Recent studies show that people with developmental disabilities and mental illness have a greater risk for chronic disease than the general population. They are at a greater risk of illness (including COVID 19) and premature death or decreased lifespan. This is not new news.

A few years ago (around the time this photo was taken, after I trained the staff of Easter Seals Arkansas on the curriculum of special needs exercise and health education) I attended a population health summit in Washington DC.
Having been the head of a special needs Wellness Program at Easter Seals NJ at that time, my biggest takeaway was:
When you look at the most underserved people in our communities and look within those communities at the percentage of people with Intellectual disabilities and serious and persistent mental illness- you are then looking at the greatest of health inequities on the planet. 

If you are a community leader, health professional, or a family member of an individual with a disability, though the challenge of routine healthcare may at times be great, individuals with special needs require  preventive care, regular exercise and good nutrition as much as the total population, if not more.

Inclusion matters where health matters.

  

Throughout the summer and early fall, especially with high humidity, your body temperature can rise to dangerous levels and you can develop a heat illness. Most heat illnesses occur from staying out in the heat too long. Although exercise in moderation is good for overall health, exercising in the heat beyond appropriate levels for your age and physical condition are also factors. Older adults, young children, and people who are sick or overweight are most at risk. Heat-related illnesses include:
Heatstroke—a life-threatening illness in which body temperature may rise above 106° F in minutes; symptoms include dry skin, rapid, strong pulse and dizziness 
Heat Exhaustion—can precede heatstroke; Symptoms include heavy sweating, rapid breathing and a fast, weak pulse 
eat Cramps—muscle pains or spasms that happen during heavy exercise 
Heat Rash—skin irritation from excessive sweating Although any one at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others.

Check frequently on infants and young children, people age 65 or older, people who have a mental illness or developmental disability, and those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you treat a person suffering from heat exhaustion with the following:

• Take the person to a clinic or emergency room for medical evaluation and treatment.
• If medical care is unavailable, call 911.
• Someone should stay with the person until help arrives.
• Remove the person from hot area and give liquids to drink.
• Remove unnecessary clothing, including shoes and socks.
• Cool the person with cold compresses or have the worker wash head, face, and neck with cold water.
• Encourage frequent sips of cool water.

In the healthcare setting professionals use many types of precautions including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect themselves, their patients, and the public from infection. PPE includes gowns, gloves, respiratory masks and goggles. There is a proper technique to put on, remove, and dispose of PPE to further contain pathogens and prevent the spread of infection diseases.

During this time of the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic when non medical professionals are wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves on a daily basis, it is imperative that they know how to do it correctly in order to protect themselves and others.  First of all, the gloves only protect the wearer. So if you are wearing gloves and not taking them off- and sanitizing, or preferably, washing your hands between customers and between transactions or interactions, the contaminants (germs) that are on the gloves are being transferred to surfaces and other people.

In my personal and professional worlds I have seen people unknowingly contaminating surfaces without understanding how. I watched a loving caring person assist an adult relative with a disability in the rest room and she came out of the bathroom and touched cabinets and tabletops before taking her gloves off. She protected herself from germs, but did not protect everyone else.  She did not do it on purpose. She was not trained.  Another time I was in a deli and the worker wore gloves to handle food of a customer who was ahead of me. Then she rang up the order on the cash register. Then--!! she went back to the slicer to cut my deli order. No no no no no. I called her over and asked her to change her gloves. She was taken aback and defensive. I explained to her that she had just touched money and the countertop and now she was about to handle my food. I then quietly told her that I was a member of a local board of health and witnessed poor food handling practice which could be problematic for the customers and also for her employer who could be cited by the health dept.  It was an uncomfortable conversation but it was necessary. (You can report these poor practices to your board of health in your town, but that is another conversation. Let's get back to the main point...).
Imagine you are shopping in the supermarket today, during the COVID Pandemic. We are all required to wear masks to reduce or prevent the spread of the virus. We are not required to wear gloves but some do. (I wear them while sanitizing the handle of my cart and then remove them and throw them away properly. Then I carry sanitizer and sanitize my hands multiple times while I am shopping). If you do wear gloves, keep in mind, they are for your protection, and not for anyone else's protection. Anything you touch with those gloves are potentially contaminated with any germs that you came in contact with. 

There is a correct way to wear gloves, and a correct way to put them on and take them off so that you do not contaminate yourself while you are taking them off.



Zufall Health, a health center in New Jersey shared this great video with step by step instructions on how to put on and remove gloves and face masks. It s worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN-GSAe2pg4&feature=youtu.be

Last Year I was asked by the Morris County New Jersey to participate in Author's Day 2020- a live event with local authors. One year later the day has come. Due to COVID-19, this event has been switched to a virtual event, like all other events and meetings.

Each author has a day on which they are featured on the library's Facebook page. Today, May 11th, is my day!

The silver lining for me is that I can now invite everybody to attend by simply clicking a link and to check out my first book, "Get Fit to Go", and my current book, "Well? What are You Waiting For?" , and learn who my favorite authors and books are. 

I will be writing and talking about the reasons I wrote this book in upcoming posts- but the main message is that your health, our health--is ones own responsibility.

Meanwhile, I invite you to visit my Author Page at the Morris County Public Library and to like and share the Morris County Library Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/notes/morris-county-library-nj/morris-county-author-laura-oreilly-stanzilis/10157692768704753/
​


Yours in health, Laura

 
Everyone feels stressed from time to time. But what is stress? How does it affect your health? And what can you do about it?
Stress is how the brain and body respond to any demand. Every type of demand or stressor—such as exercise, work, school, major life changes, or traumatic events—can be stressful. Stress can affect your health. It is important to pay attention to how you deal with minor and major stress events so that you know when to seek help.
 
Here are five things you should know about stress:

1. Stress affects everyone.
Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Some people may cope with stress more effectively or recover from stressful events more quickly than others. There are different types of stress—all of which carry physical and mental health risks. A stressor may be a one time or short term occurrence, or it can be an occurrence that keeps happening over a long period of time.
 
Examples of stress include:

• Routine stress related to the pressures of work, school, family, and other daily responsibilities
• Stress brought about by a sudden negative change, such as losing a job, divorce, or illness
• Traumatic stress experienced in an event like a major accident, war, assault, or a natural disaster where people may be in danger of being seriously hurt or killed.

 
2. Not all stress is bad.
Stress can motivate people to prepare or perform, like when they need to take a test or interview for a new job. Stress can even be life-saving in some situations. In response to danger, your body prepares to face a threat or flee to safety. In these situations, your pulse quickens, you breathe faster, your muscles tense, your brain uses more oxygen and increases activity—all functions aimed at survival.
 
3. Long-term stress can harm your health.
Health problems can occur if the stress response goes on for too long or becomes chronic, such as when the source of stress is constant, or if the response continues after the danger has subsided. With chronic stress, those same life-saving responses in your body can suppress immune, digestive, sleep, and reproductive systems, which may cause them to stop working normally.
 
Different people may feel stress in different ways. For example, some people experience mainly digestive symptoms, while others may have headaches, sleeplessness, sadness, anger or irritability. People under chronic stress are prone to more frequent and severe viral infections, such as the flu or common cold.
 
Routine stress may be the hardest type of stress to notice at first. Because the source of stress tends to be more constant than in cases of acute or traumatic stress, the body gets no clear signal to return to normal functioning. Over time, continued strain on your body from routine stress may contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses, as well as mental disorders like depression or anxiety.

 
4. There are ways to manage stress.
The effects of stress tend to build up over time. Taking practical steps to manage your stress can reduce or prevent these effects. The following are some tips that may help you to cope with stress:
 

• Recognize the Signs of your body’s response to stress, such as difficulty sleeping, increased alcohol and other substance use, being easily angered, feeling depressed, and having low energy.
• Talk to Your Doctor or Health Care Provider. Get proper health care for existing or new health problems.
• Get Regular Exercise. Just 30 minutes per day of walking can help boost your mood and reduce stress.
• Try a Relaxing Activity. Explore stress coping programs, which may incorporate meditation, yoga, tai chi, or other gentle exercises. For some stress-related conditions, these approaches are used in addition to other forms of treatment. Schedule regular times for these and other healthy and relaxing activities.
• Set Goals and Priorities. Decide what must get done and what can wait, and learn to say no to new tasks if they are putting you into overload. Note what you have accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do.
• Stay Connected with people who can provide emotional and other support. To reduce stress, ask for help from friends, family, and community or religious organizations.

 
5. If you’re overwhelmed by stress, ask for help from a health professional.
You should seek help right away if you have suicidal thoughts, are overwhelmed, feel you cannot cope, or are using drugs or alcohol to cope. Your doctor may be able to provide a recommendation. You can find resources to help you find a mental health provider by visiting Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAHMSA)-https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/locator/about.html#.XrSppm5FxPY
Local help is available through the Mental Health Association in New Jersey: https://www.njmentalhealthcares.org/
 
If you have a mental health emergency dial 911.

I am pleased to announce that my book, "Well? What are you Waiting For?" Is ready to be published.  This was originally the title of my first book, which, to serve as a companion to my video series, was retitled, "Get Fit To Go".
Since "Get Fit to Go" (which focuses mostly on fitness and nutrition) was written  I have had the good fortune of having learning experiences with multiple populations in my roles as a nurse, health and disabilities advocate and population health manger. So, though the new book is light, anecdotal and conversational there is a strong theme- Self responsibility for ones own health and wellness. 

About The Book:
Now is the time to invest in self care!
Build a healthy and independent future and take charge of your wellness and health needs.
This book is an inspirational resource and personal guide for pathway to self health management.

It will be available on this site and on Amazon as an e-book and printed book in June 2020.

Yours in health,
​Laura

My last post addressed cough and cold etiquette when we were first learning of the Novel Coronavirus in China that was sure to make its way to the USA.

We are all being asked to take precautions and self quarantine to protect ourselves the most vulnerable in our society. Those living with Alzheimer's and Dementia rely on their caregivers for support and daily care and they (mostly) have age related conditions that make them more vulnerable to infections.

Caregivers need support as well and at a time like this they too are feeling isolated and stressed making sure the parent or patient in their care stays safe and healthy.

This message from Robyn Kohn, MA, CDP Director of Programs and Services, Alzheimer's Association:
Alzheimer's Association staff are currently working remotely as we monitor the Covid-19 impact in our communities.  We continue to provide over-the-phone and internet-based services to assist those with dementia and their families with support and information.  Our live 24/7 Helpline is especially helpful now, as people may feel isolated, frightened and alone.
We have special COVID-19 information on our website, “Coronavirus (COVID-19): Tips for Dementia Caregivers”:  This has guidance for those that are providing care at home and also family members who have someone living in a facility: https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/coronavirus-(covid-19)-tips-for-dementia-care  
​

http://www.eastersealsnj.org/blog/health_wellness_holiday_temptations_disabilities/

I always post an article on managing weight during the holidays. But this year I will re-run something I wrote for easterseals NJ that is as relevant today as ever.

People with disabilities are at a higher      risk of obesity and chronic disease than other people. These tips
​that apply to the 'differently-abled' apply to the abled population!

Stay safe and healthy. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy New Year!


Help support Easterseals New Jersey by sharing this article! Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinBy Guest Blogger Laura O’Reilly, R.N., B.A., AVP Health and Wellness, Easter Seals New Jersey
Celebrating the Holiday Season is a reason to eat, drink and be merry. Who can resist? Is it possible to get through the holiday season without gaining weight? I cannot promise that, but it is possible to minimize weight gain and use each day as a chance to get back on track by trying some of these tips.  It is important to know that all of us, whether or not we live with a disability or other special need, can enjoy a healthy and productive holiday season!
Fill Up on Salads and Raw Veggies Before Trying the Other Foods
You will curb your appetite with healthier foods and eat less of the fattening fare.
Ask for a Healthier Option When Dining Out
Nowadays most food establishments understand dietary concerns. When ordering a meal or planning your own affair, ask for lighter foods. The meals can still be delicious and filling without being fattening and unhealthy. Save the calories for dessert, if that’s your pleasure.  Speaking of dessert…
Limit Your Portions
Have 2 cookies instead of 5. Eat one piece of cake instead of sampling the whole dessert table. (Decisions, decisions).
Eat Lighter Low Calorie Foods a Few Days Before and a Few Days After Parties
If you know you will be indulging, eat a lot of nourishing plant based foods and lean proteins, and skip second helpings.  By creating a calorie deficit without starving yourself, you can minimize weight gain.
Get Physical
Weight management is about energy (calories) in and energy (calories) out. If you eat more than your body needs the inevitable result is weight gain. A body in motion burns calories.  Put walks, physical activity and gym sessions on your daily to-do list. (Easier said than done…but when you do it you will be glad you did!)
Caregivers Can Act as Role Models
People with disabilities can find it more difficult to always eat healthy, control their weight, and be physically active. Some reasons for this are a lack of healthy food choices, medications that can contribute to weight gain, and physical limitation that can reduce a person’s ability to exercise.
Caregivers and Parents can influence the eating habits of those whom they care for. Making nutritious meals available and managing portions can help to manage weight and to prevent certain chronic diseases that are related to a poor diet.
Healthy Snacks Help Reduce Calories
Put out bowls of fruit, or plates of raw veggies and lowfat dip instead of junk food. Offer lowfat yogurt instead of ice cream. Make healthy options available at mealtime and snacktime.
Help is Available
There is not one nutrition plan that will work for everyone. Age, height, weight and gender are just a few factors that determine nutrition needs. Other aspects such as physical activity, special needs, family health history and present health conditions require further specialization. Dietitians take all of these things into consideration and are able to create a personalized plan that aligns with your specific health needs and goals. Discuss nutrition support options with your healthcare provider to create a plan to help you to succeed.
It is the holidays, and they only come once a year, so enjoy yourself.  It’s all about balance. Cheers!
About the Guest Blogger
Laura leads the Easter Seals New Jersey Be Well! & Thrive Health and Wellness Program for individuals with disabilities and special needs.  She is the Vice President of the New Jersey Local Boards of Health Association and a member of the DHS Division of Aging Health Promotion Advisory Committee.  She is the author of “Get Fit To Go: Motivation to Exercise and Get Healthy””, and has written hundreds of published articles as a weekly newspaper columnist and contributor throughout the U.S.
and differently=

I came across a folder of my old articles while reorganizing my storage space. After I wrote Get Fit to Go, a compilation of these articles, I thought I was done with the hundreds of columns that I clipped week after week for four years. But I am not done. I will probably read each one again. They remind me of the important subjects that I researched each week while coming up with a topic that had to be filed with the Daily Record every Monday night for Tuesday publication. They remind me of my passion and dedication to both my love of writing and my love of exercise. They remind me of all the great people I met when I interviewed them or photographed them for articles. And they remind me of why I became a nurse when researching disease processes while writing articles on prevention.

This old article I wrote (pictured in this post) is as relevant today as it was when I wrote it; Don't let the winter months make you SAD. Seasonal Affective Disorder can be helped with regular exercise. Physical activity releases endorphins that are known as 'feel good' hormones.  Get busy moving!... I wrote several hundreds of articles like this and loved my regimen of sitting down to write on a deadline, and being forced to write. Though these articles were not great works fiction, they were valuable and artful and allowed me to be creative. I wrote in my true voice and gave a piece of myself away with each paragraph. The articles remind me that I am an artist at heart.

Here's what else my articles remind me of...the power of having people believe in you. And they remind me, now more than ever of my parents, both of whom are gone and whom I miss terribly. My mom enjoyed the newsletters that I used to write for my exercise clients and told me that I "should get a newspaper column." So I got one. It was not easy. But she said I should, so I did. Timing is everything.

When my mom died of lung cancer, the very last article I wrote for my column was about smoking and lung cancer. I filed that column, which would be my final one, the day after my mom's funeral. I never missed a deadline. 
After my last column was printed my dad said, "Don't let this opportunity go to waste. Take those columns and write a book." So I did. Because he told me I should. 

My parents were the wind beneath my wings and now they are my guardian angels. I believe in them. And I believe in me. Because I should.     

​Red onions are a powerful antioxidant and support the immune system. Yes, healthy food is medicine and delicious healthy food is heaven! Bolster your body’s natural defenses with powerful foods and Celebrate a cold-free and flu-free cold and flu season with delicious vegan chili topped with raw red onion.  I made this with red and white beans, veggie crumbles, red onion and garlic and tomatoes. 5 minutes of prep and 3 hours in the crock pot. It was filling and satisfying and gave me healthy leftovers for lunch! 

As a disabilities advocate I believe that every sector and every aspect of the community should be inclusive of individuals with physical, intellectual, cognitive, and mental health disabilities and other special needs.
At a recent North Jersey Health Collaborative meeting I was elated to meet Ellen de Havilland, Development and Communications Director at the ARC of Union County   who will address the health and wellness an access to care concerns of the special needs community in all of the Committee Workgroups.
With the North Jersey Health Collaborative and The Arc of Union County with Laura O'Reilly-Stanzilis RN MS because health, inclusion and access are what bring us together as a community. hashtag#inclusionmatters  hashtag#accessibility

This week I had the privilege to attend a presentation by my dear friend, Cynthia Watts Murphy. Cynthia is a life mastery coach whose pure positive energy is infectious. 

The frequency of our results needs to match the frequency of our mind! Got that? Cynthia breaks concepts down and inspires aha moment after aha moment as she moves across the stage with the grace of a dancer, and speaks with the truth of someone who truly practices what she preaches.

Cynthia is a Transformational Speaker, VIP Results Coach, Advocate for Your Magnificence

I have worked with Cynthia as a student/mentee in one of her courses. She is supportive, firm in her belief in her system (as any great coach is), and always available to schedule a call when we get stuck or feel like we are stagnating. 

Are your personal beliefs about yourself aligned with success? Are you in touch with your inner assets? This transformational life coach has a process to help you figure that out. 

On staying the course...I love Cynthia's analogies and her mentor, Mary Morrisey's, podcasts
and Bamboo story. It's not  a story about a quick fix. It's a story about patience. Did you know that a bamboo shoot grows only a few inches a year and then by the 5th year it grows 8 feet in one year? That is how major breakthroughs occur in our lives. (Hmm, makes you think twice about the term 'overnight success'.) But success does not happen by wishing alone. It happens by great inner energy and manifesting thoughts into reality with hard work and commitment. By moving the dream forward an inch at a time. We patiently watch the seasons change and witness nature doing her great display in the Spring and Summer
but don't always understand that the deep roots and strong foundations we build will bear fruit at the time they are meant to.

Learn more about Cynthia at https://cynthiawattsmurphy.com/

In the coming weeks I will answer health questions that I received through my 'Ask Nurse Laura' survey. Men and women, young and old asked a wide range of questions. Each week I will answer a question on this page. Hopefully you will find the information posted here relevant to yourself, a friend or a family member. We all have the power to be self advocates. I'm here to show you how! Stay tuned..

I've been using this product for years It works. I feel great. My knees and shoulders are pain free and I can walk, run, lift weights and do yoga like I did ten years ago. I am a testimonial and now I am a product representative for Market America- the maker of OPC-3. Click here to give it a try. There are many more products that I will try and let you know about, but OPC 3 is my morning regimen. www.shop.com/ftgwellness

Slow and Steady wins the race. Or at least finishes the race. That's pretty much all I want to do. In my late 50's running is still my favorite form of exercise. It releases tension. It makes me feel strong. And of course there are those amazing health benefits! My muscles still do well. My joints are fortunately in good shape...thank God and thanks OPC 3 an anti inflammatory/anti oxidant supplement I've been taking for years (without which My joints ache, so it is definitely working).

Here's what I did last weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=PLspCt4kHac 

Today's tips:
1- Always monitor your heart rate and stay in the safe zone
2- Never give up!!!!!! I won my first 5k for my ripe old age category in a local race at 58. Woohoo. 

I wrote this response on a professional forum in reply to an article about Pharma industry developing a market for Asperger's drugs. My response is worth sharing if it will encourage one person to think and question if a teacher or pediatrician is recommending a drug for their child because they are 'different'. If no one speaks up more and more children will be prescribed drugs to curb their behavior. To be like Who? Is sameness good for our future?

Laura O'Reilly - Stanzilis RN, MSM   YouHealth & Wellness for people of all abilities and the aging population. Committed to Creating Healthy OutcomesI may be the contrarian here but many parents are upset and vulnerable when they are told their child is different (rightfully so) and will opt for medication as a first intervention if a teacher recommends it (and some teachers actually do recommend medication for children who don’t fit in their ‘box’ in the classroom. I have personally witnessed this).  *Disclaimer-Teachers are great. They are heroes who dedicate their lives to children.  I am speaking on what I perceive as an attitude of our society.

Many of these children who are 'different' are future artists and performers and innovators and individuals with an alternative perspective. What I would love to see is a movement that identifies unique qualities  in children and fosters their interests and talents.  More and more children are being ‘classified’ in order to have their unique learning needs addressed. (That is not  always ‘stigma free’. They are often pulled out of class for services.)  Medication often comes along with this classification.  

I know of Parents who are not in medicine or mental health  who do not question or push back for fear of being deemed ‘difficult’ or in denial over their child’s...what?...”different-ness”?...place on the spectrum?    I’m a health professional and a believer in modern medicine. I believe that for some with certain  diagnoses that  medications for physical and behavioral health are absolutely necessary. Thank God for modern medicine. It saves lives. I understand this. I value this.

But back to Asperger's...medication is not always the solution for all. When did being different or hyper or socially awkward become a medical condition?  It happened right before my eyes but somehow I missed it. It happened when video games became the norm and seeing kids playing outside became a rare sighting.

Fostering lifelong fitness habits is a great long term stress management, weight management, and health management strategy. We know the science behind that.   Just as exercise and diet may be a first course of treatment for high cholesterol and blood sugar before medication, unique educational interventions ought to be tried before prescribing a medication to a child whose brain is still developing.

I’ve seen children with Aspergers (who by the way are often the wittiest and funniest kids) and ADHD on poor diets and given candy as a reward for good behavior. (Nutrition 101). All that glucose and no way to burn off some energy. SMH, as we say.   

I believe more nutritional education and support  is needed for parents whose children have behavioral issues. Parents and caregivers need support. Forming  good nutritional and physical activity habits is a great place to start. Kids need to be kids. They need to be creative and to run and play and burn off energy. Let’s get behind that. 

I advocate for parents to question the teachers and healthcare providers that suggest medication as a first intervention. Ask about alternate strategies before making a decision. I’ve experienced having a  teacher recommend medication for ‘daydreaming in class’ or because my child made funny faces in a mirror while washing hands, which I thought was appropriate 6 year old behavior.  Clearly she and I were not on the same page. I asked if she had plans to retire. 

I suggest we start first with natural health and wellness strategies (including emotional wellness) and the arts as a first intervention before prescribing medication that has potential short and long term side effects.  And then, only if really, really necessary, prescribe the right medication for the right diagnosis to manage symptoms while still encouraging healthy lifestyle habits and coping strategies. But let's celebrate different. Unique people make unique contributions to our world.