Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Denver Health saves millions using Toyota efficiency principles

Excerpt from Denver Post: (click for entire article)

In the lab department of Denver Health Medical Center is a conference room so covered in sticky notes that they could probably hold up the wall, should it come to that.

The colorful rows of scribbled-on squares represent system glitches or flow problems or things that just don't work right. Each also represents a chance to improve.

The notes are the product of a deployment of teams of employees, who fanned out across Denver Health, accosting anyone and everyone who works in the lab or whose work crosses paths with the lab. They asked:

"What are the things that keep you from working efficiently?" And "Are there things you see happening to patients that shouldn't?"

Children of Older Dads at Higher Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Excerpt from iVillage Health: (click for entire article)

WEDNESDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- Children born to older fathers are at increased risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a new study has found.

Researchers analyzed data on 110,999 California women and found that those born to fathers older than 40 had a 59 percent greater risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (cancer of the blood and immune system) than those born to fathers younger than 25.

The study, which appears online and in the June 15 print issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, is one of the first to examine the link between parents' age and their adult children's risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the authors said.

The Value of One Acknowledges the 20th Anniversary of the ADA with a Story about Bob Perske

Excerpt from The Value of One: (click for entire article)

What kind of person wants the world to know about an obscure execution of a person with an intellectual disability 70 years ago?

What can you say about someone who travels across the country to place a gravestone on a tiny plot outside the prison where this unfortunate person is buried?

On the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it would be impossible to illustrate the spirit of this act and The Value of One in any more meaningful way than to tell you (and link you to) the story of the actions of Bob Perske on behalf of Joe Arridy.

Understanding Dyscalculia - the Math Learning Disability

Patti's Comments:  Yikes — this is intense.

Excerpt from Eide Neurolearning Blog: (click for entire article)

Signs and Symptoms of Dyscalculia

- Shows difficulty understanding concepts of place value, and quantity, number lines, positive and negative value, carrying and borrowing
- Has difficulty understanding and doing word problems
- Has difficulty sequencing information or events
- Exhibits difficulty using steps involved in math operations
- Shows difficulty understanding fractions
- Is challenged making change and handling money
- Displays difficulty recognizing patterns when adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing
- Has difficulty putting language to math processes
- Has difficulty understanding concepts related to time such as days, weeks, months, seasons, quarters, etc.
- Exhibits difficulty organizing problems on the page, keeping numbers lined up, following through on long division problems

What was for FDR's eyes only is now for yours

Patti's Comments:  When I first saw this and started to read the article, all I could think was I wonder what Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of "No Ordinary Time," is going to think about this.  Then they quoted her…

For the record, I am like her - a geek - and I find this really interesting and exciting! I have read all of her books and enjoy listening to her speak as well.

Excerpt from The Washington Post: (click for entire article)

The letter is marked "personal and private" and is addressed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's secretary, Grace Tully, who was with the ailing chief executive in Warm Springs, Ga., that Thursday in 1945.

The writer was Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, who decades before had been FDR's mistress and who now was making arrangements for what would be their last fateful meeting at the president's rural retreat.

Elegantly handwritten, the letter never mentions Roosevelt by name -- her love letters to him had been their undoing a quarter-century earlier. He is just "the subject," or "the 'B,' " for boss. But the arrangements worked out, and a week later the two former lovers were together again on the day he died. 

Call AmEx To Negotiate Payment Plan, Get A Stern Lecture Instead

Patti's Comments:  Not only are they unable to work with you, they repeatedly violate the Fair Debt Collections Law.  I know, I am in litigation with them right now. For more information on this see: http://www.pekdadvocacy.com/financial-credit-debt.htm

Excerpt from The Consumerist: (click for entire article)

Sophie did what any good Consumerist struggling with credit card debt would do. She called up her lender, American Express, and asked if they would be able to help her with some kind of payment plan before she missed any payments. knows that some credit card companies are currently happy to negotiate when struggling customers call them up, since a customer making lower payments is better than a customer missing payments, or not making any payments at all. Right? 

A spending goal too small for aging America

Excerpt from The Washington Post: (click for entire article)

I don't want to overreact. I'd hate to prematurely diss President Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which held its fourth public meeting Wednesday. But the commission's Democratic co-chair, Erskine Bowles, may have already blown it.

In little-noticed remarks a few weeks ago, Bowles suggested that the long-term goal the commission should adopt for federal spending should be 21 percent of gross domestic product. This sounds like a bookkeeping matter. But Bowles' goal would end progressive ambition, ratify America's declining competitiveness and bury the American dream. 

Boss of Canadian pipeline firm apologizes for 'mess we made' in Michigan

Patti's Comments:  GROAN…

Excerpt from Freep.com: (click for entire article)

The president of the Canadian company responsible for the spillage of possibly 1 million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River apologized today “for the mess we have made.”

Enbridge President Patrick Daniel said the company takes “full responsibility for the cleanup,” during an afternoon press conference in Battle Creek on the spill and cleanup process.

He and EPA officials said no oil has entered Morrow Lake. An EPA official said there is no danger to Kalamazoo.

How can I wear a bathing suit when I am fat?

Patti's Comments:  I love this article!

Excerpt from FRENCHTOSD's Blog: (click for entire article)

I have had numerous comments and questions about the bathing suit issue. So many of you have asked me how I can be brave enough to wear a bathing suit at my weight. Others have told me they could never do it. Some people have told me how much they wish they could do it, but they can't because of how they look.

I am in the (bottom of the) morbidly obese category. Three times a week I go to the community center of my town and get into the pool. It is not hard.

The suit I have is in three pieces. It has a tankini top that I tuck into boy shorts. Under the shorts is a tummy control brief that may not do any good, but it makes me feel better not to be jiggling around so much. It cost about $45 for all the pieces at Target this year.

Turn off those TV's!

From Spark People:

Startling TV Facts

If you find it hard to escape the sights and sounds of the tube, or if watching your favorite show turns into more wasted hours than you planned, you're not alone. Americans watch TV for an average of 4 hours every day; even when we're not watching, the television is on- for almost 8 hours a day in the average home. Have you ever realized how much TV has become a part of our lives? Here are some more startling facts, from the non-profit organization, TV-Turnoff Network:

By age 65, the average American has seen 2 million TV commercials. Many of the commercials we see show appetizing foods-fast food, junk food, soda, alcohol, sugary cereals, and candy. Think "out of sight, out of mind."

The average American youth spends about 900 hours per year in school, and over 1,000 hours per year watching TV. While you can't place all the blame on TV, soaring rates of childhood obesity are a result of both poor nutrition and an inactive lifestyle. Limit the amount of time your kids (and yourself, leading by example) watch TV and encourage more physical activity like walking the dog, helping with yard work, playing sports, or other active hobbies.

Think it would impossible to turn off your TV for an entire week? Imagine how much more free time you would have if you didn't spend time watching TV! There are lots of fun (and healthy) things you could do with your newfound time. Here are some examples:

        Start a vegetable garden or plant flowers

        Take a class--drawing, woodworking, sewing--whatever interests you

         Take a trip to the grocery store. Without the usual rush, take the time to compare labels, find new foods, and stock up on fresh fruits, veggies and healthy snacks.

         Write a letter to someone you haven't seen in awhile

        Spend more time with your pet! Go for a walk or play a game of Frisbee.

         Prepare healthy bag lunches for the family.