“People born blind are mysteriously protected from schizophrenia” – Vice.com
The possible explanations could help us better understand the condition.
by Shayla Love
“It was something Tom Pollak had heard whispers about—an odd factoid, referred to now and again, usually with bewilderment: No person who was born blind has ever been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“Over the past 60-some years, scientists around the world have been writing about this mystery. They’ve analyzed past studies, combed the wards of psychiatric hospitals, and looked through agencies that treat blind people, trying to find a case.
“As time goes on, larger data sets have emerged: In 2018, a study led by a researcher named Vera Morgan at the University of Western Australia looked at nearly half a million children born between 1980 and 2001 and strengthened this negative association. Pollak, a psychiatrist and researcher at King’s College London, remembered checking in the mental health facility where he works after learning about it; he too was unable to find a single patient with congenital blindness who had schizophrenia.”
Click here to continue reading this fascinating article at Vice.com.
“Visualizing Health Policy: US Statistics on Surprise Medical Billing” – Kaiser Family Foundation
by Karen Pollitz, MPPLunna Lopes, MAAudrey Kearney, MA; et al
“This Visualizing Health Policy infographic examines unexpected and ‘surprise’ medical bills in the United States. Out-of-network charges typically expose patients to higher cost-sharing when they use services and may lead to balance billing—in which health care providers bill patients directly, often at an unexpectedly higher rate. In the past 2 years, 1 in 5 insured adults had an unexpected medical bill from an out-of-network provider.
Overall, two-thirds of adults are worried about affording unexpected medical bills for themselves and their family. In emergency departments across the country, 18% of visits result in at least 1 surprise bill, but rates vary by state. Politically, majorities of Democrats and Republicans support government action to protect patients against these surprise bills. – kff.org
Fighting Fraud: Senate Aging Committee Identifies Top 10 Scams Targeting Our Nation’s Seniors
Click on the graphic to download the guide as a .pdf file.
“Age Bias That’s Barred by Law Appears in Thousands of Job Listings” – AARP
ILLUSTRATION BY PAUL SPELLA
With the words they use, employers keep experienced workers from applying
by Kenneth Terrell
“‘This is an excellent opportunity for a recent college graduate looking to get their start in automotive!!’ reads a recent job posting on LinkedIn.
“‘The ideal candidate is a digital native that is fueled by big ideas, driven by measurable results and is inspired to lead,’ says another posting, also on LinkedIn, for a mid-level marketing position at Amazon.
“‘Current College Students — Now Hiring Product Demonstrators!’ says a third ad, from a company that specializes in product demonstrations and wants candidates with flexible hours.
“The common thread through these three postings: Each uses age-biased language that is discouraged by advocates for older workers and in some cases could be legal evidence of discrimination.”
Continue reading this article; click here.
“‘He’s still Superman in our eyes’: Former Raiders, Penn State football player fights to live” – The York Daily Record
Above (left), “Penn State’s Steve Smith (33) was a bulldozing fullback with a good set of wheels. But he believes playing arguably the game’s most brutal position led to head trauma and ALS that has all but paralyzed him for more than a decade. [Photo: Richard Drew, AP]; (right), Chie Smith helps her husband, Steve, use a computer controlled by eye movements. However, he struggles now to even communicate with that because of deteriorating health. He’s battled ALS for 15 years … the disease the former Penn State fullback believes was caused by years of head trauma from football. [Photo: Frank Bodani]
by Frank Bodani
“RICHARDSON, Texas — She leaned in close to ask him a question.
“One of the great Penn State football leaders looked up from his wheelchair. He cannot speak to his wife anymore.
“The best he can do is move his eyes from side to side for, ‘No.’
“A blink means, ‘Yes.’
“Only the rhythmic whoosh of air from his breathing machine cut the quiet.
“Finally, Steve Smith blinked. And then he smiled, slow and big.
“The fullback and captain of Penn State’s last national championship team has not walked or talked on his own — has not been able to even hold his wife’s hand — in more than a decade.
“‘Superman,’ as his Nittany Lion teammates once called him, cannot do anything for himself, despite an apparently clear mind.
“Even more, he fights on after renouncing the sport that shaped his entire life.”
Read this York Daily Record article in its entirety, click here.
“‘Trailer is akin to a slur’: Mobile home industry tries to remove stigma amid Lehigh Valley housing crunch” – The Morning Call
“Luis and Tammy Figueroa outside their home in the Whispering Hollow neighborhood in Allen Township, where they live with their three small children, on Thursday Feb, 6, 2020. This was their first home they bought together, in December 2018.” (JANE THERESE / Special to The Morning Call)
by Kayla Dwyer
“It only took four months for Tammy Figueroa to realize renting was not for her, or her husband and three little children.
“She was scrolling on Facebook when she came across a listing for what would become their first home together: a tiny three-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage in Allen Township. She thought it was cute; her husband said, ‘No way.’
“The 924-square-foot home was only $14,000.
“Then she noticed in the listing that it was a manufactured home — a mobile home, or the ‘T-word,’ trailer — but it didn’t end up mattering.”
Read this Morning Call article in its entirety, click here.
“Extra Help in 2020: Get eligibility criteria” – National Council on Aging
Following release of the federal poverty guidelines, we have updated our chart showing the income and asset levels needed to qualify for Part D Extra Help in 2020. (Note: Social Security has not updated its manuals yet with the new income thresholds.)
“In hospitals, housekeepers are truly the ‘keepers of the house’” – STAT News
ALEX HOGAN/STAT
by Neil Prose and Ray Barfield
“Malcolm cleans patient rooms and offices in the large medical center where we both work as pediatric doctors.
“After finishing our respective rounds one afternoon, we noticed that Malcolm was deep in conversation with the parents of one of our very sick patients. We met him later in the hall, and the three of us began to talk. After Malcolm told us a bit about the concerns of our patient’s family, he mentioned the ways he often supports and cares for the children being treated on our ward.
“‘I don’t call myself a housekeeper,’ said Malcolm, who has been with the hospital for 10 years. ‘I am the keeper of the house.’”
Keep reading this article at STAT, CLICK HERE.
Did you see Google’s Super Bowl “remember” video?
Yesterday’s Super Bowl featured lots of commercials, but this Google commercial stands out.
“One of the biggest standouts came from Google, which showed that its home assistance service can do more than just set reminders or timers for day to day activities. Google’s Super Bowl commercial touched on a man’s memories of his dearly departed wife and how meaningful every nuance of her was to him over the course of their marriage.
“The commercial clearly resonated with viewers and garnered considerable chatter on Twitter, with one user saying ‘I’m in tears. Good job.'” – Yahoo News
–
“Google’s lovely Super Bowl ad shows how sad the future will be” – MSN
