Tag: pandemic

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TAKE A MOTHER’S DAY BREAK FROM COVID-19

It’s been almost two months since we’ve been in this pandemic.  We’re worn out, and depressed.  But just for today, why not take a Mother’s Day Break from Covid-19.  Give yourself a time out from from your worries , and focus on the good things that are happening. 

Here are 9  things to celebrate today:

Gas prices are low.   I’ve not filled my gas tank since March 15.  And when I do, it’s going to be a pleasant surprise when I see the final bill.

No school shootings.  Since schools are closed, we don’t have to see or hear about kids killing kids.

No new middle eastern conflicts.  Worldwide virus outbreaks have incapacitated most of our enemies.

Reconnecting with families.  Kids and parents are getting to spend more time together.  Getting to know each other. Playing games. Cooking.  Bicycling. Going to parks.

Spring weather. Yes, we had a cold blast.  But the trees are leafing out, there’s greenery everywhere. If you have a garden, you can start putting out annuals.

Kindness of strangers.  When you walk in the park, everyone you encounter smiles and waves.  That didn’t used to happen.  And look at the food banks all over the country.  People reaching out to help families in need.

Take a Mother's Day Break. Be grateful for the kindness of strangers.
TAKE A MOTHER’S DAY BREAK FROM COVID-19. BE GRATEFUL FOR THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS.

Low credit card bills.  We were shocked to receive our Visa statement this month.  It was less than half what it normally is.  That’s what happens when you don’t go anywhere, eat out, or shop in malls.

Stimulus money and unemployment checks.  Lots of folks actually are enjoying more income than they had when they were working.

Wellness.  99% of Americans do not have Covid-19.  So if you’re healthy and well, celebrate that today.  You’ve done a good job of hand washing, mask wearing, and social distancing.

Things to avoid:

Watching or listening to the news .  Take a break from alarmist news reporters who like to get you worked up and scared about what’s going on in our country.

Negative thoughts.  When something unpleasant enters your mind, don’t dwell on it.  As an example, what if you get the virus?  As long as you’re following CDC guidelines, that’s all you can do.  If you do get sick, it won’t be because you were careless.  Don’t spend today worrying about it.  Take a few deep breaths. Listen to some music. Take a walk.  Call a loved one.

Just for today, take a break from Covid-19.  Happy Mother’s Day!.

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7 lessons learned from COVID-19 crisis

Looks like we’re flattening the curve on coronavirus cases.  The end isn’t here, but it’s coming. In a couple of months, we’ll be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  But things will never be the same. Here are seven  lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis.

1. Saving for a rainy day is good advice.  I know it’s not possible for everyone. Stuff happens, and you find yourself in a hole, living paycheck to paycheck.  I’ve been there, done that, and  know how it feels. And yet, many folks who could have established an emergency fund didn’t.  They maxed out their credit cards on boats,  trips to Disneyland,  eating out, and other stuff they didn’t really need.  I hope their unemployment and stimulus checks tide them over now.  But when they finally get back on their feet,  they really need to cut out some of the unnecessary spending.  And make it a point to save a certain percent of their income for a rainy day.

2. You can keep ripe bananas in the frig.  Shopping habits changed the past few months. Instead of going to the grocery several times a week, we had to cut it down to once or twice.  Planning ahead was a necessity.  And if you bought enough bananas ahead of time, they were apt to spoil before your next trip.  My husband and I split part of a banana  every day—him for his cereal, mine for smoothies.  Although you’re always told you can’t refrigerate ripe bananas, the fact is, you can—for a couple of days.  The skin may turn dark, but the inside is still fresh and sweet.

3.  Everyone should wash their hands more often. Many of us were lax about that.  How many times have you seen someone leave a public restroom without washing?  But I think everyone has it in their heads now:  Washing your hands will keep you from getting the flu, colds, and other types of infections. If you didn’t know it before the covid-19 outbreak, you know it now.

     4.   Higher education is more important than ever.  During the past decade, I’ve met many bright young people who dropped out of college because they could make so much money in tips at upscale restaurants.  Those people are now drawing unemployment.  Those with college degrees  are more likely to have jobs that pay them to work from home.  Others who learned a skilled trade find their services in high demand. A two year degree may pay off  just as well as a four year degree.    If you have the academic ability, get some training and education beyond high school. Don’t rely on tips to fulfill your dreams.

7 lessons learned from COVID-19 CRISIS. Immunity, education, saving, good health habits, sunshine all have an effect
Open office space can be hazardous to your health.: 7 lessons learned from COVID-19 crisis.

5.  Open spaces offices are bad for your health.  70% of modern offices have no walls.  You’re forced to  work close beside other people , breathing in whatever they’re breathing out in the way of viruses .  It’s been shown that open office spaces make people less productive and healthy. Without walls or barriers in front of you, a virus can spread very easily. Companies should  go back to providing offices or at least cubicles, where  employees can enjoy a little peace, quiet, and cleaner air.

6. Find some  old fashioned pastimes that don’t require wireless.  Jigsaw puzzles, cards, board games, crossword puzzles, just to name a few.  Or creative activities like painting, sewing or woodworking.  There could be a national crisis that involves an internet blackout.  What will you do to pass the time, then?

7. Unfiltered sunlight is good for you, in small doses.  Sunscreens prevent cancer, but they also block the production of vitamin D.   Vitamin D is important for a good immune system. Doctors now recommend that you wait 15 minutes before applying sunscreen if you’re out in the sunlight.

Americans are resilient and smart.  They will make it through this crisis and  also learn their lessons.

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STAY-AT-HOME DIARY: WEEK 3

Recovering news junkie here.  I’ve always been a person who loves the news:  two newspapers every morning, 3 different TV stations for evening news .   That’s over.  There is absolutely nothing to read, see, or hear about except  the coronavirus.  I wake up in the morning, and my iphone has numerous updates which are repeated all day long and everywhere on the internet.  By the time 6 o’clock rolls around, I’ve reached the saturation point.   What will the media do when COVID-19 is over?  Surely, there are other things going on in the world.   Stay-At- Home Diary: Week 3

Looked in the basement for a jigsaw puzzle.   Threw them away during our de cluttering project last year.  Why would we keep something that hasn’t been used for decades?  But now, we were sorry.  Asked our son to pick one up at Walmart, but they didn’t have much left.  The puzzle has 750 teensy, tiny,  flimsy pieces.  The puzzles  I remember were much more substantial. Anyway, our living room is now filled with two card tables covered with puzzle pieces.  I helped my husband find the “straight” pieces for the border, but that’s as far as it goes.  He’s on his own now, and from the looks of it, he’ll be lucky if it’s finished by Memorial Day..

Washed all the curtains downstairs.  We’re talking  10 windows here.  When were they last washed?  Not sure. It may have been a couple of years.  They’re sheer and pale blue, so they don’t show the dirt.  But I knew that they were full of dust. Started sneezing as soon as I began.  Taking down, washing, drying and re hanging took about 4 hours.  At least  we’ll remember when we washed them last.  How could you forget the coronavirus activities?

Walked in the park a couple of times, weather permitting.  Sat outside  on sunny days for a short time. .  A little ultraviolet light is good for the immune system and raises your spirits.

Gained two pounds.    We’ve tried to eat healthy; and watch our calories.  But the lack of exercise combined with nervous/bored snacking is taking its toll.  Supposedly, it’s good to be a little overweight at our age.  It helps get you through sickness.  If that’s the case, I’m well prepared.

Consuming plenty of probiotics to boost my immune system:   fruit smoothies made with kefir and yogurt.   A hearty German meal of Bratwurst and sauerkraut.   Did you know  sauerkraut is a powerful probiotic?

A bar of fragrance free Ivory Soap would help: Stay-at-home Diary Week 3
Stay-At-Home Diary: Week 3. I’d give anything for a bar of fragrance free ivory soap for all the hand washing..

Hands getting red and itchy from all the hand washing.  I’ve tried different lotions, but nothing can help when you’re washing your hands about every fifteen minutes. Scented, tinted soaps don’t help.  I’d give anything for a bar of Ivory.

Spent two hours trying to revive my husband’s kindle.  The books wouldn’t download, and I couldn’t figure out why..  Turned out he hasn’t used it for years, and it wasn’t connected to wireless.  GRR.

The novelty of staying home is wearing off for parents. The first week, everyone said it was nice to sleep late and not push themselves.  But now, they’re missing the office and their old routine.  Working from home while taking care of children is a struggle.  I hope everyone stays safe and sane.  God willing, it will soon be over.

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PATIENT PRIVACY VS. NEED TO KNOW

Having been a hospital department manager for over 25 years, I know the importance of patient privacy. It was strictly enforced when my father was in for a stroke.  I was banned from reading his chart, due to privacy laws.  This meant that people working for me could read his chart, if they were authorized, but I could not. Therefore,  they could not share any information about his condition with me.  I understood that.  However, during this coronavirus epidemic, I think we should make a distinction between patient privacy vs. need to know.

When the crisis first started,  we were told the names of some of the patients– where they worshiped, and where they lived.  Often, we heard  that they had recently been to China or some out of state convention.    Many people were  willing to self report  ( actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson) But now, we aren’t being told much about the patients, except their general age group. Different states are willing to share more  information than others.  The state of Washington freely reported the number of nursing home patients with the coronavirus.

My county currently has 3 active corona cases, which isn’t too bad, yet.  We’re a relatively small town (pop 60,000).  But I want to know a bit more. In such a small community, I think we have that right.

This is what I believe  the people in this county should know:  Where  were the patients  before coming down with the virus?  Did they go to the  grocery store where I shop before they  were  diagnosed?  Or to the church I attended?  Were they  college students?  If so, which college?  A snowbird returning to Indiana from another state? What state?  A  nursing home resident?  If so, which nursing home?   Did they smoke, making them more susceptible to complications?

It's important to know if we've been in the same places as COVID-19 patients.
We have to weigh the importance of Patient Privacy vs. Need to Know. You should know if you’ve recently been in the vicinity of someone with COVID-19.

I suppose the response would be that it doesn’t really make any difference.  If we’re washing hands, maintaining social distance, etc. , it’s not important whether or not we’ve been near that person or know when or where he might have contracted the disease.   But psychologically, I think it does make a difference.  If I have shopped at a different supermarket in another end of town, or haven’t attended their  Church, or visited anyone in that nursing home, I can have a little peace of mind, knowing my risk is lower.  However,  if I have been in the vicinity of the sick person, I’ll need to be extra vigilant regarding any new symptoms.  If I get a cough or cold, I  have to face the reality  that I could have contracted the virus.  And  get tested if I start feeling worse.

There’s a difference between patient privacy and the need to know. Right now, we’re being given Too Little Information as to where COVID-19 might have been swirling in the air around us.

That being said,  I think Indiana’s Governor Holcomb has done a fantastic job of managing the crisis and providing statistics.  And I’m proud of my fellow Hoosiers who have social distanced without complaint.

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IS AGE SIXTY-FIVE THE NEW EIGHTY?

After listening to the Democratic presidential debate last night, my mind was in a muddle. I couldn’t really tell what message  Biden and Sanders were trying to convey.  It  sounded like a couple of angry old guys in a shouting contest.  But just before we went to bed, I heard on the news that someone said all people over age sixty five should stay home during this coronavirus outbreak.   I’ll find out today who said that, but it has me wondering: Is  age sixty five the new eighty?

Should healthy people stay isolated just because their over sixty five?
Should healthy seniors be told to stay at home during the crisis? Is age sixty-five the new eighty?

Most sixty-five year olds I know are pretty healthy.  Thanks to modern healthcare, the fitness movement, and plant based diets,  these newly retired folks are In much better shape than our parents were. It seems like a bit of overkill to me.   Retirees are the ones people fall back on to help out in a crisis—whether it’s babysitting,emergency housing , or other calamities that befall working people.

The recommendation is mostly based on the fact that seniors are most apt to die if they get sick with the coronavirus.  But there’s a slight flaw in that statistic.  It’s mostly the elderly who live in crowded nursing homes  who have died.  They don’t get out at all.  They’re stuck in stuffy, stinky, crowded places where staffers are too busy to wash their hands as often as they should. And the air doesn’t move very fast in those little rooms.

Naturally, anyone who’s at risk should stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak.   But not everyone over age sixty-five has heart disease,  kidney failure, diabetes, or other serious health problems.

So what’s a healthy senior to do?  Should we wear hats to disguise gray hair, and sunglasses to hide our wrinkles. Shall we be arrested for going to the grocery store for a bottle of milk? Is sixty five really the new eighty?

And by the way.  What were those two old politicians doing out in public last night?  Both Biden and Sanders are over sixty five.

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8 SURPRISING BENEFITS OF OUTBREAK

So far, the Coronavirus scare has brought about some positive changes for Americans.   Good things sometimes happen in bad times. If you’re a senior on a fixed income, or someone with a steady job, these are 8 surprising benefits of the coronavirus outbreak. 

  1.  Low gas prices. If you’re still driving to work or running errands, the cost of filling your gas tank is going to come as a nice surprise.

2. Teleworking from home.   What a luxury.  Wearing pajamas all day.  Relaxing, using your own clean  bathroom, saving lunch money.  No commuting time means  much less stress.  It’s almost like a vacation.

One good thing about staying home during the crisis: more family meals together
One of the 8 surprising benefits of the outbreak is that families will eat more meals together at home,

3. Saving a pile of money if you social distance, and stay away from restaurants.   Have you ever figured out how much you spend on meals away from home?  The entrée  price may be low, but then,  there’s  the sneaky way  beverages add to the total bill.  A couple glasses of wine may cost more than the meal itself.  And the added taxes and the obligatory tip may increase your tab by 30%.   Now, you don’t have to feel like a cheapskate if you stop taking the family out to dinner.

4. Get reacquainted with family members.  Play scrabble or gin rummy.   You might even have meals  together.

5. Better health habits.  You’ll probably wash your hands more often, even when the crisis is over. Which means you will be less apt to get colds, flu, and other infectious diseases in the future..

6. Buy a new house.  Low interest rates means more people can afford a mortgage.

7. Cut down on  wasteful spending.  You don’t need a closet stuffed with clothes, a houseful of computers and TVs, and  a garage filled with extra  cars, boats and  motorcycles.

8,  Stop relying on paper goods. Cloth diapers and dishtowels could make a comeback. Anyone remember cloth napkins? We washed them once a week, and fastened them with clothespins bearing our names.

The good thing about being over 80 is that we learned  how to “make do” in hard times.  I hope you won’t come down with the coronavirus.  But whether  you do or don’t, you may find some comfort with these 8 surprising benefits.

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FEAR ITSELF IS ONLY THING TO FEAR

In the depths of the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in his induction speech: “This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper…. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror….”

In the depth of the depression, Franklin Roosevelt assured the nation, we have nothing to fear but fear, itself
At the depth of the depression, FDR said, “the only thing to fear is fear, itself.”

Initial fears about the spread of COVID-19 were justified.  When you suddenly have thousands of people dying from a new virus with no known vaccine, it’s natural to panic.  Therefore,  the  alarm system  galvanized us into action here in the USA.  We’ve identified the coronavirus,  and the CDC is  doing everything possible to  stop it from spreading here.

But the media has done everything in its power to politicize the virus, and stir up unwarranted panic. There are  about 38,000 deaths per year from automobile accidents.   Does that mean we should stop buying cars?  If we gave in to that type of panic, it would turn the world as we know it upside down.  Goods and services wouldn’t be delivered. Millions of people would lose their jobs in the auto related industries.  No one could  drive to work.

Heart disease and stroke are  leading causes of death.  Why aren’t we worried about obesity,  and the over consumption of red meats  as a  risk factor ? Shall we shut down McDonalds, Steak N Shake and all the restaurants that serve unhealthy meals loaded with saturated fat?  If not, why?  Because it doesn’t make sense.  We know we may or may not get these diseases, so we put that fear out of our minds and go on..

 

If we let panic rule our lives, most of us would become agoraphobics.  We wouldn’t step out our door for fear of air pollution, getting  a contagious disease, having a car accident and all of the other tragedies that result from  every day interactions with our fellow human beings.

My children are more worried about me than I am.  They point out that I’m in the vulnerable age group—over 65—most apt to die from covid-19.  They don’t realize how many adversities I’ve faced–managed to survive- over the years.   Yes, I might get the coronavirus.  I could also have a  heart attack, or be diagnosed with cancer.  While we’re taking common sense  precautions—avoiding crowds, hand washing, etc.–my husband and I won’t give in to panic.   The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.