Wednesday 22 September 2021

Top Tips for Taking Care of Loved Ones as they Get Older.

*Collaborative Content* As we get older, it’s only natural that we may need a little more care and support than in our earlier years. However, whether you are caring for a grandparent, parent or even a neighbour - looking after an older adult can be a very difficult task- as a result, you may find that you have little time to take care of yourself or keep up to date with your daily duties. 


Photo by Eduardo Barrios on Unsplash


With that in mind, here are some top tips for taking care of a loved one as they get older. 

Set reminders. 

Whether your loved one needs to take daily medication or attends regular visits with the doctor - you must stay up to date with their schedule so you are aware of the times when they may require a little more support than usual. This is especially important if you are the person responsible for taking them to and from appointments.  However, it can be hard to balance somebody else’s schedule alongside your own, which could result in missed appointments. As such, you may benefit from setting reminders on your phone! This way, you can give your loved one a quick call or text to remind them about upcoming events. 

Ask them what they need from you.

When taking care of others, it can be hard to know if we are doing a good job or if we are doing enough. While your loved one will appreciate any form of support, the easiest way you can put these worries to bed is by simply asking them what they need from you. Then, you can tailor your care and support accordingly. For example, if they are feeling lonely, you can arrange to visit more often. 

Discuss additional support methods.

At some point in time, your loved one may require full-time support that you cannot provide. When this occurs, you should not feel guilty - as this is a natural part of ageing, and you may not have the resources at hand to give them the quality care they need. However, this does mean that you should do plenty of research ahead of time so that they receive the right kind of care. For example, while live-in carers are always an option, your loved one may be more suited to staying within a care home facility, as this often gives them more opportunities to socialise. 

Take care of yourself too. 

While you may be more than happy to dedicate most of your time to caring for your loved one, it’s important that you don't forget to take care of yourself either. After all, if you continue to neglect your own needs, you’ll struggle to provide them with adequate care and support in the first place. As such, you should ensure that you set aside some time in your schedule that you can dedicate to yourself. For example, you may want to put together a daily self-care routine. After all, self-care can help you to feel happy, healthy and focused. Furthermore, you should also ensure that the caring responsibilities are shared out among other family members where possible - so that you feel a little less guilty about taking the necessary time for yourself. 


Monday 13 September 2021

5 Ways Massages Can Help Improve your Body's Health.


Photo by Raphael Lovaski on Unsplash

{Collaborative Content} Massages have a long history of being a form of therapy, and they can be a great way to relax and reduce stress. However, massage therapy is not just about physical relaxation. It is also about relieving pain and promoting emotional well-being.

There are many benefits of massages include easing pain in the body and alleviating stress. In some cases, massage therapists also provide treatments for people who have arthritis, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia. In the modern-day, massages are seen as ways for you to rest and relax.

Finding the Best place for Thai massage can yield not only a place that will allow you to escape the hectic life of every day but provides you with a way that can help your body repair itself. Here are a few ways massages help improve your body's health.

Relieves Stress

Massage has been proven to reduce stress levels. It consists of multiple techniques to relax the body and mind. It is an act of executing direct contact with the body, working with the movements of breath, touch, and warmth. Massages make your body feel weightless by releasing tension in your muscles, joints, ligaments, and other tissues.

They also increase circulation, which can help to bring more oxygen to your brain as well as other parts of the body, which could potentially improve mental health as well as reduce fatigue.

Helps Circulation

Massages that are made to increase blood circulation contain strokes, friction, and pressure. They work by relaxing muscles and improving blood flow. This allows the body to make better use of oxygen from your lungs for better oxygenation of tissues, cells, and organs - especially those in the brain.

Can Help with joint mobility and flexibility

Massages work by releasing endorphins - your body's natural pain-relieving hormones. This will help you to relax and fall asleep more easily. It also helps to increase the blood flow in your body, which can help with joint mobility. There is evidence that massage can help with the treatment of pain in multiple ways. It is also said that the healing process can be speeded up when massaging muscles is done before exercise or work out by some experts.

Reduce tensions in your muscles

When you have tension in your muscles, it is common for you to experience pain in areas of your body. Massages are believed to help with this by stimulating the muscles' nerve endings, which releases tension. They are also an easy way of reducing stress because when our muscles are relaxed, our brain is less likely to be overloaded with stress hormones.

Can Help with Relaxation

Massage therapy is beneficial for promoting relaxation and reducing stress because of its ability to address physical, mental, social, and spiritual health in one treatment. With the growing demand for massage therapists in the workplace, many organizations are providing access to massages on-site or in their wellness programs to help ensure that their employees relax at work and reduce stress. Fortunately, these programmes are quickly becoming the norm for many companies.

Thursday 9 September 2021

Is it Necessary to Vet your Dentist Before Booking and Appointment?


Man in Blue and White Floral Button Up Shirt Holding White Plastic Pack

Image Credit 

{Collaborative Content} The decision to choose a dentist is an important one, especially for the entire family. Although you may get tempted to book an appointment online or over the phone without doing any research, it's not advisable. 

You do need to vet your dentist before scheduling an appointment, as this will ensure you are working with someone who is both qualified and trustworthy. At some point, you will be trusting your dentist with the health of your mouth, so it's essential to find someone reliable.

To Ease Your Mind and Worries

It would help if you always did your research. You can look up reviews on Google or Yelp, and if they have a website, you need to check that out as well. Whatever dentist you decide to go with, make sure it's someone who is board certified for the work they will be doing. 

Board certification means there was a thorough examination, and it means the dentist passed with flying colours. You also want to make sure they have a good reputation in your area. If you can find out if they belong to any professional associations, that's great too because memberships are usually given only after an intensive screening process. 

To Ascertain the Quality of Services

To ascertain the quality of services, you need to vet the dentist before booking an appointment. If there is a question regarding the quality of service, how would you ensure that your experience will match what you expect? 

Time is money, and you should not be wasting it. Therefore, it makes sense to find out what your dentist can do for you, what they cannot do during the first meeting. This will enable you to choose the best dentist for you. They should also be using high quality dental equipment preferably from a reliable dental practice equipment supplier.

To Do Your Due Diligence

Start by doing some research on the dentist you are considering. There is a wealth of information available about them online. This means looking up reviews, seeing if they have any disciplinary action taken against them, finding out who their past patients are and what they had to say about their experience with that particular dental office or clinic. 

You can also ask your friends, family or co-workers who they recommend. However, this may seem like a lot of work to do at first glance; in the long run, you will be glad that you put so much effort into vetting the dentist before booking an appointment with them. 

It is Your Right as a Patient

It is your right as a patient to vet the dentist before booking an appointment. If you don't, then it is very probable that your dental health will suffer in the long run. This doesn't mean that you need to spend hours and days researching dentists online, but it does involve some detective work on your part. 

First, make sure to ask your family dentist if they have any recommendations. Most of the time, they will be able to point you in the right direction without too much effort on their part. 

It is your right to be able to vet the dentist before booking an appointment. The more preparation goes into finding the best specialist, the better off both patients will be in getting high-quality dental care.