Windhorse Elder Care

In this episode of Senior Care Spotlight, we welcome Karen Sumey, LCSW. Karen is a clinical supervisor with Windhorse Elder Care. Karen shares how their "team approach" helps their senior clientele, some who are living with dementia or mental health concerns.

Written by: Patti Chenis, WEC Team SupervisorContemplative Practices/ meditation/mindfulness are beneficial ways to strengthen our wellbeing, resilience, and develop a fuller capacity to recognize the healing power in ones heart to work with stress and difficult challenges.Mindfulness is knowing what you are doing as you are doing it. It is bringing awareness to your present moment lived experience. Bringing our attention to breathing is one of the most widely used objects of meditation and anchor for our attention. Continually coming back to the attention and awareness of our breath brings a sense of precision, (being in the present moment-connecting to our life force of breath) gentleness, (allowing whatever is arising e.g. thoughts, emotions, sensations to be as they are without judgement and returning to our awareness of breath) and openness ( being curious about the richness and fullness of our experience).Mindfulness can be developed as a formal practice on meditation cushion, chair, standing up, lying down or walking meditation. The point of meditation is to remember to bring mindfulness (that conscious awareness of being in our present lived experience) into daily life, so you could say any aspect our lives can be a mindfulness practice.Her are some thoughts about bringing mindfulness, loving kindness, self-compassion and compassion into daily life.Deep Conscious BreathsTaking some deep conscious breaths in the morning or whenever you feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or want a fresh restart in you daily life. Before you do something stress- full, step back and take some deep breaths; research shows deep breaths calm the nervous system.MovementWalking (especially getting out and enjoying nature), yoga, tai chi, qigong, dancing to your favorite music, laughter (full belly laughs can do wonders for the spirit-try it), singing your favorite song(s); crying (allow yourself to feel the release that crying can bring e.g. tears of sadness, joy) whatever gets your energy moving and flowing.Self-compassion and compassion practicesDispel the myths that self-compassion is selfish or that we are not worthy of love and wellbeing. Research show that offering words of loving kindness to oneself changes our brain and improves our resilience, strengthens our immune system and increases our capacity to be of benefit to others. When we feel resourced and have a sense of well-being our capacity to work with stress and difficult emotions is greater.Good morning Practice:Good morning (put your name here) I love you. You can repeat this in the morning or anytime during the day to interject some good will toward oneself or someone else in your life if it is difficult to say this about yourself at first.Compassion is not only feeling empathy and emotional connection to the suffering of others but also wanting to relieve that suffering. It is the courage to open our hearts to our own suffering as well as that of others and that we are all interconnected, in the same boat so to speak. We can offer words of care and loving kindness to ourselves, mentors (someone who has been kind to us) friends, strangers, difficult people, as well as to all beings as we open our heart of compassion to include all. May I and all beings have happiness, well-being, safety, health and live at ease and in harmony.

Written by:  Natalie Davidson Admissions Team/Training & Education Coordinator, Windhorse Elder CareHappy Earth Day! While Earth Day is not an actual holiday, it is one of my favorite days of the year. It is an opportunity to celebrate this amazingly beautiful planet that we live on. It is a day for us to protect and conserve the earth. It is a chance for us to review the impact of our choices and how we can improve upon them. It is a day to remind us how we should show up for this planet not just on April 22, but every day of the year.Any effort to conserve the earth is important, but some are quite common while others are greatly overlooked. At this point, we all know the importance of recycling, limiting water usage when showering, brushing teeth or washing dishes, choosing a refillable water bottle over plastic, using reusable bags at the grocery store, skipping the plastic straw or using a glass or bamboo one instead, buying organic produce, limiting or eliminating our meat consumption and so on. What is less considered is the environmental impact of death. Yes, dying is a natural process and something that we will all go through. Some of the practices used post death however are less than natural and have a lasting impact on the environment. The good news is there are several options available that are kinder to the earth, and with this awareness we can make better informed decisions for ourselves or our loved ones. Having conversations and planning for how we want our body cared for after death is something that we can do! The power of these conversations and choices has the ability to leave a positive contribution to the earth, rather than a lasting toxic imprint that many of the traditional methods have.Conventional burial methods are extremely hard on the environment. With traditional practices, the body is embalmed to prevent decomposition. Chemicals that make up embalming fluid include formaldehyde, methanol, glutaraldehyde, dyes, disinfectants and other toxic substances. Over time these chemicals begin to leak into the earth. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, an estimated 827,000 gallons of embalming fluid is leaked into our waterways and soil every year. In addition to that, concrete vaults and wooden caskets covered in lacquer also leak chemicals into the earth, as well as taking up precious land space, preventing the growth of native plants and animal habitats.Cremation is a popular alternative to traditional burials. While in some ways it is more eco-friendly, there are other aspects of this process which can be harsh to the environment. Cremation requires a lot of energy and is typically sourced from natural gas. On average, the process takes about 2 hours to incinerate the body, and the temperature is held around 1600 degrees during that time. More of a concern than that is the emissions from the process. Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrogen fluoride and mercury vapor are some of the gasses that are released as cremation takes place, and filtering these fumes does not prevent the toxins from being released into the air.Luckily there are other alternatives to conventional burial and cremation that are gentler to the environment. If the more traditional methods are appealing to you, you may opt for a green burial. This looks similar to a conventional burial with a few eco-friendly changes. The body is not embalmed with green burial and therefore decomposes naturally. In place of a casket, the body may be wrapped in an unbleached cloth shroud or placed in a biodegradable casket. Native plants and grasses often grow naturally at green burial sites and the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides that are applied to the grounds of traditional cemeteries are omitted.If cremation is what you are set on, there are some earth friendly changes that can be made. First, you can ask the cremation provider if they can recycle any pacemakers, medical devices or prosthetic limbs, rather than having them go to the landfill. For those who are wanting to bury the urn holding the remains, biodegradable options are available. Having the cremated remains mixed with soil and packed into a biodegradable urn can allow you or your loved one to grow into a tree or flowers. If the idea of being at sea is more appealing, you can have the remains mixed with an environmentally friendly cement mixture and then placed at sea, to help grow and create an artificial coral reef and restore aquatic life.A newer style of cremation, known as water cremation or aquamation, is a wonderful alternative to traditional cremation. With this process, the body is placed in a steel tube that is filled with 95% water and 5% potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. The mixture is held at 350 degrees and the vessel is gently rocked from side to side for about 20 hours. This causes the body to dissolve, just leaving behind the skeleton, which is then ground into ash like in traditional cremation. The process uses 80% less energy as cremation, does not emit any chemicals, and the liquid solution remaining after the process makes a nutrient dense fertilizer for those who want to use it.In addition to making greener choices to how we dispose of the body of our loved one, there are other steps we can take to support the earth. Traditionally flowers are staple item for a funeral or memorial service. While this is a beautiful addition to a gravesite or gift to the grieving family, most of the flowers sold in the US are grown overseas with lots of chemicals and pesticides. Instead of purchasing traditional flowers, look for those that are local, organic or sustainably grown. Ask your florist if they can skip the foam and plastic that is often used in making wreaths and arrangements and use biodegradable materials instead. In lieu of flowers, consider asking for donations to you or your loved ones favorite charity. Another idea is having donations made to a carbon fund, to help offset the carbon emissions and environmental impact of the service and ceremony.Whatever you decide, know that your choices have lasting impacts. Though you may no longer be here to see that, your loved ones and the earth will feel the effects. With so many options available, it is easy to find something that honors your wishes while honoring the earth.  Mindful, environmentally friendly choices will ensure your legacy includes a positive lasting imprint on this world.