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strong>Helping Seniors Find Joy During the Holidays
The holidays can be stressful for everyone, but for seniors facing mobility or health issues, a season that should be joyful and carefree can often bring on feelings of depression, loneliness and loss. With just a little planning and a positive attitude, sharing the holidays with your aging loved ones can make a difference in everyone's life. Here are easy ways to support a senior this season.
A favorite: Find new ways to share family memories, like creating a scrapbook with pictures and short stories that can be passed on from one generation to another.
Sharing meaningful traditions will make a big impact, too. Plan holiday activities together - baking, decorating, listening to festive music, watching classic holiday films. Time spent together will be treasured.
Calendar time to reach out and stay connected - and encourage your loved ones to do the same. Maintaining a regular routine of phone calls, letters or emails gives everyone something to look forward to.
Helping a senior create and connect is a fantastic gift. Assistance with writing holiday cards, making small care packages or knitting squares for a quilt that can go to the homeless will help them feel a sense of purpose. Gather the materials they need to accomplish these good deeds.
Being present, offering emotional support and giving the gift of your time and effort can make the holidays more memorable, more meaningful and more joyful for everyone in the family.
Home Instead Senior Care for Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys 254-8701

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Six Ways to Improve your Oral Health this Season
Wellness is more than just green juices, the number of steps taken or visits to the gym. It's about truly feeling good, looking natural and radiating confidence inside and out. A healthy smile lays the foundation that supports quality sleep, digestion, energy levels and overall wellbeing. When your mouth feels good, its easier for everything else to align. Here are six ways you can improve your oral and overall health.
1. Remember to floss
Flossing with string is best at removing daily bacteria biofilm and gunk that can lead to cavities, gum disease and more. But if you can't or won't floss by hand, electric flossers, like the ones from Slate or Flaus, make it manageable around natural teeth.
Pro tip: Always be careful flossing around crowns - slide the floss out the side. And - if money is no object - the Proclaim water flosser gets the job done in seven seconds. Why floss? It lowers the risk of developing dementia! Researchers with the American Academy of Neurology found those with gum disease had a 56 percent higher risk of getting dementia.
2. Brush gently and avoid abrasive whitening toothpastes
Scrubbing away the outer tooth layer causes the inside yellow dentin to surface, appearing darker and increasing sensitivity. If you are looking for a holiday glow-up, professional tooth whitening takes only an hour and is safe and effective.
3. Wear your nightguard
Wear your nightguard to protect your teeth from the trauma of clenching and grinding habits. Better yet, straighten your teeth to get them out of a harmful bite pattern. Correct and then protect!
4. Drink enough water
Drink enough water daily and add one tablespoon of chia seeds for superior hydration. Saliva is a cornerstone of oral health that is essential to a good pH, fewer cavities and your body's natural way of protecting tooth enamel.
5. Use Mouthtape
If you can, use mouthtape while sleeping. It's a game changer!
6. Take a probiotic
Take a dental-specific probiotic to support your healthy oral microbiome.
Sweet Tooth Dentistry Valencia 505-6000

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Here's Why "Holiday Break" is One of the most Popular Times for Scheduling Intimate Surgery
If you've been considering an intimate minimally-invasive surgical procedure like labiaplasty, you may have been wondering: "When's the ideal time to schedule my treatment?" The best answer is, "Whenever you're ready!" - but if you're trying to fit your procedure into your busy life, you'll really want to consider holiday break and winter. Here's why.
First: Think about your stitches! In SoCal, we're in the water a lot - but that's a no-no for six weeks after your labiaplasty or other vaginal surgery. Winter is the least-likely time you'll have to turn down an invite to a pool party or trip to the beach.
Other considerations that make winter a more-convenient window: time off work and school. You're likely already "off" at least a handful of days thanks to holiday scheduling - and that gives you the perfect amount of time to have your surgery performed and to give you a few days to comfortably recover. While full recovery is expected to take six weeks, the vast majority of patients are able to return to work and "life" just a few days after their treatment.
Labiaplasty Center of Los Angeles scvmedical.com

Microcores make a Big Impact on Skin Tightness
Ellacor is the most exciting new treatment that medical-aesthetic professionals have seen in years. FDA-cleared to treat moderate and severe wrinkles in the mid to lower face, this nonsurgical skin rejuvenation treatment uses micro-coring to smooth and tighten skin; hollow needles precisely remove tiny "microcores" of excess skin without surgery or thermal energy. These tiny cores extend through the full thickness of the skin, but they're so minuscule, they don't leave a scar. As much as 8 percent of the skin's volume can be removed in a single treatment session, making it smoother and tighter once it heals.
Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Care 254-3686