likely that it had many individual beginnings; each of those towns and every scheduled or spontaneous meeting of people to honor the war dead in the 1860′s identified the common human need to honor our dead, each added honestly to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his formal proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is essential is that Memorial Day was established.

Memorial Day is not about dividing. It is about getting back together; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans these days have forgotten the significance and customs of Memorial Day. 

Since the late 50′s on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. 

In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye’s Heights (the Luminaria Program). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps.”

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

May is Older Americans Month, a wonderful chance to show our appreciation for the older adults in our local communities.

Since 1963, towns across the nation have come together to honor Older Americans Month—a very proud practice that exhibits our nation’s devotion to recognizing the efforts and successes of mature Americans.

The topic for Older Americans Month 2012, “Never Too Old to Play…”
inspires older Americans to continue to be involved, active and involved in their own lives and in their communities.

Here are some creative ideas for Older American’s Month

Brain Activities

Older adults may experience multiple changes in the structure and activity of the brain that can affect how we move and think. But developing studies show that specific actions can teach and spark the brain, bettering its efficiency and potentially even decreasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. While we do not know which specific daily activities may be of benefit, the ones mentioned below are fun ways to engage your brain.

Consider offering some of these events for Older Americans Month:

- Trivia competition. You’re never too old to play trivia! It’s a great way to bring together older adults and their younger friends and neighbors for a couple of hours of fun and discovery. As a featured activity for Older Americans Month 2012, AoA has developed a team trivia game for your Day of Play. Players will exercise their minds in a 90-minute competition, where intergenerational groups of four to six people gather to answer trivia questions about culture, major events, and sports.

-Crossword puzzles. Crossword puzzles are excellent mental exercises. In the spirit of Older Americans Month, AoA has developed a series of crossword puzzles that you can print and distribute to Day of Play participants.

-Traditional games. Games like Scrabble, bridge, and pokeno are timeless classics and have the potential to be fun intergenerational games. Hold a game night and invite participants to form teams to play these traditional games. Provide a venue, a few decks of cards, a handful of board games, and let the good times roll!

-Continuing education/speaker series. Talk to the older adults you work with and find out what topics interest them. A speaker series as part of your Day of Play might include local professors, authors or others expert in their fields giving presentations on the topics of greatest interest.
To learn more about brain health, please visit:

National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging Memory/Cognitive Health

Alzheimer’s Association: Brain Health

Take care of the seniors in your life and celebrate National Older American’s Month.

To honor the dedication, commitment, and tireless commitment of the nearly 3.1 million registered nurses nationally to increase and care for the health and wellbeing of the US, the American Nurses Association is elated to acknowledge registered nurses in all places on this selected day for the caregiving and top quality work they provide seven days a week, 365 days a year.

In tribute to Nursing: Advocating, Leading, Caring, all registered nurses in America are encouraged to proudly wear the official ANA “RN” pin or any other pin that plainly recognizes them as registered nurses, and/or their nurses uniform on May 6, 2012.

Nurses: Advocating, Leading, Caring 

Often identified as an art and a science, nursing is a job that embraces committed individuals with distinct pursuits, skills and loves because of the many choices the profession has. Nurses are caregivers, work in emergency rooms, school based clinics, and homeless shelters, among others. They have many assignments – from staff nurse to educator to nurse practitioner and nurse researcher – and perform all of them with excitement for the industry and with a strong commitment to patient safety.

National Nurses Week History    

National Nurses Week starts off yearly on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. 

These solid dates improve planning and positions National Nurses Week as an organized recognition event. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be recognized each year. And as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year.

The nursing business has been backed and publicized by the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896. 

Each of ANA’s state and territorial nurses associations promotes the nursing profession at the state and regional levels. Each conducts celebrations on these dates to recognize the contributions that nurses and nursing make to the community.

If you know a registered nurse, be sure to thank him or her for their service during National Nurses Week 2012.

Plant a Row for the Hungry at a Local Community Garden

In this land of plenty it’s very difficult to envision being without access to high quality food at a sensible charge. Nevertheless, for scores of Americans, obtaining a healthy meal is not always very easy. It’s projected almost 33 million people, including 13 million children, resort to  emergency food because they cannot buy the food they need.

Hold a Plant Swap at a Neighborhood Church

The ideal plants aren’t always from your nearby garden center or seed catalog. As a replacement they are obtained through quick cuttings or by obtaining seeds from the garden of a friend or family member. These “pass-along plants” deliver both beauty and sentiment to your garden.

Have a Spring Cleaning Green Up Day at a Senior’s Home

Spring cleaning — indoors and out — is a ritual that marks late winter and  the start of a brand-new season, and like many activities, it’s more fun when you share it. A senior’s home, your street, neighborhood, town park, and any other public space could use some greening up; it just takes someone to organize a small group.

Yard Sale Philanthropy

The arrival of spring, combined with a bit longer days and higher temperatures, invokes dreams of green oases teeming with tomatoes and brimming with beans. Spring is also a time for cleaning out. This year, celebrate National Garden Month in an unexpected way-by visiting yard sales in search of second-hand stuff that every senior’s garden needs.

Organize a Garden Visit with Senior Friends, Over Tea!

Gardeners grow more than plants – every one of us has stories to share. For a change, why not share them in over tea? Socialization and admiration of another person’s garden brings joy to everyone.

Other tips for having fun with seniors in your community:

-Organize or play a role in a town beautification day.

-Visit your area farmers’ market.

-Compliment a neighbor on his or her garden.

-Get together with neighbors to purchase compost and mulch in bulk quantities.

-Volunteer to plant and keep up a garden at your area library.

-Present a gardening article or essay to your area newspaper.

-Interview an elder to learn what foods his or her family grew when he or she was a child.

-Search for neighbors from differentethnic groups to study about their native cuisine and gardening techniques.

-Green up your street or a local park by picking up trash.

-Share a cutting of one of your favorite landscape or houseplants with a senior neighbor.

-Look at your gardening gear (e.g., pots, seeds, stakes) and offer the excess to a community gardening program, assisted living facility or school garden.

-Celebrate other important “green” holidays: Earth Day (April 22) and National Arbor Day (April 26).

-Volunteer at your local school’s garden.

-Volunteer at a local senior center’s garden.

-Start a neighborhood garden club.

-Share your garden’s bounty with a senior neighbor.

-Have fun doing a gardening project with a senior.

-Deliver houseplants or flowers to a nursing home, assisted living or children’s hospital.

-Donate past issues of gardening magazines to your library, or buy the library a gift subscription.

The four principal symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease are tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or deteriorated balance and coordination.

As these problems end up being more noticeable, patients may have challenges walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks.

Parkinson’s disease usually impairs individuals over the age of 50.  Beginning signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are faint and occur little by little.  In some people the disease progresses faster than in others.  

As the disease moves forward, the shaking, or tremor, which affects the majority of PD patients, may begin to obstruct with daily activities.  Other indications may include depression and other emotional changes; difficulty in swallowing, chewing, and speaking; urinary problems or constipation; skin problems; and sleep disruptions.  

There are currently no blood or laboratory tests that have been proved to support in diagnosing sporadic Parkinson’s disease.  As a result the diagnosis is based on medical history and a neurological examination.  

The disease can be difficult to diagnose properly.   Medical doctors may in some cases ask for brain scans or laboratory tests in order to rule out other diseases.

Is there any treatment method?
At present, there is no cure for PD, but a wide variety of medications provide significant alleviation from the signs or symptoms.  

Private Duty Home Care and Treatment
At the beginning, Parkinson’s disease may not greatly disrupt your life. But for most individuals, the disease will become more disabling after a while. Private Duty Home Care can help patients as they adapt, and as the disease progresses. This of course, helps them to continue to be independent for as long as possible. The quality of their life may rely in part on their capacity to continue working, take care of a home, care for their family, and remain independent. They may need to have adaptive devices such as canes or walkers as the disease goes on.

Elements of Home Care that are crucial for someone with PD include things like:

•           Changing their routines and their residence, for example improving their daily activities and shifting the placement of furniture so that they can hang on to something as they navigate around the household.

•           Consuming healthy foods, including plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, cereals, legumes, poultry, fish, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products.

•           Exercising and doing physical therapy, which has benefits in both early and advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease.

•           Dealing with tremor, which may include putting a little weight on the hand to help reduce tremor and restore control.

•           Improving speech quality by working with a speech therapist (also called a speech-language pathologist).

•           Reducing problems with eating and drooling by changing how and what they eat.

•           Dealing with “freezing” by various means, such as stepping towards a specific target on the ground.

•           Handling depression. If they are feeling sad or depressed, ask a friend or family member for help. If these feelings don’t go away, or if they get worse, talk to their doctor. He or she may be able to suggest someone for you to talk to or give them medicine that will help.

•           Managing dementia. Dementia is common late in Parkinson’s disease. Symptoms may include confusion and memory loss. If a family member notices that they are confused a lot or have trouble thinking clearly, talk to their doctor. There are medicines that can help dementia in people with Parkinson’s disease.

If a senior in your life is receiving home care services, you might also consider asking their physician about Occupational Therapy services that are often covered by Medicare.

Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants focus on “doing” whatever occupations or activities are important to the particular person. It is occupational therapy’s goal to get over troubles to the methods that promise living life to its fullest. These treatments may be adaptations for how to do a task, changes to the surroundings, or supporting folks to alter their own behaviors.

When making use of an occupational therapy practitioner, systems and changes are customized for each person to resolve problems, improve function, and aid everyday living actions. The mission is to maximize potential. Through these therapeutic methods, occupational therapy helps individuals pattern their lives, produce needed skills, adjust their environments (e,g., home, school, or work) and build health-promoting habits and routines that will let them to progress.

By having the full picture into account—a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social makeup as well as their environment—occupational therapy assists clients to do the following:

•       Meet goals
•       Function at the highest possible level
•       Center on what matters most to them
•       Preserve or rebuild their self-confidence
•       Participate in daily interests that they need or want to do.

Founded in 1917, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) represents the interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants and students nationwide. The Association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards including accreditations and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., AOTA’s major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, go to www.aota.org.

Seasonal allergies, also known as allergic rhinitis, cause cold-like characteristics and symptoms including itchy nose, roof of the mouth, throat, eyes and ears, along with watery eyes, runny nose, congestion and sneezing. But unlike a cold, allergies aren’t precipitated by a virus; they are triggered by an allergic reaction to outdoor or indoor allergens, such as mold, trees, pollen and pet dander.

Allergies, which affect an estimated 60 million people in the United States both young and old, can really have its effects on your daily schedule, and they are a problem both in daily life and professionally. Whether you’re bothered all year or during a specific season, knowing how to manage allergy symptoms can be crucial to fixing your ease and comfort and well being.

This disorder can also be pricey to manage. From 2000 to 2005, the fee for treating allergic rhinitis nearly doubled from $6.1 billion to $11.2 billion, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The majority of that was expended on prescription and over-the-counter medications. Experts propose patients select store-brand, over-the-counter medicines as a useful means of coping with both the allergy problem and its connected costs.

“There are a number of very effective over-the-counter treatments to address the symptoms of seasonal allergies,” says Dr. William Berger, professor of allergy and immunology at the University of California, Irvine. “In fact, to help patients save money, I would recommend many of the store-brand, non-sedating antihistamines sold at leading retailers and pharmacies, such as Cetirizine or Loratadine. These products are approved by the FDA, but cost significantly less than the brand names.”

According to Berger, several allergy sufferers should find far better relief of their symptoms by trying one of these newer, more efficient treatments now accessible in the aisle, like Fexofenadine, which just switched from prescription to over-the-counter in 2011.

“Effective management with medicines, ideally before the allergy symptoms start, is key,” he says.

When an aging loved one requires elder care, know of the interactions between over-the-counter medications and the elderly person’s prescription drugs.

You may think that over-the-counter (OTC) medications are always harmless. But if you are senior and also taking prescription medications, this kind of thought can get you into some difficulty.

“The average number of prescription medications taken by people over 65 is five or six,” says Michael H. Perskin, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and an internist at the New York University Langone Medical Center. “As you get older, it increases and so does the potential for drug interactions.”

So how can you find useful and protected remedy from arthritis and other pain, and cold or allergy symptoms? “When in doubt, ask your pharmacist,” Perskin says. “If you have taken the medication before, it’s probably OK. But if it’s new or your other medication regimen has changed, check it out.”

You can find more information and facts about the signs or symptoms and treatments for allergic rhinitis at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (www.aaaai.org), or the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (www.acaai.org).

A few states are now requiring driving tests for elderly or for individuals who have been in three or more crashes in one year, mandatory. This is because senior drivers are more inclined to either being injured or killed. Statistics show, the elderly are more frequently in hazardous or fatal wrecks than any other ages. The only sensible way to safely and effectively ensure that the unsafe drivers are off the roads is for them to be obligated to take a test to see who should and who shouldn’t be driving. A few see this as discrimination, while others see it as a reassurance and a way to know for sure that their loved one will be safe while on the road. Most of the people, especially those with senior family members, are already aware of the probable risks.

A fantastic substitute for keeping your aging parent or loved one safe is to use a Home care agency that provides transportation. Home care agencies not only supply transportation but moreover they offer the chance for folks to keep their independence. This also avoids seclusion and aids them to continue to get around to their own doctor appointments as well as run their own errands.

You will find quite a few different ways to find out how to get help in your community. Speak with your local Area Agency on Aging. If they do not offer transportation, they can help you learn more about your options in order to find  a Home care agency who does. There are also door-to-door services in most areas and driver volunteers. The door-to-door service do require you to call and give them notice on what your plans are but this may offer the most range of flexibility.

However, if you are more interested in paying a fee for each designated stop you should ask about a fixed route. The fees charged are discounted at senior citizen rates and in some cases are actually free. The option available with driver volunteers usually is a great option for people who need to be taken to a specific place at certain times such as doctor appointments or senior centers. For more information you can call the National Transit Hotline Toll Free at 1-800-527-8279, they can provide you with a list of local Home care agencies that can help you find the right alternative to fit your specific needs.

Caregivers appointed through an agency are pre-trained, screened and in case they call in sick, a back-up will be available to fill in. They are trained to be knowledgeable of potential risks and safety concerns with regard to medication, falls and aid in daily activities.

Recognizing would-be hazards is important and must be at the top of the list when it pertains to senior care. A caregiver will be able to check up on the care receiver daily to make sure everything is in order and if there are any medications that need to be taken, it’s done so in a timely manner. They will also be able to ensure that there aren’t any fallen objects or tripping dangers lying around your home that could cause a safety challenge. CPR and first aid is also a requirement for someone in this field and will be an asset in case an emergency happens.

Performing daily chores can become a difficult task for some seniors. Tasks like changing light bulbs, getting the mail in icy weather, grocery shopping, cleaning, and meal preparation can all be tricky. Employing the perfect caregiver will give the care receiver and the family peace of mind that they can still live in their own household, yet have guidance in attaining these activities that they can no longer do by themselves.

A caregiver will also be able to support in personal care needs. These may include toilet help, bathing, dressing and aiding in their mobility. Aides can also provide companionship to seniors living independently. It’s easy to be doing simple duties and have an accident. By having a professional offer on-going daily care, the care receiver will feel comfortable and feel less tension knowing that someone is caring for their best interests and making them their top priority.

Aides are trained and know precisely what to look for and take care of to be certain your loved ones are safe, secure and provided with only the best care.

True, your helper will not be present 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but that is okay. It is possible to obtain your scheduled medication reminders through an automated system, which is a phone call that will be made at predefined times. This means that you do not have to agonize about being hounded with calls throughout the day, and you do not have to worry about carrying on a conversation when the calls are made, considering that the calls will not be made by a live representative. Instead, the computerized voice can either tell you your medications or ask you if you are feeling well. If the answer is yes, you will be instructed to push number one; if the answer is no, you will be instructed to push number two.

In addition to getting medication reminders and phone calls on how you are feeling; you are going to receive the amount of care that is needed to keep you healthy and alert. Therefore, you can rest comfortably at night, knowing that your medications are taken and that you are being well taken care of.