The habits that irritate many - fiddling, tapping feet, swinging on chairs . .

How many of you find the continual tapping of a foot or the swinging on a chair, the fiddling of fingers or the continual tapping of a pencil end on a desk so irritating that you end up shouting at the individual, when in some cases it is not actually the individuals fault.

Pencil tapping

Millions of children all over the world are repeatedly asked to stop fiddling, often because this can disrupt the whole class of kids and the Teacher(s), or because it seems to have become a 'habit' that irritates those close to them for example:

• Sitting at a table
• Waiting for a bus
• Waiting for a meal to arrive
• At the school desk
• On a school bus
• On a  school trip
• Watching something on T.V.
• Sitting in the car on a long journey
• Sitting in 'what seems to them as' boring Company

Often the above are considered rude, inconsiderate and extremely distracting or irritating for others and for some this irritating habit can sadly often result in detention. 

However, as much as these habits seem to be an irritant, actually they are methods that allow some individuals to concentrate, quite the reverse to the thoughts of many. 

This Link connects you to a Website called  Brain Highways if you scroll down to the second page and to the word proprioception, double click it, and sit back and listen to the children's point of view.

So, what does 'proprioception' mean, thanks to Wikipedia: 

"one's own", "individual", and capio, capere, to take or grasp, is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement.

On behalf of those who have a tendency to fiddle or irritatingly tap, please give them a chance and try to understand how their train of thought works in a situation that is often required for them to concentrate. Granted, there are some people who do just do this out of annoyance, but in many cases individuals need to move a limb or to feel the sensation of moving which in turn allows them to concentrate. 

For the individuals who genuinely need to feel this sensation of movement there is a small tool called a fidget cube or a spinner, which could be used under a table or somewhere out of view of other students so that the Teacher or Tutor will not consider them to be a distraction for other students who do not need the sensation of movement to concentrate.  These tools are inexpensive and can give the same sensation as tapping a foot, shaking a leg or swinging on a chair. 

Spinners

Fidget Cubes

There are many different types of Fidget Cubes or Spinners all available on line at an extremely reasonable cost. 

After using these small tools for  a while it can reduce the need for larger movements but for some individuals these tools can encourage individuals to, over time, stop the need for movement at all.

On behalf of the millions of children who have been shouted at in the past for just this cause, please, give others a chance, understand that they need movement to concentrate, at least until their brain can be trained to do otherwise. 

Thank you

For sufferers of Alzheimer's or Dementia there are also fidget tools, which are called amongst other things, twiddle muffs, you can buy these for men and women as can be seen from the below photographs. These can also help them to concentrate as well as pass many hours of their day away. 

Women's Twiddle Muffs

Mens Twiddle Muffs

On behalf of many individuals who sit all day long with nothing to do, thank you for taking time to read this post

Want better health, then your chemical balance needs you to listen

Medication, Acupuncture, Chinese remedies, Injections, Self medication - and many others are all options for better health, but many of these would not be required if we all listened to the needs of our  'own specific chemical balance'.

Once again we refer back to our old saying ' what happens if you put diesel in to a petrol vehicle? it doesn't run very well! what happens if you put petrol in to a Diesel vehicle? after a very short period of time the vehicle will come to a shuddering stop and the fuel filter and tubes will all need to be cleared or cleaned, similar to our own systems sometimes, we need to flush them out - an uncomfortable process for some, especially if it needs done via the Hospital methods.

Some of the many illnesses caused by the lack of positive foods/liquids being digested or ingested are;

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Alzheimer's 
• Vascular Dementia
• I.B.S
• Indigestion
• Crohn's
• Bowel cancer
• Stomach issues
• Migraines
• Feeling permanently bloated
• Skin irritations
• Piles
• Exhaustion
• Psychosis 

So, why not reduce your health issues or the possibility of any of the above happening to you and start to listen to your chemical balance today and after just a matter of a few weeks start to reap the rewards of better over all health.

Humans are the only animal who buy and consume foods according to what their 'eyes' fancy. A horse, a dog, an elephant and many other birds and wildlife still have the innate ability to utilise 'all animals basic instinct, yet humans have been brain washed by packaging, photographs - just what the producers want, so no matter which way we look at it, what the majority of us eat is purely controlled by the Marketers or perhaps better still by the Artists who create the beautiful photographs on each package. Few consumers actually look at the ingredients, few actually realise the amount of chemicals that are put in to each food available to the human. Very few individuals genuinely realise how brain washed we are to the Stores/ Supermarkets methods of 'how to get their Clients to buy their foods', yet they have ingenious ways of encouraging all to buy 'NEW' products. To summarise all this the majority of humans are 'blinkered' or are being trained, from a young age by the Marketers on what foods to buy - no matter the methods that they utilise in the process. 

Given all the above, sadly, we are also, automatically, training our children and our children's children to automatically assume that this is the only way to buy foods - by the packaging - no matter the ingredients.

Is there therefore that much of a surprise why there is such a massive increase in health issues such as the ones mentioned in the listing above. 

For a moment, let's calculate how long, on average, it takes to shop, as well as the cost, for that, as an example,  quick 'instant Microwave meal'. 

1. Diesel/petrol to get the the store
2. The time
3. The additional things you purchase along with the meal your eyes have decided to buy.
4. The plastic you have bought along with each article as well as the bag. 
5. Your time spent in the shop
6. Your time having a gossip with the people you bump in to along the way. 

Here is an interesting link called 'Grocery Shopping Statistics' 

Ultimately grocery shopping is one of life’s necessary evils — it’s a drain on your wallet and your time but above all often your health suffers because of the type of foods the majority of us are brain washed in to buying! 

Yet, as a simple example, to cook a healthy stir fry, with the correct foods for your system, only  takes approximately 9 minutes. . . . . this is as long as it takes to microwave a 'precooked meal'! the latter of which, nine times out of ten, has many more preservatives in it than the food you can cook in the stir fry for the same amount of time! Now let's add on the time it took you to look at the hundreds of microwaved meals before you finally chose the one you wanted.

A little more information on Microwaved foods: 

1. More than three billion ready meals were eaten in Britain in 2012
2. They make up the biggest sector of the UK's £70 billion a year food budget
3. Food manufacturers carry out little or no preparation of raw ingredients
4. They buy treated ingredients, mainly frozen or dried, from other companies
5. Meat, fish and vegetables are kept at sub-zero temperatures for months
6. But when the food is thawed and cooked it can be marketed as 'fresh'
7. A ready-meal factory can churn out 250,000 portions a day using 70 different ingredients

The above link was written By Joanna Blythman

PUBLISHED: 23:26, 3 March 2015 | UPDATED: 01:00, 4 March 2015

Now there's some interesting but perhaps also some frightening information for you! but information that may have triggered your memory from 'foods in the olden days', yes, that's right, the food your Granny used to cook! or maybe even still does, that is if she hasn't been persuaded to buy instant meals by her ' now adult children'! In the olden days if you fell ill, someone would bring you a good healthy pot of homemade soup, or a substantial meal with all natural ingredients in them. 

Our next post will look in to the things we consume from a different angle but in the meantime we will leave you with this photograph to 'digest'! 

Until the next time, thinking what you eat will allow your over all health to improve, so, start to sow the seed for a healthier future for your children and the Processing Factories will have no option but to stop producing foods with a mass of negative chemicals which ultimately are creating an incredibly unhealthy world. 

More on Dementia and Alzheimer;s . ..

For those of you who know this Site, you will be aware by now that we are firm advocates of letting silence speak for all who are experiencing communication issues.

Having worked with sufferers of Dementia and Alzheimer's for a number of years now our eyes have been opened to many different levels of understanding. Some of these levels have been beautiful and so humbling, others we have been asked to intervene with a view to making the sufferer's life more at ease and at peace for all family members resulting in the frustration being transferred on to a positive note by our techniques used. Although these techniques may result in being something different for each person the basis is the same and has never failed us to date.

However, there have been the odd times where we have felt that the human race has failed on some of the individuals lives and all we have been able to do is to make the Sufferer of Dementia or Alzheimer's time with us as enjoyable and hassle free as possible. Sometimes, there have been times that we have hated leaving them but have tried hard to let family Members have a better understanding of the individuals stage of mental ability and coping mechanisms.

However, on the odd occasion familiarity can breed contempt and it can seem that each person almost fuses off each other. Sometimes just not being able to put a knife in the right place can trigger a gasket being blown, or setting the table in the wrong way, or putting a clean pan in the fridge! Repeatedly experiencing these errors almost puts a black cloud on the whole of the house to the point that for an outsider the atmosphere can be cut like a knife. At other times, it's when the door closes and we are away when the fuses blow. However, we have learnt, thanks to years of experience, that it is easy to tell if there have been fuses flying the night before as the Sufferer usually shows various signs, perhaps being overly tired, or more confused than normal, or perhaps soiling or more soiling than usual.

However, this is all, to a point, totally understandable and often is not helped due to the lack of sleep that each Member of the household may be suffering from, so where possible try and encourage all parties to catch an extra few hours sleep whenever possible or relieve the situation by interacting with the Partner, perhaps taking them out for a cup of tea to soften them to the new stages of the Dementia/Alzheimer's. But be sympathetic to both. If you are at all concerned about what might be going on behind closed doors then please contact the appropriate people, perhaps the Sufferer's G.P or the Social Work department or your local Dementia Group for advice.

It is also essential that each person is given a break, and that where possible, each person in the household gets away from the home on a daily basis or at the very least every other day.

We have known situations where one of the 'non suffering' partners have been of a 'controlling nature' almost living a separate life from the sufferer, getting up at different times of the day, eating breakfast at a different time of the day, waking up and going back to bed at different times of the day, rarely interacting at all, infact almost so focused on their own needs that the sufferer of Dementia/Alzheimers is not welcomed any where within the house while they are awake. It is these situations that are not only hugely unfair but also hugely unsafe both psychologically and physically but leaves the various stages of dementia extremely difficult to cope with for not only the sufferer but also the partner (if you can call it a partnership that is).

Thankfully, in these instances we have managed to be part of an extremely caring team who dedicate a minimum of 4 plus hours a day to the Sufferer making sure that they are 'fairly understood and stimulated, with activities' suitable to them and that they have gone back ready for their nap, therefore alleviating the 'partner' from having to socialise with the sufferer! as much as leaving them has torn our hearts each time, it is something that we had to cope with and after a fairly short period of time the sufferer then realised that she/he always had someone going in on a daily basis, therefore giving them something to look forward to in the early stages but also instilling familiar voices to feel at ease with as the stages progress.

Some instances, sadly, people have set up a 'room' outside, for example, in a potting shed or an extension with known things around them where the sufferer spends her/his day, mainly so that the Partner does not get disturbed!

In these instances, when an accident happens, for example a fall or further T.I.A's rarely does the Partner either know or even want to accompany the Sufferer to hospital, perhaps out of fear of picking up a bug themselves or because of the long wait that is often experienced while the Sufferer is being admitted to hospital, or perhaps they just 'don't do' hospitals.

Let's take a moment to think what it must feel like for a Sufferer having to visit hospital on their own. As you know, we are all asked a hundred and one questions during admittance, most of these are difficult enough to answer at the best of times, but for a Sufferer of Dementia/Alzheimer's or any form of confusion, this experience can feel intimidating, threatening and extremely frightening leaving them often feeling even more confused than they were before. This kind of experience can also trigger further T.I.A's. So given this information is it indeed fair to ask any Sufferer to go on their own to a foreign environment? the answer has to be No. So, this is another stage where a good team of Carers can step in, especially if there are no immediate family around.

While on the topic of family, this experience can also be emotionally upsetting for family Members, no matter how old. It's out of the known comfort zone for not only them but for the Sufferer as well, it's instant realisation on how far along the Dementia Trail the Sufferer is, when before, being in a known environment the reality can often be masked.

Here are a few handy hints

1. Always make sure you have a few Carers who totally understand the level of the Sufferer 
2. Always be prepared for out of the blue tears, so carry a hanky at all times 
3. Always carry some form of known relaxation music that the Sufferer likes, as well as one that will calm down family members and yourself
4. If a hospital visit is necessary explain the level of Dementia to any Nursing Staff in the hope that the Sufferer does not have to be asked the many, many questions, as this just confirms to the Sufferer that they are not doing that well and can cause more confusion as well as potentially further T.I.A's
5. Leave a diary for all who care for the Sufferer so that they can write information such as Activities participated in and on which level 1 - 3, or where you went for lunch and what the Sufferer ate
6. Make sure the Sufferer drinks enough fluids and as their stages increase perhaps consider reducing foods that are more difficult to digest. 
7. But the most important thing of all is to try your hardest to be on the same level as the individual you are with. Each and every person has a heart, although sometimes locked it is easy to find the key to unlock that precious heart.

Additional Links 

Please share this world wide, millions of people suffer from Health issues such as Dementia

Understanding our Elderly

Help our Elders and Nursing Staff

Bridging the gap

There are additional links within the above . . 

We hope these posts will help to ease someone's life who suffers from Dementia/Alzheimer's.

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One thing in common . . . for 'vulnerable' individuals

From the work we have done over the years with what we would call, to a point, 'vulnerable' individuals or for those who suffer from issues such as Dementia, Anxiety attacks, Obsession .Compulsive.Disorder, Psychosis and other similar health issues, there is one thing in common, and the effects of these have the same clearly apparent results resulting in larger 'blip days' than the sufferers tend to have on, what to them, is a 'normal day', but to others seem to be 'abnormal days'.

Often many solutions to these issues is medication, and to up the medication on 'bad days'. You will have read in some of our previous articles that we often feel medication has a tendency to 'mask' the issue and doesn't, for some anyway, help to resolve the issue in hand. Medication can often result in an individual suffering from 'go slow or dopey days' making them look as if they are almost walking on a different planet which can make others (who are supposedly normal ) make fun of the sufferer even more than normal. However, the effect of this negative kind of attitude given by supposedly 'normal' individuals can make the sufferer feel even worse and more shy resulting in them being unable to cope with their workload or school work because of this kind of 'silent attack' on their visual behaviour.

Let us give a couple of examples, if nothing else but to see if they ring any bells with you. If they do then we hope you will help the sufferer  by supporting them and by making the public or the sufferers family and friends more aware of how their reaction can effect them both at home, at work or at school/college or play.

Ultimately we would like to ask you to guide them towards better behaviour so that the sufferer is not put through any more unnecessary turmoil! however, if you find you are unable to get through to them, please, please contact us so that we can add some extra light on the matter.

So what is it that can have a detrimental effect on sufferers . .

• What goes on behind closed doors  . . . . There is not a truer statement than this. Often we don't see what is said or done behind these doors/walls (unless you are a next door neighbour and the walls are thin) but you may go in the next day to see a friend or Client who suffers from such a health issue and note they are extra tired or just not connecting that well or seem flustered . . but often not knowing why they are like this. . . . many people just put it down to their health issue, where as infact it is quite the reverse - it is other people's issues that effect the sufferer.
• What goes on with silent body language . . . . . again, this can have a dreadful effect on sufferers but we would say this is fractionally more common in adolescent years rather than older years. When given the silent treatment or visual face to face disapproval the inner turmoil that a sufferer can feel is unthinkable. However, in saying this, at the end of the day, the 'givers' of this treatment are often ten times more insecure than the sufferer, it's as if, at that stage in their life, they have a need to show power (control) and often, unfortunately have their little followers or 'sheep' who copy this negative behaviour resulting in 'group' bullying or negative energy is aimed at the sufferer which makes them suffer from more confidence related issues. 
• Another frequent issue is when youths are brought up in a 'controlling family unit '  this can often breed to a 'controlling' attitude and a need to ridicule who ever and wherever - we feel, in this day and age that the 'controlling' family unit is unnecessary but unfortunately it does exist, however, if we see this happening we have been known to nip this type of behaviour in the bud whether it be in a public place or family unit, although this is handled sensitively or with 'kid gloves' - sensitive role playing comes in handy in this type of a scenario.
• Silent bullying or/and cyber bullying  . . . . . can also have a similar effect and should be discouraged where possible. Again, sensitive role playing can come in handy here.

Now that we have covered a few examples of additional irritations what are the signs . . . 

• Behavioural patterns may change slightly or seriously
• Concentration ability may change for the worse
• An inability to fulfill their daily duties
• An inability to walk with confidence
• An inability to communicate with confidence
• A sudden confidence dip
• Obsessions may become more apparent
• An inability to laugh
• An inability to sleep 
• An inability to be amongst a group of their peers or work colleagues
• An inability to interact with others/family members/peers/relations
• An inability to look any one in the eye
• Eating disorders
• A change of eating habits
• Toilet issues
• Sickness issues
• Frequent ill health albeit colds/flu's/
• Skin issues
• Wind issues
• Gastric issues
• Acid reflux
• An ability to become more depressed and sensitive
• A tendency to turn to the bottle

are just a few of the many signs . . . 

For some the initial illness is generally due to a chemical imbalance or negative experience, such as a car crash, a death, a negative experience, brain over load or, for whatever reason an inability to relax in their own home, bullying at an early stage in school years which continues in to High School . . . to list just a few. 

How to resolve the issues . 

• Find the key to the individual - we can help with this if you find yourselves stuck
• Encourage everyone to sing from the same song sheet
• Discourage others negative behaviour
• Encourage family support on a level that the sufferer can understand
• Encourage confidence
• Encourage a good diet
• Encourage them to drink more water instead of coffee/tea
• Encourage positive support in the workplace/At home/At school/At University/At college

The people who suffer from such issues all have a wonderfully warm heart and would not hurt a fly, so let's stick up for them and help to give them a voice, at least for the time that they can't do this for themselves . . . 

On behalf of many sufferers who suffer from and have suffered from these type of issues, thank you for taking time to read this little  article.