Health Highlight

Influenza

            Today wraps up National Influenza Vaccination Week here in the United States and with that I am writing today to discuss what is influenza and what does it do.  I know there continues to rage a national debate as to the effects and to the safety of the Flu vaccines and today I’m not going to dive into that debate, I just want to talk to you about the different flu bugs that are out there and let you make up your own mind.

            The history of influenza (commonly called the flu) is one that is full of speculation, uncertainty and death on a huge scale.  The first documented recognition of influenza was in 1918 by veterinarian S. J. Koen who was studying the effects of an illness in swine which was very similar to the illness that was ravaging the globe at that time.  It wasn’t until 1933 that the actual flu virus was identified by scientist and then the true history of the bug started to become clearer.  It is believed that influenza has been around for thousands of years and is thought to have originated from animals that where first domesticated and then mutated to afflict human hosts as well.  Over time there have been mutations of the various flu strains that have cause world-wide pandemics the most famous being the 1918 flu pandemic where it is estimated that the death toll for that strain of H1N1 was close to 100 million people.  Influenza typically causes fatalities of the very young or the very elderly but the strain that hit in 1918 attacked those in the prime of their life between the ages of twenty to forty and left the young and elderly mostly alone.

             There are three basic flu types; type A, B and C and there are several strain of each type.  Humans are susceptible to both the A and B types of the flu while type C is usually found only in animals.  What we see here in the United States every flu season is typically a strain of type A flu and thus most of the vaccinations that are produced each year are geared for this type of flu.  Occasionally there is a mutation of a particular strain and there will be an outbreak with a higher mortality rate than typical.  The last such outbreak in the US was in 2009 when there was the H1N1 scare.  Ironically, H1N1 is a common flu strain, it just had mutated and therefore it was a stronger bug in 2009.  According to the Center for Disease Control data for 2014, over 4,500 people died as a direct result of influenza.  The true number of death caused by the flu is hard to really calculate as many times it is not listed as a cause of death when a death is reported.  What makes the flu especially dangerous is that it weakens to respiratory system to the point where pneumonia becomes a high risk for people of a certain age which then leads to death. 

            The flu can be confused with the common cold sometimes as not all flu bugs will cause vomiting.  Symptoms of influenza are fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.  Symptoms of the common cold are usually milder than the symptoms of flu as people with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose.  If you are not sure what ails you, see you family doctor and take precaution.  It’s always important to hydrate when you have the flu (or any illness) as dehydration can also wreak havoc on the body as well which can make you feel even worse.

            As we sail into the height of flu season, I urge you to take care, talk to your doctor and see how best to protect yourself and your loved ones.  The very young and the elderly (as well as those with other medical issues) are all especially vulnerable so please take precaution.  As we move closer to Christmas and the New Year, I hope everyone takes their time and enjoy the company of friends and family.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

Holiday Blues

“Christmas is coming, I’m not happy.  I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.”

~Charlie Brown from A Charlie Brown Christmas

            As the Christmas season blossoms into its full glory of wonder and joy the titillating anticipation of the child in all of us becomes more and more exuberant each day.  But for many, the holiday season is a time of year to be dreaded as it brings only sadness and in some cases, depression.  Why do people experience such a wide spectrum of feelings during a time of year that is represented as a time full of joy and hope? 

            Author Ray Williams shared some thoughts of this phenomenon on the Psychology Today website that sheds some insight as to the why people are affected so strongly this time of year.  You may or may not agree with the following but I am just attempting to share and raise awareness of possible issues that people face every year.  There are thoughts that some people feel a greater sense of depression during the holiday season because…

·         The pressure (commercial and self-imposed) to buy the perfect gift (financial stress)

·         The anxiety of attending social events with friends, family, or coworkers

·         The concerns of hosting the ideal social event with friends, family, or co-workers

·         Excessive self-examination on the state of one’s life and the feeling of inadequacies

·         The feeling of others having a better quality of life because they have more and do more

·         The angst of missing a loved one and feeling alone.

          All of these feelings, alone, can be challenging for individuals but people often feel more than one of these anxieties (even all of them) more acutely during the holiday season which can lead to bouts of self-loathing and depression.

            I believe we all struggle at some point or another during our lifetime when it comes to the holidays.  Certain Christmas songs trigger memories that may be a painful reminder of a past experience or maybe certain holiday traditions bring a flashback of good times lost or painful times remembered.  I know that for myself, whenever I hear the Christmas tune of Silver Bells, it reminds me of my mother only because that particular song made her so sad.  Her association of that Christmas song reminded her of the homeless & wounded vets selling pencils or begging for help when she was younger and those memories haunted her the rest of her days…so when I hear Silver Bells…I think of my mother’s sadness.  The pressure we all put on ourselves by trying to obtain the perfect Norman Rockwell, Saturday Evening Post kind of Christmas can cause a myriad of stresses.  We are bombarded by images of what the perfect Christmas is supposed to look like with holiday trimmings, bountiful presents, happy and cheerful families all eating grandma’s perfect apple pie around a crackling fire…or whatever your perfect holiday is like in your mind…it’s maddening.

            Some tips on destressing the holidays and ways to bring a little bit of joy back into the Christmas season are simple and plentiful, the hard part is just adjusting the way we think of and look at this time of year.  It involves looking to the needs of others rather on the needs of self…

·         Express gratitude for what you have instead of focusing on what you lack (health, family, stuff!)

·         Be more social, volunteer to help others

·         Avoid the “What If” trip down memory lane (again, gratitude for what you have)

·         It’s ok to set limits on spending (quality of thought in giving versus quantity)

·         The perfect Christmas is what you make it…not what someone else dictates what they think it should be

·         Keep it simple, keep it light hearted and try and embrace the meaning of the season…bettering humanity through kindness for others

           The holidays should be a time of joy and a time of family (family being those who you care about).  Christmas is about giving of self and not always about the giving of gifts (in the monetary sense)…it is about all that is good in humanity and that is what we should all strive for.  Step back and enjoy the moment if you can.  If you are feeling Grinch-like, try and take a look at this time of year from a new perspective and it may help change your outlook and your feelings at this time of the year.  I’m not implying that it is easy and for some you might not be able to do it but I hope you can give it a try.  As Scrooge found out, it’s never too late to embrace the Christmas spirit.  Thanks for reading and if you have any comments, please feel free to email me.  I hope everyone has a great weekend, take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

Time for Hobbies

“In our leisure we reveal what kind of people we are.” ~Ovid (Roman Poet)

            As we all rush into the holiday season with a whirl wind of self-imposed deadlines for buying presents, going to parties, having parties, Christmas programs, decorating, baking, writing and sending cards…the list can go on and on…(unless you’re a Scrooge).  My point is that we all bury ourselves in our work, in our community, in our church or other projects we feel obligated to for one reason or another and at the end of the day we feel exhausted and more stressed than we should.  We over commit our time to the point where we almost begin to loath the holidays and we build resentments in the things we once enjoyed…STOP IT!  Life is busy, I get it.  We all have things we need to do that are important to our co-workers or to the organizations we belong to…I sell Christmas trees for my local Lion’s Club, but I do it in moderation.  I still leave time for myself to enjoy distractions that I share with my kids.

            Life is about balance.  It is ok to tell someone, “No, I can’t do that today.”  It is important to take time and invest it in yourself for your physical as well as your mental health.  Today, I want to take a minute and talk about the importance of hobbies.  A hobby is anything that is a healthy distraction to your daily routine that allows you to just sit and enjoy yourself in a creative manner.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a hobby as a pursuit outside of one’s regular occupation, engaged in especially for relaxation.  There are hundreds of studies and reports that discuss the positive benefits to not only one’s physical health but also a person’s mental health if they can engage in a hobby as a distraction from the daily grind of life.  In light of my recent posts on Alzheimer’s disease and the dementia that ensues, it has been shown that having a hobby can reduce stress, and lower the risks of depression and dementia. 

“Great!  Which hobby can do these magical things for me?” you’re thinking.  Find what you’re passionate about.  Excited about stamps?  Start collecting them.  Curious about the summer nesting habits of the common Red Breasted Robin?  Get a pair of binoculars and get ready to do some bird watching.  A hobby is anything you find relaxing and not part of the normal routine.  The perfect hobby trifecta is a hobby that distracts (not part of the normal routine), creates passion (something you love to do), and develops a sense of creative purpose.  Hobbies allow us to connect with others of similar interest and provide social outlets, something we may not find in our daily work life.  Hobbies allow us to explore different skills and ways in which to express our thoughts and feelings.  Allowing yourself time to engage in a hobby doesn’t always mean crafting or building something, remember, a hobby is something that is a break for your normal routine so it could be playing basketball or singing in the choir.  It could be whatever you’re interested in and passionate about.  The beautiful thing about hobbies is that it’s ok to look forward to trying new things.  Just because you learn how to knit doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to rebuild an engine. 

As for myself, I have a passion for learning about anything new (I love being creative and working with my hands).  I try and keep my hobbies to activities that I can share with my kids and the joy of sharing that time is priceless to me.  My interests and hobbies have also allowed me to connect with people from all across the spectrum of life and what a joy it is to hear them share their passion for the hobby we share.  Wood working, knitting, creative writing, photography, gardening, exploring the woods, quilting, painting, building, creating, cooking, baking, collecting…the list just keeps going and I have to balance what I’m doing when I’m doing it otherwise my family and work would suffer.  But balance goes both ways…All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.  If you sit back and remember something from your youth that you miss doing, make time and try it again, you might be surprised how much fun you’re having!  Thanks for reading, I hope everyone has a great and safe week.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Health Highlight

Alzheimer’s Disease

Part Two:  By The Numbers

            In Monday’s posting I gave a brief breakdown of the history of Alzheimer’s disease and what scientist believe is the cause of the illness.  The challenge in accurately attributing the full impact of Alzheimer’s is that when a patient who suffers from Alzheimer’s passes it is not always noted on the death certificate or reported as a root cause of death so reporting agencies may be under reporting the full scale of the total impact on our society but according to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s in the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.  Currently there are over 5 million people in the U.S. who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and that number is expected to grow.  But who is most likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s and when is it most likely to strike?

            The Alzheimer’s Association’s website is a great resource for further reading on the national impact of this illness and I’m just hitting some of the points to try and raise awareness.  Currently, 1 in 9 people 65 years old has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and for those people who are 85 years or older that number changes to 2 in 5.  Women are almost twice as likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s as men but that could also be because women statistically outlive men and thus are more prone to issues that afflict older populations.   The economic cost to our national economy is just as staggering as the human cost of this disease as well.  It is estimated that the cost of Alzheimer’s in 2016 will be to the tune of $236 Billion dollars and that is for the paid medical cost for caregivers and treatment.  The lost wages and time for unpaid caregivers such as family member or friends taking time off work to care for their loved one cost the average family about $5,000 per year (this is lost wages not medical expenses).  So the burden of watching a loved one struggle is also coupled with financial burdens that only add more stress to a stressful event.

            Here in Indiana, the numbers look something like this, currently there are about 110,000 case of Alzheimer’s in Indiana and that number is expected to grow to 130,000 by the year 2025.  The State of Indiana paid out over $935 million dollars in Medicaid fund to help with healthcare costs for people with Alzheimer’s and that’s not including Medicare or unpaid care.  In 2013 the state lost just over 2,100 people to Alzheimer’s and that number is up 74% from the year 2000.  Indiana has kept pace with the rest of the nation as Alzheimer’s is also the sixth leading cause of death in the state matching the rest of the country.  And like the rest of the country, by the year 2050 comes rolling around, 1 in three seniors will die from Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia. 

            Again, I highly encourage you to visit the Alzheimer’s Association’s website to check out more information on this illness and the impact it has on our society.  You can find it at https://www.alz.org/ and I encourage you to view the different pages and links provided.  The more awareness we can raise the better the chance that someday there might be a medication or protocol that can arrest the progress of this disease.  There are some promising studies underway now but we are essentially years away from finding out if researcher are even on the right path by attacking the amyloid plaques or if researchers need to focus down a different path…but progress is being made…

            I hope everyone has a great weekend as many communities kick off Holiday festivals celebrating Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and the Yule.  However you celebrate this time of year, I hope that you and your families find peace and joy.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Health Highlight

Alzheimer’s Disease

Part One:  What is it?

            November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and as we bring November to a close this week, I would like to spend a little time on this illness that is a growing epidemic afflicting our aging population.  Alzheimer’s is an illness that affects a person’s brain, it is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking skills and the ability to carry out the simplest tasks…slowly…ever so slowly.  My first experience with this disease was when I was a young man and my best friend’s grandmother was slowly swallowed up by Alzheimer’s.  It was incomprehensible to witness the devastating effect it had on the entire family.

            Alzheimer’s disease is named after the physician who first discovered the illness in 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a psychiatrist and neuropathologist, who noticed certain traits of the brain of a patient during a post-mortem autopsy.  The patient was a woman who had suffered unusual mental illness at the time of her death prompting the autopsy.  What Dr. Alzheimer found was that the patient’s brain had many abnormal clumps called amyloid plaques and tangled bundles of fibers called tangles.  These amyloid plaques and tangles are thought to be the main elements of the disease along with the loss of the connections of the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain.  There is currently no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease but there are some protocols to help manage some of the symptoms of the disease.

            It is estimated that there are at least five million cases of Alzheimer’s in the United States at the current time but those numbers are hard to confirm as early detection is hard to do with late onset patients.  With our national population growing older it is expected that Alzheimer’s will also continue to affect more and more of our aging population.  According to Pierre Tariot, a specialist who studies Alzheimer’s, there is about a one percent chance that someone age 60 will suffer from Alzheimer’s…but for those who are 85 years old, the probability jumps to over forty percent chance that you will be affected from Alzheimer’s.  As improved health and treatments for illnesses continue to advance so does the overall life expectancy of our population which means that Alzheimer’s is going to become more and more prevalent in our society as time goes by.

            Alzheimer’s has three distinct stages.  The first stage is called the preclinical state, changes start to take place in the brain at least a decade before the first symptoms begin to show.  The second stage or middle stage of mild cognitive impairment, and the final stage of Alzheimer’s is full blown dementia.  This slow moving illness starts to reveal itself as patients begin to have trouble with their memory.  It is in this area of the brain where Alzheimer’s tends to strike first, the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential in forming memories.  From here the disease destroys other parts of the brain and with it the ability of patients to function normally.  Alzheimer’s is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the US.  Once diagnosed, older patients in their 80’s tend to only live for 3-4 years where as younger patients can live as long as ten years after a diagnosis.  The challenge researchers are having with treatment options are that by the time a diagnosis has been made, the disease has been working on the brain for at least a decade.  Here in lies the challenges of finding a cure for this destructive illness is that by the time we find out who needs help, it may already be too late.

            I will continue this topic with my next posting later this week, until then I hope everyone has a safe week moving forward.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Health Highlight

A Safe Place

Tomorrow, November 19th 2016, is National Survivors Day sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).  The purpose behind National Survivors Day is to provide a safe place for those who have experienced a loss of a loved one or a friend to suicide to come and share their experiences with other survivors in hope healing and education.  According to the data for 2014 from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 117 people die each day from suicide.  For every one suicide that is carried through to completion there are twenty-five attempts that fail…which means almost 3000 people a day try and do bodily harm to themselves!  Women are three times more likely to attempt suicide but males lead all groups in committing this sad act.  Males, especially white males have a suicide rate 3.5 times higher than any other group.  Suicide is ranked tenth as the leading cause of death across all populations in the United States as over 42,000 Americans die at their own hand every year.  Why?

The leading cause of suicide is mental illness and the number one mental illness that contributes to suicide is depression.  Another leading reason for suicide, especially with teens and young adults, is bullying.  Being the butt of cruel jokes and relentless teasing can cause feelings of hopelessness and despair which for some kids is just too much and they seek to end their lives because they don’t see a way out…they lose hope and because they see no other way out they choose to kill themselves rather than face the daily pain inflicted by others.  For the survivors who are left behind, there are painful questions that often linger as survivor’s guilt can sometimes create unbearable grief.  Survivors Day is for people to come together in a safe place to help heal the wounds left by the horrible act of suicide.  If you’re not sure where to go to find a community that has an event planned for this even, you can visit the website of AFSPhttps://afsp.org/find-support/ive-lost-someone/survivor-day/#section0 and enter your state in the blue search box in order to find the closest support even to your home.  If you’re in the Southeast of Indiana like me, the closest choices are going to be either Cincinnati, Ohio or Indianapolis, IN.  Suicide affects us all in direct or indirect ways and can have a profound impact on communities or schools.  If you know of someone who is a survivor of suicide, reach out to them and offer them a safe place to help them in the healing process because at one point or another, we all just need a safe place to rejuvenate and strengthen ourselves in order to face to world once again.

As always, thanks for reading and if you would like to learn more about suicide and the effects it has on our society then I encourage you to visit the AFSP website and educate yourself on what you can do to make an impact in your community.  I hope everyone enjoys the weekend, be safe and take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Historical Highlight

Thank You Sir Frederick Banting

          November is Diabetes Awareness Month and this is a cause that is near and dear to me as I am a Type II diabetic.  Diabetes is a slow and silent killer that slowly destroys the body if not addressed by proper diet, sufficient exercise and the correct medication which is in most cases some manifestation of insulin.  Today we celebrate the birthday of Fredrick Banting, a brilliant Canadian medical scientist who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1923 (along with John Macleod) for the discovery of insulin, the first effective medicine to help those who suffer from diabetes.

          Diabetes is a chronic illness that caused when the body fails to produce sufficient insulin on its own to regulate the glucose levels in the body.  Most people will hear diabetics say that their sugar is…too high…too low…within a certain numerical range…etc. and so on.  What these individuals are really talking about are the levels of glucose in their bloodstream.  In a nutshell, the pancreas is the factory where our own natural insulin is produced that helps us process the carbohydrates (sugars) we ingest.  Type I diabetes is usually a lack of insulin in the body and type II is where the body fails to produce enough insulin or can use the insulin efficiently, (For the purpose of this post I am keeping things very simple…this illness is much more complex than what I am writing about here today).  It is for this reason we celebrate Sir Fredrick Banting and his efforts alongside John Macleod as they are recognized as the developers of the first insulin injection used on humans to help manage diabetes.

          Born in 1891 in Alliston, Canada, Fredrick Banting went on to attend the University of Toronto where he was latter a member of the faculty after serving in the army during WWI.  It was while he was teaching at the University of Western Ontario when he first started to gain interest in the problems of diabetes and insulin.  And it was while he was at Western Ontario where he developed his theory of extracting and using insulin for diabetes.  Working with his colleague at the University of Toronto, Dr. John Macleod, together they were able to develop the first usable insulin for humans in 1921.  Two years later they were both recognized as Nobel laureates winning for their work in the medical field.  At the age of 32, Banting is still the youngest person to ever become a Noble laureate in the history of the award and his ground breaking work has helped millions of people all over the world live a higher quality of life.  Banting was given a lifelong annuity by the Canadian government in order for him to continue his work and he was knighted by King George V of England in 1934.  Sir Fredrick Banting died at the age of 49 from wounds and exposure received in a plane crash as he was flying to Europe.  One of the several things that makes Banting so interesting is that he sold his patent for insulin to the University of Toronto for one dollar so that the medicine he developed would be available to everyone. 

            As a user of medication to help keep my type II diabetes under control, I am thankful for the efforts of forward looking people like Sir Fredrick Banting who have so much to contribute to our global health and well-being.  I would like to thank you all for reading today and as you go forward in the week remember to take care of yourself and each other because we’re all in this together. 

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

Thank You for Serving

“From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remember'd;

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother”    ~William Shakespeare, Henry V, 1598

            On November 11th, 1918 at 11:00 in the morning in a railway car just outside of Compiegne, France, the armistice was signed by the warring parties thus bringing an end the “war to end all wars” or what we call today, World War I.  The birth of modern warfare brought about unimaginable death and destruction all across Europe and across the globe that left over nine million combatants dead and over twenty one million soldiers wounded.  In a manner as to not forget the great slaughter that occurred the United States as well as other countries around the world celebrate November 11th as a day of peace.  

            Veteran’s Day is a day in which we honor those who have served our country honorable in times of peace and in times of war.  We set aside our differences and we take pause to honor those who have paid the price to guarantee our freedoms from threats at home and abroad in a manner that in many cases asks for the ultimate sacrifice in the face of duty.  The men and women who have served as well as those who continue to serve do so out of a deep love and affection not only for what our country stands for but for your right to agree or disagree with those principles.  This day we all should take a moment to honor those who have given so much to preserve this nation, Veteran’s Day is a day to reach out and just say thank you for serving.

               The history of Veteran’s Day is one that reflects the attitudes of the day and celebrated locally throughout the country but it wasn’t until 1938 that November 11 was “…dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day,” in honor of World War I veterans.  Armistice Day, a day of peace, was renamed by the 83rd congress in 1954 to Veteran’s Day as to honor all of America’s veterans.  By doing this congress was able to not only honor the veterans of WW I but WW II and the Korean War as well.  For a brief period in the early 1970’s, Veteran’s Day was celebrated on the fourth Monday in October but most states failed to observe the new date and continued to recognize November 11th as Veteran’s Day.  President Ford finally re-established the 11th of November as the official date of recognition for Veterans and the date has been the same ever since. 

                As with any holiday of commemoration, there are those who disagree for a number of reasons and those reasons are your business, I will not argue those points with you today.  The important thing to remember, no one wishes for or wants armed conflict, especially those who serve.  It is ok to disagree with the use of armed forces as a means of foreign policy BUT it is not ok to take out those frustrations upon those who serve.  Veterans who have served honorably have earned and deserve our respect for risking their lives for ours and for the liberties we so desire.  So please take time to thank a veteran today…and every day.  Thanks for reading as always and remember, take care of yourself and each other…we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

Rock Bottom

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”  ~ President Abraham Lincoln

“We must dare to be great; we must realize that greatness lies in toil and sacrifice and high courage.”  ~ President Teddy Roosevelt

            Today we stand on the precipice of a crossroad in American history that will be remembered for generations to come.  On the eve of one of the most contentious election cycles in American history, we as a nation are poised to witness history in the making no matter what the outcome of the final vote tally.  History will be made at the hands of the American people tomorrow, November 8th, 2016, period!

            What will be the cost of this historic moment on the fabric of America?  This election cycle has been the root cause for family and friends to distant themselves or terminate friendships and relationships that took years to build.  In a short matter of months, the political machines have turned over our communities like plow share through the prairie grass covered plains.  I am very familiar with the cliché saying that you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs but at this point I feel like our communities have been scrambled with the broken shells still in the mix…it’s going to take a long time to get all the shell bits out before anything useful can be made with the eggs.  Ok, all metaphors aside, I have real concerns over how we all get back to work with each other to help improve our communities and enrich our lives…together…as a community.  We as a nation have become too content to depend on others to help us when we as a community used to help each other…when I think of America being great, I think of when neighbors would lend a hand to help lift each other up not retreat behind walls of fear and distrust.  Maybe I’m just being romantically nostalgic.

            The theory behind the 12 step program that has helped millions of people recover from alcohol and drug addiction is that before a person is ready to commit themselves to the process of healing and health, they must first hit rock bottom.  Rock bottom is the dark and frightening place of hopelessness and despair that ultimately drives the individual to death or to recovery.  In my short 47 years here on this planet living in this great country, this is the closest I’ve seen us as a nation to hitting rock bottom.  My desires for our country is hope not despair, encouragement not entitlement, compassion not complacency and reaching out to each other not pulling away.  I don’t believe for a moment that things are perfect in our society, I’m no naïve babe in the woods, but I do have hope for a better tomorrow if we can try and find common ground today.  We have become so polarized and closed minded in our thoughts that some would rather see the world burn than compromise for the greater good and that just makes no sense to me at all.

            Tomorrow, we all have a hand in creating a historical day but it is what we do afterwards that will be remembered in history.  As always, I thank you for reading and I hope everyone takes advantage of privilege to vote…take care of yourself and each other…at the end of the day, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat

The History of placing foodstuffs on one’s front doorstep to ward off spirits and ghosts on All Hallows Eve is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years.  It was this placing of the food and drink by the front door that first prompted people to dress up and go out and enjoy a free meal.  Today, the expected idea of setting food out is represented as a giant bowl full of candy of every make and flavor imaginable and the spirits and ghost that come to raid are usually little children out for an evening of family fun. 

            Halloween has become the second largest commercial holiday only behind Christmas and I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before retailers figure out how to equal or surpass the dollars they can squeeze from Americans like they do at the yule time.  Once upon a time, Halloween was a night to be feared as people believed it was the night of the year that spirits roamed the earth, the deceased coming back to visit their relatives and friends.  Now Halloween is typically a family friendly affair that allows communities to engage in several different activities that bring people together and to wear costumes of every sort.  The most popular of these activities is the annual Trick or Treat night when all the kids (and some adults) dress up in their costumes and go door to door seeking candy or other treats.  And over the years, some individuals derive some sick and twisted pleasure from tampering with the candy or treats that can cause serious consequences.

            Some general tips for having a safe and fun Trick or Treat are simple and easy to follow.  As a general rule of thumb in my household, we don’t eat homemade goodies like cookies or rice crispy treats unless we know the family that gave them to us.  It is too easy for someone to get ill from homemade treats that might have a trick hidden inside (stories of brownies and laxatives was a big one when I was a kid).  We inspect every piece of candy that is given to our children, if there is even the smallest of holes in the packaging, we toss it in the trash.  Again, why tempt fate when there are stories of candy tampering that seem to crop in the news every year?  We also try and visit neighborhoods that we are familiar with as to lessen the possibilities that we will get something that has been tampered with.  Being late in the fall as it is, we also carry some sort of light like a flashlight so we can see where we are going and we try to stay to the walkways because who wants a twisted ankle on Halloween?  For as much fun as Halloween can be for families, it is also the time of year when some really twisted people come out of the woodwork to make mischief that can cause some real harm and damage.  I hope everyone takes time and plays it safe tonight for Halloween, it’s a night that is supposed to be fun and not dangerous.  As always, thanks for reading, I hope everyone has a great Halloween tonight as well as a safe Halloween tonight.  Take care of each yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together!

 Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

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Connersville, IN 47331

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wmreid@bhcshealth.com