Health Journal Online

Tag: Brings

  • Less Burden, More Companionship — Verpal Brings Families Closer

    Less Burden, More Companionship — Verpal Brings Families Closer

    1. The Double Burden of Loneliness and “Secondary Injury”

    According to Elderly Loneliness Statistics (1), 28% of seniors live alone, accounting for over 14.7 million individuals, and 43% of adults aged 60 and older report frequently feeling lonely. This level of isolation can have a profound impact on their overall health.

    As mobility declines and children are often unavailable, even basic activities like going outside become a challenge for many older adults. As time goes by, outdoor activities become less frequent, leading to reduced connections with their communities and friends, and in many cases, complete social isolation.

    At the same time, long-term manual wheelchair users face another kind of pain. A study reported (2) that 59% of manual wheelchair users experienced shoulder pain. This highlights that, beyond the loss of mobility, they face overuse injuries from constant wheelchair propulsion—often termed “secondary injuries.” The persistent strain on shoulders and arms not only impacts their physical health but also diminishes their confidence to engage in outdoor activities.

    Confronted with the dual challenges of isolation and the physical strain associated with manual wheelchairs, what should be a straightforward activity like going out transforms into a daunting psychological and physical ordeal.

    2. No Compromise — Verpal Redefining Accessibility Tools

    Traditional wheelchairs often fail to prioritize human-centered design. They tend to be heavy, difficult to fold, and uncomfortable, serving primarily as tools for patient transportation.

    However, for seniors and individuals with limited mobility, a wheelchair represents much more—it becomes their “second pair of legs,” integral to daily life. Spending countless hours in a wheelchair, they depend on it for independence and dignity. When a short-term aid transforms into a long-term necessity, these design flaws become increasingly apparent, ultimately turning into significant challenges.

    Ken, the founder of Verpal, was inspired to create the brand after witnessing his mother’s struggles with unsuitable wheelchairs following surgery that left her unable to walk. Despite an exhaustive search, he couldn’t find a wheelchair that met her needs for comfort, practicality, and support.

    Determined to change this, Ken founded Verpal—a brand dedicated to transforming wheelchairs from a burden into a trusted companion for everyday life. Verpal’s designs are lightweight, comfortable, and reliable, carefully crafted to ease challenges for both users and caregivers.

    Verpal believes a wheelchair should be more than just a mobility aid. Like any other form of transportation, it should combine comfort and functionality, turning every outing into a meaningful and enjoyable experience.

    3. From the Frame to the Core: Details Achieve the Different

    Verpal

    Verpal focuses on the core of what makes a wheelchair truly usable:

    • Weight — Verpal carefully selects lighter and stronger materials, such as carbon fiber, for constructing wheelchair frames. This significantly reduces the overall weight of electric wheelchairs, with the lightest model weighing only 25.8 lbs.
    • Folding — Each folding mechanism is meticulously engineered and refined, ensuring a smooth and effortless process. Some Verpal electric wheelchair models can be folded in seconds, making them ideal for travel.
    • Load Capacity — By optimizing weight distribution across the frame, Verpal achieves both lightweight portability and exceptional strength. Verpal power wheelchairs can support up to 330 lbs without compromising durability.
    • Seating Comfort — Verpal emphasizes user comfort through ergonomic designs. From armrests to the seat and backrest, every touch point is crafted to fit the human body, ensuring comfort during extended use.

    Verpal vs Other Power Wheelchairs

    Verpal

    4. Verpal’s Product Line — Different Needs, One Shared Goal

    Verpal provides a comprehensive selection of mobility solutions, including walkers and power wheelchairs, all meticulously designed to enhance the ease and enjoyment of going out.

    A Customer Story — How “Oliver” Gave Life a Fresh Start

    At 58 years old, Mary (pseudonym) struggled with her three-wheel scooter, finding constant disassembly and reassembly draining. She often avoided outings altogether. That changed when she discovered the Verpal power wheelchair.

    “It’s so easy to fold, I can lift it into the car on my own,” Mary shared. She quickly mastered the joystick and affectionately named her wheelchair “Oliver.”

    For Mary, Oliver represents more than mobility—he symbolizes freedom. Effortlessly navigating indoors and enjoying the outdoors, she feels her life has transformed. “I’m not an athlete, just an ordinary 58-year-old woman. But with Oliver, I’m finally living the life I want.”

    Verpal: Making Every Journey Possible

    Verpal

    5. Breaking Free: Independence in Every Journey

    Verpal understands that mobility is about more than just movement—it represents independence, dignity, and confidence for seniors and individuals with limited mobility.

    With this vision, Verpal is steadily gaining recognition among families and caregivers as a reliable partner—ensuring that true companionship is never limited by weight or distance.

    From leisurely walks in the neighborhood park to long-anticipated visits with loved ones, Verpal remains committed to making mobility seamless and free from unnecessary challenges—keeping every connection to life within reach.

    6. Making the Next Outing Easier

    Maybe your parents haven’t been out for a while, or maybe you once gave up a trip because it felt “too much trouble.”

    With Verpal, that changes—starting today. Use the exclusive discount code： ORDER50USDOFF at checkout on our official site, Verpal, or reach us directly at service@verpalife.com for more details and practical accessories.

    The next outing shouldn’t be a challenge—only a moment to look forward to.

    1. 1. Elderly Loneliness Statistics: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/health/elderly-loneliness-statistics.html
    2. 2. Shoulder MRI Findings in Manual Wheelchair Users with Spinal Cord Injury: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.29.20164673v1.full.pdf

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  • Parents Express Concern After President Donald Trump Brings Back Presidential Fitness Test

    Parents Express Concern After President Donald Trump Brings Back Presidential Fitness Test

    President Donald Trump’s decision to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test has sparked intense debate among parents nationwide.

    The test, which was phased out in 2013 during former President Barack Obama’s administration, will once again require students to perform physical challenges, including the mile run, sit-ups, push-ups, and flexibility tests. Many parents remember their own experiences with the test and express serious concerns about its impact on their children’s mental health and self-esteem.

    The announcement came in July 2025 when Trump signed an executive order surrounded by professional athletes in the White House Roosevelt Room. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will oversee the program as part of the broader “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. The order states that declining physical fitness poses “a threat to the vitality and longevity of our country” and weakens America’s economy, military readiness, and national morale, according to Cronkite News.

    Concerns Among Parents

    Parents across the country are sharing their own childhood experiences with the test, and many memories are far from positive. “I remember how hurtful this program was when we were in school. Traumatic and bullying. Hopeless,” wrote Mike from Salem, New Hampshire, in response to media polls about the test’s return. Similar sentiments are echoing through social media platforms and parent groups nationwide.

    The original Presidential Fitness Test, which ran from 1966 to 2013, required students to meet specific benchmarks to earn awards. For example, a 14-year-old girl needed to run a mile in under eight minutes, complete 40 sit-and-reaches, shuttle-run in about 10 seconds, and do 47 curl-ups to qualify for recognition, among other things, 29News reported.

    Physical education expert Judy LoBianco, who worked in New Jersey schools for over two decades, believes the test can embarrass less athletic kids, make them anxious, and discourage them from pursuing fitness. She argues that modern physical education should focus on joy, social interaction, and life skills rather than competitive testing.

    Implementation Questions Remain

    Parents are also questioning the practical aspects of the revived program, as many wonder whether schools with lower-performing students will receive additional resources, better meals, and improved physical education equipment.

    The Trump administration has positioned the test as part of a broader focus on youth health, citing concerning statistics about childhood obesity and physical inactivity. Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” report highlights that more than 70% of children ages six to 17 fail to meet federal guidelines for daily physical activity, as per NPR.



    Originally published on parentherald.com

    © {{Year}} ParentHerald.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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  • 5 Minutes of Mindfulness Brings Real Benefits, According to Science

    5 Minutes of Mindfulness Brings Real Benefits, According to Science

    While on a mindfulness retreat, Eli Susman, a PhD Candidate in psychology at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, was surprised by the day’s schedule. The emphasis at Plum Village—the monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh—is on mindful living, which is different from other retreat centers that include long periods of sitting meditation. 

    As the days went by, Susman felt a growing desire for a more formal practice and decided to sit in meditation under a tree. Before he knew it, three hours had passed.

    Relaying this to a friend (and monk) later that day in the monastery’s tea house, the monk’s eyes widened and then he smiled. “How about three breaths?” he asked Susman. “That’s all you need to tune into the present moment.”

    “That really struck me,” says Susman. “What if that’s really enough to make a difference in people’s lives?”

    When it came time to launch his PhD research program, Susman decided to explore the idea of short practices, or “micropractices.” These brief interventions are designed to use the most potent elements of a practice to meet the needs of people in less time and at a lower cost. “Some of the biggest barriers to engaging with, and benefiting from, contemplative practices are developing the habit of doing it, and also having the time to do it,” he says.

    Evidence suggests that when it comes to meditation, short bursts may be just as beneficial as longer stretches. One randomized controlled trial found that four shorter 5-minute mindfulness practices were just as effective as four 20-minute practices in improving depression, anxiety, and stress. Another trial found that more frequent daily life mindfulness practice (being mindful during normal activities such as exercising, working, or doing household chores) helped to buffer ongoing stress.

    Love Thyself (in 20 seconds a day)

    Susman was keen to investigate a micropractice of self-compassionate touch, an aspect of mindful living that he believed could have a significant impact on mental health. Evidence has shown that self-compassionate touch can lower salivary cortisol levels (a measure of stress in the body) and may be as effective as receiving a hug from another person.

    In his study, Susman’s team included 135 undergraduate students and randomly assigned them to two groups. The first group was taught by video to practice self-compassionate touch for 20 seconds a day. This usually involved placing a hand on the heart space and another hand over the belly, followed by thinking kind, compassionate thoughts toward oneself.

    “But they were also told they could use other forms of touch,” says Susman. “What was most important was that the method of touch supported them in feeling compassionately toward themselves.”

    The second group followed the same video procedures, except the students were given different instructions that involved a finger-tapping exercise and were not told to use self-compassionate thoughts.

    For the average college student who participated in the study, Susman found no differences between the intervention and control groups on measures for self-compassion, growth mindset, positive affect (the scientific term for ‘feeling good’), perceived stress, and mental health issues.

    “If you meditate five minutes a day, every day, it’s a lot better than meditating half an hour once a week.” -Natalie Karneef, meditation teacher

    However, among those who practiced the intervention daily (38%), the researchers found greater improvements in self-compassion, stress, and mental health relative to those assigned to the control group.

    The team was very surprised by the size of the effect, which was comparable to outcomes from other trials that studied time-intensive interventions. Susman points out that short practice times do add up over weeks or months.

    Why You Should Try a Mindful “Micropractice”

    This finding ties in with the philosophy of “marginal gains,” often used in high-performance sports or business. The idea is that tiny margins of improvement in every step of the process can lead to larger gains over time. One meta-analysis of over 200 trials of mindfulness-based programs found that there was no evidence that larger doses are more helpful than smaller doses—it was greater frequency and consistency that appeared to provide better benefits.

    Certified meditation teacher Natalie Karneef agrees with this. “I think just pausing and coming out of the hamster wheel that most of us are on during the day is a really good practice,” she says. “If you meditate five minutes a day, every day, it’s a lot better than meditating half an hour once a week.”

    Karneef also feels that the compassion element of mindful living often gets left behind in a culture that she says is very uncompassionate. “The way that mindfulness is sometimes taught is a bit like a sport or a discipline. You can focus or still your mind but without compassion, it turns into another thing we’re trying to excel at,” she says.

    “Meditation is not a solution for capitalism,” adds Karneef. If it’s too difficult to quiet the mind for 20 minutes a day, Karneef says this is not an individual issue that should be individually solved. “That’s a structural and systemic issue that we need to recognize as a bigger problem.”

    Mindfulness alone, at any length of practice, is not necessarily recommended as a sole solution for more serious mental health issues. “Brushing your teeth is not a replacement for seeing the dentist, and doing micropractices wouldn’t replace getting more comprehensive mental health support,” says Susman.

    Both Susman and Karneef point out that meditation and self-compassion are challenging for many people because of the nature of modern life. It may be unrealistic to expect that we can counter the onslaught of information and activity we face each day with any amount of sitting meditation practice, which is why regularity is key.

    “Every length and type of practice is important—I really believe that,” says Karneef.



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