Author: Ishol, Director of Community Relations and Resource Development, Care Center of Honolulu

  • Vaping: The New Lung Killer

    We now know that vaping kills. And it can kill faster than tobacco.

  • Don’t Let the Vog Bring You Down

    I visited Kīlauea several years ago with my hula sisters for the Merrie Monarch Festival. Walking toward the crater to bear ho‘okupu (offering) for Tutu Pele, my lungs suddenly tightened up and I was literally gasping for air.

  • Respiratory Care: Breathing Exercises

    In the last issue we discussed how people diagnosed with chronic respiratory failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at higher risk for infection. This issue, we focus on ways to ease their breathing problems.

  • Respiratory Care: A Specialty Service

    Being unable to breathe on our own is very scary. Spinal cord injuries, pneumonia, stroke, injury to the chest, muscular dystrophy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can all bring on respiratory failure. Spinal cord injuries often happen when we least expect it — a surfing accident, a fall or a car accident — and may require you to…

  • You Need Skilled Nursing … What?

    If you’re like most of us in Hawai‘i, you have no clue what “skilled nursing” means unless you have spent time in a Skilled Nursing and Rehab Facility (SNF). Some think it is the last stop, a depressing place where sick people go when they can no longer take care of themselves.

  • Living in a Community of Caring

    Ever think about growing old? Even when we become caregivers for aging loved ones, or start to feel pain in our joints, or experience the “where did I leave my keys?” and “what was I gonna say?” moments, we may still not attribute them to aging.

  • Embracing Retirement Communities

    Hundreds of families, including my own, go through the aging process. Historically, and particularly in Hawai‘i, our cultures require us to take care of our kupuna in our homes. However, in current times, adult children have very busy lives working full-time and raising children and grandchildren. Today, an increasing number of families are turning to…