Our commitment is to provide the best life possible, every day, in every way, as we look for opportunities to support each individual person with an intellectual and developmental disabilities. We do this through Person Centered Active Support engaging individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Everyday Ideas for Health
Physicals
Getting a physical’s yearly is a great step for everyday health ideas. Use a physician you like and trust; if you don’t like your doctor get a new one. A yearly physical brings your care up-to-date. Provide guidance on reducing your risk for disease. Your doctor can provide information and motivation to stop smoking, lose unhealthy pounds, or manage risk factors like high blood pressure.
Sleep
Getting the right amount of sleep for you is important. Most people need 7-8 hours per night (or day, if you work nights). Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health. Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.
One experiment you can do is to pay attention to how you feel when you get X number of hours, versus how you feel after fewer hours. Unfortunately, there is no safe pharmacological way to replace sleep.
Eating Healthy
Eat good food, not as easy as it sounds, I know. This is especially complicated because the experts can’t seem to agree on what “good” means. The best evidence for overall body health supports a plant-based vegan diet-but not too many of us really want to do that. The next best compromise nutrition plan for total body health is a plant based plan that also includes lean meats and fish. Some say carbohydrates are the antichrist, but others observe that restriction of carbohydrates makes most forms of sustained physical activity impossible. Still others plan their nutrition based on their blood type, religion, astrological sign, partner needs, what is fast, or what’s on sale at Wal Mart. Another layer of complexity relates to metabolic disorders. YES, there really are diseases that are treated by eating huge amounts of sugar or pure cholesterol. There are others that require the person to avoid all sources of phenylalanine (a common component of most proteins), or to avoid all green vegetables (how many children wish they could say they have THAT one. Pay attention to your own needs and test results.
Hydration
Drinking enough water each day is crucial for many reasons: to regulate body temperature, keep joints lubricated, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and keep organs functioning properly. Being well-hydrated also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.
Experts recommend drinking roughly 11 cups of water per day for the average woman and 16 for men. And not all of those cups have to come from plain water; for example, some can come from water flavored with fruit or vegetables (lemons, berries, or orange or cucumber slices), or from coffee or tea.
Physical Activity+
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities.
Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits. Only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your health as physical activity.
Everyone can experience the health benefits of physical activity – age, abilities, ethnicity, shape, or size do not matter.
Weight Management
Both eating patterns and physical activity routines play a critical role in weight management. You gain weight when you consume more calories through eating and drinking that the amounts of calories you burn, including those burned during physical activity.
To maintain your weight: Work your way up to 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity, which could include dancing or yard work. You could achieve the goal of 150 minutes a week with 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
People vary greatly in how much physical activity they need for weight management. You may need to be more active than others to reach or maintain a healthy weight.
To lose weight and keep it off: You will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your eating patterns and reduce the amount of calories you’re eating and drinking. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and healthy eating.
Everyday Ideas for Wellness
Stress
Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain. Stress is your body’s response to anything that requires attention or action. Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way you respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to your overall well-being.
There is good stress, toxic stress, and trauma. Good stress lights up the mind and often the body. These are the stresses we choose, like competitive sports, musical performance, a challenging course of study, or a challenging job. The right amount of these positive stresses improves health.
Toxic stresses shut down the happier parts of the brain, and eventually cause complications from drowning the mind and body in excessive fight or flight chemicals. These are stresses we don’t willingly choose, like a rude housemate, bad food, tedious job duties, or taking classes that are boring. Living in a situation where there is constant “guidance” or instruction or criticism is one of the most toxic stresses. If a tedious or boring task is required of us, it can be less stressful if combined with something pleasant, like a fun partner or good music. Also, even those good stresses can morph into bad stresses when there is too much of the good stress (looking at you, Simone Biles).
Stress
Engage in those activities that relieve stress FOR YOU. This is where actions that contribute to body health might be THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE of activities that relieve stress. For example, some people love exercise, and so this relieves stress and also improves body health. But a lot of other people loathe exercise, and so the same thing that might help a person’s body health might also worsen their overall stress. This is the reason many exercise programs imposed by others fail. In addition, small amounts of foods or beverages which are technically not good for your health in fact improve health because they can help relieve stress. Examples include modest quantities of alcohol (except for persons with alcohol addiction, who cannot safely consume any alcohol), and junk food.
Loving Yourself
Love who or what you love, as long as the who or the what doesn’t harm you.
Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others. Self-love means not settling for less than you deserve.
Self-love can mean something different for each person because we all have many different ways to take care of ourselves. Figuring out what self-love looks like for you as an individual is an important part of your mental health.
Self Care
Love who or what you love, as long as the who or the what doesn’t harm you.
Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others. Self-love means not settling for less than you deserve.
Self-love can mean something different for each person because we all have many different ways to take care of ourselves. Figuring out what self-love looks like for you as an individual is an important part of your mental health.
1- Health and Wellness are not always the same thing
2- Health means that all the body parts are working
3- Wellness means that LIFE is working-a person feels satisfaction and joy
4- We have known forever that good health usually contributes to wellness
5- And now, more and more authorities believe that wellness contributes to good health
- California Department of Developmental Services
Medical care information on developmental disabilities and related health issues such as specific syndromes and relevant links to other health related web sites. - National Association for the Dually Diagnosed
Information on dual diagnosis and related information and associated web sites. - Centers for Disease Control
Comprehensive information on developmental disabilities and related topics such as birth defects and health promotion. - National Institute of Mental Health
In-depth information, resources and related links on every aspect of mental illness. - American Lung Association of California
A vast array of lung health related information and links including an online smoking cessation program. - American Heart Association
Heart disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment information and links to other heart health related web site. - American Diabetes Association
Diabetes management information and resources as well as other health related links. - The Arthritis Foundation
Resources, research and treatment information on all aspects of arthritis diagnosis and management. - National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease
Information and resources regarding diabetes, digestive and kidney disorders. - US Dept of Agriculture Nutrition info
Comprehensive nutrition related information including dietary guidelines and resources.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. We’re committed to improving crisis services and advancing suicide prevention by empowering individuals, advancing professional best practices, and building awareness.
Dialing 311 direct from your phone connects you to City of Sacramento, or any City you are based in to get assistance.
For TTY: 916-808-8563
The new City of Sacramento 311 Customer Service Help Center website and mobile app make asking questions and getting service simple. Our goal is to make government more accessible and life a little easier for our residents, businesses and visitors.\
311 provides a single point of contact for City of Sacramento services. We handle requests for building permits, stray animals, utilities services, and much more. Our 311 customer service agents undergo extensive training to ensure each caller gets a courteous, quick and accurate response – 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays.
My Turn Website allow you to find a walk-in clinic, Make an appointment, Find testing site and get a digital record of your vaccines. They also provide assitance in getting a ride to your appointment if need be.