Wyoming from the air–select mute before watching video

 

“Skyworks is a specialist in HD aerial filming and content.

“Skyworks is uniquely experienced in filming whole countries or states in great detail. Using state of the art geo-location technology and specially designed flight planning systems, we are able to create extraordinary depth of coverage with great efficiency.”

–http://www.skyworks.co.uk/

A cherry for my Manhattan

cherry

State College, PA bartender Tim Riefel selects a cherry for my Manhattan.

The classiest of drinks, nothing is prettier or tastier than a classic Manhattan straight up. This article provides you with two recipes because it can be made with bourbon whiskey or rye whiskey, depending on what you have available, what you prefer, or perhaps you’d like to try both!” See http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Manhattan Use ONLY bourbon premium.

Photograph by bartender Cassie Meyer whose quick and methodical motion around the bar should be used as a time-motion study on how to do it gracefully and right.

Readers interested in connoisseur inebriation are encouraged to purchase my brother-in-law’s book on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/The-Old-Fashioned-Classic-Cocktail-Recipes/dp/1607745356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403311763&sr=8-1&keywords=robert+simonson

 

 

 

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

jackson_hole_Wyoming

Activities of daily living (plus stop my librarian from retiring)

“Activities of daily living (ADLs) is a term used in healthcare to refer to daily self-care activities within an individual’s place of residence, in outdoor environments, or both.” ______________________________________________________

Note: Above: Beginning of Wikipedia’s article on Activities of Daily Living . The remainder of the Wikipedia article is published below. Naturally, I will interrupt with interruptions labeled Comments.

For references:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activities_of_daily_living

Hammond CAPTION: The ugliest building on Penn State’s large and beautiful campus is Hammond Hall (left). Hammond houses the Engineering Library which, in my book, constitutes an Activity of Daily Living. I am encouraged by the efforts of library employees eager to stop the retirement of Bonie Osif, The Engineering Librarian. 

Back to Activities of Daily Living..  ______________________________________________________

“Health professionals routinely refer to the ability or inability to perform ADLs as a measurement of the functional status of a person, particularly in regard to people with disabilities and the elderly.” ______________________________________________________

CAPTION: O.K. I have disabilities and I am elderly, what can ADLs do for me?

__[back]____________________________________________________

“Health professionals routinely refer to the ability or inability to perform ADLs as a measurement of the functional status of a person, particularly in regard to people with disabilities and the elderly.  Younger children often require help from adults to perform ADLs, as they have not yet developed the skills necessary to perform them independently. ADLs are defined as “the things we normally do…such as feeding ourselves, bathing, dressing, grooming, work, homemaking, and leisure.” A number of national surveys collect data on the ADL status of the U.S. population.While basic categories of ADLs have been suggested, what specifically constitutes a particular ADL in a particular environment for a particular person may vary. Adaptive equipment or device may be used to enhance and increase independence in performing ADLs. ______________________________________________________ Library Comment: When I come overloaded on the basics and am dizzy about explaining their application within the architecture, engineering and construction community, I go to the engineering department library. I go to the big kahuna,  Bonny Osif. She makes things clear. She directs me to reputable sources. She exposes me to data banks about which I knew nothing. Now she is retiring. Stop her.

 

Back to  _____________________________________________________Basic ADLs

Basic ADLs (BADLs) consist of self-care tasks, including:

  • Bathing and showering (washing the body)
  • Dressing
  • Eating/feeding (including chewing and swallowing)
  • Functional mobility (moving from one place to another while performing activities)
  • Personal hygiene and grooming (including brushing/combing/styling hair)
  • Toilet hygiene (completing the act of urinating/defecating)

Although not in wide general use, one mnemonic that some consider useful is DEATH: dressing/bathing, eating, ambulating (walking), toileting, hygiene.

______________________________________________________

Comment: DEATH takes the prize as the most insensitive acronym ever. Especially considering the client/patients are elderly and some are disabled.

______back to________________________________________________

Instrumental ADLs

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are not necessary for fundamental functioning, but they let an individual live independently in a community:

  • Housework
  • Taking medications as prescribed
  • Managing money
  • Shopping for groceries or clothing
  • Use of telephone or other form of communication
  • Using technology (as applicable)
  • Transportation within the community
  • A useful mnemonic is SHAFT: shopping, housekeeping, accounting, food preparation/meds, telephone/transportation.
  • Occupational therapists often evaluate IADLs when completing patient assessments. The American Occupational Therapy Association identifies 12 types of IADLs that may be performed as a co-occupation with others:[4]
  • Care of others (including selecting and supervising caregivers)
  • Care of pets
  • Child rearing
  • Communication management
  • Community mobility
  • Financial management
  • Health management and maintenance
  • Home establishment and maintenance
  • Meal preparation and cleanup
  • Religious observances
  • Safety procedures and emergency responses
  • Shopping

______________________________________________________

Comment: DEATH takes the prize as the most insensitive acronym ever. Especially considering the client/patients are elderly and many disabled. _

_____back to________________________________________________

Evaluation of ADLs

There are several evaluation tools, such as the Katz ADL scale, the Lawton IADL scale and the Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale. Most models of health care service use ADL evaluations in their practice, including the medical (or institutional) models, such as the Roper-Logan-Tierney model of nursing, and the resident-centered models, such as the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

SO ENDS THE Wikipedia Article on Activities of Daily Living

______________________________________________________

Expect soon (I hope) accounts of my sojourns among ADL evaluation devices.

Expect, naturally the road turning suddenly, such as the following comments on the marital difficulties of Time McGraw and Faith Hill, two megastars in country music. Tim McGraw is the king of country music.

They have been married for 17 years. For years they were looked upon as the dream marriage. On June 16 the STAR which call itself “Number 1 for celebrity news” reported on their marriage difficulties. The front cover read:

“$135 million divorce

“Faith & TIm

Marriage from hell.”

It takes some doing going from a marriage from hell to a marriage in repair. That is what People Reports. A recent You Tube video shows them singing and smiling together.

As an admirer of each and an admirer of their widely reported marriage, I hope they find some joy.

Below is Taylor Swift singing Tim McGraw in honor of Tim McGraw. In a subsequent posting when you least expect it, I will be publishing Faith Hill singing This Kiss followed by a story.

What the country royal couple really needs are some good tools for evaluating activities of daily living.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSKFNd2gwR0 

______________________________________________________

racer

____________________________________________________

Comment:

Thank you for the article. We have a care home for 10 and truly the ones who live the longest stay interested in learning, reading, participating in activities and socializing. Also those who stay independent with their ADL’s live longest. Check out our website at http://www.assistedlivingmesaazfairbrookgrove.com________________________________________________

Senator Enzi gives a fascinating tour of his office

Senator Mike Enzi is a Republican from Wyoming.

He is Chairman of the Senate Rural Caucus.

Wyoming is a very rural state which means very few people live there. In fact, fewer people live in Wyoming than any state in the union–a land of wide open spaces.

Senator Ezi has been in office since 1994. He has an office large enough for his impressive and varied collections including a painting on-loan from the Smithsonian and his grandfather’s fishing reel.

10 Tips for Aging Successfully

[Note:  The following tips are courtesy of the University of Texas Center on Aging https://nursing.uth.edu/coa/healthy.htm which I am motivated to reproduce here to encourage me to take Tip 8 to heart. Meanwhile, I am keeping my eye on Texas (not to mention Wyoming which is a different story).]

1. Don’t Retire: Get a Part-time Job or Volunteer
Treat your brain like any other muscle – exercise it. Working or volunteering in a complex environment can provide challenging problem-solving opportunities for older adults to flex their mental muscles.

2. Social Support Network
Isolation is a powerful risk factor for poor health so it’s extremely important for successful agers to develop a support network of friends, family and others before a crisis occurs. Support comes from many sources and from all age groups, successful agers learn how to ask their support network for help and accept help when needed.

3. Relationships are Essential
Humans are social beings, developing connections with others that are often maintained over a lifetime. Not only do successful agers maintain close relationships with family and friends, but they also develop new relationships by participating in their community. Reflecting on the past with friends and family members strengthens these relationships.

4. Reliance and Adaptability
Maintaining a flexible attitude helps successful agers bounce back from life’s misfortunes. This ability to make changes as we age helps us maintain a balance in life and enables us to transition as function declines.

5. Keep Playing
Successful agers cultivate their interests (particularly non work-related ones) before retirement. Engaging in fun activities enlarges your circle of friends, creating a support network and helps you keep a healthy, happy outlook toward life.

6. Healthy Habits
Eat healthy and exercise. Quit bad habits. Drink in moderation and stop smoking. If you’re struggling with health habits, find a role model and observe their habits.

7. Keep Learning
Retirement doesn’t mean retreating from the world. It’s a time to learn new skills and interests. Aging people with new interests have more positive experiences, and learning keeps you from being “locked in place.”

8. Healthy Attitudes
Positive attitudes are essential for successful aging. Negative attitudes contribute to physical and mental illnesses which reduce life span and quality of life.

9. Maintaining Autonomy
A sense of choice is essential to successful aging. Individuals who learn how to maintain their independence as their life changes will age successfully. Risk-taking should be allowed if it allows elderly people to live their life with “their boots on.”

10. Storytelling
Successful agers are able to tell stories about themselves and share them with their families. Reliving these stories helps them find purpose in their life.

Fear

I am afraid.

The fear is linked to the CT scan I took on Thursday–in turn linked to my three experiences with cancer. In August 2013, Dr. Paul Russo (at Memorial Sloan Kettering Medical Center in New York City) removed a 7 centimeter tumor surrounding my right kidney. Pathology confirmed kidney cancer.

While discussing the forthcoming surgery, Dr. Russo said his plan to save the right kidney (which he did expertly) would remove the risk that I might be without any kidneys at all. He explained that two small tumors on my left side could develop and conceivably destroy my left kidney.

Frisson.

Last year, the left kidney tumors were 2 centimeters. Between then and now, have they increased in size? Last year, my doctors suggested after right kidney surgery, perhaps surgery and even chemotherapy might be indicated for my left side.

The CAT scan on Thursday will help determine what to do next.

This reality above is not the reason I am writing. Fear is the reason I am writing. Fear.

Suzhou_Humble_Administrator's_GardenThe advice given ranges from:

  • It is reasonable to worry; do not worry about worrying
  • Do not worry about what might happen; focus on the here and now

Advice be damned: The dominant reality of my daily life is fear.

++++

I was married once to a woman who poured salt over everything she ate. Everything she ate tasted like salt.

For the past few months I have been pouring fear over everything I eat; everything I eat tastes like fear. This imagery extends to everything I do. The fear creates a paralysis—work incomplete, dishes unwashed, the bathroom sink unscrubbed.

The two rules of my treatment plan (whether or not there is a treatment plan) must be:

  1. Learn to live with fear
  2. Figure out how to eliminate fear

According to Eastern thought, in the battle with Evil one must not confront Evil directly. I am certain Confucius is correct, but it sounds strange. Given my personality doing something strange with a good objective in mind is appropriate.

I wonder how I will proceed.

This posting is the beginning of a battle plan.

++++

Note 1: Fear and Evil are one and the same.

Note.  2: Despite my “advice be damned” remark I really do appreciate advice.

–30–

–Joel Solkoff, State College, PA, USA

Copyright 2014 by Joel Solkoff. All rights reserved.

June 2014 Motto

Samuel_Butler_by_Charles_Gogin

Five of Samuel Butler’s Seven Deadly Sins

  1. Want of money
  2. Bad health
  3. Bad temper
  4. Chastity
  5. Knowing that you know things