Monthly Archives: February 2022

Six Tips for Healthy Feet

Our feet are one of the most neglected but essential parts of our body. Although they work hard for us every day, they are often forgotten until there’s a problem. Instead of ignoring your feet, start pampering them and taking care of them properly, so they stay healthy and feel good. Your overall health will improve, and you’ll discover that your feet don’t hurt as often if you treat them to a bit of self-care every week.

Exfoliate Your Feet

Feet tend to develop rough skin patches and callouses, especially if you do a lot of walking. Exfoliating your feet regularly with a foot scrub removes dead skin and prevents calluses and corns, so your feet remain smooth and soft. Exfoliating with a foot scrub twice a week will make a difference.

Moisturize

You probably use a moisturizer for your face and hands. You may even use an all-over body lotion but neglect to use it on your feet. This is unfortunate because our feet are often one of the driest parts of our bodies. The best time to moisturize is after you’ve exfoliated or after your shower when the skin is already moist. Lotion or cream will help lock in the moisture from a shower or bath. If you apply lotion before going to bed, slip on a pair of socks to encourage complete absorption.

Avoid High Heels

We all enjoy stepping out in high heels occasionally, but they’re not something you should wear every day. High heels put a lot of stress on the balls of the feet, which can lead to bunions and other problems. Also, avoid shoes with narrow, pointed toes. Your feet will thank you for wearing low heels or flats with a generous toe box so that your toes have plenty of room. Choose shoes made of breathable, flexible materials such as leather or canvas so your skin can breathe and your feet can flex easily.

Learn to Trim Your Toenails Properly

Ingrown toenails are painful and can lead to infection. The most common cause of ingrown toenails is cutting nails too short. Always use medical-grade toenail clippers and cut straight across. If you try to round them at the corners, the nail is more likely to grow into the surrounding skin. Don’t use fingernail clippers, as they are too rounded and too small to do the job properly.

Soak Your Feet

At the end of a long day, there’s nothing as relaxing as a nice foot soak. Soaking your feet relaxes the muscles, reduces swelling, and soothes your nerves. Use warm (not hot) water and add a commercial foot soak or toss in a few drops of essential oils, ½ cup of oatmeal powder, and a tablespoon of honey. Soaking your feet for a half-hour in the evenings helps reduce odor and soften the skin as well.

See a Podiatrist

Painful feet are a sign of problems that need to be addressed. A podiatrist like those at Northwest Surgery Center can help you determine whether your feet need additional treatment or surgery to correct the problem. Seeing a specialist can prevent minor issues from getting worse, so your feet will give you optimal mileage over the years.

How to Help Others from Your Home

When you have found yourself facing difficult times, having someone there to support you during that period is always greatly appreciated. It can make a huge difference to you and make those seemingly impossible hurdles feel smaller and more manageable. When you think about how grateful you are or would be to someone who can help you when you need it, you might decide that you want to do the same for others. If you would like to try and provide some support or guidance to those in need, here are some ways you can do that from home.

Donating Money or Unwanted Belongings to Charity

The next time you’re doing a spring clean of your home, consider donating some of your unwanted items to charity. They can use these to sell second-hand and raise money for their cause, or even give them directly to those in need at shelters or in their homes. Not only is this a great way to show your support to a charity, but it’s also a brilliant opportunity to rid your home of clutter. Alternatively, you can donate money to charity either through a one-off payment or through monthly direct debits and sponsorship programs.

Become a Foster Parent

If you love kids and want to support children who need a stable and loving living environment, fostering could be a good fit for you. This is certainly not a decision to be taken lightly as it is a big commitment, and the children placed in your care may have dealt with traumatic situations that will have impacted them. However, fostering children is a truly wonderful thing to do, and you will be making a huge difference in their lives. It’s a great way to support them and your local community. If you would like to learn more about foster care, search online for fostering opportunities in your area and speak to your local team about the process.

Host a Coffee Morning at Your House

Coffee mornings are often used as fundraising events for charities, and this is something that you can do in your home with ease. It doesn’t have to be just for charity, however, and could be used as an opportunity to get to know your neighbors better. This could be particularly useful for anyone who is feeling lonely, such as senior citizens or people who live alone, to come and have a social event and the opportunity to make new friends. You may even start a club, and different people can host the coffee morning each month and their home, which is a great way to stay connected and bring some positive change to people’s lives.

Organize a Food Drive

Being able to eat nutritious meals is essential as part of a healthy lifestyle, but not everyone is in a position where they can afford these meals, or they might be struggling to get food on the table altogether. Finding yourself in financial difficulty is something that could happen to anyone, so it is important to support those who are in this position. Food drives are great for getting food to families and individuals who are struggling to afford a weekly grocery shop, and this is something you can do from home, too. Get together a group of keen volunteers and ask them to drop off items such as canned goods, dried foods, eggs, vegetables, and even some nice treats. Pack these boxes and distribute to those in need in your community, or drop them off at the local food bank that may be able to distribute these boxes for you instead.

If you want to make a difference to those in need, consider the suggestions above about what you can do from home to help the community.

 

 

Why A Care Home Might Be A Good Option For Your Parents

Caring for an elderly relative can be a challenging situation. There are many factors regarding their health and safety that need to be taken into account, not to mention the possibility that they will begin to develop issues with their mental health. When the elderly individual you are caring for is your parent, there are also bound to be certain emotions involved in the process of deciding what is best for them going forward.

At some point, you might find yourself contemplating the option of moving your parents to a care home. This is a big decision that can cause a great deal of frustration or even sadness for your parents. However, at a certain point, it might be a necessary step to take.

The fact of the matter is that you do not want to take chances with the health of your parents. When things get to a point where you are no longer to offer them the care that they need on your own, other options must be considered.

If you are currently trying to decide whether or not a care home might be a good option for your parents, here are a few signs that such a change is necessary.

Health-Related Reasons

Some of the more complicated issues that are associated with aging tend to be related to health. Generally speaking, simple health-related matters such as ensuring that they take their medication every day is easy enough to handle. That being said, the health of an elderly person can deteriorate very quickly and require more constant intervention.

If the health of your parents has become too much for you to handle on your own, this is a clear sign that a care home is worth considering. Such residences, like London care homes, offer round-the-clock care from trained and qualified healthcare professionals.

Hazardous Living Conditions

At a certain point, you might notice that a standard home is no longer suitable for your parents. Things that were once not an issue can quickly become hazardous when the mobility of a person begins to take a turn.

For instance, you might have never even thought twice about the rug that your parents have in their living area. However, it is all too easy for someone who is struggling with their mobility and spatial awareness to catch their foot on the edge of a rug and suffer a horrible fall. Moreover, while a trip and fall might not seem like a big deal for a younger person, they can lead to serious health issues in the elderly.

If you see no way of being able to adjust the living spaces in your parents’ home so that it is no longer hazardous to them, then you should certainly consider moving them to a care home. Care homes are literally designed with such things in mind so that there is less of a risk for falling and other accidents.