Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing With 3 Holiday Decorating Tips for the Season
Halloween is past us, we’ve set the clocks back, and there’s more of a chill in the air. It’s almost time to get in a festive mood and decorate for the holidays!
Decorating the inside of your home can be an enjoyable experience because you can do it on your own time without having to worry about being out in the rain, cold, or snow. And if you’re ready to invite guests back into your home after a 2020 in lockdown, welcome them into a festive atmosphere!
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing is sharing three tips to decorate the inside of your home like a pro this holiday season.
- Bring in Scents From the Outdoors
Pine cones and pieces of evergreens can give the interior the scent of the outdoors. Then add twigs and other natural elements to complete the look to match the aroma.
- Add Lights
Just like you do outside your home, add as many lights as possible to the inside. This can include displays on a mantle, garland around railings, or through centerpieces. You can also grab LED bulbs that don’t emit any heat and don’t consume as much energy as traditional Christmas bulbs.
- Stick With the Classics
Unless you want to buy new decorations every year or two, avoid trends. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with that silver or black tree from a couple of years ago! Traditional never goes out of style when it comes to the holidays, especially if you give people a nostalgic feeling. Classic ornaments, big bows, and old photos allow people to have a feeling of warmth and welcome, which is what you want your home to exhibit.
To learn more about Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://onondaga-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on Whether You Can Get a COVID-19 Booster Vaccine With a Flu Shot
Fall is the time of year when health professionals recommend that you get the annual flu vaccine. Just like 2020, it’s very important that as many people as possible get the flu shot in order to help reduce the load that hospitals and clinics across the country are facing due to COVID-19 and the contagious Delta variant.
Plus in late September, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorized booster shots for the Pfizer and Biotech version of the COVID-19 vaccine to those who meet certain criteria.
First, it has to be six months since an individual received their second vaccine in the series. Secondly, they have to be over the age of 65 or be over 50 and have pre-existing health conditions. Additionally, those who work in high-risk environments like healthcare, nursing homes, teachers, or retail workers also may get the third shot.
Since both are becoming available at the same time, it’s fair to wonder whether both shots can be given at the same time.
Health professionals say that not only is it okay for you to receive both shots at the same time, they actually recommend it. And this goes for whether you are getting the COVID-19 vaccine for the first time or receiving the booster shot.
“Get one in each arm,” Ranit Misori, M.D., of Georgetown University School of Medicine told the AARP. “It’s an efficient and effective way to make sure you’re protected.”
Experts are hopeful that 2021-22 is another mild flu season after last year saw fewer infections thanks to more people staying home and a robust vaccination campaign. But with more people in the office and at school, the flu is expected to be more widespread this year.
Last year, the CDC recommended not getting a different vaccine for 14 days before and after a COVID-19 vaccine, but the agency said that further research and testing showed the other vaccines do not interfere with the immune response brought on by the COVID-19 vaccine.
To learn more about Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://onondaga-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on Whether Allergy Shots Can Help You
Whether it’s for dust, mold, pets, or something seasonal in the air, allergies tend to become more severe as we age. Treatments and preventative measures that would traditionally work to manage symptoms may not do the trick anymore.
If that or other methods of keeping allergies under control aren’t working anymore, you may want to talk to your doctor about allergy shots.
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at how allergy shots work and whether they could be the right treatment for you.
How Do Allergy Shots Work?
If you’re a candidate for allergy shots, you will first undergo testing to determine what exactly you are allergic to. Once those results are in, a personalized concoction will be developed to give you in gradually increasing doses, usually for a period of three to five years.
The shots contain tiny amounts of what you are allergic to—not enough to have a reaction but with the goal of your body’s defenses being able to fight it off. In that aspect, it’s similar to how a vaccine works. As the regimen goes on, you develop an immunity or tolerance despite being given larger doses, and the goal is that you can then naturally tolerate the allergen in the natural environment and will no longer need the shots or any medication.
What Can an Allergy Shot Help Prevent?
Allergy shots do not work for those allergic to food, latex, or medicines. They are best for the following allergies:
- Dust mites
- Mold spores
- Cat or dog dander
- Pollen from trees, weeds, and grasses
You will also want to have a discussion with your primary care physician and an allergist about whether you are a good candidate for allergy shots. This treatment isn’t recommended for some older people who have heart disease or other medical issues. It’s also not recommended for children under five.
To learn more about Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://onondaga-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing With 3 Exercises to Do at Home to Maintain Hip Strength
After spending much of our lives either behind a desk or a steering wheel, tightness and weakness in our hips is one side effect of that. Unfortunately, that can affect surrounding muscles and lead to hip, back, and even knee pain. Hip-replacement surgery and hip injuries from falls are two things that can result from years of neglect.
A recent study, however, found that after exercising the hips for 12 weeks, pain decreased in participants by around 30%. Additionally, regular hip exercises can cut the need for hip-replacement surgery by nearly half (44%).
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at three exercises that can be done to improve hip strength with regularity.
- Deep-Breathing Exercises
This isn’t necessarily to strengthen the hips but to you get you ready for the next two exercises, as the breathing exercises you do here will be necessary to perform during the other tasks. For this warm-up of sorts, lie flat on your back with a pillow under your neck and knees so you are comfortable. Place a hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Inhale through your nose and expand your abdomen for three seconds, hold for a few seconds, then exhale through your mouth and relax your abdomen. You should feel your hand on your stomach go up and down and the one on your chest should remain still.
- Wall Yoga
If you can, lie up next to a wall with your hips a comfortable distance away and your legs up on the wall. There are several exercises that you can do with your legs to work the hips. Find nine of them here.
- Chair Yoga
If you’re not comfortable with wall yoga or want to work your way up to it, start with a chair first. There are plenty of seated poses you can do that will get the job done without requiring you to get down and back up from the floor. View six of them here and find one to try!
To learn more about Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://onondaga-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing With 5 Signs You May Live to 100
The term for people who live to be 100 years old is centenarians, and that group expanded by 51% from 1990 to 2000. While advances in healthcare, nutrition, and education are all reasons that people are living longer than ever before, there are things that you need to do with your body in order to give yourself the best chance to live a long, healthy life—and possibly reach the century mark! And don’t worry, if you don’t do all of these things, it’s never too late to start healthy habits.
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at four traits of people who tend to outlive the rest of us.
- Stick With Water, Coffee, and Tea
You might think that enjoying a soda per day with a meal isn’t a big deal, but it adds up to become a very big deal. A study out of Boston found that drinking one or more cola (regular or diet) every day doubles your chance of developing metabolic syndrome, which includes high blood pressure, excess belly fat, and elevated insulin levels, all of which give you a greater chance of getting heart disease or diabetes.
- Think Purple
When it comes to food (and drink), that is! The deep red or purple color in concord grapes, blueberries, and red wine come from compounds called polyphenols that are proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and may also help protect you from developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. In fact, eating a cup of blueberries a day could enhance your memory by improving communication among brain cells.
- Limit Red Meat and Processed Meat
Nutritionists recommend limiting your red-meat (beef, pork, lamb) intake to no more than 18 ounces per week. Having more than that can increase your risk of colorectal cancer. The risk also goes up if you’re having more than 3.5 ounces of processed meat—hot dogs, bacon, deli meat—per day.
- Keep Your Legs Strong
Complications from falls are one of the leading causes of hospitalization among those over 65, and close to 20% of people who fracture a hip from a fall die within a year due to complications. Keeping your legs strong keeps you steady and improves balance. Besides running, walking, and riding a bike, also try the phantom chair exercise. This is where you stand flush against a wall and slide down until you’re in a seated position. Keep your back against the wall while you’re in that position and hold it as long as you can before your thighs feel like they’re going to give out.
To learn more about Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://onondaga-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org/.
Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing With 4 Ways to Stay on Top of Your Finances
Studies show that at least 75% of married couples have one person that’s designated to handle the finances—manage accounts, pay bills, etc. But what happens when something catastrophic happens? A sudden illness or even death could leave the other member of the family scrambling when it comes time to manage the money.
In order to be prepared for the worst, Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a list of questions you should be able to answer in case you need to take over the finances one day.
- Do You Know the Passwords?
With so much banking and bill paying taking place online now, the money manager in the family may be juggling a half-dozen or more accounts on a monthly basis. They may know the password or have them saved in their computer or phone, but both parties should know the passwords—or at least write them down and keep the list in a safe place.
- How Much is Coming In and Out?
Go back in six months’ worth of bank and credit card statements to see how much money is going in vs. going out. This is especially important to do if you don’t work with a budget each month.
- When Are the Bills Paid?
If you don’t have a set schedule to pay bills, experts advise picking two dates per month to get everything paid. Establishing a routine will help you remember to pay everything off and not have to deal with late charges if a bill slips through the cracks.
- What is Owed?
If you owe an unexpected amount of money, contact the companies to set up a repayment plan and build that into your budget.
- Check Insurance Policies
Go through your separate insurance policies—life, auto, home—to see where you stand. If they haven’t been touched for years, you might be paying for items you don’t need.
To learn more about Onondaga Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://onondaga-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org/.
Weekly Letter: April 19th, 2021
Please click here to read the full update
Weekly Letter: April 12th, 2021
Click here to read the full update
Weekly Letter: April 8th, 2021
Please click here to review the full update:
Letter from the Administrator: 3/22/2021
Dear Loved One,
I’m writing to provide a brief overview of Onondaga Center’s preparedness and response to COVID-19 and the measures we’ve taken to protect the safety, health and welfare of your loved one and all residents at the Center. We have been following all federal, state and local guidelines for infection control policies and procedures. We have implemented precautions to include instituting measures to limit access to the nursing facility, monitoring our workforce, and vigorously pursuing infection control practices throughout the Center.
This letter serves as your update regarding the current suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the center. As of 3/22/21 we have 0 resident with respiratory symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath etc.) We have had 0 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from Residents. We have 1 confirmed case of COVID-19 from a Staff member who had tested positive on 3/16/21. The Staff member has been furloughed. We are continuing to manage this
exposure and have taken all necessary precautions to protect your loved one and other residents at our facility. Our staff is well trained and continues to be educated in the most current standards and best practices to ensure your loved one is safely cared for. Our staff has received appropriate protective masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment. Our clinical team continues to perform frequent assessments of the residents at the Center to monitor their status and condition.
As per the DOH guidelines, all outdoor and indoor visits will be suspended for the next 14 days or until cleared by the DOH. This does not include window visits, Facetime/Skype/phone, etc. visits. Those will remain the same.
Please join the Weekly COVID Update call every Tuesday at 3:00 pm by dialing:
(605) 313-4411; code 758733.
We want to assure you that we take the safety, health and welfare of your loved one very seriously. We will continue to provide services, treatments and interventions as outlined in their plan of care. You can always reach out to Yudi Polatoff, Administrator and / or Suzanne Reid, RN, Director of Nursing at the Center should you have any questions about your loved one or any questions about the Center’s current COVID-19 practices, policies and procedures. The Department of Health has also encouraged family members who have more specific COVID-19 questions to submit them directly to your local Department of Health. For daily updates please check frequently on our website at “onondaga-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org”.
Thank you,
Yudi Polatoff
Administrator
