Doctors say a combination of exercises, both aerobic and anaerobic, 20 minutes a day, can reduce the risk of a fall.
Ed note: This article shows that we are up to speed at Skyline with so many opportunities to exercise and prevent falls: SAIL, Cardiofit, Men and Women on Weights, individualized programs, wake and stretch. Have you put in your 20 minutes today? No, the picture above isn’t me, he’s better looking and has more hair!
From the New York Times: As the population ages, the number of older Americans who die following a fall is rising. A study published Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA found that for people over 75, the rate of mortality from falls more than doubled from 2000 to 2016.
Researchers analyzed information obtained from death certificates maintained by the federal government’s National Center for Health Statistics. In 2016, the rate of death from falls for people 75 and older was 111 per 100,000 people, they found. In 2000, that rate was 52 per 100,000 people.
Elizabeth Burns, a health scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who was an author of the study, said the reason for the increase was unclear.
“The most likely reason is that people are living longer with conditions that in the past they might have died from,” she said. In addition, she continued, older adults are on medications that increase their risk of falling. Women are slightly more likely to fall than men, but men are slightly more likely to die as a result of a fall.
“The take-home message is that falls kill,” said Dr. Lewis Lipsitz, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, a housing, research and health care organization in the Boston area. He was not involved in the study.
When I worked at Firland TB Sanatorium, those with suspect tuberculosis were required to be off the streets and hospitalized there. And if they didn’t comply, they were placed in a locked ward where they received medical treatment as well as treatment for other problems – alcohol addiction, mental illness etc. This paternalistic approach indeed impinged on individual rights and led to the publication of “Contagion and Confinement” by Professor Barron H Lerner PhD. Now San Francisco, desperate for solutions, is using a similar tactic to enforce safety and treatment – but will it work? Will Seattle use the same approach? Is it more humane than simply letting people suffer?
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco officials decided Tuesday to force some people with serious mental illness and drug addiction into treatment, even if it goes against the spirit of a city known for its fierce protection of civil rights.
Several members of the Board of Supervisors voiced deep concerns Tuesday about the possibility of taking away a person’s civil liberties, but the proposal for a pilot program passed 10-1.
Mayor London Breed and other supporters say the move — known as conservatorship — is necessary to help people who are often homeless, addicted to drugs and have a mental illness, making them a danger to themselves.
“Allowing people to continue to suffer on our streets is not acceptable or humane, and I am glad the Board of Supervisors supported our approach to finally make a change,” Breed said in a statement after the vote.
The measure would apply to a handful of people, the city’s department of public health estimated, although the number would grow under legislation pending at the state level.
Supervisor Shamann Walton was the sole no vote, saying the city didn’t have plans in place to reduce the impact on African American people and other minorities who tend to have negative run-ins with police.ADVERTISING
Several supervisors decided to give the pilot program a try after changes were made that require providers to give the person multiple opportunities to accept voluntary help. They also were encouraged by Breed including more money for additional treatment beds in a proposed budget.
“By all accounts, the number of people affected will be small, but no matter how small the number, we all need to be watching closely to make sure the impacts are positive,” said Supervisor Vallie Brown, a co-sponsor of the proposal.
Critics call the measure politically driven and a violation of civil rights that runs against the principles of the liberal city. They say it would lead to locking up people in facilities and that San Francisco lacks the resources to successfully expand the number of people in such a program.
“We are concerned about ensuring that persons receive mental health treatment and services in their communities, in supportive housing, in supportive environments — and not in facilities,” said Curt Child, legislative director of Disability Rights California.
“This is a major civil rights issue in the sense of confining people against their will,” he said.
San Francisco struggles with income inequality and a growing number of homeless people — some with disturbing behavior tied to drugs, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. They shuffle from the streets to jail and psychiatric care, unaware they need steady treatment, sometimes dashing into traffic or screaming at strangers.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, another co-sponsor, says business owners and residents in his district see such people go “from ‘kind of not great’ to being in absolute and complete distress.”
Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, co-authored state legislation that allows pilot programs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego counties. He is working on changing that legislation to expand the number of people affected.
“Too many people are deteriorating and dying on San Francisco’s streets, and we have a moral responsibility to help them,” he said in a statement after the vote. “It’s neither progressive nor compassionate to stand by while people die.”
Delivered bright and early weekday mornings, this email provides a quick overview of top stories and need-to-know news.Sign up
Supervisors in San Diego and Los Angeles counties have not officially considered it. Los Angeles County saw a 12% rise in the number of homeless people over the past year.
San Francisco’s program would allow a court to appoint a public conservator for someone who has been involuntarily detained for psychiatric hospitalization at least eight times in a year. The treatment could last for as long as a year.
Only about five people could be forced into treatment in San Francisco, said Rachael Kagan, spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Public Health. Wiener’s new bill could bump that up to 55, which is the number of people who now fit the definition for at least eight holds.
The health department has identified an additional 48 people who have been detained six or seven times.
Recently I spoke with a college freshman attending Wesleyan College in Connecticut. He said all most all his class will be voting for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren (or someone similarly progressive). When I asked if they would consider Joe Biden, he said “No” I don’t think they will even bother to vote. David Brooks points out the problems the GOP has in defining who they are, but I think the Democrats have a problem in defining how progressive to be. Hard to say who’s making progress. Both parties seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot.
“For much of the 20th century, young and old people voted pretty similarly. The defining gaps in our recent politics have been the gender gap (women preferring Democrats) and the education gap. But now the generation gap is back, with a vengeance.
This is most immediately evident in the way Democrats are sorting themselves in their early primary preferences. A Democratic voter’s race, sex or education level doesn’t predict which candidate he or she is leaning toward, but age does.
In one early New Hampshire poll, Joe Biden won 39 percent of the vote of those over 55, but just 22 percent of those under 35, trailing Bernie Sanders. Similarly, in an early Iowa poll, Biden won 41 percent of the oldster vote, but just 17 percent of the young adult vote, placing third, behind Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
As Ronald Brownstein pointed out in The Atlantic, older Democrats prefer a more moderate candidate who they think can win. Younger Democrats prefer a more progressive candidate who they think can bring systemic change.
The generation gap is even more powerful when it comes to Republicans. To put it bluntly, young adults hate them.
Ed note: Are you still writing notes and letters? I hope so. This “old school” way of saying thanks, sorry or condolences is by far the best. It’s also a craft – one that has its own healing power.
Posted inEssays|Comments Off on Love letters to strangers
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and the fifth leading cause of death of older African Americans.
African Americans are generally diagnosed at later stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
The risk of developing Alzheimer’s is two to three times higher for African Americans.
African Americans have higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart diseases, which increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Persons with a history of either high blood pressure or high cholesterol are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
Those with both risk factors are four times more likely to develop dementia.
One thing is clear: African Americans need more education about Alzheimer’s and other dementias as well as the benefit of early diagnosis. Why? To confirm that confusion and/or memory loss is indeed Alzheimer’s or another dementia (not some other condition with those symptoms). To plan more quality time with family and friends. To learn ways to stay active while living with memory loss. And that’s why Aging and Disability Services promotes brain health.
Protesters demonstrated against President Trump outside the State Capitol in Carson City, Nev., in 2016. Criticism of the Electoral College has increased since the 2016 presidential election. Scott Sonner/Associated Press
The man who helped invent scratch-off lottery tickets now has his sights set on a bigger prize: overhauling the way the United States elects presidents.
On Tuesday, Nevada became the latest state to pass a bill that would grant its electoral votes to whoever wins the popular vote across the country, not just in Nevada. The movement is the brainchild of John Koza, a co-founder of National Popular Vote, an organization that is working to eliminate the influence of the Electoral College.
If Nevada’s governor signs the bill, the state will become the 15th — plus the District of Columbia — to join an interstate pact of states promising to switch to the new system. Those states, including Nevada, have a total of 195 electoral votes. The pact would take effect once enough states have joined to guarantee the national winner 270 electoral votes, ensuring election.
Enforcement, however, could be very difficult without congressional approval, according to constitutional law experts. And the pact would be highly vulnerable to legal challenges, they say.
But while it may seem quixotic, momentum is building. So far in 2019, Colorado, New Mexico and Delaware have passed laws joining the pact. Maine and Oregon may take similar steps this year.
Mr. Koza said he and his colleagues have been lobbying state legislators across the country since 2006 to enact such bills. An Electoral College hobbyist since the 1960s, he watched in frustration in 2004 as the presidential election between President George W. Bush and his Democratic opponent, John Kerry, came down to a few battleground states.
It wasn’t right, and it happened again, year after year, he said: “Everybody’s vote should count. But entire campaigns run around a couple of states and that, in turn, distorts government policy.”
Ed Note: One of the problems of youth is that they don’t have enough exposure to those different from themselves. A sense of entitlement is often attributed to the millenials. Service when we are young in the Military, Peace Corps or AmeriCorps can profoundly affect the young minds as they mature and take on a world outlook. In our great country, it’s not a great price to give two years (or more) to the service of our fellow Americans – and those arriving at our borders. Perhaps the time has come for our young people to step up and participate in national service.
This article is part of David Leonhardt’s newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it each weekday.
The 2020 Democratic is full of intriguing ideas — on climate change, tax policy, voting rights and more. This morning, I want to focus on an issue that three candidates have begun pushing: national service.
The basic idea is to encourage people, especially younger adults, to work on projects that advance the country’s interests. Franklin Roosevelt created the first federally funded service corps in the 1930s. Since then, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton built on the idea.
AmeriCorps — today’s umbrella program, which receives both federal and private funds — has about 75,000 civilian corps members annually. They perform education, antipoverty and other work, in exchange for a modest stipendor tuition reimbursement.
So far, three 2020 candidates have talked about expanding national service. John Delaney, the former Maryland congressman, wants to expand AmeriCorps to address climate change and improve infrastructure, among other things. “We have to restore a sense of common purpose and unity to our country,” he has said.
Last week President Donald Trump’s envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, briefed U.S. senators in a classified meeting. Khalilzad, an Afghan American who previously served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the U.N. in the George W. Bush administration, has before him a daunting task: to broker a peace deal with Taliban militants who have proved intractable foes in America’s longest war.
The White House appointed Khalilzad to lead the peace talks in September, and he has held several meetings with Taliban leaders in Qatar since. His closed-door meeting with the senators was Khalilzad’s first appearance before Congress, following months of requests for updates by skeptical lawmakers.
Khalilzad’s assignment is intended to be a final step of what has become an extended drawdown, initiated in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama, who announced the conclusion of Operation Enduring Freedom. Yet, even as Khalilzad has been talking peace with the Taliban, Americans continue to fight in Afghanistan.
Among them is the elite 2nd Ranger Battalion, based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), south of Seattle. On its most recent deployment, the battalion lost two soldiers — Sgt. Leandro Jasso and Sgt. Cameron Meddock. Jasso, who died in October, was born and raised in Leavenworth, Washington, and enlisted in 2012. Meddock, a Texas native, was on his second deployment to Afghanistan and died in a hospital bed in Germany after being mortally wounded in a firefight in January.
The Rangers returned to JBLM in February, and current and former members of the unit told Crosscut that the deployment had been defined by intense firefights and relentless hunts for senior enemy leaders.
Watching peace talks is strange for some soldiers who served in Afghanistan. “If that’s the way we’re gonna get out, I guess that’s the way we’re gonna get out,” says Nate Schnittger, a veteran of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He was a freshman in high school on 9/11. He enlisted in 2005 and became an elite Army Ranger in 2009. Since then, he has been deployed to Afghanistan 10 times.
There are many others like Schnittger who have served at JBLM. The base is home to the U.S. Army’s I Corps, which oversees almost all Army troops on the West Coast and helps make Washington one of the country’s most important hubs of military operations. Troops deploying from the Evergreen State have often played defining roles in the history of America’s longest war. The story of the victories and losses of the Afghan war experienced by the community in and around the base over the past 18 years is a story of the war itself.
Posted inEssays, Remembrances, Social justice, War|Comments Off on As Afghanistan peace talks progress, WA continues to suffer losses in America’s longest war
This came to us from Margarete B. Make sure you check though with our in-house fitness experts before you begin any strenuous lifting. 😗
“MuscleWiki allows you to click any part of the human body, then provides you with a list of exercises to workout said part. It also describes each exercise and shows you how to do it.” You choose Male or Female diagram.
As as update to the post below, a resident just told me that he had recently purchased a leak detector as pictured above. Sure enough, his heat pump developed a leak and the alarm quickly sounded. Major water damage was prevented. This resident would recommend that we all have some type of water leak detention system in place (isn’t there an old saying about an ounce of prevention …..).
Having concerns about knowing if you have a water leak from your sink(s), your refrigerator ice maker, your toilet(s) or your washing machine. I count 12 hoses connected to hot or cold outlets in a 2 bedroom apt (not counting the tub or shower). The hoses are now nearing 10 years in age. The only leak alarm we have is a swooshing noise or wet feet or a neighbor banging on our door. But there are things that can be done right now in your own apartment. Above are some simple detectors, one designed as a sensor shut off for the washing machine. There are some that will use wifi to text you. Obviously we need a solution for the building. In the meantime check out Amazon to get some ideas.
In order to be with my Dad, after dinner I’d go on house calls with him. We’d drive to parts of town I’d never seen, and using the car’s spotlight we’d search out the right house number, often with no small difficulty. I’d usually wait in the car. He hefted up his rather large mysterious black doctor’s bag and headed for the door. He spent about a half hour listening and examining the patient. On return, I always asked him if he gave the patient a “shot”. Sometimes he did – a diuretic, or B12. Sometimes it was cortisone into an inflamed joint. Once he explained to me that when washing his hands in the patient’s bathroom, that he’d occasionally peek into the medicine cabinet to find out what array of medicines the patient might really be taking.
Dad loved doing obstetrics so we’d have to plan family vacations around his patients’ due dates. He said he really felt his age when he was delivering babies from those who he delivered some 20 years previously. Then he would follow the kids along handling their routine care and even being there to give open drop ether for their tonsillectomies. Polio was the big fear during the summer epidemics.
During dinner time, Mom was very protective of Dad’s time for the meal. She handled fevers over the phone, walked patients through the care of scrapes and cuts, and would tell white lies, “I’m sorry he’s not home yet. I’m sure he can call you back in a half hour.” When it was turning into an emergency, she’d say, “Oh, his car just turned into the driveway, hang on.” Needless to say, we all learned to eat fast.
We lived a middle class existence in a comfortable but far from fancy house in our mid-west city. Dad’s friends were specialists who had fancier homes and cars. He finally had funds to join a golf club in his later years, but Mom refused to eat there because of the club’s racial and religious discriminatory practices.
As Dad aged, he decided to drop OB so his practice gradually became geriatrics and nursing home rounding. He kept this up until his mid-70’s. He’d make social calls for his patient’s in the hospital, go to memorial services, and even be a speaker at the request of a few families. One thing he never forgot to do was to send a letter of condolence to the families. In his 90’s he ended up in an electric wheelchair in a nursing home due to crippling spinal stenosis. Several former patients were also there. Dad would go by, chat, and pat them on the arm. He never quit making rounds.
Comment: The above stories are memories from a time gone by and may seem impossibly old-school. But have we lost something in our transition to high-tech care? Can we find ways to rekindle high-touch care and learn some lessons from the past?
Thanks to Gordon G for finding this interesting TED talk.
Andrew Pelling is a biohacker, and nature is his hardware. His favorite materials are the simplest ones (and oftentimes he finds them in the garbage). Building on the cellulose structure that gives an apple its shape, he “grows” lifelike human ears, pioneering a process that might someday be used to repair body parts safely and cheaply. And he has some even wilder ideas to share … “What I’m really curious about is if one day it will be possible to repair, rebuild and augment our own bodies with stuff we make in the kitchen,” he says.
Here’s a list made up by my favorite 8th grader. What’s your list? It’s a little shy on the “what can I do to help” but she’s still got time – especially when she becomes President!
Reload document 
Open in new tab 
