Articles Posted in Health and Wellness

“Ever since she fell it’s been downhill from there…”

We’ve heard this so many times!

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), of people 65 and over, more than one out of four of them fall. This equates to about 3 million people treated in emergency rooms and over 800,000 patients hospitalized annually due to complications from a fall.

While the majority of falls do not cause significant physical problems, approximately 20% of falls do cause serious injuries such as broken bones, head trauma, or simply increase both the fear and the likelihood of future falls.

Common Causes of Falls

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By: Beth Dance

As a working mom and active human being, I treasure blissful relaxation. Some nights it’s seemingly simple and I fall asleep within seconds of my head hitting the pillow. However, there are certainly nights where I lay awake excruciatingly long, drumming up to-do lists with my brain negating rest.

Recently, in an anxious and desperate moment, I think I actually googled the words “how to fall asleep faster” and what I found was an instant game changer.

There are few experiences more transformational than travel. Visiting new places, whether near or far, has a way of opening our hearts and minds.

And when we travel with people we love, there is the added benefit of being able to share those memorable experiences. From a simple weekend road trip to a month-long journey exploring another country, travel can change your life and your relationships for the better.

Two of the things people missed most during the first two years of Covid were spending time with family and travel. Knowing this, it’s not that surprising that as Covid-related travel restrictions lifted more and more people started booking trips that included extended family. Multigenerational travel was a growing trend prior to Covid, and it has become even more popular now that—hopefully—the worst of the pandemic is over.

There’s a reason why cats and dogs seem to rule the internet.

Most of us get a little jolt of dopamine when viewing pictures and videos of these furry creatures being charming, silly, and deeply endearing. There’s no denying the age-old connection between our hearts and these lovable animals. 

It also turns out that spending time with animals—especially companion animals, but other kinds as well—can help people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia lead happier, healthier lives. 

Music is, quite literally, the soundtrack of our lives.

Music is a vehicle for memories, emotions, and healing. It can lift our spirits, calm our souls, help us fall in love, and bring us to tears. Our favorite songs become part of our emotional DNA. Even long after decades have passed by, we can still sing along perfectly because each and every word and nuance of melody is imprinted on our hearts. 

Music also has deep connections with memory. Just consider how hearing the first few bars of a certain song can take you back through time to your first kiss, a high school dance, your best friend’s wedding, a family road trip, or an ordinary afternoon with your toddler. In a way, creating playlists of our favorite music from different phases in our lives is like creating an auditory scrapbook.