Take a Break: Make Paper Spiders and Webs

These are very fun. Try making the Spider Webs first from regular paper and then using tissue paper. The latter will be perfect for hanging around the house.

• Fancy Twist 2 spider web tutorials

 • Falling into Fall with Studio DIY 

• Though not paper, the theme for this year's Halloween "take a breaks," loved the directions for a spider web from plastic trash bag.

Now you need a spider or two. The easiest is the basic pom pom spider made with yarn and pipe cleaners. However, don’t hesitate to bunch up black construction paper for the body and make some spindly spider legs by making long paper beads. 

Not interested in today’s activity? Need other Halloween ideas? Check out the Take a Break Pinterest.

Ebola- Should I be Worried?

According to a CBSNews poll, most Americans are at least somewhat concerned about Ebola and most don’t think the country is prepared to deal with it. 

The daily news has at least one article on Ebola. Yesterday, there was a report about a passenger removed from a flight to the Dominican Republic, when he coughed and joked, “I have Ebola. You’re all screwed.” He tested negative.

While accompanying a patient to her medical appointment this week,  we were both asked about fevers, coughs and other symptoms of Ebola. Given that we live in a remote and rural part of the country, that was pretty surprising.

The fear about this disease is spiraling out of control faster than the disease itself. So let’s put things in perspective:

What is Ebola: An infectious disease, which has a fatality rate between 50-90 percent. Thought to have originated in fruit bats, Ebola was first detected in 1976 near the Ebola River in today’s Democratic Republic of Congo.

How is it Spread: Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth) with

•    blood or body fluids (including but not limited to urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola

•    objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with the virus

• infected animals (mammals-humans, bats, monkeys and apes)  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) 

IT IS NOT SPREAD THROUGH THE AIR OR BY WATER. While it is generally not spread through food, in Africa, Ebola may be spread as a result of handling bush meat. There is no evidence that insects, e.g. mosquitoes transmit the virus. Compared with most common diseases, Ebola is not particularly infectious. A person must have symptoms to spread Ebola to others.

What are the symptoms? Symptoms include: fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal (stomach) pain, unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising). Symptoms may appear between 2 to 21 days after exposure to the virus, but the average is 8 to 10 days.

Who’s at Risk?: Those who care for people with symptoms of Ebola are at risk. It is important that those providing treatment or care for people with Ebola that they were appropriate protective equipment, including masks, gowns, gloves and eye protection. CDC 

Note that once a person with Ebola has recovered, they can no longer spread the virus. However, the virus has been detected for up to 3 months in semen so it is important these people either abstain from sex or use condoms.

How to Prevent it: There is no approved vaccine available for Ebola at this time. If you are going to travel or are in an area affected by Ebola, follow the CDC guidelines, which include careful hygiene and not handling items that came in contact with blood or body fluids. 

American’s Risk: According to the CDC Ebola poses no substantial risk to the U.S. general population. CDC recognizes that Ebola causes a lot of public worry and concern, but CDC’s mission is to protect the health of all Americans, including those who may become ill while overseas. Ebola patients can be transported and managed safely when appropriate precautions are used.

Is the U. S. Prepared? While the first case that came into Dallas had some issues, the U.S. deals with flu and other highly contagious diseases daily. The Sars outbreak and pandemic flu scares mean hospitals and public health officials in most countries are required to have contingency plans for both local, small-scale outbreaks and major events.

 

Protecting Yourself Against Ebola: The CDC has issued a Level 3 travel warning for U.S. citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nigeria has been downgraded to a Level 1 Watch, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo has an Alert, or Level 2 status. For additional travel alerts, go to Traveler’s Health Ebola web page. 

If you have to worry about something: Worry about getting the flu. The 1918-19 flu pandemic killed up to 5% of the world’s population, making it the most deadly illness in recorded history. The simple measures of vaccination, hand washing and covering your cough will go a long way to avoiding flu. Read  Don’t have time for the flu. Take Time to Prevent it. 

Additional Reading

• Frontline Ebola Outbreak 

• CDC Ebola Virus Disease Main page 

• Ebola is Highly Contagious...Plus Seven Other Myths about the Virus 

Take a Break: Make a Paper Wig

A friend of mine made a curly haired paper wig for Mardi Gras last year and it looked terrific. Since then I’ve gone on line and been impressed with the variety of paper wigs you can make. While perfect for a Halloween costume, these can be so fabulous, consider them year round.

Start by watching Martha’s Stewart’s video tutorial to understand the basics. I don’t recommend her cabbage approach for making the form. Use the same technique, but start off by using the person who will be wearing the wig. I did it on my husband, thinking if it fit his head it would fit mine. Unfortunately, I wear my hair up a lot and so I actually needed a larger size.

Once you have the basic shape, you can move it to a ball, overturned bowl or even a large balloon. You just need a surface that will hold steady while you tape things to it.

Paper is great but don’t shy away from things like curling ribbon, wrapping paper, paper flowers etc. Start from the bottom and work up using tape or glue. For inspiration, check out the following:

• Flurry and Salk’s Custom-Made Paper art installations 

• Fashioning Fashion’s Paper Wigs: How’dWe Do It? 

Not interested in today’s activity? Check out the Take a Break Pinterest for lots of Take a Break ideas. 

The Role of a Family Spokesperson/Liaision

Communication is critical for those affected by a serious medical event or significant condition. The key word here is “affected” as the person who is ill or injured and their family, friends, as well as the medical team are all vested in understanding what is actually happening and how they can help. To that end, there are legal responsibilities; policies that some hospitals put in place and then there is the less understood role of how useful a go between can be for the patient and their caregiver(s).

Health Proxy: This is the designated person who can legally speak on your behalf if you are unable to do so. Up until 18, it's the parents’ responsibility to speak for a minor. Once 18, unless there is a competency issue, it’s up to the person to decide who can speak for them. If you are being admitted to a hospital, you will most likely be asked to name a health proxy.

Hospital Family Spokesperson: Depending on the person’s condition and unit they are admitted to, many ICUs and specialty care units request that a “family spokesperson” be identified. This person, who is not necessarily the health proxy, is the bridge between the medical care team and the patient’s family/friends. This approach not only helps to make sure that consistent and timely information is made available to the family, but it also helps to reduce confusion and keeps the medical team at the patient’s bedside and off the phone

The spokesperson selected should be:

• A good listener and communicator

• Can remain calm in a crisis

• Understands the medical condition and can accurately relay information

• Can take good notes-keeping a medical journal is ideal

• Able to provide information in a timely manner to family and friends

This individual may or may not be an immediate family member. It should be someone the family and patient trust. If you have difficulty in selecting such a person, talk to the social worker at the hospital where the person is receiving their care.

Spokesperson/Liaison:  Someone who can accurately report to family and friends about a person’s condition, whether they are in the hospital or at home, can make life a lot easier. Just as in the hospital, this helps to reduce misinformation and minimizes disturbance. Those most directly affected by the situation-the patient and their immediate caregiver-are overwhelmed, so it’s better that someone not quite as close to the situation serve in that capacity.

In our Tweeting culture, people have come to expect immediate information, in 150 characters or less and become frustrated if that doesn’t happen. Fortunately, the free websites that help to coordinate information as well as volunteer support are incredibly easy to use and, if well run, are worth their weight in gold and then some. If you are not familiar with these websites consider some of the following:

 • Lotsa Helping Hands 

• Caring Bridge 

• Care Pages 

I find that co-administered site works quite well. The person and their immediate caregivers can be involved when time and energy permit, while someone who isn’t as closely involved makes sure the site continues to inform and coordinate.

Understand that information is power and it can be a form of control. A person who is ill and secretive can make family and friends crazy and leave a very negative legacy. It’s important to recognize that people do want to help and their inquiries are generally coming from a place of concern. Unfortunately, HIPAA (Health Insurance Accountability Act of 1996) has now filtered out of the medical setting and into the general community, so we are more secretive about ill health then ever before. Ultimately, I think this is doing more harm then good, but that’s a discussion for another day.