Graceful Health

None of us will live forever, but most of us hope that the years we do have on this planet are happy, healthy, and abundant.

Who knows how long you and I will live? The Central Intelligence Agency thinks it does. According to the CIA’s World Factbook, a collection of information about people around the globe, the average life expectancy in the United States is currently 80.1 years old. According to this publication, the U.S. ranks 45th out of 223 countries included in this summary. Not awful, but 44 other countries are living longer than us. 

In particular, individuals who live in Blue Zones are living longer than EVERYONE, and diet plays an important role in their longevity.

Women, here are some topics you probably don’t want to talk about: urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, pelvic organ prolapse. As frustrating or embarrassing as these conditions may be, please know that there is hope. Grace Cottage’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Center now offers Pelvic Health Therapy, which can help those dealing with the conditions listed above, as well as helping with sexual dysfunction, orthopedic and sports injuries affecting the pelvic region, and pelvic issues due to pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum complications.

Slips and falls are lurking everywhere, catching us unaware on snowy sidewalks and mud-slick pathways. We are on guard for falls when we know we’re on dangerous ground. We expect to fall while skiing or snowboarding; we might fall snowshoeing or shoveling out after a Nor’easter. We’re on alert for slips, and taking care to avoid a fall.

Quick – what’s the fastest, easiest thing you can do to protect your health? If you guessed, “Wash my hands,” you are correct! December 1-7 is National Handwashing Awareness Week, a perfect opportunity for this important reminder.

By Benjamin Wright, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Grace Cottage Family Health

As a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, I am vulnerable to burnout. Provider burnout is increasingly common in the United States and globally. The work of healthcare professionals is often carried out under crisis conditions, the outcomes of their decisions can seriously affect another person, they work long hours, and they may have little time for activities outside of work. All are factors that contribute to the possibility of developing burnout.