NCALA 2014, Winston-Salem

Always Best Care had a table at the annual North Carolina Assisted Living Association (NCALA) conference and trade show in Winston-Salem recently. It was wonderful meeting some extremely dedicated individuals from across North Carolina, who are passionate about senior care and about their communities.

It was especially great and exciting to say hello again to some of these individuals who we interact with regularly in our local communities.

Here are three owners from North Carolina who were at the trade show.

Joanne Pizzutto from Burlington/Southern Greensboro (center), Stephanie Gregory from North Wake county (right), and me from Eastern Wake county

Some show and glamor in downtown Winston-Salem

Halloween Art at Cambridge Village of Apex

Cambridge Village of Apex is a beautiful, vibrant senior living community located in a quiet neighborhood close to downtown Apex, with REX Rehab of Apex, a state of the art skilled nursing home as its next door neighbor.

Megan P and I were helping Linda Barmann (Activities Director at Cambridge Village), a fantastic vocalist among her various artistic talents, with her Halloween painting workshop. One of the residents who had never painted, created this "personality with a slight edge", with a wee bit of help. She was thrilled with the outcome even though her original intention was to make it pretty :)

The art of breath (healthy breathing strategies) - the deep breath

How you breathe is vitally important to your wellbeing. It becomes even more important as you age or when you are under stress. Why? Breathing is how you get vital oxygen into your body and cells, while exhaling "polluted" or "used-up" air. You can use various breathing techniques to enhance your energy, calm down, and prevent the onset of colds and coughs, especially as we transition from summer to fall and winter.

Here is a deep breathing technique. Use it to calm down and become present, thus gaining more while doing less (as opposed to constant multi-tasking).

Become aware

• Sit comfortably; take off any belts
• Become aware of how you are breathing; don't change anything, just become aware of your body breathing, sensing which parts of your body are involved – maybe the chest, maybe the belly/stomach, your nose, mouth, etc.
• Take a deep breath in; however way you normally take deep breaths
• Let the breath out slowly
• Take 2 more breaths this way
• Sense how you are already calmer than you were when you started this exercise

Deep breath

• When you are ready, start a breath by focusing on and filling your belly/stomach first
• When your belly is full, continue the breath into your chest/lung/heart region
• And finally when that region is full take the last bit of air into the area under the shoulders
• These are not separate breaths or steps, just one continuous flow of breath filling 3 different areas of your body
• Let the breath out slowly
• See which feels more comfortable - exhaling through your mouth or nose; at least initially do whichever feels more comfortable; be kind to your body
• Take 3-5 of these deep breaths, then relax your breath
• If your eyes feel like closing at any time, let them; closing your eyes will deepen your focus, meaning your breath; but do whatever feels comfortable
• How do you feel? Is there a sense of peace and calm inside and around you? Enjoy whatever sensation comes up

Practice

• Tony Robbins, the Master personal and business coach says practice makes perfect
• Use this deep breathing mechanism say twice a day, just a few breaths at a time
• It will take time to help the breath flow freely both when inhaling and exhaling; take your time, do as your body allows, being kind to yourself