~ Megan Gradzewicz
Agnes A. is our Caregiver of the Month for August 2016. Since she joined our team in 2014, her commitment and dedication to her clients has been evident in her hard work and high standard of care. Thank you Agnes! Congratulations!
This recipe is cool, refreshing and healthy! I have played around with substituting honey for sugar, yogurt for frozen yogurt, fresh mango for frozen mango....you can't do it wrong!!
- 1 pound frozen mango, thawed
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 pint vanilla frozen yogurt
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- lime slices for garnish
Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth.
Recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis, www.foodnetwork.com;
Submitted by Sarah White, Director of Client Services
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. In this month’s newsletter, we will be learning about the importance of immunizations.
What are Immunizations?
Though most people probably use immunization and vaccination interchangeably, there is a slight difference: “A vaccine is a product that produces immunity from a disease and can be administered through needle injections, by mouth, or by aerosol. A vaccination is the injection of a killed or weakened organism that produces immunity in the body against that organism. An immunization is the process by which a person or animal becomes protected from a disease. Vaccines cause immunization, and there are also some diseases that cause immunization after an individual recovers from the disease.”
Are Vaccines Safe?
Vaccines are one of our safest and most effective tools against the outbreak of preventable, and even some deadly, diseases. Currently, the US has the most extensive vaccine supply in history.
Since vaccines are developed from a killed or weakened organism associated with a particular disease, and then injected as a vaccination, safety is the utmost priority. Potential vaccines undergo rigorous, thorough testing and experimentation to evaluate effectiveness, safety and possible side effects. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) all work together on vaccine safety. Vaccines may not be manufactured or distributed without FDA approval, and approval comes only after it is determined that the science supports the theory that a particular vaccine will work safely and effectively
to prevent a particular disease.
Vaccines are manufactured under strict regulations and monitoring by the FDA. They are made in “lots”. Each lot is tested for purity, potency and safety before it can be released. If it doesn’t meet the standards set, it will not be released for public innoculations. After release, the FDA and CDC work together to monitor side effects.Visit http://www.vaccines.gov/basics/safety/side_eects/index.html to find out more on side effects.
www.vaccines.gov ; “Safety”, “Be Informed”,“Basics”
We’re all familiar with pneumonia. Chances are you’ve had it, or someone you know. Symptoms usually include fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, cough etc. We’ll usually find ourselves home from work, in bed, drinking fluids to stay hydrated, sleeping etc. for a week or two. We’ll probably also visit the doctor and get some sort of medication prescribed. What most people don’t know is that pneumonia, or pneumococcal pneumonia, is just one of several branches of pneumococcal disease.
Pneumococcal disease is caused by the bacteria called Streptococcus Pnuemonia (pneumococcus). The bacteria is often found in people’s noses and throats, but not always causing sickness. They are spread through coughing, sneezing, or contact with respiratory secretions. The different kinds of this disease include:
Pneumococcal Pneumonia - symptoms are fever, cough shortness of breath, chest pain
Pneumococcal bacteremia - it is a bloodstream infection. Symptoms are fever, chills, low alertness, joint pain
Pneumococcal Otitis Media - it is a middle ear infection. Symptoms are ear pain, red/swollen ear drum, fever, irritability, sleeplessness.
Pneumococcal Meningitis - Symptoms are fever, stiff neck, disorientation, mental confusion, light sensitivity
Obtaining a vaccination is important, especially for those more susceptible to pneumococcal disease - people over 65, young children, people with certain health problems, people with weakened immune systems, smokers, adults with asthma. If left untreated, pneumococcal disease can be deadly, or have long-term affects such as deafness, brain damage, loss of limbs. Some strains are resistant to treatments as well.
There are two vaccines currently out for the prevention of pneumococcal disease. PCV13 (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) for infants, children and adults 19 or older bearing a high risk for the disease; PPSV23 (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine) for adults over 65 and children 2 and older at high risk for the disease.
Visit http://www.vaccines.gov/diseases/pneumonia/# for more specic information. Make sure you and your loved ones are up-to-date on your vaccinations, developing your immunizations. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay strong.
www.vaccines.gov ; “Pneumococcal”