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Are you prepared for the unexpected?

Observed annually each September, National Preparedness Month reminds Americans that disasters and emergencies can happen at any time in our homes, businesses, or communities. This year’s theme, “Preparing for Older Adults,” focuses on preparing older adults for disaster, specifically older adults from communities that are disproportionally impacted by the all-hazard events, which continue to threaten the nation. Ready.gov has prepared resources especially for older adults.

Ready.gov also has a wide variety of helpful resources to help individuals, families, and businesses prepare for the unexpected. Topics include home fires, wildfires, severe weather, floods, power outages, attacks in public places, cybersecurity, and many more.

While disasters can be devastating for families, businesses, and communities, planning for them can help minimize the impacts and provide a basis for moving forward afterward.

Child Passenger Safety Week

Busy parents may feel like they’re always on the go. Whether shuttling newborns to doctor’s appointments, toddlers to daycare, preschoolers to birthday parties, or school-aged children to sports or other activities, the proper use of car seats is critical to protecting children.

September 17 – 23 is Child Passenger Safety Week, a week dedicated to educating parents and caregivers on the importance of properly using the correct type of car seat for their child’s age, height, and weight. It’s an important message, as too many of our children are injured or killed in automobile accidents each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2021, 710 children (under 13) were killed in passenger vehicles. Thirty-six percent of them were unrestrained at the time of the accident. Additionally, more than 100,000 children were injured.

In a market that’s constantly evolving and may seem oversaturated with options, choosing the right type and style of car seats for your children can be confusing and overwhelming. Luckily, healthychildren.org has some great resources to help you select and install the best options for you.

Click here for a comprehensive article that includes detailed information on types of seats, installation tips, commonly-asked questions, and more. Then, click here for an extensive list of car seats currently on the market, including weight and height limits, as well as manufacturer-suggested retail prices.

The NHTSA also provides many great resources for finding and installing the right car seat, including a car seat finder tool and ease-of-use ratings.

Medical Doctor holds heart shaped stress ball.

National Cholesterol Education Month

September is National Cholesterol Education Month. The focus of this campaign is raising awareness of high cholesterol and its associated risks. While cholesterol is needed for our bodies to function normally, too much cholesterol is dangerous. High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. For people with other risks factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, or diabetes, the risk increases even more.

High cholesterol is having a total cholesterol above 200 mg/dl. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 86 million Americans age 20 or older have total cholesterol levels higher than 200 mg/dl, including nearly 25 million who have total cholesterol levels higher than 240 mg/dl. In addition to knowing your total cholesterol, it’s also important to understand what low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides are, and what your levels of each of these means.

For more information on understanding and managing cholesterol, check out this comprehensive guide from the American Heart Association. In it, you’ll find information to help you understand cholesterol, risk, medications, treatment plans, and lifestyle changes. It also includes links to many other resources.