Month: December 2019

Meet the 14-year-old boy who is revolutionizing education in Ghana

From Ghanaweb: For More Info, Go Here…

ngd-  The disability concept of accommodation can be strategic…

Normally in the festive season in Ghana, what you see most teenagers do is work on their own toy guns but this is not the case for 14-year-old Kelvin Amaniampong.
While other teens are craving to make their holidays more fun, Kelvin is busily fixing problems with the Free Education programme the government is struggling to deal with.

According to Kelvin who comes from a poor home, the Free SHS policy is good and has helped him a lot but it comes with BIG challenges. He believes that there is no way a developing country like Ghana could implement a Free Education policy for its massive population and not have challenges.

“Yes, we’ve seen so many challenges that it is very difficult to tell whether this programme can stand the test of time. Some of these challenges include inadequate infrastructure, inadequate teaching staff, ‘the double-track system’ and books” – Kelvin.

Kelvin and His BIG Solution

Kelvin is the co-founder of Scrolbooks – an eLearning platform that seeks to be the nation’s biggest free digital library. Kelvin comes from Akim Manso in the Eastern Region of Ghana and he studies Pure Science in Ghana Senior High School, Koforidua.

According to him, his first semester in high school wasn’t so successful due to inadequate teaching staff and textbooks. And as the only Science student among his friends, he had no one to turn to, to borrow Science textbooks to study during the vacation. So no vacation classes and no textbooks meant no learning for two months. This was a very bad thing for him and so he had to find solutions.

He resorted to the internet which was very resourceful but then, he was met with a lot of content that wasn’t in line with the GES syllabus. After spending some time on the internet, he had an idea to put his own books online. He then turned to his uncle who is a Computer programmer to help him bring the idea (Scrolbooks) to life.

Scrolbooks when fully completed will offer both JHS and SHS students 100% free BECE, WASSCE, Nov-Dec, etc. past questions and answers, as well as all the textbooks students at all educational levels in Ghana, require.

What Is Serotonin Syndrome?

By Juliette Virzi: For More Info, Go Here…

As most people who have taken antidepressants know, side effects are par for the course. From perpetual dry mouth to lowered libido, antidepressant side effects can vary wildly from person to person. 

When we talk about antidepressant side effects, we usually only address the most common ones — which makes sense when you think about it. With so much stigma surrounding psychiatric medication, it’s understandable that we would want to decrease any unnecessary fear people might have around taking medication that could really help them. 

But when we only talk about the most common side effects, we can overlook others that are uncommon but important to know about. One such side effect is serotonin syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening outcome connected to taking serotonin-modulating medications like antidepressants. Though serotonin syndrome can arise from other medications, some of the most widely taken medications that work on serotonin are antidepressants.

What Is Serotonin Syndrome?

“It’s hypothetically caused by the accumulation of too much serotonin in the synapse,” Anna Lembke, MD, associate professor and medical director of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Clinic, told The Mighty. “Serotonin syndrome is caused by multiple medications taken simultaneously which increase serotonin levels in the synapse to dangerously high levels.”

Serotonin syndrome ranges from mild to severe. In mild cases, symptoms of serotonin toxicity may include restlessness and trembling, while symptoms of more severe cases can include:

  • Confusion
  • Increased muscle tone
  • High body temperature
  • Pupil dilation
  • Seizures
  • High blood pressure
  • Irregular heart beat
  • Losing consciousness
  • Jerky muscle movements

Coping With Loss Of Hospital, Rural Town Realizes: We Don’t Need A Hospital

By Sarah Jane Tribble: For More Info, Go Here…

It’s been about a year since the hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., closed. The lessons for this community about meeting its residents’ health needs could provide insights for the rest of the country.

Dr. Max Self grabbed a sanitary wipe and cleaned off the small flashlight in his hands. More than 20 years as a family doctor in rural Fort Scott, Kan., has taught him a few tricks: “I’ve got my flashlight. See? Look, you want to hold it?”

Two-year-old Taelyn’s brown eyes grow round and her tiny hand reaches out. But, first, Self makes sure she opens her mouth wide and he peers down. Behind him sits another staff member ― a medical scribe. Self’s scribe gives him the ability to “focus on people,” rather than toggling between a computer screen and the patient. It’s a new perk he didn’t have when he worked at Mercy Hospital.

That beloved hospital closed one year ago and, in the passing months, the small town’s anger and fear evolved into grief, nervousness and ― lately ― pragmatic hope. Most of the handful of physicians in town stayed, taking jobs at a regional federally qualified health care center that took over much of the clinic work from Mercy. The emergency department, after closing for 18 days, was reopened temporarily ― run by a hospital 30 miles south.

It’s not “all gloom and doom, although we all wish we had a hospital ― no doubt about it,” insurance agent Don Doherty said during the town’s weekly Chamber of Commerce coffee on Dec. 12.

Since 2010, 120 rural hospitals have closed across the country ― 19 in this year alone, according to data from the University of North Carolina’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. A national analysis of Medicare cost reports found that 21% of the nation’s remaining rural hospitals are at high risk of closing.

Self’s new employer is Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, which as a federally qualified health center gets a higher level of government reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid patients than Mercy did, said Jason Wesco, executive vice president at CHC.

The center can also gain grants to take care of the uninsured, which is important in states like Kansas that did not expand Medicaid, though Wesco said it has not received any for Fort Scott.

Wesco estimates 90-95% of the health care offered before the hospital closed is still available locally. And services have been added, including a much-needed therapist on-site for behavioral health and telehealth access to a psychiatrist and substance abuse services.

The Serious Consequences of Recovery From Surgery and Inactivity

By Howard Luks MD: For More Info, Go Here…

ngd- This isn’t just a problem with surgery. People who get a significant brain injury face issues with normalizing physical activity levels. Also, in the ’50s, the Navy put a bunch of recruits in coffin-like beds and made them stay there for a month. They got food, TV, music, and reading, and their IQs still dropped an average of 20 points.

We are highly complex beings. Inactivity, rest, and recovery from surgery or illness have profound effects on our bodies. There are ways to mitigate those ill-effects….

What happens to our bodies when we are inactive- even for a short period of time? Leading a sedentary lifestyle is the norm for most people. Therefore most people are already starting with marginal muscle mass and the complex metabolic consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.

What are the metabolic, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal effects of inactivity associated with injury, casting, or recovery after surgery? We are highly complex beings. I guarantee this topic will be of interest if you are recovering from an injury, or if you are planning on having surgery in the near future.

Do we recover quickly from these periods of rest? Are there ways to limit the downsides of forced rest or ways to improve our recovery for a planned surgery?

What Would Bill Do?

By Howard Wetsman MD: For More Info, Go Here…

ngd- In the early ’80s, I saw and read a document, maybe 20 pages long on yellow-orange paper, from Bill W. about medical, cultural, nutritional, and dietary supports to support the recovery of sobriety.  It was fascinating and secret because AA doesn’t support any particular treatment for alcoholism or other addictions except mutual support.  Much of what was in that report (mostly a summary of the research and individual experience) would hold up well today. I always thought it was a shame that the report wasn’t generally available. The author of this post talks about many of the things in that report from a current perspective. Well worth a read…

I’m caught in the middle. As a recovering person who has learned how to effectively use step work, some of my colleagues tell me that the program should play no role in addiction treatment. As a doctor who uses medicine in treating addiction, I often hear quotes from Bill or the book to counter my use of medications. When I’m explaining medication to a patient or family that have been told medicine is no good for addiction, I often find myself wishing that Bill Wilson was in the room with me. I imagine I could just lean over and say, “Bill, what do you think of that?” And his, “That makes sense, Howard. I wish we had that to help people with when I was around,” would convince the patient. It would be much easier. But Bill’s dead, so I have to do all the work myself.

Bill never stopped looking for biological aids for people with addiction.

LSD

Niacin

WWBD?

Bill wouldn’t be in today’s argument of whether meds are good for people with addiction or not. He’d be asking which people with addiction need meds and which don’t, and how will we know? For those that do he’d be asking which they need in what order with what others and for how long. All questions not seriously being asked today. That’s because our treatment system is built on what Bill did 70 years ago, not what he’d do today.

Ableist Narratives That Poison Disability Policy And Disabled People’s Lives

By Andrew Pulrang: For More Info, Go Here…

One of the key ways to combat any prejudice is to be able to identify specific prejudicial acts and beliefs when you see them in real life. Ableism is more than negative stereotypes or blanket assessments of disabled people’s character or habits. It is also a collection of shared narratives … or stories … made up of fleeting personal encounters, misapplied value judgments, and lightly substantiated rumors … all of which coalesce into what people “know” about disability and disabled people.

What follows are descriptions of four of the most common ableist narratives of disability. To be clear, the statements and examples are meant to illustrate common ableist stereotypes, not approve them. These are faulty, harmful ideas.

Everything you need to know about trigger point injections

by Jamie Eske: For More Info, Go Here…

Doctors use trigger point injections to treat chronic muscle pain and other issues that affect the musculoskeletal system.

Although many types of muscle pain resolve after a few days of rest, people who have persistent or chronic muscle pain may require medical treatment.

Chronic muscle pain can have a significant impact on a person’s ability to function and their quality of life. Trigger point injections may offer immediate benefits to people who have chronic muscle pain.

Below, learn about the uses, efficacy, side effects, and risks of trigger point injections.

 

Recovery and the Right to Health

From WHO Quality Rights: For More Info, Go Here…

Ensuring mental health and well-being has become a worldwide imperative and an important target of the Sustainable Development Goals. But in all countries around the world, our response has been woefully insufficient, and we have made little progress to advance mental health as a fundamental human right.

One in ten people are affected by a mental health condition, up to 200 million people have an intellectual disability and an estimated 50 million people have dementia. Many persons with mental health conditions, or psychosocial, intellectual, or cognitive disabilities lack access to quality mental health services that respond to their needs and respect their rights and dignity. Even today, people are locked up in institutions where they are isolated from society and marginalized in their communities. Many are subjected to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect in health services, prisons, and the community. They are also deprived of the right to make decisions for themselves, about their care and treatment, where they want to live, and their personal and financial affairs. They are often denied access to health care, education and employment opportunities, and are prevented from full inclusion and participation in community life.

As a result, people with mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities die 10 to 20 years younger than the general population in low-, middle- and high-income countries alike. The right to health is fundamental to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) mission and vision, and underpins our efforts to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). The foundation of UHC is strong health systems, based on primary care, that deliver evidence based, person-centred services that respect people’s values and preferences.

Fourteen new WHO QualityRights training and guidance modules are now available to achieve this vision. They will enable countries to translate international human rights standards into practice by influencing policy and building the knowledge and skills to implement person-centered and recovery-based approaches. This is what is required to provide quality care and support and to promote mental health and well-being. Our conviction is that everyone—whether a service provider or member of the community, needs to have the knowledge and skills to support someone who has a mental health condition, psychosocial, intellectual, or cognitive disability.

We hope that these QualityRights training and guidance modules will be used widely and that the approach they offer will become the norm rather than the exception in mental health and social services worldwide.

Chicago Psychiatric Hospital Will Lose Federal Money, and Its License Is Threatened After Allegations of Abuse

by Duaa Eldeib: For More Info, Go Here…

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services terminated an agreement and accompanying federal funding for Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, and the Illinois Department of Public Health is moving forward with plans to revoke the facility’s license.

After more than a year of lawsuits and government extensions, federal authorities this week ended their Medicare agreement with a Chicago psychiatric hospital plagued by allegations of abuse and safety violations. The Illinois Department of Public Health said Thursday it is moving forward with plans to revoke the hospital’s license.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services terminated the agreement and accompanying federal funding for Chicago Lakeshore Hospital on Monday after seven inspections since July 2018 found deficiencies that threatened the health and safety of the patients, federal records show.

The federal government will continue payment for up to 30 days for patients admitted to the hospital in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood before midnight Monday, a federal spokesman said. Hospital officials said Monday that Lakeshore, formerly known as Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, will remain open as they work with authorities and examine their options.

Meanwhile, IDPH has taken steps with the Illinois Hospital Licensing Board to begin an administrative proceeding to “revoke Chicago Lakeshore’s state license imminently,” department spokesman Cris Martinez said Thursday.

Supported Decision Making: From Justice for Jenny to Justice for All!

By Jonathan Martinis, Peter Blanck: For More Info, Go Here…

How would you feel if you weren’t allowed to make decisions about your life?

What if someone had the power to tell you where to live, who to spend time with, and what to do? What if that person had control of your money and health care? Isn’t that hard to imagine?

Yet, hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities face this situation, every day, when they are in a guardianship. When a court decides that a person needs a guardian, it appoints someone to make decisions for that person, usually in all areas of life. While guardianship may be helpful to some people, when people who can make their own decisions are put in guardianship, they can lose their rights and have a worse quality of life.

That’s what happened to Jenny Hatch, a young woman with Down syndrome. Before she was put in guardianship, Jenny lived in her own apartment, worked, spent time with friends, and went to a church she chose. After the court ordered her into guardianship, Jenny was put in a group home, against her will, with her cell phone and laptop taken away, cut off from her friends, and not allowed to go to her job and church.

In this book, Jonathan Martinis and Peter Blanck tell Jenny’s story, including how she lost her rights under guardianship and won them back when she showed the court that she uses Supported Decision-Making (SDM) to make her own decisions with help from people she trusts.