This Woman Was Born With Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy—and Now She’s a Full-Time Model
mercredi 27 novembre 2019
American Couple Says They're Being Held 'Hostage' in Mexican Hospital Over $14K Medical Bill
An Atlanta couple forced to seek medical treatment while on a cruise vacation now say they’re being held “hostage” by a hospital in Mexico over an unpaid $14,000 medical bill.
Stephen Johnson, 31, and fiancée Tori Austin were two days into their trip on a Carnival Dream cruise ship when Johnson fell ill and was diagnosed on board with pancreatitis and diabetes, CBS affiliate WGCL reported.
At the behest of Carnival, Johnson sought treatment and was hospitalized in the Mexican town of Progreso, where he spent three days in intensive care, Good Morning America reported.
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Once he was on the mend, however, he was hit with a $14,000 bill that the couple is unable to pay, as they do not have health or travelers’ insurance.
“The plan is to pay the bill, it’s not to skip out on the bill,” Austin told GMA. “They saved his life. His life is more than $14,000.”
Austin said she offered $7,000 upfront and asked if they could work out a payment plan for when they were back in the U.S., but that her request was denied, and she and Johnson were barred from leaving the hospital.
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“We tried to leave Tuesday, but we were physically assaulted by the administrative staff,” she alleged. “They physically were pushing on him.”
Austin also claimed that hospital staffers locked the windows to further prevent them leaving, and threatened to call the police should they make a break for it.
“It’s been a nightmare. We just want to come home,” she told WGCL. “$14,000 in a matter of hours, I don’t know who has that type of money.”
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Added Johnson, “[It’s] hell. I very much so am a hostage. Don’t get sick and have to come to this hospital, that’s one thing I can tell you. They won’t let you leave.”
A U.S. Department of State official confirmed to PEOPLE on Friday that a U.S. citizen was being treated at a Progreso hospital, and that a consular officer visited the citizen in the hospital on Thursday.
The official said the department was monitoring the situation closely.
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Austin, meanwhile, shared an emotional video to Facebook on Wednesday, telling her followers she and Johnson were “coming home” and that someone had offered to pay their entire bill.
“Thank you whoever gave the money,” Johnson could be heard yelling in the background of the video.
Austin later wrote on Facebook Friday morning that she and Johnson were still “waiting” in Mexico.
Carnival confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement that a guest on the Carnival Dream had suffered a medical emergency and “was required to seek medical treatment in Progreso.”
“We are not in a position to comment on the personal matters related to his health or the financial arrangements regarding his treatment, but our CareTeam is providing support,” the statement read.
Austin, however, praised the company in a Facebook post, and wrote that their support had been “great” throughout the ordeal, though she did not go into specifics.
The hospital did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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< American Couple Says They're Being Held 'Hostage' in Mexican Hospital Over $14K Medical BillJenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb Said They Were 'Mad' After Weighing Themselves
jeudi 21 novembre 2019
5 Common Challenges Care-Givers Face, and How to Handle Them
It didn’t come as a total surprise when Elizabeth Miller’s 76-year-old mom landed in the hospital with serious respiratory problems in the spring of 2014. Her mother had struggled with chronic health issues for years. Even so, Miller, now 48, and her siblings had to scramble to figure out how to care for her. “Most of us lived hours from my parents, so we took turns visiting,” says Miller. She missed her son’s birthday, and had to work remotely. “My boss was understanding. But it wasn’t easy.”
What’s more, the siblings had to take on tasks they had never imagined—giving their mom injections, administering her breathing treatments, rubbing lotion on her swollen feet. Then that summer, Miller’s father developed sepsis after dental surgery and passed away shortly after. “We moved Mom to an assisted-living facility near me in Georgia, but she wasn’t happy,” Miller says. “I felt guilty, and wondered if we were making the right decisions.”
As the months passed, the pressure took a toll. Miller would find herself bursting into tears “at the drop of a hat,” and her doctor increased the dose of the anti-anxiety medication she’d been taking. “Caregiving stress is like the old fable of boiling a frog,” says Miller. “If you put a frog in tepid water and raise the temperature slowly, it doesn’t notice the heat till it’s too late. The stress of caregiving sneaks up on you too. You don’t realize the situation is getting dangerous until you’re at the boiling point.”
That’s an apt characterization, according to a slew of recent studies. And that proverbial frog? It’s most likely a woman. Of the country’s 40 million–plus unpaid caregivers of a person 65 or older, roughly 66 percent are women, many with jobs and kids at home. Despite those responsibilities, they spend an average of 21 hours a week on care—running errands, attending doctor’s appointments, and providing hands-on assistance. As Stanford University researchers wrote in a 2017 paper in the journal JAMA Neurology, “The best long-term care insurance in our country is a conscientious daughter.”
Most caregivers find their efforts meaningful, but it often comes at a personal cost. Caregivers are at risk for a host of health problems, including depression, back pain, arthritis, and heart disease, says Ruth Drew, director of information and support services for the Alzheimer’s Association. “It’s not uncommon for caregivers themselves to wind up in the hospital,” she adds.
But that doesn’t have to happen. Thanks to a growing body of research, the challenges of caregiving are becoming more widely understood. Here are five of the most common struggles women face—as well as effective ways to cope.
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Challenge 1: You have no bandwidth for yourself
Let’s do some quick math: 40 (or more) hours of work per week, plus 20-some-odd hours helping a loved one, plus child care equals zero time to take care of you. Sure, you’d love to work out regularly, get plenty of sleep, and cook nutritious meals. It just seems impossible.
But it’s vital to find small, doable ways to keep healthy, says Drew—not just for yourself but also for the person who needs your help: “Many of the women I work with finally start taking care of themselves when they realize their [older relative] would be lost without them.”
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When it comes to exercise, remember that short bouts count. “Accumulating physical activity in 5-, 10-, or 20-minute increments adds up,” says Eli Puterman, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. You might stash a pair of sneakers and a yoga mat in the trunk of your car so you can take a quick jaunt around the block or follow a vinyasa flow video on your phone while your loved one watches TV. There are also apps, like Tone It Up and J&J Official 7 Minute Workout, that will guide you through a brief strength routine. Your efforts will prepare your body for the more physical demands of caregiving, adds Puterman: “Helping an adult in and out of bed requires a strong lower back, core, and legs,” he points out.
Eating healthfully doesn’t have to be complicated either. If you buy fresh precut veggies, lettuce, and fruit, along with some canned beans and frozen chicken or fish, you can whip up fiber- and vitamin-packed meals that require little time or effort. And eating well will help you maintain your much-needed energy.
As for sleep, getting a solid eight hours may not be realistic if you’re up in the middle of the night with someone who’s in pain, or who needs to go to the bathroom. But don’t discount the power of naps. Try to snooze when your loved one does, to make up for lost sleep.
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Challenge 2: Your nerves are frayed
“Caregiving is a superhuman task,” says Drew. “There’s a sense of urgency when someone absolutely needs your help and attention—so a lot of times the things that fill you up and nourish you are the things that seem expendable.” As a result, you rarely get opportunities to decompress, which can eventually lead to burnout.
Experts say one strategy that may help is mindfulness. “Caregivers are usually worrying about the future or the past,” says Susan McCurry, PhD, a clinical psychologist and research professor at the University of Washington. “Mindfulness is helpful because it brings you back to the present moment, where things are actually OK.” And when you anchor yourself in the now, your nervous system shifts from the sympathetic, fight-or-flight mode to the parasympathetic, rest mode.
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There’s even research to back up the benefits of mindfulness: A study done at the University of Minnesota found that this calming approach decreased stress and improved the mental health, mood, anxiety, and sense of burden in women caring for a parent with dementia.
Once you get the hang of mindfulness, you can practice it anytime, anywhere: while you’re sitting in a waiting room or standing in line to pick up a prescription, or when you wake up during the night. Here’s all you need to do, according to McCurry: Bring your attention to your senses—whether it’s the sounds around you or the feeling of your bedsheets against your skin—then turn your attention to your breath. Allow your mind to rest on the sensation of it moving in and out of your body.
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Challenge 3 : You’ve lost touch with your friends
Caregivers aren’t just exhausted and pressed for time; they are often isolated because they don’t want to burden other people. “But sharing your thoughts and feelings with supportive friends reduces blood pressure, strengthens immunity, and has beneficial psychological effects, including reduced stress,” says Joan Monin, PhD, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. Having even one person to talk to can positively affect caregivers’ well-being, according to a 2016 study by Japanese researchers.
What’s more, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University found that when caregivers stayed engaged with their social support network, their care recipients’ health was better than those being tended by a lonely caregiver. “Having support may help you perform your caregiving tasks more effectively,” explains lead author Dannielle Kelley, PhD.
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Ask a friend to come over for tea, or schedule regular phone calls or video chats so you can stay in touch. And find someone, whether it’s your spouse or a respite care professional, to cover for you as often as possible so you can get out of the house for dinner or drinks, or even a weekend away—because, as Monin puts it, “leisure activities are vital for your health and your peace of mind.”
Challenge 4: You’re anxious about money—and your job
According to a 2016 report by AARP, 78 percent of caregivers incur out-of-pocket costs—on average, $7,000 per year. To make ends meet, 30 percent have dipped into their personal savings, 16 percent have reduced contributions to their retirement accounts, and 45 percent have cut back on eating out or vacations. If you’re faced with new costs, it may be worth talking to a financial planner, who can help you budget and, ultimately, feel more in control of your overall money picture.
Job security may be at the top of your mind too, especially if you’re out of the office more than usual. It makes sense to explain your caregiver role to your boss or supervisor, says Nick Bott, an instructor at Stanford’s Clinical Excellence Research Center. Not every employer will respond positively, but if you emphasize how committed you are to your career, you may be able to work remotely or tweak your hours to better accommodate your caregiving responsibilities. Also, if you can afford it, see whether you’re eligible under the Family and Medical Leave Act for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year without losing your job.
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Challenge 5: You’re wrestling with guilt
Guilt is common in women who are juggling a career and family as well as caregiving. “They feel like they’re not doing enough—emotionally, physically, or financially. And they beat themselves up for not doing it all perfectly,” says Carla Marie Manly, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Sonoma County, California, who treats caregivers.
A little guilt can push you to do all the tough jobs that caregiving requires. But being too self-critical can increase your risk for depression. So make sure you practice self-compassion.
One easy trick: Shift your focus from what you’re not doing to all the many things you are, suggests Manly. Throughout the day, as you check stuff off your to-do list, take a moment to recognize and celebrate your accomplishments.
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Another key cause of guilt, adds Monin, is feeling like your loved one is suffering, despite your efforts. “It may help to realize that caregivers often overestimate their loved one’s suffering and underestimate their actual quality of life,” she says.
It can also help to spend some time with your loved one that doesn’t involve any physical therapy or medications. Miller tried this after her mom moved into the assisted-living facility near her home. “Because I felt like I could never do enough for her, I was resentful,” Miller recalls. But then at a support group for caregivers, someone suggested Miller plan some fun activities with her mom. “We started watching Grace and Frankie together, and playing cards. Rekindling a more normal mother-daughter relationship restored a healthier balance,” she says. “It helped me enjoy our time together—which was a gift.”
Sharing the load
“Many caregivers aren’t good at asking for—and accepting—help,” says Rani Snyder, a vice president at the John A. Hartford Foundation, which gives grants for caregiving research. But if you want to get through it in one piece, you need partners. Here’s how to take a team approach:
Make a list of tasks, and get others on board. “What are the things that only you can do—and what can someone else take on, like housecleaning, lawn maintenance, car maintenance, shoveling snow, grocery shopping, and laundry?” says Drew. Then, convene a meeting with siblings, either in person or on a conference call, and let everyone choose.
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Don’t forget to ask for help for yourself. “When my wife’s mom fell ill, we had an uncle who would come by once a week and stay with the kids, which gave my wife time to go to the park or see a movie,” says Steven Huberman, founding dean of Touro College Graduate School of Social Work. Ask for emotional support, too. If you tell a loved one that the thing you really need is someone to listen, most will happily show up—and feel like they’re being useful.
Express your gratitude. Caregiving can be emotionally fraught. Acknowledging everyone’s contributions sets a positive tone, which can go a long way toward relieving stress and avoiding tension and resentment.
Coping tools
These smartphone apps might make your life a little easier.
To help you stay organized… Caring Village lets you coordinate activities like transportation, meal delivery, and errands; store important documents; and manage medications. Another app, called CaringBridge, allows you to update—and receive assistance from—friends and family during a crisis.
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To help you provide better care… Need to treat a nosebleed, or a twisted ankle? First Aid: American Red Cross has advice for almost any everyday health emergency, and comes complete with step-by-step guides and videos. If your loved one is in pain, the PainScale app allows you to log and track pain symptoms over time. And eCare21 syncs information like glucose level, heart rate, weight, calorie intake, and sleep from wearable devices like a smartwatch or Fitbit.
To help you feel less harried… Sanvello uses techniques based on cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness to address stress and anxiety. You should also check out Happify, which offers science-based activities and games to reduce stress, quell negative thoughts, and build resilience. It might have you list things you’re grateful for or notice positive words—all of which can help you think more optimistically.
Caring for someone far away
Long-distance caregiving is its own kind of burden. “You don’t have the daily demands, but the uncertainty and guilt can be tough,” says Sara Douglas, PhD, RN, a professor at Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. Fortunately, no matter where you are, you can provide indispensable help.
Find a local point person. “Whether it’s a family member, friend, or neighbor, you need someone who can visit your loved one and provide accurate information about key issues,” says Douglas. “Is there food in the fridge? Are they eating? Are they getting to their appointments?”
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Ask for assignments. Some examples of things you can do from afar: Pay bills online, arrange transportation, communicate with doctors, create and share a Google Calendar so local caregivers can coordinate meal delivery and taking out the trash, or post updates for family and friends.
Sit in on doctor’s visits remotely. You can use FaceTime or video conferencing. “Most doctors are open to it,” Douglas says.
Time your visits thoughtfully. Arrange them so you can give the local caregiver a break. “Ask when would work best—maybe a time when they can take a vacation,” suggests Douglas.
Consider hiring a nurse, or a social worker. If you can afford the extra expense, a professional caregiver may alleviate some of your worry, says Douglas.
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< 5 Common Challenges Care-Givers Face, and How to Handle ThemHow This Woman Is Using Old Bras to Support Homeless Women
mercredi 20 novembre 2019
I never thought I’d be starting a global nonprofit—and definitely not because I needed a new bra!
As a mom of two, I’d gained weight with both of my pregnancies and never really lost it. So in 2014, a couple of close friends told me over a glass of wine, “You need to take more time to get healthy.”
The message sunk in. I started making better food choices and running. Over the course of 10 months, I lost 35 pounds. I don’t care much about fashion, so I kept wearing my old clothes until the summer of 2015, when my husband told me one day, “You can’t go to a business meeting in that bra.”
Read more stories about innovative and inspirational women, check out our Wellness Warriors series
It didn’t fit me around the torso anymore, and I couldn’t tighten it. While buying new bras at a local store, I asked the clerk what I could do with all of my perfectly good used bras that no longer fit me. She looked at me and said, “Homeless women need bras.”
Those four simple words changed my life. I went home and called a shelter near my home in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Their response: “How soon can you bring them?”
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I don’t normally post on Facebook, but I felt compelled to mention that I’d just learned of this overwhelming need. Did anyone else have old bras to give away? The shelter had mentioned that women and girls are also frequently in need of pads and tampons, so I asked for donations of those, too.
People shared, and reshared, my request, and it got crazy really fast, in a “lightning in a bottle” way. Within two days, my Facebook group, Support the Girls, was born. A few months later, my husband made a website to keep up with the demand.
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By that time, I’d made it to the shelter, and I had collected more than 1,000 bras and more than 7,100 pads and tampons. It didn’t make sense to stop there. Today, Support the Girls has nearly 60 affiliates across the U.S., as well as around the world. We’ve donated around 5 million products, including mastectomy bras, prosthetics for women going through cancer treatment, binders for trans boys and men, menstrual underwear, and menstrual cups. We’ve donated to Chicago public schools and the Indiana Department of Corrections, and provided supplies during and after natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Dorian.
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< How This Woman Is Using Old Bras to Support Homeless WomenHow the Founder of GirlTrek is Fighting Diabetes in Her Community
mardi 19 novembre 2019
In 2011, I heard a statistic that 50 percent of black women are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. It just so happened that I was teaching fifth grade at the time, and those were the women-to-be in my classroom.
I couldn’t sit by as their futures were threatened by this silent health crisis. And so, I started taking girls hiking on Saturdays. Each time, we walked and talked about things that might be a barrier to them living their healthiest lives. At the same time, my best friend, Vanessa Garrison, was grappling with women in her family dying too early. I knew we had to do something bolder and more transformative.
Read more stories about innovative and inspirational women, check out our Wellness Warriors series
Vanessa and I set an audacious goal to get 1 million women to walk—to improve their own health, to create a new culture of health for their families, to inspire their daughters, and to take back their neighborhoods. We invited 532 friends on our combined email lists to walk with us.
Walking is the single most powerful thing you can do for your health. Walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week reduces most chronic disease by half. Each time we walk, we also combat loneliness and isolation, and build community, friendship, and culture.
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This is how GirlTrek was born. And not only do we organize walks but we also audit the needs of our neighborhoods as we walk. “Oh, we could put a garden there.” “There really needs to be a traffic stop here.” Or: “This mother has lost her son. Let’s walk and talk with her while she grieves.”
The more we walked, the more word spread. Today, with more than 270,000 members, we’re one of the largest public health nonprofits for African American women and girls in the U.S., and we aspire to reach 1 million members in the near future.
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When we are asked who’s in GirlTrek, we say: It’s rowdy college students, it’s the lunch lady, it’s all the women on the church pew—it’s everybody working together.
Our national team walked 100 miles on parts of the Underground Railroad, inspired by the footsteps of Harriet Tubman. But I find it rewarding when women have their own quiet breakthroughs, like a woman who’s gotten up and walked by herself every single morning for a year, and on the 365th day, she tweets about it.
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< How the Founder of GirlTrek is Fighting Diabetes in Her CommunityCollege Gymnast Dies After 'Tragic Freak Accident' on Uneven Bars
Melanie Coleman, a decorated gymnast and junior nursing student attending Southern Connecticut State University, died on Sunday after sustaining a devastating accident during gymnastics practice on Friday.
According to the The Connecticut Post, which first reported on the news, and NBC News, Coleman, 20, suffered a spinal injury while training on the uneven bars at New Era Gymnastics in Hamden, Connecticut, where she had trained for 10 years.
One of Coleman’s longtime coaches, Tom Alberti, described the incident as “totally unexpected in its occurrence and its outcome.” A GoFundMe account set up for Coleman’s family echoed that sentiment, calling the incident a “tragic freak accident” that initially left Coleman in critical care. The GoFundMe page raised over $56,000 in just two days.
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Mary Fredericks, head coach of Southern Connecticut State University gymnastics, revealed in a statement that the team was "heartbroken and stunned. "She was an incredibly hard worker and a sweet-spirited young woman," she said. "Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to her family at this time."
The Connecticut Post also reported that Coleman’s organs are being donated to keep others alive. “We are confident that her spirit, laughter, and humor will live on through the ones who loved her most, as well as through the gift of life to those who needed it most through organ donation,” the Coleman family wrote in a statement published by WTNH-TV
Gymnastics is, unfortunately, not a sport that comes without risks—it was named the most dangerous women’s sport, according to a 2008 study published in the journal Pediatrics.
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For the study, researchers from The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital examined gymnasts between the ages of 6 to 17, finding that nearly 27,000 gymnasts were hospitalized annually. Overall, the annual injury rate for gymnastics was 4.8 for every 1,000 participants.
"We don't typically think of gymnastics as a dangerous sport. In fact, many parents consider it an activity, but it has the same clinical incidence of catastrophic injuries as ice hockey," Nationwide Children's Hospital Lara McKenzie said in a video release at the time the study was published.
In addition to setting up the GoFundMe account, the page’s organizers also set up a meal train for the family, to provide them with dinners and other meals during this difficult time.
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< College Gymnast Dies After 'Tragic Freak Accident' on Uneven BarsJessica Mulroney Claps Back After Trolls Attack Her Latest Bikini Photo: ‘Get a Clue’
mercredi 6 novembre 2019
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