They’re the faces of patient care in the health industry, and often ones you see the most while receiving care. And if you play the role of a caretaker for an elderly relative, then you probably have a good idea of how difficult their job is. Since May is National Nursing Month, we thought we would spend some time in today’s blog talking about the little-known facts surrounding nurses:

• Nurses do a lot of lifting on the job, which might be why 59% of them list back injuries as their greatest workplace fear.
• Nurses have their own special superstitions. Supposedly, saying “Quiet” on the job will jinx your shift to be extra difficult!
• Another nursing myth is that you’re never supposed to mention a patient who ends up on your floor often—just saying their name is a guarantee that they will show up that day!
• It’s a popular profession—there are nearly 4 million professionally active registered nurses in the United States.
• First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln was a volunteer nurse in the Civil War.
• The vast majority of nurses in the United States—one in five, as a matter of fact—work in hospitals
• Those hospital nurses are the busiest in the warmer months. That’s when the majority of emergency room visits happen.
• During the Crusades, Pope Urban II created a nursing knighthood. They were known as the Knights Hospitallers.
• It’s a very old line of work—the first school for nurses was started in India in 250 B.C.E.
• The founder of modern nursing was Florence Nightingale. Known as the “Lady with the Lamp,” she was immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Santa Filomena.”

We tip our hats to these hard-working fellow members of the health industry. If you’re a caretaker, we’re also here to help. We have a number of helpful hints in our Resource Center, as well as fall prevention products to help your relative age safely in-home.

With all the achy joints, knees and hips, it’s no wonder that many seniors don’t enjoy or participate in physical activity. However, by doing a little bit of exercise every day, seniors can actually increase their mobility, well-being and quality of life. With May 25^th being National Senior Health & Fitness Day, we thought we would talk in today’s blog about some of the ways you can stay fit in your Golden Years:

• Consult your doctor. This will alert them to pay extra attention to your heart, lungs and bones. You don’t want to overstress your heart, and you want to make sure osteoporosis hasn’t started to set in and risk breaking a bone.
• Start slow. You may feel like you’re miles behind everyone else at the gym, but it’s important you go at your pace. If you overdo it, you may find yourself back at the doctor’s—and not for good reasons!
• Remember that you’re not 20 anymore. While you may remember the thrill of running 5 miles in 45 minutes or less, doing so now could put you in a lot of pain. It’s okay to not be in the same place as you used to be.
• Stop if you feel pain! It’s your body’s warning signal that you’re overdoing it. Again, you’re not 20, so recovering from a hard workout now will take much longer than it used to.
• Warm up. This is something you may not have had to do as a young adult, but as an older adult, not doing so can lead to injury.
• Experiment with a variety of different exercises. Find one that you enjoy and that doesn’t overstress your body or put you in pain. Biking, walking, swimming and yoga are good things to consider.

Young or old, there’s no denying the benefits of regular exercise. We carry a number of products that can help you become more active, even if it’s difficult.