August 14, 2009 - 8th deaths recorded for H1N1 latest updates, please read here
August 18,2009 - 10th death toll as the latest updates on H1N1 I noticed in everyday reading of every news here that mostly died are those patient diagnosed with cancer and other illness of elderly but they acquired or infected with this swine flu. Today's latest victims was reported from Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
High fever and sour throat bothered my caregiver friend in Tel Aviv that she used to call me if she need to bring her 8 year son to the hospital. Worries to all not just locals but also to all migrant worker like us because the news around the country was dominated by this swine flu.For the whole week that all news on tv telecast until Friday ,August 07, 2009 the ministry of health announced the fifth victim of said H1N1 in the country.
The latest news as of yesterday , Sunday another 15 people or nearly under 60 reported in serious conditions and struggling to survive on its complications of H1N1.
Lucky enough that after giving some medications at home my friend son's fever was out in the mid day.She gave more fruits to swallow so phlegm was carried away from the throat and a lot of liquid intake as forms of drinks.Rest is also the main factor and need to do if there is something or if we are not feeling well.
"TAKING PICTURES IN THE HOSPITAL EITHER INSIDE OR OUTSIDE ARE PROHIBITED " this is what the guard told from nowhere after I took pictures outside in one entrance of the Billingson hospital in Petatechva.I want to have pictures of any hospital anytime where we go with my employer.I will show it to my daughter studying medical courses and to inspire her to work abroad if she will finish in school.The guard insisted me to erase it on the spot but I explain to him that I will not make any trouble or what ever using these pictures. I'm just working here as caregiver then pointing my employer sitting on a wheelchair behind us talking.My employer said that I love taking pictures to send to my family in the Philippines.Guard didn't answered anymore then left us.A surprising moments while waiting my supervisor to pick us from the parking area and drive us home.
Nice compliments for me when we got inside the doctors room holding all the blood test results as proof of my good performance of taking care to my employer. Eldest son of my employer was his friend that is why it was the family consultant. My old woman respect all instruction giving to her what to do, she believed and follow on him. Final words from the doctor "everything was fine and in good health status at her age, then said thanks to you!" Feeling great but it was a tiring day folks that I need to sign out and get some rest.
Sweating is normal for people who are working or doing some sporty activities. Health studies indicates that normal sweating is a sign of good health. For elderly, summer sweating is bad for all corners of the body like armpit, under boobs, waistline , on the ass or butt , on their crotch (singit) and even in between toe fingers.If all these body corners remains wet by perspiration's of the whole day wearing "titulim"(elderly sanitary wears) it becomes rashes in the next day. First to check is the reddish skin, if that certain parts of skin will not clean immediately it will be itchy and elders have the habit of scratching most of the time.Usually it becomes worse after scratching then on the next few days it will become bedsores. How difficult to cure patients with bedsores? I'm having bad appetite after attending patients with bedsores. It takes me days of no meals or not eating, I just want everything to have are veggies and fruits. Do you know that sometimes bedsores causes death when it is already on bad situation especially to bed ridden patients? This is always happening when the bedsores are having some infections.
I had this experienced in Tel Aviv when I went vacation in the Philippines for 45 days . Before I left she was physically fit excluding to the point that she is already an Alzheimer patient.While I'm having good time on my vacation,the work I left was in reversed situation. The old woman was looking for me day and night , she don't want to eat if I will not come back.No one called me until I went back . To my surprise when I saw the face of the eldest son of my patient, he pick me up from the airport, a sign of loneliness. I thought it was gone and finished.He told me what happened the day I left and for how many times they go back and fort to the hospital for just 45 days that I'm out for vacation.So...from the airport heading directly to my work the first thing I felt and smell when I opened the door was like a rotten rat. Sorry but it was true.That is the smell of having bedsores with infections and surely no one escapes for that conditions. How many holes of bedsores from head up to heals and the whole left foot.The bones are already decomposed little by little and all around it. I did my best until three months that I gave up and ended calling her children to have decisions transferring their mother to a recovery institutions . But it was too late to be there and she passed away after one week of lying in there.
Since then I'm using the petroleum jelly . To avoid bedsores need an early treatment by applying an amount of Vaseline petroleum jelly (cream) on the first stages of rashes or reddish areas after washing and drying it well. Not prescribed by any skin specialists but we caregivers proved it already.Available in all leading stores worlwide.
Being caregiver working to an elderly I am interested reading news that is related to patients where I am working with. In tel Aviv I worked with Alzheimer's patients and also to dementia Alzheimer.As I've said in my previous posts that the general thoughts if you know or heard the word Alzheimer it is means a hard work to a strong kind of patients. In my experienced it is different kinds of patients which also have different kinds of attitudes that has only similarities during the night time.They are sleeping less hours even taking sleeping pills.One caregiver told me before that don't let them drink coffee or any liquid that has caffeine after lunch so that they will sleep well during the nights.Sometimes it works but most of the time not.
Now I found the news that the latest study based on an experiment to a mice is that..coffee may reverse "Alzheimer's" In another research coffee may cut the risk of having dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol . It's been reported also that coffee may protects female memory.A very interesting article to read especially to all woman .Please click the red highlighted topics for these complete reports. It is also important to know what are the benefits we get from coffee .
This is the herbal plant that I'm usually drinking even when I was at young age if I have stomach disorders like gas spasm or over eating,etc.Guides on how to use this herbal plant.
After that Saturday and Sunday food festival I had intake, here comes the problem on my stomach as the doctors diagnosis as flatulence and you know what is the next.I was just lucky that in my work place there is herbal medicines that I know how to use it. But here it is just an ordinary grasses for them. Some knew it but they prepared bottled or manufactured medicines as what we all know how does it tastes and how hard to prepare herbal medicines aside from their scents or odors.I'm avoiding taking manufacutred pills so I'm always looking for herbal medicines around.I always seen these in my country in all herbal store that are already dried and for sale. They have a lot around here, they put it sometimes in some fish menu in the dinning and my employer like that fish menu with these leaves.There is one chef on tv shows using these leaves to all his menu either meat or in veggies. I enjoyed these as my daily hot tea for the whole week until my stomach will be normal.
No cholasterol, it has tested in low saturated fat, rich in vitamins A,B6 and C as the latest nutritional analysis.For those on going diet this veggies is the best anti-oxidants with the beta-carrotine vitamins, it has also rich in vitamins E that soothes dry skin.To those suffering from high blood pressure this is good due the presence of potassium but low in sodium that helps or fights fluid retentions and stroke. Do you know that in 4oz/100g servings is equal to 17 calories present in tomatoes you consumed.Processed tomatoes like in cans or cooked are not desame nutritional values we get to the fresh.
Can I test your sense of smell here right now? How do you smell if you cooked with tomatoes? How about when you put it to blender to have juices or to cook?, or after all you make it cold ?.Please tell me now if do you like the smells or not? You see that in the image - I let it cold for few hours because I dont like the fresh and smells it. While dropping Ec's I'm drinking a glass of it. Summer heat is on in my location so I need another forms of liquid to drink .I'm not drinking juices in the bottles that bought in any stores.I'm drinking water more than the doctor's advice so I'm doing another source to forms as liquid or water.
My employer don't like tomatoe juice, I just chop it into small cubes after putting deep to a boiled water to take out the first layer of tomatoe skin. She is the one mixing an amount of salt she desired to put.Almost every dinner I'm serving this to her with other foods that she wish to eat. Fruits are also taken after meals and she is not drinking enough water as per doctor's advice. So in any forms of liquid I'm trying to convinced her to drink.
Looking for this plant growing and drying around in my location makes me wonders of so many useful health facts if this herbal plant will be in my country.
Amaranthus Spinusos as the given scientific name , uray or kulitis in the Philippines has a lot of health benifits like IODINE, it has high Calories counts if we cook it like vegetables,has an ingredients found in LAXATIVE that used to avoid constipation. I always explaining this to my employer of how important this plant in my place during our time walking around as her daily exercise. She never believed me , all medicine she knows was all in the packages or in the bottles. It is also rich in calcuim, vitamins A, B4 and C. Young leaves if cooked and consumed helps as the easy way out of urine or it has called DIURETIC ingredients.Roots if boiled and drink its water is good to those who suffer bronchitis. But sad to say that in western country or to rich country they just treated as an ordinary grasses around.
Way back when I was young girl and living in the jungle with my grandparents we always cooked this together with the fish.Now I have nieghbor in the Philippines has a lady doctor daughter living and practice her doctoracy in the US is always looking for this plant. She even planting it in her backyard, I can't imagine how this former municipal judge in our place still wanted to eat this kind of herbal plants. Everytime I saw this kulitis here I automatically remember her face, drawn and came out on my mind. She is now going to the age of ninety (90) if I'm not mistaken.
#01.Elderly habbit of SCRATCHING..........****On the picture was the blood under the skin of an elderly after they scratched that certain parts of the body- this is in the arm.Blood passes through small viens but it stops if it scratch-usually at night when they are sleeping. There are some cases that the caregiver holding them tightly in protecting to fall and when the patient was in the position of out balancing thier body wieght-if you hold it tightly like in the wrist, you can expect after few minutes your hands drawn by blood in that parts where you hold it. Somtimes even you just slowly bump any portion on thier body without any means or by accident it forms this blood clog.That was just few minutes after she scratched , it will be wider slowly until becoming black then turn again to red and more than a week it will fade out or it depends on how much the energy of scratching or bumping into it.I'm putting this "arnika cream" but not as fast as one day to clean it out. There are some cream that they buy over the counter in any drug stores.
Alzhiemer's patients usually scratching thier ears and nose holes that caused to infections.It also influences us , sometimes we just noticed we then scratches too without feeling of itchyness like in our head and in the nose. I saw last few years one caregiver putting surgical gloves on the hands of her employer to avoid scratching.Alzhiemers patients sometimes recognised medical stuffs so they afraid on it. So....living in one roof with elderly is like watching all her movements everyday and we understand what they want in every moves or gesture they showed to us.
This is my daily observations that has different bases due to thier age status and its standard or level in society.It cannot be said in one day or how and when exactly thier attitudes be seen.Sometimes you can obsreved it's changes once in a month if not seriously affected.There are times that daily or instant changing of attitudes makes a hardwork adjustments then make surprises also to caregivers. Most medical experts has no treatment and they just ignored the patients coming in thier clinics.Medical studies explains that depression is considered the most common mental disorder, afflicts up to 5% of people aged 65 and older. Many researchers think this is a low estimate, because depression can mimic dementia. Some experts thus estimate that as many as ten percent of those diagnosed with dementia actually suffer from depression and if treated it is reversible.
One example is quite common in older persons due in part to the inevitable losses which occur with aging. Also, changes in brain chemistry can cause profound depression in older adults. Several physical problems, including transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), strokes, Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias often cause paranoid thoughts, delusions, hallucinations and aggressive actions.
Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, inappropriate guilt; prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells; jumpiness or irritability; loss of interest in and withdrawal from formerly enjoyable activities, family, friends, work or sex are the main factors of depression cases.
Another intellectual problems such as unexplainable loss of memory or the ability to concentrate; confusion and disorientation.
Physical problems such as loss of appetite or a noticeable increase in appetite; persistent fatigue and lethargy; insomnia or a noticeable increase in the amount of sleep needed; aches and pains, constipation, or other physical constipation, or other physical ailments that cannot be otherwise explained are commonly seen to all depressed people.
Most elderly people take many more prescription and over-the-counter medications than other age groups. Because metabolism is slower in the elderly, these substances can stay in the body longer and reach toxic levels more quickly.
Here are more several factors that play the role in onset depression.
Thru Biochemistry expirements - deficiencies in two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine, are thought to be responsible for certain symptoms of depression, including anxiety, irritability, and fatigue.
But in genetics depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression, the other twin has a 70% chance of also having the illness sometime in life.
Peoples with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who are generally pessimistic appear to be vulnerable to depression.
Sometimes there are invironmental factors like continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse, or poverty may make people who are already susceptible to depression all the more vulnerable to the illness.
If you observed or feel any of these symptoms of depression for more than two weeks, you should seek help and consult your doctor.
I HATE TO BE A WOMAN! Once a month I felt this way.To have a monthly period was very embarassing to me since I suffered this headache.Some of my friends called me "unfinished" that's why I have this migraine.I'm in the middle of the men and the woman they said.I am suffering this migraine since I was teenager.I do research since then but everything was a not found what I felt.It's complicates the way how it attacts on me. Expert studies by saying "two types of migraine" like MRM & PMM but for me I just felt both or only one kind not two types.I dont know and I dont want to go back and fort to some clinics for another check up.
****MRM(menstrual related migrane) is a headache of moderate-to-severe pain intensity that happens around the time of a woman’s period and at other times of the month as well.
****PMM(pure menstrual migraine) is similar in every respect but only occurs around the time of a woman’s period.
The exact causes of menstrual migraine are uncertain but evidence suggests there may be a link between menstruation and migraine due to the drop in estrogen levels that normally occurs right before the period starts.
****Menstrual migraine has been reported to be more likely to occur during a five-days, from two days before to two days after menstruation.
When compared with migraines that occur at other times of the month, menstrual migraines have been reported that it last longer—up to 72 hours, more severe, occur more often with nausea and vomiting- I'm not suffering this , be more difficult to treat—occur not frequently.
****every month that I have and felt this way my employer always asked me , so I need to explain her to avoid another complications on my work that not just severe but a total distruction of my life. lol.
I went to a skin doctor this morning for another check up of my "allergy" on my left foot.It was said before , so.. I sacrifice of not eating chicken meat, fish products and others that is related to itching problem.Sometimes I'm eating little rice and banana or ripe mango. My gosh...I cant stay more years if this doctor could not cure again.When the fungus attack I want to climb the nearby tree in my work and it is more than 10 meters in height maybe or more I mean I dont how it is. Or it was lucky always that my husband was far away with me or else I bites him again.I have been in so many doctors that just gave me skin cream,ointments that I imagined of worth of tonnes already.And it seems not helping to stop the itch anymore then painful bothered most because it was already swollen.
This doctor was a friend of my cousin's employer who used to work in one of the hospitals in Tel Aviv.I will tell you later on follow post of this topic if the results will come out.It is a kind of fungus that he even don't want to say because he needs to do biopsy so that he will know exactly what is it.For the meantime he gave me a kind of cream again but it was free or no amount paid.This is the only doctor told me that I need to go to the hospital for biopsy, I know that this is the right thing to do but here sometimes they just ignore what we are saying.
We went to the EENT clinic today for ear check up and cleaning of my old woman both ears.Few weeks ago she almost and cannot heard that the whole family and friends complaining.For me is a bit hard but I have a technique how to deal with to have a lot of patience talking to her.Body language like hand gestures and smiling are my tools so she never felt insulted or got angry with me.
Age-related hearing loss is also called as presbycusis are the hard work we caregivers encountered. Due of the ability to respond to a low frequency sounds in speech, family and caregivers are usually have misunderstanding that also causing misinterpretations of some peoples around when they heard in high pitch conversation to an elderly. Hearing loss can affect physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioral and social functioning to everyone who suffered this.It disables the whole life of a sufferer and sometimes it was interpreted as alzhiemyrs.
Some changes was due to aging that includes stiffening of the basilar membrane, hyperostosis, arteriosclerotic and rheologic changes, together with degeneration of the organ of Corti, loss of hair cells, spiral ganglion degeneration and impaired neural regulation of endolymph. Other factors include infectious diseases of the middle and inner ear, noise exposure, drugs like aminoglycoside antibiotics, salicylates, quinidine, loop diuretics and damage to the auditory nerve.
Presbycusis affects primarily frequencies above 1000 Hz. While the frequency of most speech is in the 500-4000 Hz range, certain consonants letters like - e.g. S, Th, F are have higher frequencies. The elderly hearing impaired person may have normal low frequency hearing with loss in the mid and high frequencies.
Prevention of hearing impairment is impossible but to comfort each patient using hearing aids are the best way to do.Like we have here connected to TV set and another was a hearing aid that she wears openly at most of the time.Treatment will just be a check up and cleaning that will be done by EENT doctors.
Yes these are onions we used for cooking and at same time used as medicines.But for me this served as a thing with a great story that I can't forget to the rest of my life.Everywhere I saw onions it makes me smile or laugh.
It happened after two weeks that I arrived in this country.I was on my first employer at that momments.I was so nervous but eager to show my best ability in any work . My first week was with reliever , also a pilipina that teach me get familiarized especially in a bed ridden patient.(Hi BETH..there in Thailand with her family).She showed me everything inside and outside the house to say it in hebrew or english.I'm proud that I knew it all. The next week I went back alone because I knew everything when they asked in every word translation.Here comes the daughter of my employer, a big big woman and her facial expression was like a very strict person I felt. She spoke me in hebrew and I answered it word by word in english. They never speak english at all though understand a little.The first day I arrived I noticed the freezer type frigidaire that I ussually seen in some biggest restaurants or hotels in my country.A full packed freezer that in my mind was a question of why?..in my contract it was written a couple which is a bed ridden patient of about 97 years old and an alzhymier woman of dont know nothing , so I need to cooked for them but why they have all this stuffs? that means there are more peoples coming in and eat. Yes, the whole clan are coming Friday night also friends and relatives during Saturdays.We start cooking Thursday and the whole day Friday. Changing everything are the daily routine - the bed sheets,table cloth ,cleaning inside and outside the house.It was okey for me, I came here to work so this is it! The first 3 weeks she just instructed me to wash vegetables or cut thru actions or hand gestures while she was the one took all we need from freezer, a lot of meat I saw that I thought they are like carnivorous.Until one month when time of cooking somebody called outside and it was a nieghbor friends of their family.Before she went out she told me to this and that, that I cannot remembered some.I was so confused because they have an attitude here of shouting and that was normal I observed everywhere.When she came back to the kitchen I put all on the floor everything what is inside the fregidaire. You know what I'm looking for? just a piece of batzal means an onion. Then she shouted and yelled at me but I'm still smiling because I didn't know what she's talking about.Its only now I remembered that was lucky day and if it is like today that I was adopted already of thier culture its a big regrets for shouting her back , hehehe. The great things was I tried to speak thier language as early of one month and a half because of that incidents. After one month and a half of working there the old man died and the old woman was transfered to a mental hospital. Next job I found was a bit easier because I understand a lot, again a couple with the same race before but there are lot of filipino caregivers sorround the place that I can easily ask anytime I need.
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Third week of the month I am always checking all the medicines of my old woman and before end of the month I"m giving all the list to the secretary to have it for the next whole month.When it comes to vitamins it was a kind of inventory that I'm putting all out what is inside the bottles. After few minutes of counting it was a coincedence that these vitamins form in heart.I just fixed 4 capsules to easily recognize the shapes.These are three vitamins she is taking everyday.
Pharmaton(in dark brown color) 1X/day
Cranberries(vit c) 2X/day
B12 (pink tablet) 1X/day - sublingual
Note: This is not a paid review..oh... by the way I want to let you know that all of that I reviewed before .THANKS they never pay me until now..so... sorry for your emails.
Yesterday while I'm waiting the bus to go back to work,one fellow caregiver - I just meet her for first time in bus station, she ask why elderly have always "fart and burp".Before I went down from my friends flat upstair that was also the topic of so many caregivers there. So funny but learn why and what to do. For childrens and matured one's we can say it un-ethical(bastos! or walang modo! in tagalog) if you do it in many crowds. It was always uncontrolable and accidentally happenned that becomes a funny momments.You should stay away with somebody near you was the first lesson when I was in grade one.I remembered my father if he smell or heard it - he blown everything what he has in the mouth and got angry to whom of us dispose that fart. Hey...(otot lang yan or tae lng pala eh), just a bad air scattered is the common words to all caregivers here.It is also means as unit of gaseous particles from one's rectum. I observed here that fart was not too bad compared to burp.You can do it even in many people sorrounds you. hehehe...Or some said it was the smell of dollar.If you asked the word translation of "otot" in english - the first facial expresion was to smile or laugh..I dont know why - just ask any filipino near you or any where you meet.
On otherhand "burping" sounds bad here, it was not like a blessings as I've learned eversince. Burp means an extreme gaseous oral eruption according to some specialist.This also a sign of anxiety that can only be seen always to depression cases patients.Occurrence was not only after meal but anytime they want attention.Both farts and burps causes during swallowing food and talking in same period of time.Air traveled in all parts of intestines that sometimes anyone sitting beside you or near you heard about it.
Thanks it comes out or else we need to go again in an emergency room in a nearest hospital.
Last Sunday night,March 08,2009 - my employer was rushed to the hospital that I just arrived few minutes from day off.It was caused by constipation. We know that most elderly has a big problems on these because all the time they just sitting or on bed. This past winter she is not walking most of the days due to bad weather, sometimes they are too lazy to go anywhere. We stayed in the hospital until midnight and then went back home.
According to studies these was due to poor dietary habbits.Lack of exercise that I cannot forced her to do it everyday.Insuffecient fluid intakes - coffee,soda,tea that she wanted to drink always are not considered to avoid contipation and it actually exacerbate the situation.Constipation is a sign of chronic dehydration.
Kinds of constipation are atonic (lazy bowel) and spastic (narrowing of the colon, with small, ribbon-like stools). Atonic constipation is a high fiber diet and increased fluid intake is recommended.Spastic constipation may be caused by an obstruction or nervousness or anxiety.
Medicines to reduce blood pressure and the cholesterol-lowering ("statin") drugs are sometimes the cause of contipation.
Here are some remedies or need to eat/take to avoid contipation.
01.Bran cereals - at least 1/3 cup of bran on your cereal each morning.
02.Flaxseed oil - is a traditional folk remedy. Take 1 to 2 tablespoonsful with lots of water right after lunch or dinner.
03.Carrot juice - essential oils in carrot juice have an effect on the mucous membranes in the stomach and help get the bowels functioning properly.This will help regain proper digestion. This is good for children, too.
04.Dates - Soak six dates in a glass of hot water; when cool, drink the water and eat the dates
05.Garlic - is effective for three reasons: it soothes, cleanses and reduces inflammation. It is also very rich in potassium which is essential for proper contractions of muscles, including the intestines.
06.Honey - has mild laxative properties. Start by taking a tablespoon three times a day or add to foods or drinks.
07.Molasses - add 1 to 2 tablespoons a day to hot cereal or mix with warm water and drink it.
08.Olive oil - take one tablespoonful of olive oil in the morning and one tablespoonful an hour after dinner.
09.Pepper - make a massage oil of black pepper, marjoram and rosemary (one drop of each in a light carrier oil) and rub into the abdominal area.
10 .Persimmon - eat a persimmon if they are available.
11.Spinach - drinking a pint of spinach juice daily has often corrected constipation in a short period of time.
12 .Sunflower seeds - promotes regularity. Take a handful of raw shelled, unsalted seeds every day....etc.
