BestCareConsult

14/11/2025

With kykNET – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

12/11/2025

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Coffee may not raise the risk of atrial fibrillation and may even reduce it, new research suggests.

Adults treated for AFib who drank at least one cup of coffee a day for 6 months were 39% less likely to have a recurrent episode of irregular heart rhythm, compared to those who did not have any coffee.

The results of the 6-month, 200-person trial were presented this week at Scientific Sessions, the premier global meeting for cardiovascular science and medicine. This trial is simultaneously published today as a full manuscript in the peer-reviewed scientific journal JAMA.

Some people may still find that caffeine, including coffee, triggers or worsens their AFib symptoms. If you’ve recently been treated for AFib, ask your doctor if continuing to drink coffee is safe for you.

12/11/2025

❤️ WHEN THE LEFT HEART STRUGGLES: THE CHAIN REACTION FROM HEART TO KIDNEYS 💔🩸🫁

This visual paints a dramatic but fascinating story — the journey of left-sided heart failure and how its ripple effects reach all the way to your lungs and kidneys. Imagine your heart as a powerful pump that never rests — when one side weakens, the entire circulation feels the strain. Let’s break it down 👇

🔹 1. Mechanism of Left Heart Failure:
At the top, you’ll see the two main villains — systolic and diastolic dysfunction.

🫀 Systolic Dysfunction happens when the heart muscle loses its squeeze. A weak left ventricle can’t eject enough blood during contraction, leading to volume overload and a stretched, dilated chamber — like a balloon that’s been overinflated too many times. This is called eccentric hypertrophy.

💢 Diastolic Dysfunction, on the other hand, is all about stiffness. Chronic high blood pressure or aortic stenosis thickens the heart walls, making it tough for the ventricle to relax and fill. This “pressure overload” creates a bulky, rigid heart — concentric hypertrophy — that can’t hold enough blood.

Both lead to the same tragic end: a heart that can’t keep up with the body’s demand.

🔹 2. The Domino Effect – How the Lungs and Kidneys Suffer:
When the left ventricle fails, blood backs up into the left atrium and then into the lungs. The pulmonary vessels become congested, increasing pressure and fluid buildup — that’s why patients feel short of breath, fatigued, and may even cough up frothy sputum.

As the pressure climbs, the right ventricle struggles to push blood into the overloaded lungs. Over time, it also weakens, causing right-sided failure — now, the congestion extends backward into the systemic circulation.

🔹 3. The Kidney Connection – Cardiorenal Syndrome:
Poor forward flow from the heart means less blood reaches the kidneys. They interpret this as low volume and respond by retaining salt and water, worsening fluid overload. Meanwhile, backward pressure from the venous side compresses the kidneys, impairing filtration — a double hit that accelerates kidney dysfunction.

🩸 The result? Vasoconstriction, edema, hypertension, and further cardiac stress — a vicious cycle between heart and kidney known as cardiorenal syndrome.

💬 In essence: The left heart’s failure is not isolated — it’s a system-wide crisis. This visual reminds us that when one organ falters, others follow — and early intervention in heart failure can save not just the heart, but the lungs and kidneys too.

Disclaimer: Image Credit to the Rightful Owner.

12/11/2025

🤗

The Loneliest Road You’ll Ever Walk

Losing someone you love is like stepping into a new world. One where time doesn’t heal all wounds, it just teaches you how to carry them differently. You’ll feel that loss for as long as you live. Long after the funeral is over and the last words of condolence are spoken.

When the funeral ends…something else begins.

One of the loneliest roads you’ll ever walk.

People are there for you at first. They bring casseroles (because food is love, right?), they cry with you, they listen to your stories about the person who’s gone.

But then…life calls them back.

It’s not because they don’t care; they simply have their own busy lives to live. After the funeral, the crowd thins and, suddenly, you find yourself surrounded by silence in a way you never expected.

Sometimes, the ones who disappear weren’t strangers at all. They may have known you as part of a couple, or as ‘the other parent,’ or just part of a family unit. But now, with the person who died gone, the dynamic has changed. Suddenly, they don’t know how to act around you anymore. And that confusion can make them walk away.

There’s also the misconception that if you appear okay, you must be okay. People see you functioning, getting through the day, maybe even laughing a little, and assume you’re ‘over it.’ If only they knew that the quiet moments alone, the ones without witnesses, are where the real struggle lives.

Here’s the thing…you might be holding it together on the outside, but inside, you’re falling apart.

The true test of grief isn’t in those immediate days after the funeral. It’s in the months, the years, when the well-meaning crowd has gone home, and you’re left with the silence again.

That’s when grief sneaks in. In the quiet, ordinary moments, when a song, a smell, or a forgotten object sends you reeling back to the pain you thought had settled.

So, if you’re walking this road, you’re not alone in your loneliness. I see it, feel it, and understand it.

And I’m here for you…even when the crowds have gone home.

Gary Sturgis - Surviving Grief

12/11/2025

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12/11/2025

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It can be challenging to fully understand your loved one’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis.

As their caregiver, you’ll need to consider how they may need help with their daily activities, how you can make their living area safe, what eating and nutritional challenges they may face and how their mood and behavior may change over time.

People with Alzheimer’s disease will eventually need help with activities of daily living. Depending on their level of independence, your loved one may need help with personal care activities, including eating, bathing, shaving and using the toilet.

To assist with these activities, caregivers need support, knowledge, skills, and patience. Clinical health psychologist and caregiver expert Lucille Carriere, PhD, suggests the following tips:

Establish a daily routine. Schedule grooming activities for the same time and same place each day. For example, brush teeth after meals or schedule baths for the mornings or evenings.

Respect their privacy. Close doors and blinds. Make sure you cover your loved one with a towel or bathrobe to help them feel more comfortable.

Encourage their independence as much as possible. This will help to promote a sense of accomplishment.

Keep in mind their abilities. Allow enough time to complete each task — for example, brushing their hair or teeth.

Give encouragement and support as they complete tasks. Acknowledge your loved one’s efforts when completed.

Tell the person what you’re doing. Make sure you keep an open line of communication with each activity.

Be attentive to personal hygiene. Keep fingernails and toenails clean and trimmed regularly and attend to oral hygiene needs.

Break down all grooming tasks into simple, step-by-step instructions. Changes in memory and language abilities make it harder for your loved one to follow multiple verbal instructions. 

“Due to the progressive nature of Alzheimer’s disease, you’ll want to continually assess if your approach is working with your loved one, and if not, try to adapt to meet your loved one’s ability level,” advises Dr. Carriere.

12/11/2025

Wat 'n voorreg om deel te kon wees van hierdie wonderlike program, gaste en om demensie inligting te kon deel💜
Midway Care Centre

Baie dankie kykNET, Kabous Meiring, Mareli Jooste, Mia Louw en julle hele span❤️ Prontuit TV

02/09/2025

Happy Spring🐝🌻