Holywell Health & Wellness

17/09/2026

It was a pleasure to meet Heather from Outside Lives today. She provided lots of information surrounding local support available for individuals and families affected by dementia 💙

17/09/2026

❤️💗❤️

17/09/2026

What does depression look like to you? 💚

16/09/2026

Thank you to a contributor who shared these useful tips for anyone facing a wait in Glan Clwyd A&E. We thought they were so helpful that we would share them further.

The League of Friends has provided a secure mobile-phone charging station, with standard charging cables available inside. You can safely leave your phone to charge while you wait.

There is also now a volunteer-run shop in A&E, open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 2pm. The hope is to extend these hours as more volunteers come forward.

The main shop and café near the lifts can supply refreshments, toiletries, puzzle books, newspapers, magazines, eye masks and ear plugs.

A few practical suggestions if you are likely to be waiting:

- Bring a throw or warm layer and a neck pillow, so you can rest more comfortably while sitting up.
- Bring a book and reading glasses if you use them.
- Let people around you know your name, especially if you are resting, using the toilet or stepping away briefly—so you do not miss being called for treatment or tests.
- Make sure reception has your correct mobile number.
- If you go to your car or outside, let reception know where you are.

These small preparations will not solve the wider pressures facing A&E, but they may make a difficult wait a little more manageable.

The A&E shop and the support it offers rely on volunteers. If you have a few hours to spare and would like to help patients, visitors and staff at Glan Clwyd, please find out more here:

📌 BCUHB volunteering opportunities:
[https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/get-involved/volunteer/](https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/get-involved/volunteer/)

📌 League of Friends volunteering:
[https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/get-involved/volunteer/league-of-friends/](https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/get-involved/volunteer/league-of-friends/)

📌 Apply to become a BCUHB Robin volunteer:
[https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/get-involved/volunteer/robin-ward-volunteer/apply-to-be-a-robin/](https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/get-involved/volunteer/robin-ward-volunteer/apply-to-be-a-robin/)

Thank you again to the contributor for sharing advice that could genuinely help patients and families.

15/09/2026

The best investments rarely feel like investments.
They look too small.
Too ordinary.
Too easy to postpone.
A walk after dinner.
Twenty minutes before work.
Choosing your feet when you could choose the car.
No dramatic transformation happens today.
But health, like wealth, compounds quietly.
Walk today. Let time do the rest.

— Keep Your Doctor Away Club

10/09/2026

Use our discount code P17094 when ordering 👌

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10/09/2026

To anyone affected by su***de, whether you’re missing someone you’ve lost, struggling with suicidal thoughts yourself or supporting someone who is going through it right now – we’re thinking of you this World Su***de Prevention Day.

Just a reminder that if you find World Su***de Prevention Day hard, for any reason, it really is OK to switch off from social media tomorrow. Take care of yourselves 💚

We’re always here to talk on 116 123 📱

09/09/2026

It can happen so gradually that you barely notice it.

You reach for the railing going upstairs. Touch the counter while putting on a shoe. Hold the back of a chair while stepping around something. Use both hands to push yourself up even though you could probably stand without them.

Sometimes support is necessary, and using it is the smart thing to do.

But sometimes the hand reaches out before the body has actually been given a chance.

That distinction matters because balance is not simply something you either have or lose as you get older. It is an ability your body continually practices.

Every time you stand on one leg to pull on a pair of pants, step over something without grabbing nearby furniture, rise from a chair without using your hands, or move across uneven ground, your brain and body are solving a remarkably complicated problem.

Your eyes are tracking where you are. Your inner ear is sensing motion and orientation. Nerves in your feet, ankles, and joints are reporting your position. Your muscles are making constant tiny corrections to keep you upright.

And researchers are discovering just how revealing that ability can be.

In a Mayo Clinic study of healthy, independent adults over 50, researchers compared several physical measures associated with aging, including walking, grip strength, knee strength, and balance.

The ability that declined most noticeably with age was not walking speed or strength.

It was how long people could balance on one leg, particularly the non-dominant leg. Mayo researchers described single-leg balance as an especially useful measure because so many systems have to work together successfully to maintain it.

That gives ordinary life a little more significance.

Modern environments are full of opportunities to stabilize ourselves immediately. Railings. Armrests. Counters. High chairs. Smooth floors. Elevators. Escalators.

Again, these things make life safer and easier, and there is no prize for refusing help when your balance is uncertain.

But there is value in noticing when support has become automatic rather than necessary.

Because the body adapts to what we repeatedly ask it to do.

If every slightly challenging movement is immediately supported, daily life offers fewer chances to practice the small corrections, weight shifts, leg strength, and coordination that balance depends on.

This is why maintaining balance does not necessarily begin with an elaborate routine.

It can begin with continuing to use the abilities you still have, safely.

Standing briefly on one leg while you are near a stable surface. Getting out of a chair without pushing off when you comfortably can. Walking on varied terrain. Taking stairs. Moving in ways that require the body to shift, stabilize, and respond instead of keeping every movement perfectly supported.

Mayo Clinic specifically recommends balance practice alongside regular physical activity and strength training, noting that these abilities can be trained over time.

A railing should absolutely be there when you need it.

The deeper question is whether your hand is reaching for it because your body cannot manage without it yet, or simply because it has forgotten that it can.

Follow along for more practical, natural steps to slow biological aging and live a longer, fuller life.

09/09/2026

Eat More Nuts 🌰

09/09/2026

The female heart is about 25% smaller than the male heart, with narrower arteries and a slightly higher resting heart rate. Yet the tools used to diagnose heart disease were largely designed around male bodies. The result? Heart disease – the number one killer of women – is often overlooked.

Hormones also play a major role. Oestrogen helps keep blood vessels flexible and supports brain function. As oestrogen levels drop during menopause, the risk of heart disease increases and brain health becomes compromised. Up to two-thirds of people with Alzheimer’s are female and researchers suspect it’s our changing hormones that leave us at an increased risk.

Add in rising stress levels from juggling work, family and caregiving, and midlife becomes a critical turning point for long-term health.