Sign Up, Do Good: Santa Clarita Blood Drive
Comfort Keepers In Home Care is teaming up with the American Red Cross to host their first "Give Life" Blood Drive on Monday, September 12 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Don't miss this opportunity to give back to our community; all blood collected will remain in Santa Clarita. Please sign up and reserve a donation time by June 30.

Giving blood is easy. Bring a photo ID, weigh 110 pounds or more, be at least 17 years old and in good health, and do the math to make sure you haven't gotten a tattoo within the last year.

Call Comfort Keepers to schedule your appointment or visit the American Red Cross site and enter sponsor code "comfortkeeperssc." Your donation matters!; 287-4200 www.redcrossblood.org

When the Weather's Hot, Check on your
Elderly Neighbors, Family & Friends
Elderly people are already at risk for dehydration because they often do not drink enough fluids. This risk greatly increases in hot weather due to fluid and electrolyte loss from sweating. Even mild dehydration can cause confusion in an elderly person - and their situation can become serious if the confusion causes them to be unable to cool off or summon help. Seniors who live alone should be checked on frequently to ensure they are getting adequate fluids and are keeping their home cool. It may be helpful to keep a pitcher of water with slices of lemon or lime for flavor available, or to have small bottles of water handy. Watch for confusion or other signs of dehydration including dizziness, decreased urination, constipation and tiredness. Visiting Angels of Santa Clarita - Senior Homecare by Angels; 263-2273

Don't Ignore Chronic Pain
Acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to a possible injury and the need to take care of yourself. Chronic pain, however, is different. Chronic pain continually persists. The pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years. There may have been an initial mishap that caused it, like a sprained back or a serious infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain, such as arthritis, cancer or ear infection. But some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.

Common chronic pain complaints include headache, low back pain, cancer pain, arthritis pain, neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves or to the central nervous system itself), or psychogenic pain (pain not due to a past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside or outside the nervous system). Also, a person may have two or more co-existing chronic pain conditions. Such conditions can include chronic fatigue syndrome, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, interstitial cystitis, or temporomandibular joint dysfunction. But it is not known if any of these conditions share a common cause.

The good news is that chronic pain is treatable. Medications, diagnostic and therapeutic nerve blocks, local electrical stimulation, radiofrequency ablation, physical therapy and occupational therapy are treatments for chronic pain. It's best to work with a reputable and qualified pain management doctor to find out the best treatment for your condition. He/she can help you understand all the causes of the pain and the many and varied steps that can be taken to undo what chronic pain has done. Ultimate Pain Management; 257-7500