Beach Terrace Care Center takes part in Human Rights Day

(December 15, 2014) Long Island, New York – Beach Terrace Care Center proudly celebrates Human Rights Day. In 1950, the United Nations General Assembly declared December 10 as Human Rights Day. This holiday was created to raise international awareness about the undisputable rights and protection that all humans are entitled to. On December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was accepted by the United Nations and is considered to be the first doctrine on the promotion for the preservation and maintenance of human rights. This declaration has pathed the way for future human right bills and laws.

“Promoting human rights is one of the core purposes of the United Nations, and the Organization has pursued this mission since its founding.  Then, as now, the key to success is the political will of Member States. It is States, in the first instance, that are obliged to protect human rights and prevent violations at a national level, and to stand up when other States fail to live up to their commitments.  This is not always easy, and over the past 20 years we have seen genocide and many other appalling and large-scale violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” stated Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General in 2013.

“Here at Beach Terrace Care Center, we believe that human rights is one of the noblest causes. It is our duty, as denizens of this earth, to strive to establish and protect equals rights and protection to all of mankind,” Martin Zwick, administrator at Beach Terrace Care Center.

Recently named one of America's Best Nursing Homes of 2013 by U.S. News & World Report, Beach Terrace Care Center is a 182-bed premier skilled nursing facility, specializing in dedicated treatment options for residents from short-term rehabilitation to long-term care. Located at 640 W Broadway, Long Beach, NY, mere feet from the water, Beach Terrace Care Center provides personalized care for each resident. Beach Terrace offers a renowned Alzheimer's/Dementia program, hospice and behavioral unit. 

For more information on Beach Terrace Care Center, visiting hours, or general inquiries, call us at 516.431.4400 or email us at admissions@beach-terrace.com. Kindly visit our website at www.beach-terrace.com. Like us at Facebook.com/BeachTerraceCC. Follow us at Twitter.com/BeachTerraceCC. Connect with us at Gplus.to/BeachTerraceCC.

Beach Terrace Proudly Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This month Beach Terrace Care center helps promote awareness of breast cancer during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For the staff at Beach Terrace Care Center, educating the public on this important issue is a priority.

Many people want to know what impact National Breast Cancer Awareness Month can have on their lives. The truth is that Breast Cancer Awareness Month can make a huge difference in many people’s lives, regardless if they are diagnosed with breast cancer. This month offers the opportunity to spread important information about the steps women can take to help discover breast cancer in its early stages.

Here are a few ideas that anyone, regardless of age, gender, or diagnosis can do to help raise awareness:

Ask doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers to speak to women about the significance of getting tested for breast cancer.

Organize a communal breast cancer awareness talk in your neighborhood for women to become educated on the dangers involved and the importance of stay up-to-date with breast cancer research and information.

“Here at Beach Terrace Care Center, we would like to emphasize on everyone, especially women above forty years old, the importance of staying current on your mammograms and other breast cancer screening tests.  Please talk to your medical provider about breast cancer and what you can do to detect it early,” says Martin Zwick, administrator at Beach Terrace Care Center.

Internet Usage in the Elderly:

Ready to join the age of the internet but don’t know where to begin? Research shows that billions of people across the globe log onto the internet daily, but it seems to be that the elderly are not included in those statistics. The lack of internet usage by the elderly can mainly be attributed to the sheer unfamiliarity of the world wide web and all the other technology associated with it. As unfamiliar, vast, and foreign the internet may be to an elderly person there are many worthwhile benefits that come along with surfing the web. First off, new studies show that internet usage in the elderly can help prevent depression. As people age they begin to feel isolated and lonely the internet can reverse those feelings. The internet is a great place for the elderly to promote sociability and connect with others, through platforms such as Facebook, Email, Blogs and more. There is no better feeling that connecting with an old friend, or even making new ones. A second major benefit of internet usage for the elderly is increased brain function. As you age it is important to keep your mental capacity at its peak. The best way to do that is keeping your mind stimulated, and the internet does just that. Still doubtful? Research has proven that even minimal internet usage in the elderly can improve brain function and efficiency.  

So where do you begin on your new journey in cyberspace? The answer lies in two important points. Firstly, the best way to learn is by being taught by somebody who is experienced. Find a relative or friend who is willing to teach you the basics of internet usage to get you started. Ask them to show you how to do internet searches, internet shopping, and helpful functions like copy and paste. Once you have learned from others the next step is trying it out yourself. Take time to explore the wonders of cyberspace on your own. Just like many things in life, surfing the internet needs practice.

There has never been a better time to begin using the internet. So much can be done on the internet such as shopping, banking, and learning about the world around you. What are you waiting for? Now is the time!

Home Security Tips for Seniors:

Many seniors enjoy living on their own or with a loved one. However, statistics show that the elderly are at high risk for crime inside the home, mainly burglary. Below are tips that guide seniors to having a safe home at all times.

1. Many times old windows and doors begin to rot and make it difficult to lock. Make sure each door and window in your home can be properly locked and secured. If possible, consider looking into a home alarm system that is connected to your local police station.

2. Never leave a spare key under a front door mat or in a mailbox. This is generally where they are hidden, and the first place where burglars tend to look.

3. Make sure you have adequate lighting outside the perimeter of your home, including the street. Additionally make sure your home address is clear and visible from the street. This will make sure that your house can be easily found in case of an emergency. 

4. Become friendly with your neighbors and let them know if you will be away from home for a few days or an extended amount of time. Kindly ask them to keep an eye out for any strange or suspicious activity on your property while you are away.

5. Before letting a service worker in your home (such as utility workers or even policemen) check his or her identification card and call the company to make sure it is scheduled. Do not open the door or let anybody into your home without verifying it first.

6. Inside your home keep all your valuables in a safe place, such as a fire-proof safe. If you choose to keep items like passports, jewelry, and large amounts of money in a safe make sure you remember the code or have a spare key. Never leave any valuables out in the open, such as on a dresser. This will prevent easy theft in case of a burglary.  

7. Still keep your money in your mattress? You may want to think twice about that and keep in safely in a bank. In the homes of the elderly burglars generally look in the mattress of the home where lo and behold they find lots of cash. Keep your money safe!

Following these few tips will ensure each elderly person will have a safe and happy home!

A Guide for Taking Medication

Many times a person will be prescribed a drug that does not specify when exactly it should be taken. Although you may have been told how many times to take it, do you know exactly when? For example, if your doctor prescribed you an oral pill to take once a day, when is the best time to take it? Morning? Afternoon? At night before bed? A simple call to your doctor can give you the answer, but recent studies show the answer is not as simple as we may think. It has been found that finding the ideal time frame of when to take a drug can make the drug more effective as well as decrease the chances of unwanted side-effects. Finding this ideal time is known as drug chronotherapy. Drug chronotherapy can greatly help the effectiveness of drugs used for the relief of arthritis which is common in the elderly, as well as the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Below is a helpful guide clarifying the best times to take certain medications that are often prescribed to the elderly.

• Medication for High-Cholesterol: Take this before you go to bed as bad cholesterol levels are highest around midnight.
  
• Medication for High-Blood Pressure: Take this before you go to bed helps normalize blood pressure rhythm for the coming day.
  
• Medication for osteoarthritis: Take four to six hours before the pain reaches its peak. Therefore the medication will kick exactly when needed.
  
• Medication for Heartburn: If your heartburn is the worst during the nighttime it is best to take your medication thirty minutes before your evening meal.
  
• Medication for Arthritis: Take at night, generally before bed, this will help with pain the next day.

These helpful guidelines will surely make sure you get the most out of your medication. However, before making any changes it is important to contact your doctor and pharmacist and confirm it with them first.

Be HIPAA Safe and Shred Your Medical Documents | Beach Terrace Care Center

 Medical documents, bank statements, credit cards and papers with personal and revealing information tend to pile up and fall under the radar. Letting one of these crucial pieces of personal information slip away into unknown hands has potential for extreme danger. When your private information gets into the wrong hands it usually leads to identity theft, money loss, and lots of stress. With such strict HIPAA laws, it can even be illegal to not properly dispose of medical documents.

Although nowadays much identity theft comes from information that is stored digitally, there is still a great possibility of your information been stolen from physical papers and documents. So what can you do to make sure your private documents don’t end up in the wrong hands? Shred them! Shredding your documents systematically and routinely can clear the anxiety of losing personal information to the likes of identity thieves. This is something Beach Terrace Care Center takes very seriously.

Make it a habit to shred all of your excess and leftover documents every one or two months, depending on how much paper you accumulate of course. If you do not have access to a shredder many office-supply stores have a secure and reliable way to shred your documents, and some companies will even send a shredding truck to your home. In terms of digitally stored information, backing up the data on a hard drive and removing the obsolete waste is also a preventive measure. Shredding companies will also deal with your hard drives as well. Make shredding all your health documents a habit to ensure your private information is read by your eyes only!  ​

Why Sleep is Especially Important for Senior Citizens | Beach Terrace Care Center

No matter how old you are it has been proven that a good night’s sleep is an essential aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For senior citizens especially, getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to one’s physical and emotional health and stability, for several reasons.

Senior citizens who get a good night’s sleep, on a regular basis, are more focused, have better memory formation, and less overall memory related problems. The reason for this is because while sleeping, one’s body is able to repair any cell damage which happened that day. Sleep also helps improve one’s immune system to help prevent diseases.

Additionally, senior citizens who get a good night’s sleep, are less likely to suffer from depression, and are less tired over the course of the day. While sleeping well, senior citizens also tend to experience fewer nighttime falls, are less sensitive to pain, use fewer prescription or over the counter sleep medications, and are less likely to suffer from life threatening diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. In fact, women are even less likely to suffer from breast cancer.

For these reasons, Beach Terrace Care Center takes sleeping well at night very seriously. The care center trains its staff to take special precautions during night time hours to keep noise to an absolute minimum. Who knew getting a good night’s sleep could have such tremendous advantages for senior citizens!