Visiting Nurse Journal

A dog bed caught my eye. I was at my first patient’s house where I was doing a home health aide supervision for another nurse. The dog bed was in the living room. I didn’t see any dog around though. I was able to take a closer look at the dog bed when my patient [...]

What Do You Know About Agave?

People are talking about agave. I never heard of it until today. A friend of mine asked me if I had heard NPR’s Faith Middleton interview a nutritionist talking about agave nectar. I hadn’t so she told me about the show. Faith Middleton’s guest was Ania Catalano who has just come out with a book called [...]

The Nurses’ Health Studies: Have You Heard About Them?

For more years than I can remember, I have been part of a study called The Nurses’ Health Studies.
“The Nurses’ Health Studies are among the largest and longest running investigations of factors that influence women’s health. Started in 1976 and expanded in 1989, the information provided by the 238,000 dedicated nurse-participants has led to many [...]

It is All About the Bananas!

                                                                                     
Just like the apple, a banana a day can keep the doctor away. The banana contains protein, fiber, vitamin A, Vitamin C, the B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, and magnesium. A small banana contains just 15 gms of carbohydrates. It is low in sodium and high in potassium. As a nourishing snack, bananas are a winner.

“We Wish Nurses Still Wore Caps!”

I hear it all the time. Patients tell me that they wish nurses still wore caps. They don’t like not being able to easily identify just who is a nurse. I tell them that nurses don’t wear caps because they aren’t practical. They slip and slide and fall off. I also tell them that when [...]

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Pneumonia in the Elderly: Don’t miss it!

When our oldest son was a baby he developed pneumonia after choking on some food. The kind of pneumonia he had was called aspiration pneumonia. He ran a temperature, coughed alot, and acted sick. My husband had pneumonia when he was in his forties. He had a cough that just wasn’t getting any better and he felt [...]

A Pill for You, A Peanut for Him

 

He was such a determined little squirrel. While I worked to fill the medication box for my elderly patient, this darn squirrel stared at me through the sliding glass doors. He watched and he waited. Next to the prescription bottles was a dish filled with shelled and unshelled peanuts. My patient doted on the wild birds and squirrels that came [...]

A Nurse’s Pick of On-Line Health Newsletters

I subscribe to a number of on-line health newsletters. There is just so much going on in the health field that it is hard to keep up sometimes. Newsletters are a good way to capture the top health stories and most recent studies. I want the health information I read to come from a credible and responsible source so I [...]

Only Mondays

There’s nothing like a busy Monday! I have a note on my desk from a weekend per-diem nurse. She saw Mrs. Patterson, one of my patient’s with dementia and a wobbly gait. She fell and broke her hip and is the hospital. I stop to look at the assignment board for today. I have six [...]