Improving Sleep: Why Quality Rest is Important for Health

It is hard to believe 2018 is more than half way over. Like most of us, when the New Year started, many of us made resolutions to create positive life changes that would benefit our health. We resolved to make healthy choices in what we ate, committed to 30 minutes of exercise three times a week and vowed to drink plenty of water. But honestly, how many of us made sleep a top priority for 2018? Many know sleep is important for overall health, but few create a plan to change and/or develop ways of improving sleep habits.

Why Sleep is Important for Health

Sleep plays a critical role in metabolism, memory, learning, immune function and other vital bodily functions with the connection being quite complex and not entirely understood. Some studies have shown that the quantity and quality of sleep have a profound impact on both learning and memory. Research results concluded sleep is essential for forming and consolidating memories, and it plays a central role in removing old ones and the creation of new neuronal connections.

Our immune system also can take a big hit if we don’t get adequate rest. When we sleep, our bodies regenerate and the immune system calms down. With insufficient sleep, inflammation flares up. Studies indicate that people who get less than six hours of sleep a nighthave higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who get more.

When it comes to our health, stress and sleep both can affect cardiovascular health. When people get adequate sleep and can reduce levels of stress, they can in turn have better control of their blood pressure.

Tips for Improving Sleep

Lack of quality sleep can turn any person — from a patient with advanced illness to a caregiver — into Oscar the Grouch who everyone avoids. Of course, on occasion, we have all been there before: Stress, family issues or a full gamut of worries can wreak havoc on our minds causing us to lose sleep. Nevertheless, better sleep is possible.

Here are some tips for improving sleep:

• Make your bedroom an environment conducive to sleep (check out the sidebar for more hints).
• Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as reading a book before bed or listening to soothing, meditative music.
• Stick to a sleep schedule.
• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and heavy meals in the evening.
• If you can’t sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired.

Following these tips to improving sleep can help you keep tossing and turning nights to a minimum. If these tips don’t solve sleep issues for you or a loved one, please talk with your healthcare provider.

At Chapters Health System and its affiliates—Good Shepherd Hospice, HPH Hospice and LifePath Hospice, every day is devoted to educating our patients and keeping them in the place they call home. We are dedicated to ensuring that patients, young and old alike, and their families are able to make educated decisions about important healthcare matters. For more information, please call our helpful Chapters Health team at 1.866.204.8611 or send an email to info@chaptershealth.org.

About Phoebe Ochman

Phoebe Ochman, Director of Corporate Communications for Chapters Health System, manages all content and communications for the not-for-profit organization.

Creating a Sleep Hygiene Habit

In the 1950s, Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon, noticed a strange pattern among his patients. He discovered it would take one of his patients a minimum of 21 days to get used to seeing their new face. And thus, the statement “it takes 21 days to form a new habit” was born. With that being said, it should take someone at least 21 days to make a sleep hygiene habit stick in order to sleep well on a regular basis.

There are quite a number of tips to create an ideal sleep hygiene habit, which can make quality sleep a reality rather than a fantasy.

1. Keep distractions and gadgets out of sight.

Although electronic gadgets might help make our lives easier during the day, they can put a wrench into the quality of our sleep. Try turning off all of your gadgets an hour or two before you go to sleep. When you are getting ready for bed, you need to relax and wind down your mind, not stimulate it with sending emails, watching your favorite TV program or posting on Instagram. Add to the mix the following tidbit: televisions, computers, tablets and cell phones all have a backlit function, which can disrupt your body by not producing melatonin. Instead, make it your routine to relax with a good book or listen to soothing music.

2. Create a comfortable bed oasis.

From pillows and comforters to comfortable sheets and other various sundry bed linens, all can make a difference in the quality of our sleep. Go ahead and spritz naturally calming scents like lavender or chamomile on your pillow, or use an aromatherapy diffuser. And if you find yourself waking up in the morning with aches and pains, you might want to think about purchasing a new mattress. In addition, it is important to not forget the temperature within your bedroom. Keeping the thermostat about 5° lower than your daytime set temperature can assist in getting you counting sheep that much faster. Reason? As you drift off and visit the sandman, your body temperature naturally decreases.

3. Make your bedroom as dark as midnight.

It is a scientific fact that your body is programmed to sleep when it is dark. Light prevents the body from producing melatonin, which is a hormonal substance that naturally promotes sleep. According to experts, light can still be detected with eyes closed through your eyelids, and the body will not secrete melatonin. Hence, keep your bedroom as dark as possible.

A good start to sleep hygiene practice is dimming the lights as you prepare to hit the sack. You can also go a step further by throwing a washcloth over the digital display of your alarm clock, or merely just turning the face away from view. But if you need a guiding light should you need to get up in the middle of the night, a bathroom nightlight would be helpful.

Heavy drapes might also work if the morning rays or street lamps shine into your bedroom, or better still another option would be a sleep mask to block out unwanted light.

4. Keep the noise level as low as possible.

You might not be able to prevent a dog from barking or a child from crying but for the most part, you can lower the noise level in your bedroom. If you like to have some sound, try a white noise machine or play soothing melodies that shut off automatically with a timer. And if you can’t avoid the noise emanating from outside your home, there are always earplugs to dampen unwanted sound.

Retired Show Dog Moves into Pet Therapy

When human beings retire, the sky is the limit to what exciting and fun activities they tackle. But what is available for a show dog who retires at three years of age from the ring of competition? What’s next? For champion Benjamin, his human mother knew exactly what was the next step in this blue merle collie’s life — pet therapy.

Becoming a Pet Therapy Dog

During his years as a show dog, the accolades had piled up for Benjamin: Canadian Champion, Grand American Champion and best in breed a number of times. Gail Currie knew Benjamin was ready and willing for a new challenge. “It started with an initial evaluation as to whether Benjamin had the temperament and attitude to be a pet therapy dog,” said Gail who happens to have a total of five other collies at home. “After he passed this first step with flying colors, Benjamin trained intensively.”

To become a pet therapy dog, Benjamin learned to leave food (and other items such as medication) on the floor, not bark excessively and not be startled or distracted by unusual noises, odors and medical equipment like wheelchairs. According to Gail, pet therapy dogs need to have a gentle personality and remain calm when strangers pet them.

The duo makes pet therapy visits at Sturgill Hospice House as well as assisted living facilities in Hernando County like Forest Oaks of Spring Hill. Gail and Benjamin also participate in many veteran events such as one sponsored by the Hernando Chamber of Commerce and the One Community Now Stand Down for veterans event in Pasco County. They also participate in “Dogs in Court” in Judge Lynn Tepper’s Family and Dependency Court on Thursdays.

When not making pet therapy visits, Gail breeds, raises, trains and shows what else — collies!  She also volunteers for the Collie Health Foundation as membership chairman. “In representing the Collie Health Foundation, I travel to the Collie Club of America’s National Dog Show as well as Sunnybank — a gathering of all collies and collie enthusiasts held in Wayne, New Jersey each August,” added Gail.

The Difference Pet Therapy Makes for Patients

When they make their pet therapy visits every week, Gail witnesses first-hand how Benjamin’s presence affects patients, families and staff. “It is touching to see a patient who is living in a memory care unit recognize Benjamin as a collie. They call us over so they can pet ‘Lassie.’ Every visit is a worthwhile opportunity to make a difference.”

Both Gail and Benjamin enjoy volunteering via pet therapy and have been doing so for the past three years. “Our visits bring smiles to patients. It is so rewarding to see frowns replaced with smiles — I know we make everyone’s day brighter,” shared Gail.

Rewards of Volunteering

At Chapters Health, we believe there is no volunteer opportunity more rewarding than helping at one of our hospices. There are many ways to volunteer with Chapters Health and our affiliates and not just by making pet therapy visits. Other volunteer opportunities include patient and family support, grief support and other roles such as making phone calls to patients, copying, filing and helping with mailings.

Please consider becoming a volunteer for Chapters Health or any of our affiliates—Good Shepherd Hospice, HPH Hospice  and LifePath Hospice. It’s as easy as filling out an application, just click here. Or visit our opportunities page for more information. We’d love to have you, and as you learned from Gail and Benjamin, volunteering can be quite rewarding for both the human and furry sidekick!

At Chapters Health System, every day is devoted to educating our patients and keeping them in the place they call home. We are dedicated to ensuring that patients, young and old alike, and their families are able to make educated decisions about important healthcare matters. For more information, please call our helpful Chapters Health team at 1.866.204.8611 or send an email to info@chaptershealth.org. 

About Phoebe Ochman

Phoebe Ochman, Director of Corporate Communications for Chapters Health System, manages all content and communications for the not-for-profit organization.

Favorite Television and Movie Dogs

If you had to put pen to paper and create a top 10 list (think back to David Letterman and his infamous top 10 lists), what would be your favorite dogs in television and movies? The following are some of our favorites at Chapters Health.

Number 10: Hooch in “Turner and Hooch” — this classic buddy flick starred Tom Hanks as Turner and a French mastiff (Dogue de Bordeaux) really named Beasley as Hooch. There were actually a total of four dogs that played Hooch in the film. And in keeping with the legal disclaimer in most films (you know the one: no animals were harmed in the making of this film), a Hooch replica was created and used in a tragic scene toward the end of the movie.

Number 9: Scooby Doo in “Scooby Doo” — even though Scooby Doo is not an actual dog but a cartoon character, who doesn’t love this iconic Great Dane? Created by Hanna-Barbera, Scooby Doo and his human sidekick, Shaggy, were loosely based on the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.

Number 8: Frank in “Men in Black” series — although a pug on screen, Frank was also an alien in this movie starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The real name of the dog that played this Remoolian was Mushu. And if you think the headliners were the only stars that received royal treatment, you would be wrong. Frank/Mushu had his own hotel room and dined on steak and chicken courtesy of room service.

Number 7: Buddy in the “Air Bud” movies — the star of this series of movies was a Golden Retriever capable of playing basketball on an elite level. Buddy was the actual name of this dog and also happened to play Comet, the Tanner family dog, for six seasons on “Full House.”

Number 6: Eddie in “Frasier” — after only six months of training, Moose, the Jack Russell terrier won the coveted role playing Eddie in the series named after the main character, Dr. Frasier Crane. Moose had the unique gift of being able to stare long and hard at his owner. Bestowing attention on his co-stars was another story — only liver pate or sardine oil prompted Moose to lick.

Number 5: Pete in the “Our Gang” (and later “Little Rascals”) — the original Pete in the “Our Gang” comedies was an American Pit Bull Terrier that had a natural ring around his right eye. Other dogs playing Pete (also called Petey) needed to have the ring added by a well-known make-up artist, Max Factor.

Number 4: Marley in “Marley and Me” — based on the memoir titled “Marley and Me” by John Grogan, the movie takes the audience on a journey through the life span of Marley, a yellow Labrador retriever. Obviously, the same dog could not play a puppy, adult and senior dog so the movie production actually used a total of 22 dogs to act as Marley.

Number 3: Toto in “The Wizard of Oz” — even though Toto in the movie (and the book by L. Frank Baum) was a male dog, the part was played by a female Cairn terrier named Terry. Here’s a fun fact about Terry: She was actually paid more each week for her role in the movie than any human in the role of a Munchkin…$125 per week.

Number 2: Benji in the series of “Benji” movies — in the movies, mixed breed Benji had a gift for always being at the right time in the right place. It is entirely apropos for Benji to be number two on our top ten list as he was the second dog to be nominated into the Animal Actors Hall of Fame.

And last but certainly not least, the number one dog on our favorite list would have to be Lassie, the Rough Collie, who appeared in both movies and on television. Originally based on a short story by Eric Knight about a female collie, the movies changed the gender of Lassie simply because the coat of the breed would be fuller in a male.

So which dogs are your all-time favorites? Please leave a comment below.

With the ‘End Game’ in Sight

Last month the viewing public received its first glimpse of a NetFlix-produced documentary titled “End Game” in a short trailer. The 40-minute documentary, now in full release, highlights the stories of a number of individuals, how they handle their current life and contemplate death in the all-to-near future. Thus, an intense light is shed on the world of end-of-life treatment.

End Game Insight

Oftentimes, the discussion of hospice is a difficult and crucial conversation, and should and needs to take place long before this type of care is necessary. It’s a talk that many are not ready emotionally to have when faced with a dying parent, spouse, sibling or other family member.

As “End Game” opens with an iconic view of the San Francisco skyline, we meet the healthcare team at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. This group knows the benefits of palliative and hospice care are priceless and how to best explain the whys to patients and families.

The documentary takes on the challenge so many in hospice face: the misconception that hospice means and equals death. According to Steven Pantilat, MD, physician and distinguished professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine at UCSF Medical Center, “I think it is healthy people who think about how they want to die and sick people who think about know how they want to live.”

“Two people can have the same disease and even same circumstance. But one person takes everything in stride and the other person just can’t accommodate the illness or diagnosis,” said Zen Hospice Project’s visionary BJ Miller, MD. From his viewpoint, Dr. Miller believes when people stop holding onto the way life used to be, eyes are opened to a new understanding, and patients can then let go over suffering. “I think of suffering like a gap or a wedge. It’s a gap between the world you want and the world you have. That to me sums up suffering very nicely.”

At Zen Hospice Project, people are encouraged to not run away from life’s difficult moments and the “hard stuff.”

Sometimes the introduction of palliative care is a concept that patients and families can handle as a stepping stone to hospice. Kym Anderson, a patient featured in “End Game” shared, “Hospice has a label of … that’s it, and palliative care keeps you well as long as possible. It helps you transition to hospice. In my career in nursing for 40 years, I saw patients come into the hospital and die. That’s not how I want to do it. I want to stay home.”

Familial Disagreement

Many times when patients hear the devastating news about their disease and life expectancy, they are unable to fully grasp and understand the information. And then if you add to the mix a difference of opinion between patient and loved ones, end-of-life care can prove to be even more stressful.

There are quite a number of people who have misinformation when it comes to hospice. (Learn the truth about hospice here.) Family members fear their loved ones’ quality of life will be lessened if hospice is called in, as viewers witness in “End Game.” Additionally, they feel hospice is giving up and not fighting back to stay alive.

Hospice and palliative care can help patients make the most of life. “We help people live as well as possible for as long as possible,” Dr. Pantilat emphasized. “Doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains work together to help the whole person with symptoms, answer questions and provide physical, psychological and spiritual support for the patient and family.

“Some patients want to be home with their families and receive good care there without any more treatment. That’s okay and a very legitimate decision,” continued Dr. Pantilat. “And there are others in such a situation who will say ‘if there’s a medicine that might make my symptoms a little better and allow me to live a few more weeks, I would like to give it a try.’”

Fear of the Unknown

In “End Game,” Dr. Miller gave one of his patients an assignment: Make friends with death. “I have failed my assignment. I love to live,” confessed Thekla Hammond. In response to Thekla, Dr. Miller suggested what might work is to create a relationship with death. “Just so it is less scary than this unknown thing in the closet that we never look at, never see and never touch.” And Thekla agreed, “What is scary is the unknown and what you can’t control.”

Each patient and family dynamic situation is different. There is no right or wrong answer for end-of-life care.  Particularly insightful was a comment made by Pat Harris when she was interviewed at Zen Hospice Project, “What is important to me is to take each day at a time. Each moment is a gift. You are still here and that in and of itself is a gift.”

At Chapters Health System and its affiliates—Good Shepherd Hospice, HPH Hospice and LifePath Hospice, every day is devoted to educating our patients and keeping them in the place they call home. We are dedicated to ensuring that patients, young and old alike, and their families are able to make educated decisions about important healthcare matters. For more information, please call our helpful Chapters Health team at 1.866.204.8611 or send an email to info@chaptershealth.org.

About Phoebe Ochman

Phoebe Ochman, Director of Corporate Communications for Chapters Health System, manages all content and communications for the not-for-profit organization.

More Insight from Featured Physician

Although his name and face might be new to some, Dr. Steven Pantilat might be familiar to others who have read his book, “Life After the Diagnosis.” Within the pages of his book, he expands many of the same concepts briefly touched upon within “End Game.”

On Tuesday, July 10 at 9 a.m., LifePath Hospice kicks off the Life Reads Book Club and picked Dr. Pantilat’s book as its first selection. The event will take place at Barnes & Noble in Carrollwood located at 11802 N. Dale Mabry Highway. Created for the community, this club features books that highlight life encounters with illness and aging — especially from a caregiver’s perspective.

The discussion of “Life After the Diagnosis” will be led by Ashleigh Kirsten, RN, and Tracey Ward, both professional relations representatives with LifePath Hospice.

For more information, please contact Ashleigh at 813.394.3231.

PTSD: What You Should Know

According to Jon Karon, “In World War I, they called it shell shock. Second time around, they called it battle fatigue. After ‘Nam,’ it was post-traumatic stress disorder.”

The horrors witnessed by our military service men and women have changed with time, advances in equipment and technological capabilities. Nevertheless, war and other traumatic events transform individuals in unique, and yet similar, ways. For some, painful memories fade over time, but for others, the negative thoughts and feelings do not disappear.

What is PTSD?

In this day and age, many have heard the term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) mentioned. Most often it is talked about in association with war and the mental health issues many veterans face. But what is PTSD exactly?

PTSD can actually develop months or even years after the traumatic event. If painful memories, thoughts and feelings linger for months or years and disrupt everyday life, individuals should seek a definite diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

The statistics for PTSD in 2018 are startling. Here are some of the highlights reported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Nation Center for PTSD and the not-for-profit organization PTSD United:

• In the United States, approximately 70 percentof adults, or about 223 million people,  experienced some type of traumatic event at least one time in their lives.
• It is believed up to 20 percentof these individuals will develop PTSD. This means approximately 44.7 million people are battling or have struggled with PTSD.
• At any given time, it is estimated that 24.4 million Americans have PTSD. To put this statistic in perspective, this sum equals the total population of Texas.
• With regard to the military, up to 30 percent of Vietnam War veterans, up to 10 percent of Gulf War veterans and approximately 20 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, the number of PTSD diagnoses keeps rising with last year alone, increasing by 50 percent.

What Are the Symptoms of PTSD?

According to American Psychiatry Association, the symptoms of PTSD fall into four categories:

• Revisiting the traumatic experience:
  • Symptoms take the form of flashbacks, nightmares and involuntary memories.
• Emotional distance:
  • Sufferers avoid people, activities and places that serve as traumatic reminders.
• Extremes of emotion:
  • People with PTSD can be easily angered, feel jittery, act reckless and/or have trouble sleeping and staying focused.
• Negative thoughts and feelings:
  • Guilt, shame, fear and lowering self-esteem tend to be a common thread in people with PTSD.

PTSD Treatment Options

When it comes to treatment options for PTSD, there are three primary goals:

• Reduce the number of symptoms
• Teach the person with PTSD how to cope
• Rebuild self-esteem and self-worth

The primary method of accomplishing these goals is with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Therapists are committed to helping PTSD sufferers adapt and change their way of thinking about traumatic events. For the most part, those with PTSD are encouraged to talk about the events and determine strategies to overcome and conquer the fears associated with the trauma.

PTSD and Hospice

As part of the “We Honor Veterans” program, which is a partnership between the Veterans Administration, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the hospices of Chapters Health—Good Shepherd Hospice, HPH Hospice and LifePath Hospice, there is a deep understanding of the unique needs of veterans and particularly those who have a PTSD diagnosis. The partnership provides hospice staff and volunteers with the education and training necessary to serve veterans through the challenges they may face from traumatic life experiences as a result of serving in the military.

At Chapters Health System and its affiliates—Good Shepherd Hospice, HPH Hospice and LifePath Hospice, every day is devoted to educating our patients and keeping them in the place they call home. We are dedicated to ensuring that patients, young and old alike, and their families are able to make educated decisions about important healthcare matters. For more information, please call our helpful Chapters Health team at 1.866.204.8611 or send an email to info@chaptershealth.org.

About Phoebe Ochman

Phoebe Ochman, Director of Corporate Communications for Chapters Health System, manages all content and communications for the not-for-profit organization.

The Meaning behind Traditional Flag Folding

There are many names for the American flag: Old Glory; The Stars and Stripes; The Red, White, and Blue; and The Star-Spangled Banner to name a few. The original 13-star version of the flag was first unveiled on June 14, 1777, and that is why June 14 is known as Flag Day. And in case you were wondering, our current 50-star flag has flown since July 4, 1960.

At some point in time, whether in person or witnessed on television or in film, you probably saw the folding of the flag. Have you ever noticed that the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the flag? The flag is folded exactly 13 times in remembrance of the original 13 colonies. But did you know there is a specific meaning to each fold?

Here is what each fold of the flag means:

• The first fold symbolizes life.
• The second fold represents a belief in eternal life.
• The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans who gave their lives in defense of the country in order to help attain peace throughout the world.
• The fourth fold is in recognition of the nature of the country’s citizens to trust in God.
• The fifth fold is a tribute to the United States. According to Stephen Decatur, U. S. Naval Commander during the American Revolution and War of 1812, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong.”
• The sixth fold symbolizes where people’s hearts lie in keeping with the words of our pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
• The seventh fold pays tribute to the armed forces. After all, through our armed forces, the United States is protected against all enemies.
• The eighth fold is a tribute to those who died, and as Psalm 23 states, “entered into the valley of the shadow of death.”
• The ninth fold honors womanhood.
• The 10th fold is a tribute to fathers.
• The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in Judaism, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
• The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the eyes of Christians, God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost.
• The 13th and last fold reminds us that when the flag is completely folded, in the uppermost corned signify our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

Additionally, when the flag is completely folded and tucked in, the resulting shape appears like a tricorne hat and represents the soldiers who served under General George Washington, the sailors and marines who served under Naval Commander John Paul Jones and the many who have followed them in order to preserve the rights, privileges and freedoms we enjoy today. So in the future when you see a flag folded, you will hopefully now have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the tradition.