UNPAID CAREGIVERS ARE UNSUNG HEROES

During this pandemic, city parks have provided much needed relief from enforced isolation. Every shelter is occupied on holidays and weekends, and the roads are heavy with traffic slowly navigating around joggers and walkers. Also, we’re suddenly seeing more caregivers of disabled children or aging parents. Did you know that approximately 43.5 million caregivers have provided unpaid care to an adult or child in the last 12 months? Unless you are a caregiver, you may not realize what a difficult task these people are performing. Unpaid caregivers are unsung heroes.

There are varying degrees of caregiving, but all of them require patience and empathy. Aging parents may require just a bit of help with shopping and household tasks. But a sick or disabled child or spouse often requires full time commitment. Lately, at the park, I’ve seen many more children in wheelchairs with missing limbs or other handicaps. . My heart goes out to the parents who so lovingly devote their lives to the care of their children. Where do caregivers get their strength? I guess it’s the power of love.

Caregiving can be a lonely business, leading to caregiver burnout. Often, it falls on one person in a family. Other relatives and friends go about their lives without much regard for the day to day efforts required to take care of a disabled or handicapped person. When you’re the only one who can shop, cook, clean and run errands while taking care of a person’s needs, you often feel worn out and forgotten. What’s worse is seeing a loved one through episodes of pain or suffering with no one around to comfort them but you.

Unfortunately, caregiving is highly stressful and hazardous to the health. Thirty percent of caregivers die before the people they care for do. A 2003 study of caregivers by a research team at Ohio State University discovered a significant deterioration in the health of caregivers when compared to a similar group of non-caregivers. Even more disturbing is the fact that caregivers had a 63 percent higher death rate than the control group. Before the end of the 6-year study, 70 percent of the caregivers died and had to be replaced.

What can we do to help caregivers? If they’re strangers we encounter in public places, perhaps all we can do is open a door, or give a smile of encouragement. It get’s a little more complicated if they are family or friends. The last thing a caregiver wants is advice or implied criticism. What they really need is your emotional support and appreciation. A phone call or visit means a lot. Just let them know they’re not alone in all of this.

Unpaid caregivers are unsung heroes.

September 9, 2020September 10, 2020

RISK TAKING IS IN AMERICA’S DNA

Yes, we know. All those European countries have lower Covid-19 positivity rates than we do, here in the USA. But guess what? Europeans are the ones who stayed home over the past four centuries. They put up with dictators and monarchies. Our ancestors who emigrated to America in hope of independence and a better life were risk takers, and they still are. Risk taking is in America’s DNA

Consider these facts:

More than 38,000 people die every year in crashes on U.S. roadways. The U.S. traffic fatality rate is 12.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. An additional 4.4 million are injured seriously enough to require medical attention. Does that stop people from driving? Most of us own at least one motor vehicle, and don’t worry when taking trips and running errands in our cars.

57% of all motorcycle fatalities are due to drivers without helmets. — Risk Taking is in America’s DNA. 57% of motorcycle fatalities are because the driver didn’t wear a helmet.

Because motorcycles lack the protection of cars, accidents tend to be more severe for motorcyclists when a collision does occur. In fact, bikers are 27 times more likely to experience a fatal accident than car drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Some states require motorcyclists wear helmets. But many don’t. And yet, 57% of motorcyclists killed in 2017 weren’t wearing helmets, according to NHTSA,.

All grocery stores, pharmacies and dollar stores sell cigarettes. Smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.

Ever count the number of liquor stores in your city? They were considered an essential business during the pandemic. Few people stop to consider that 1 million people died from alcohol-related causes between 1999 and 2017. The number of death certificates mentioning alcohol more than doubled from 35,914 in 1999 to 72,558 in 2017. That year, alcohol played a role in 2.6% of all deaths in the United States.

Snack foods take up an entire aisle in most grocery stores, pharmacies, and dollar stores. Most of these chips and snacks are alarmingly high in salt. But they’re big sellers. Unfortunately, according to the American Heart Association a high salt diet may may lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, and strokes. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

On Labor Day, I walked past a house full of people having an indoor-outdoor barbeque . It looked like a family get together, and I didn’t see any masks.

Politicians and the CDC are desperately trying to regulate the behavior of Americans during this Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, people continue to congregate, travel, and go without masks. Is it any wonder? If you consider the above statistics, it’s clear that risk taking is in America’s DNA.

September 7, 2020September 7, 2020

QUITTING THE NEWS COLD TURKEY

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve turned into a news junkie since the pandemic hit. Forced to stay home, I’ve read and listened to more news than ever before. It usually peaked out Friday night, what with Washington Week in Review, Indiana Week in Review, in addition to cable news. But last night was the last straw. When they started talking about Trump calling war heroes losers, I just could not take it any more. I have no idea if this was fake or real news. But after a summer of protests, riots, federal executions, covid-19, and politics, everything you see and hear in the media has become very depressing. Too much news can affect your mental health. This morning, I decided to empty my brain. I’m quitting the news cold turkey over Labor Day.

Here’s how it’s going this Saturday morning:

I've stopped being a news junkie. Going cold turnkey from the news over labor day. — Has the pandemic turned you into a news junkie? It may be time to quit the news cold turkey..

8: 30 a.m. Starting with the newspapers. We subscribe to two: local, and Indy Star. Before taking my first sip of coffee, I resolve not to read any story about the election, Trump, Biden, or any politician. Same for riots and protests. None of which I can control. What is left? Start with the comics. Typically, I skim over them, pausing to read one or two favorites. Today, I read most every cartoon and comic. They actually are somewhat entertaining . We usually don’t read the sports section. But now, I’m surprised to find some interesting stories. One about some parents whose son plays for Purdue. Another about a rookie who signed a four year deal with the Colts. I might even watch a Colts game to see him play. The virus statistics still merit my attention, since our city’s positivity rate is so alarming.

9: 45 a.m. My daughter arranged for me to watch my grandson’s cross country meet , live streamed on Facebook. Seeing all those fine young people running their hearts out gave me so much hope. I think of him when I see other youngsters running in the park. When that generation comes of age, I believe America is going to be just fine.

11:15. Since I can’t swim during the pandemic my, arthritis has gotten worse. Now, I’ll take some time to go back and do some of the exercises I learned to do in therapy. Yes, they’re a pain, and boring too. But they are much needed if I want to keep walking in the park.

Walking in the park ,i phone in my pocket. Every time it dings, I’m tempted. All those apps—NY Times, Drudge, Reuters, Yahoo, CNN. I’m fighting the urge to sit down and read the depressing news of the day. But I made it home without giving in.

12:30. I’ve made it to lunch time without checking “Breaking News” . Not even those alarming emails that flash across my iphone all day long. Our snail mail came, with forms to request absentee ballots, sent by the Democratic party. Tossed them in the wastebasket. If I decide to vote, it will be in person.

This afternoon I’ll go to the library. Here’s hoping I’m off to a good start. Just for this Labor Day weekend, I’m quitting the news cold turkey. I need a little break before I can face it all again and find some balance between being informed and overwhelmed. . And who knows? Maybe there’s some good news on the horizon.

September 4, 2020September 4, 2020

C’MON NANCY, WASH YOUR HAIR.

When I was a child, most ordinary women washed their own hair. Once a week was the norm. There were various shampoos like Prell that were supposed to do something special. Afterwards, you might set your hair with pin curls, curlers , or in later years, rollers. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that portable hair dryers made blow dried hair popular, and women began to depend upon beauty parlors. The point is, most women are capable of washing and styling their own hair. Especially during this pandemic. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi apparently can’t do that. I guess we all saw the picture of her at a beauty salon last week, walking around with wet hair and no mask. All of which is against San Francisco’s restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. C’mon Nancy, wash your hair.

Speaker of the House, Nancy Peolois should wash her own hair during this pandemic. — Nancy Pelosi was criticized for breaking pandemic rules at a hair salon last week. C’mon Nancy. Wash Your Hair.

It’s real simple. Just step in the shower, apply some shampoo, rub it in, and turn on the water. See, you don’t have to go to a beauty salon to have clean hair! Of course, you need someone to put on the proper amount of goo and blow dry it to the desired style.. But you’d think an 80 year old woman would have figured out how to do that by now. She seems pretty spry when you see her on television.

Let’s give Nancy Pelosi the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she has arthritic shoulders , and she can’t lift her hands to her head. Or, she could be afraid of falling in the shower. Doesn’t she have any help around the house? I’m willing to bet she has a maid, cleaning woman, housekeeper, or whatever euphemism is used to describe women who earn their living by taking care of other people’s needs. And she has some daughters and grandchildren nearby who could help out—if they wanted to.

Nancy doesn’t appear to be frugal. I can’t remember seeing her twice in the same outfit. Apparently, she lives in a gated community of mansions. Surely, she has enough money to pay a hairdresser to come to her house. Many people do that, especially if they’re handicapped. It boggles the mind to think she would break all the quarantine rules in San Francisco just to have her hair washed.

C’mon Nancy, wash your hair.

September 2, 2020September 2, 2020

VIRUS SOARS AFTER PRISON EXECUTIONS

A few months ago, we felt fairly safe in this city along America’s Death Row. Cases of Covid-19 were low compared to big cities like Indianapolis. And then, late this summer, that began to change. Executions at the federal prison resumed on July 13. Up to that point, there had been no executions for 17 years, and there were no cases of Covid 19 at the prison. On Aug 28, Keith Nelson became the 5th person to be executed. Now, the virus soars after prison executions.

The federal prison complex has two facilities. Before that last execution , they had 12 cases in the U.S. Penitentiary (maximum security), and 10 cases in the Federal Correctional institution (medium,minimum securities). As of September 1, the USP reported 70 cases, and the FCI reported 48 cases, for a total of 118 cases at the complex. With about 1400 inmates and 700 employees, that’s a pretty high positive rate.

Is it any wonder? Numerous outsiders were seated together in the death chamber during each of the executions. This included eight journalists, and various family members of the crime victims and perpetrators. There were lawyers, and spiritual counselors. The exact number of people allowed to witness an execution has not been made public, but we know there were a lot of them.

After executions at the federal prison brought in protestors and strangers, our covid cases soared. — Witnesses and protesters brought many strangers to our town. The virus soars after prison executions.

Then, there were the protesters who came from outside the city, starting with the first execution in July.. Hundreds gathered to protest against the death penalty. As a result, these people stayed in hotels and ate in restaurants. I don’t know who wore masks, or did or did not carry the virus. I just know that cases in Vigo County skyrocketed after that. Our positive rate is more than double that of Indianapolis.

Coincidentally, Indiana State University opened it’s doors to on campus learning last week. . To their credit, they are being transparent about their number of reported Covid-19 cases which now stand at about 94, including staff and students. Compared to the University of Alabama, with 540 cases, that’s not too bad. Hopefully, these young people will enjoy a speedy recovery.

Back to the prison executions. I’m not opposed to the death penalty. But it seems to me they could have waited until things settled down before bringing all these strangers to town in the midst of a pandemic.