I have a friend who is dying. Though she was ill, no one thought the end would come so suddenly, and no one was ready in thought or emotion. She was beginning to act oddly, lose weight, sleep more, and talk less, but neither family nor friends could face the reality that the end was near until being hospitalized was necessary and the diagnosis made. She was given only a month to live.
What does one do to prepare and how does one make the end as easy as possible for the person dying? These are tough questions especially for those who are emotionally involved. The best course of action is to contact Hospice, either a service or a hospice facility. They will begin immediately to ensure that everyone's comfort is optimum.
Hospice is an excellent program that is under-utilized and often called so late in the process that many beneficial services go unused. Though the purpose of Hospice is to provide compassionate support and extraordinary care for people in the final phase of a terminal disease, the program's goal is to enhance the quality of life regardless of its duration.
Subscribing to a holistic approach, a Hospice team includes a medical director, physician, nurse, certified nurse assistants (CNAs), social worker, spiritual care coordinator, therapists and counselors. Volunteers provide companionship and emotional support to the patient and respite services for the patient's caregiver, including shopping, errands, childcare, and light meals.
Begin with discussing your loved one's condition with the doctor, who must certify to Hospice that the patient is no longer thriving or that the disease is terminal. Ask the physician to recommend the best Hospice provider or call the National Hospice Organization at 800-658-8898 or visit www.nhpco.org for valuable information and recommendations.
Once a patient has been examined, records reviewed and medications evaluated, a care plan is developed. Then Hospice will provide all necessary equipment, supplies and medicines, whether the patient is at home or in a facility, and the cost is covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. The final phase of the journey need not be feared. With help and support, the last moments in our loved one's life can be peaceful and uplifting.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Making Congress Accountable
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling: "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified!
Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure.
The public is asking for Congressional Reform Act of 2012
1. It includes No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress (past, present and future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congress made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure.
The public is asking for Congressional Reform Act of 2012
1. It includes No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress (past, present and future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congress made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Respecting Your Elders
Just one of the interesting facts that I have learned while visiting the great state of Alaska is that the older generation is treated very differently by the various Native groups. There are some Native groups that hold their elders in very high regard. They treat them with respect, reverence even, and great care.
The younger generation is smart enough to know that their elders are a tremendous source of wisdom and experience, and that there is no point in reinventing the wheel when they already know the tried and true procedures for doing things well.
They also recognize that their elders are the keepers of the stories, the protectors of a family's history, and the bridge between the past and future, and though it may not seem important to a 30 year old to know what those stories are, that changes with maturation.
As we grow older and wiser, we begin to understand why knowing and valuing the past is critical to a family's cohesiveness and continuity in the future. Other Native groups handle the elderly differently. They consider them a "problem" to be dealt with, an obligation to be handled, someone to be facilitated.
Because the aged are less physically capable of pulling their weight and contributing to the clan, they are considered a drain on the reserves with no real value any more. They treat their elders with disdain, disrespect and ultimately exclusion.
A great book written about this ultimate death sentence is Two Old Women by Velma Wallis. The author describes how it's decided and accomplished that the women are left behind to die. What is riveting about this book is what the women do about it. There is of course an unexpected ending and an important lesson to the younger generation.
Are the Native Americans so different than the Americans in the lower 48 states? Of course not. Are you a child or grandchild that values and treats with love and respect the elders in your family or are you so focused on your own needs that you create a superficial, ultimately less reciprocal and certainly less gratifying relationship.
We are called to honor our parents. It is a Commandment. That doesn't mean to tolerate or patronize or minimize our elders. It doesn't mean to treat it as an obligation so that we don't have to bear guilt later. It is a joy to honor and care for those who have cared for you, but it takes wisdom and unselfishness to understand why.
The younger generation is smart enough to know that their elders are a tremendous source of wisdom and experience, and that there is no point in reinventing the wheel when they already know the tried and true procedures for doing things well.
They also recognize that their elders are the keepers of the stories, the protectors of a family's history, and the bridge between the past and future, and though it may not seem important to a 30 year old to know what those stories are, that changes with maturation.
As we grow older and wiser, we begin to understand why knowing and valuing the past is critical to a family's cohesiveness and continuity in the future. Other Native groups handle the elderly differently. They consider them a "problem" to be dealt with, an obligation to be handled, someone to be facilitated.
Because the aged are less physically capable of pulling their weight and contributing to the clan, they are considered a drain on the reserves with no real value any more. They treat their elders with disdain, disrespect and ultimately exclusion.
A great book written about this ultimate death sentence is Two Old Women by Velma Wallis. The author describes how it's decided and accomplished that the women are left behind to die. What is riveting about this book is what the women do about it. There is of course an unexpected ending and an important lesson to the younger generation.
Are the Native Americans so different than the Americans in the lower 48 states? Of course not. Are you a child or grandchild that values and treats with love and respect the elders in your family or are you so focused on your own needs that you create a superficial, ultimately less reciprocal and certainly less gratifying relationship.
We are called to honor our parents. It is a Commandment. That doesn't mean to tolerate or patronize or minimize our elders. It doesn't mean to treat it as an obligation so that we don't have to bear guilt later. It is a joy to honor and care for those who have cared for you, but it takes wisdom and unselfishness to understand why.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Splendor in the Wild
I just returned from a trip to the Arctic Circle. Only 5% of all who visit Alaska take advantage of this amazing opportunity to cross the magnificent Yukon River to see the end of the world. That is a terrible shame as the Arctic tundra looks likes no where else on earth.
We left behind the beauty of the millions of black spruce trees that served as a back drop to the lemon yellow poplars and silvered birches and moved onto the skinny poles that alone could grow on the perma frost. Then we got to the Arctic tundra where no trees grew at all and the mountains were brown and lifeless. The starkness was disconcerting and dramatic.
The ferocious wind, which no foliage above ground could withstand, bit our faces and drove down our heads. It was then that I noticed the beauty below my feet. The ground cover that blanketed the floor of the tundra was striking.
The fire weed, which makes the best jelly, was cherry red. Cranberry and blueberry plants that fed the birds and squirrels painted the ground burgandy and blue, and pumpkin orange seeds dropped from a trailing vine that seemed to have no beginning or end. The expanse of color of that ground cover was so gorgeous that it looked painted. The artist's strokes were course and convoluted but made for an unforgettable masterpiece.
On the way back from the Artic, we crossed the Yukon again. Despite knowing that danger lurked around each corner in the form of bears and wolves, the compulsion to explore was so great that I had to hike down to the banks of the largest river in Northern America. It was massive, deadly cold and a watery grave for so many fisherman who had waded in, but it was beautiful and the home and food source to many native groups.
Traveling to and from the Arctic on the Haul Road was an experience I will never forget. The road, which is the only one to the Arctic, was built by the brave men and women who built the Pipeline, a true engineering miracle that required the worst kind deprivation and difficulty in living to bring us the oil still found in the depths of a state that is so rich in so many natural resources.
We left behind the beauty of the millions of black spruce trees that served as a back drop to the lemon yellow poplars and silvered birches and moved onto the skinny poles that alone could grow on the perma frost. Then we got to the Arctic tundra where no trees grew at all and the mountains were brown and lifeless. The starkness was disconcerting and dramatic.
The ferocious wind, which no foliage above ground could withstand, bit our faces and drove down our heads. It was then that I noticed the beauty below my feet. The ground cover that blanketed the floor of the tundra was striking.
The fire weed, which makes the best jelly, was cherry red. Cranberry and blueberry plants that fed the birds and squirrels painted the ground burgandy and blue, and pumpkin orange seeds dropped from a trailing vine that seemed to have no beginning or end. The expanse of color of that ground cover was so gorgeous that it looked painted. The artist's strokes were course and convoluted but made for an unforgettable masterpiece.
On the way back from the Artic, we crossed the Yukon again. Despite knowing that danger lurked around each corner in the form of bears and wolves, the compulsion to explore was so great that I had to hike down to the banks of the largest river in Northern America. It was massive, deadly cold and a watery grave for so many fisherman who had waded in, but it was beautiful and the home and food source to many native groups.
Traveling to and from the Arctic on the Haul Road was an experience I will never forget. The road, which is the only one to the Arctic, was built by the brave men and women who built the Pipeline, a true engineering miracle that required the worst kind deprivation and difficulty in living to bring us the oil still found in the depths of a state that is so rich in so many natural resources.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Reindeer and caribou and bears, oh my!
Alaska is, without a doubt, God's country. The snow covered mountains are not only massive but majestic. Snow covered and hugged by dramatic cloud formations, they glint in the sun and shine ebony in the rain.
I felt mixed about approaching anything so awesome though. The mountains offer extraordinary excitement and adventure, but one knows that danger can also lurk at every turn, mostly in the form of wolves, massive grizzly bears, and moose that will charge, particularly if they are protecting their young.
There are few roads in Alaska, so travel is a constant challenge. Transportation in town is easy enough--cars, taxis and trolleys, of course, but going from one city or town to another is a different story. The people who live here travel by small planes to the "bush" or remote areas, fly their own pontoon planes that land on any water way, or drive big trucks or heavy vans to tackle the few roads that are snow packed or ice covered. Travel here is definitely not for the faint of heart.
The other variable to dangerous driving is that the wildlife traverse the same territory, and, believe me, they have the right of way. At a couple of tons and with a jump range of eight feet, the caribou and the reindeer, can and do appear out of no where.
Also, at this time of the year and prior to going into their hibernation, bears--brown and grizzly both, can be found looking for food anywhere--in town walking down the street, in the parks where runners jog, and even in the back yard. And one does not want to come between a bear and a meal, so vigilance, care and respect for nature is mandatory.
Like most of us, I believed the wild west existed only in the history books now. Not so...Alaska is most definitely a last and wild frontier.
I felt mixed about approaching anything so awesome though. The mountains offer extraordinary excitement and adventure, but one knows that danger can also lurk at every turn, mostly in the form of wolves, massive grizzly bears, and moose that will charge, particularly if they are protecting their young.
There are few roads in Alaska, so travel is a constant challenge. Transportation in town is easy enough--cars, taxis and trolleys, of course, but going from one city or town to another is a different story. The people who live here travel by small planes to the "bush" or remote areas, fly their own pontoon planes that land on any water way, or drive big trucks or heavy vans to tackle the few roads that are snow packed or ice covered. Travel here is definitely not for the faint of heart.
The other variable to dangerous driving is that the wildlife traverse the same territory, and, believe me, they have the right of way. At a couple of tons and with a jump range of eight feet, the caribou and the reindeer, can and do appear out of no where.
Also, at this time of the year and prior to going into their hibernation, bears--brown and grizzly both, can be found looking for food anywhere--in town walking down the street, in the parks where runners jog, and even in the back yard. And one does not want to come between a bear and a meal, so vigilance, care and respect for nature is mandatory.
Like most of us, I believed the wild west existed only in the history books now. Not so...Alaska is most definitely a last and wild frontier.
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