- Behavioral Health, Pediatrics, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn the last few weeks, we have all been learning how to live online while being asked to remain at home. Whether it’s grocery shopping, working or browsing the internet, doing so much from home has taught us how to transition into a more virtual world. Similarly, children have felt the frustrations of social restrictions and the challenges that come with adapting to online learning. And whereas before they could go to school or to the playground before, now they are home. It’s easy to scroll through your phone or sit in front of the TV and binge watch new and old shows. And it’s ok to do that once in a while. At the end of the day, we’re all learning a new way of life and how to navigate through a pandemic. But it’s also important to remember that smartphone addiction is a real thing and that balance is important, especially for mental health. Our phones are a big part of our lives. Sometimes, it even feels like they’re an extension of our hand — placing us at the mercy of whomever calls, texts or tags us next. Those posts and messages, despite our best attempts, alter our mood and decisions. Our kids are just as digitally connected, and are displaying a similar, sometimes more extreme, shift in behavior as a result. Studies also show links between social media and depression and anxiety. So how can you help combat this? Encourage your kids to put their phone or tablet down and reroute their focus to the present moment. Although there are social restrictions that limit us from going outside, there are plenty of things you can do with your children to help them disconnect from technology: Carve tech-free time into the family schedule. Make electronic devices off limits at specific times. Dinnertime and before bedtime are a good start, but additional breaks from technology each day is also ideal. You can also limit digital distractions by creating tech-free rooms in the house, such as the kitchen or living room. Designate a drawer, a shoebox or a shelf as the place where everyone puts their phones away for tech-free time. Set your goals. Are you trying to have more family time? Talk about your children’s worries or fears? Decrease the amount of time you’re on your screens? Whatever you’re trying to achieve, make it clear so everyone can participate and work toward the goal collaboratively and intentionally. Use tools for mindfulness. You can create cards with questions that will make your child think and initiate a conversation. For example, ask them about a time they had to handle a difficult situation and how they successfully overcame it. Your child can’t be present if they’re sitting on the other side of the table on their phone. When you’re talking, you’re learning about the other person and, even more importantly, gaining their trust. Trust is essential to a good relationship. Make things fun. Think of fun activities that can replace the time your kids spend on their phone and computer. You can suggest going out for a walk together around the neighborhood. You can also ask them to share their ideas of what you can do together as a family. Think about non-verbal messages. Non-verbal signals, like using eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and body language will help your child recognize emotions and understand the intent of a message. These non-verbal cues are lost when someone’s face is turned down to a screen. It’s a new way of life. We’re all individually learning how to best navigate this time of uncertainty and what works best for us. If you need to scroll through social media and laugh at memes or watch your favorite show, do what feels right to you. Just be mindful to take care of your mental health and the mental health of your youngest family members. What kids are going to remember is how they felt during this time. Carve tech-free time to talk and go over their worries and feelings. Try to make it a positive and rewarding experience for kids as much as possible – it will in turn be a more positive experience for you, too. Author Daniel Watkins is the nursing manager at Pathways, Anne Arundel Medical Center’s substance abuse and mental health treatment facility. You can reach him at 410-573-5434.0
- Community, News & Press Releases, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAfter watching the news for days, Steven Saint Amour was aware that hospitals would soon face a shortage of PPE – something that kept him up at night. Looking for ways to help, he stopped by Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) and dropped off his contact information at the information desk. “I just couldn’t wrap my head around the collective loss of knowledge and experience after I saw the news where they reported that over 50 doctors in Italy and an untold number of other health providers had died,” Saint Amour explained. “Who would have ever imagined that these people faced equal or greater risk than our folks serving in the military, police and fire department? I chose to fight.” Shortly after, he received a call from Jan Wood, president of AAMC’s Foundation, who said she would take all personal protective equipment (PPE) that Saint Amour kept on hand and anything else they could donate. “As we face this health care crisis, our partnership with our community has never been more important or more valuable,” Wood said. “Steve and his mighty team have combined ingenuity, passion, kindness, expertise and a ‘can-do’ spirit to make a real difference in AAMC’s ability to provide the best possible care for our community and we are incredibly grateful.” Getting to work Saint Amour has been involved in the subsea industry for over 38 years and is recognized as an authority in the field of aviation and marine casualty investigations. His entrepreneurial spirit inspired him to donate approximately $2,000 worth of PPE from Eclipse Group, Inc., his own subsea services company, which he co-founded with his wife, Joan, over a decade ago. Saint Amour determined more needed to be done. In another middle of the night “aha!” moment, he looked at his 3D printer and did research online. He came across information about a team of doctors in Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont., who designed and coded masks with 3D printers. Saint Amour realized one printer would not produce masks fast enough. “We were already on lockdown and in the middle of dinner, my 17-year-old daughter very calmly and casually said she knew were we could find more,” he explained. Next day, Saint Amour called St. Mary’s High School (SMHS) and before he knew it, he had more 3D printers coming his way. Expanding the network of 3D printers Saint Amour picked up two machines from SMHS in the morning and got to work. “Later in the day, they called to say they had four more 3D printers at the elementary school and by Friday we had six printers printing masks,” he recalled. SMHS Principal Mindi Imes, without hesitation, joined the effort by putting out a call to action to 72 regional schools to donate their 3D printers and printing supplies. Volunteers promptly responded willing to lend their printers and as of April 3, Saint Amour has 21 printers. He keeps these in either his conference room in his company’s warehouse or at various other locations, including the homes of private citizens determined to help provide help to AAMC. Over the past week, he’s been contacted by local schools, residents, groups and other individuals offering to lend their 3D printers. “It’s kind of a grassroots effort,” he said. How it works The 3D printers are turned on at 5 or 6 pm and 10-12 hours later, there are 40 plastic mask shells ready to be assembled. To finalize these, Saint Amour and his team add a double gasket material so that it has a good seal and barrier on the wearer’s face, and then they insert a filter element and elastics to hold the mask to the face. In five minutes, the 3D printed mask is ready for use. Masks are delivered, each one independently in their own plastic bag. AAMC is using the masks for patients and for those in health care spaces who are not taking care of patients yet need extra protection. About 80 percent of the mask is plastic with an aperture at the front, making it easy to sanitize the mask, change the filter and reuse – a critical feature as PPE is precious now. Right now, Saint Amour is donating nearly 60 masks every day to AAMC. His goal is to produce 100 masks per day. “Our hold up right now is not having more 3D printers,” he said. Saint Amour is also working with volunteers in several other states and Canada to expand the effort and encourage them to produce masks using 3D printers. “We can either be spectators to a human disaster or we can act,” he said. Ways you can help If you or someone you know has a 3D Printer, consider joining St. Mary’s and Steve Saint Amour at Eclipse to produce Montana Masks. For more information about the local operation, the process for using your 3D printer to help, or starting your own local movement, please email SMHS Principal, Mindi Imes. If you would like to support the local Annapolis Montana Mask Movement, please donate using Venmo to JoanSaintAmour. Funds raised will be used to coordinate the purchase of supplies to create protective gear. St. Mary’s Elementary School Principal Rebecca Zimmerman is coordinating the purchase and collection of items needed, including 3D printing filament, furnace filters and disinfectant wipes.0
- Cancer CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLife after cancer can be a very exhilarating yet complicated time in someone’s life. From the time you get the diagnosis, you become extremely focused on the fight of your life. Everyone you know rallies around you and it’s an all-out war against this invader. At the end of your journey, God willing, you get the news and results everyone has been working toward and praying for — you’re cancer free. Then, it’s back to everyday life. I call it the “cancer hangover.” My wife compares it to the lead-up and excitement you feel during Christmas time and the feeling you have the day right after. She said the significant other also experiences this culmination of intense emotions, dedication and support. READ MORE about Brian’s story and how he learned that it’s never too early to take care of your health. Throughout my journey with colon cancer, I kept a journal of sorts with notes in my phone. I find it inspiring to go back and read what I thought in that moment. My notes read: Don’t wait until you are faced with your own mortality to be the son, husband, father, friend, neighbor and person you can be. Live life. Allow yourself to love, strive and achieve. Find patience and peace in life’s challenges. Accept your defeats and learn from your mistakes. Appreciate life’s victories, no matter how small, and be your own biggest fan and critic. Be patient and know that others are going through daily challenges as well. Don’t be afraid of self-analysis and to be critical of yourself. But make sure you also appreciate the positives and come up with a plan for improvement. Find what inspires you, absorb its strength and allow it to usher you forward. You can be a hero starting now. Your actions create the costume. Finding inspiration is easy. It’s remaining inspired that is the true test. Only coming from the lion’s mouth can we learn to roar. A day’s challenge is only as challenging as we make it. A worry will drag you down, confronting it will rise you up. Sometimes you have to ask yourself, in an honest first-hand opinion, what you can do to be the person you know you can be. We grow stronger in the face of adversity, wiser in the wake of mistakes and kinder with hearts open. The better ‘you’ is around the corner, the same one you have been around before. I am one of the lucky ones. After a shocking diagnosis, I was able to complete my cancer treatment plan and am happy to say I continue to be a cancer survivor. It took a lot of patience, a lot of faith, a lot of support and a comprehensive plan from the doctors to be where I am today. Listen to your body and seek help if something isn’t right. We all have our own challenges in life, it’s important to work your way through each battle in order to win the war. Take things one step at a time and prepare yourself to succeed. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story so others may be able to learn from my experiences and know that they can overcome what lies ahead. If you’re 50+ this year, pledge to have your colonoscopy. Learn more at askAAMC.org/Milestone50. Author Brian Page, from Annapolis, is a father of two and a 41-year-old colon cancer survivor. Originally published March 11, 2019. Last updated March 2, 2020.0
- General Page Tier 3BlogBy now, you’ve probably heard about GMOs (genetically modified organisms). But with all the talk about these harmful organisms in our food, how can you separate fact from fiction? Let’s start at the beginning. All food begins as an organism, a plant or animal with many traits. Since the dawn of agriculture, farmers have modified these traits using methods like selective breeding, cross pollination and hybridization to improve their crops. But GMOs go beyond these methods. To make a genetically modified organism, scientists select a desired trait from one living thing, copy that trait and place it in to another living thing. This process would not occur naturally. The most common GMO crops are soybeans, corn, cotton and sugar beets. Most GMO crops eventually end up on the dinner table as ingredients in the foods we eat, including everything from cereal to dessert. GMO crops are processed to become oil, sugar, starch, syrup, fiber and protein ingredients, as well as vitamins in foods and dietary supplements. Most meats, poultry, eggs, dairy products and farmed seafood contain GMOs because field corn and soybeans are used as feed for livestock. Beyond grains, most of the yeast and enzymes used to make everything from bread to cheese come from GMOs. Is non-GMO the same as organic? No. Non-GMO crops are still treated with herbicides and pesticides. Therefore, they are not organic. And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t set any standards to regulate the use of the non-GMO label. On the other hand, certified organic products cannot include GMOs. This means farmers aren’t allowed to grow produce from GMO seeds, their animals can’t eat GMO feed and food producers can’t use any GMO ingredients. What does the organic certification mean? When you see the USDA organic seal on a food or beverage product, you’ll know it’s organic. This certification bans chemical fertilizers, synthetic substances, irradiation, sewage sludge and GMOs in the production of these products. Antibiotics and synthetic hormones are also banned in organic meat and poultry. How can you eat less GMO foods? In short, eat less processed foods. Replace processed snacks with foods that are naturally non-GMO. These include fresh fruit, vegetables, potatoes, dried beans, nuts and seeds. Consider buying only organic. Choose foods that are verified non-GMO by a third party, like The Non-GMO Project. Avoid dining out, as most restaurants don’t use non-GMO ingredients. Want to make a simple switch? The most important foods to buy non-GMO are meat, eggs, yogurt and milk. These foods are all affected by animal feed, which is often genetically modified. Are GMO foods harmful? To date, there is no solid research that shows people have been harmed by GMO foods. However, just because there’s no evidence of harm does not mean GMO foods have been proven safe. Most research hasn’t existed long enough to determine the effects of GMO foods throughout a person’s lifetime. Non-GMO and organic products are a good place to start, but if you really want a healthier diet eat more foods that don’t need a label. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the hallmark of a healthy, nutritious diet. Sources: New England Journal of Medicine: GMOs, Herbicides, and Public Health Consumer Reports: GMO foods: What You Need to Know Tufts University: Questioning GMOs To learn more about nutrition services at Anne Arundel Medical Center, visit AskAAMC.org/nutrition. Authors By Ann Caldwell and Maureen Shackelford, nutritionists and registered dietitians at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach them call 443-481-5555.0
- General Page - Tier 2What is a Caregiver? A caregiver is simply someone who gives care to others. Caregiving might involve anything from helping an elderly parent organize their medications to providing round-the-clock care for a disabled child. A caregiver might be the mother of an adult with special needs, a husband or wife caring for a spouse with a chronic illness, or an older adult looking after a sibling with dementia. A caregiver does not need to be a family member. They may be a friend or companion of the person. They may give care 24/7, a few days a week, or on a part-time basis. The Unique Challenges of Caregiving Often, a caregiver doesn't have medical training, though may be expected to: Take on a new role that you feel completely unprepared for. You may never have pictured yourself in this situation, and you're not sure how to handle it. Be available round-the-clock. Be an advocate. Devote large amounts of time, energy, and resources towards managing complex medical care. Caregivers often feel overwhelmed, especially as a loved one's health gets worse. The demands of providing care can feel all-consuming, especially if you're still working, under a financial strain, or have other family obligations. Caregivers may experience stress, anxiety, depression, and physical health problems., At Luminis Health, we encourage caregivers to take care of their own needs as well as those of your care recipient. We address these needs as the “4Ms" — and here are some tips for managing them., Tips for Avoiding Caregiver Burnout Caregiving can take its toll on you emotionally and physically. To be able to take care of others you need to take care of yourself. Identify your support system. Make a list of key people in your life and those of your loved one. These people could be family, friends, neighbors, or members of your place of worship. Keep a visible calendar. It should be large and hung in a place where every visitor can see it. You can track appointments, needs, and visitors. You may want to highlight items or tasks that still need to be covered. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Most people genuinely want to lend a hand, but they don't know what you need. When someone says, “Let me know what I can do to help," give them a specific task (or choice of tasks). If you leave it vague, they won't know how to help — or they may assume you have all the help you need. Make a list of specific activities for helpers. That could include housework, shopping, laundry, delivering meals, visits, driving them to their doctor's appointments or other outings, or simply providing you with a few hours of respite. Schedule daily and weekly breaks. Sometimes just getting out for a couple hours — whether you have coffee with a friend, take in a movie, or go for a walk — can refresh and energize you. Create a Caregiver Healthcare Organizer , using a 3-ring notebook to collect all pertinent documents, history, calendars, medication lists, etc. for the person you care for. Then bring the organizer and all current medications to all medical appointments as a resource. View suggested content for your organizer here. Resources for Caregivers Fortunately, there are places to turn to help when it comes to caring for caregivers. Discuss caregiving with medical providers and nursing staff. They can walk you through what you might need to do as a caregiver and can offer access to support groups. For those who are hospitalized, the Luminis Health Expanded Guide for Caregivers and Care Partners discusses the invaluable role of Caregivers as they collaborate with the Healthcare Team, and questions to address prior to transitions home from the hospital. The Maryland Department of Aging and the Alzheimer's Association offer a wide range of support programs for caregivers, as well as legal and financial resources. Connecting with other people in your situation can be invaluable. There are many valuable articles and resources available at AARP caregiving page AARP.org/caregiving , including an excellent overview on Lessons AARP caregiving lessons page Every Family Caregiver Needs to Learn . Other resources include: Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities Prince George's County Aging and Disabilities Services National Caregiver Support Program United Hospital Fund Next Step in Care The Conversation Project Prince George's County Council Senior Resources Alzheimer's and dementia caregiving Alzheimer's patient and caregiver app Dementia Friendly America Video resources for caregivers: Age Friendly Care Defined Age Friendly Care Defined Older Adults & Medication Older Adults & Medication Dementia vs. Normal Memory Loss Dementia vs. Normal Memory Loss Mobility & Preventing Falls Mobility & Preventing FallsIf you have ever been a caregiver, you understand the unique rewards — and challenges — of looking after a loved one. You want to give them the best possible care from day to day, but being a caregiver can often feel overwhelming, lonely, and stressful. At Luminis Health, our goal is to provide support, educational tools, and comfort to caregivers of all ages. Here are some important things to know about being a caregiver.0
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