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Public Health England launches a new campaign to get more people thinking about using condoms.
Giving youngsters too many takeaways is also criticised as a health risk by the researchers.
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Four Seasons Health Care, which looks after 17,000 elderly residents, has secured its future for now.
The ex-VP offers words of advice on the senator’s cancer during an emotional TV talk show encounter.
I go to bed at 10 and get up at 5; not the reverse. Seems like every time I visit the doctor he finds a potentially life-threatening disease—then tells me not to worry. I worry a lot more. When I do high-impact cardio my back achieves complete failure before I do. I’m at my happiest in bed, alone. I jest, of course: My dog takes up half the space. My biggest fear when flying is not crashing; it’s being seated next to the window without easy access to the bathroom.
When I look at my mother I often see someone else—me. I can’t remember what appointments I have this week, but they probably have something to do with that life-threatening disease. Please don’t ask me what I did yesterday: I panic under pressure. I’m furious when friends cancel last-minute, until I remember it means I don’t have to deal with the hassle of trains and figuring out what to wear and—Damn, Heather just soared past me on Words with Friends! My night has purpose.
I have friends who are getting sick, but this time it’s from illnesses I’d heard about growing up. Unless it’s free I have no patience for crowds or bad seats—sorry, Barbra. Binge-watching is the new binge-drinking, and unless you mean “Popcorn and Pixar” I don’t PNP. I’m still attracted to older men, except that most of them are now younger than I am. I’ve seen more dicks on my phone than I have in real life.
I shave my back as often as I shave my beard, but at least I don’t have much gray hair. What there is I refer to as the “silver lining.” I’ve learned that “You have a lovely shaped head” is meant as a compliment. And that only thick-haired people say it. And that I’m sure they have grotesque-shaped heads. I like muffins and tops but not my muffin top. My favorite foods are fattening; so are my least favorite. I don’t care if you’re the cutest go-go boy on the planet; if you don’t know who the Go-Go’s are I just can’t even.
Even though I don’t have children, I can be a Daddy, a DILF, or, if I gain ten pounds, a Dad Bod example. And that if I stopped working out to actually raise kids, something different altogether: Discarded. I’ve learned that we never learn, and that accepting this is unacceptable.
When I run into longtime neighbors on the street, we discuss arthritis, pinched nerves, hip problems, food allergies, skin rashes, cataracts, and which remedies work best. And we are referring to our pets. No matter how simple the instructions, I will always return from the store with the wrong item. Would it have killed you to use FreshDirect? I don’t care if you’re the cutest go-go boy on the planet; if you make me wrap it up first, it’s probably not going to wake up before I go-go.
I’ve learned that the people who make restaurant menus are in cahoots with the eyeglass people…and are Nazis. When I go on a date, I’m now judged, not on my looks and personality, but on my ability to fit in with their furniture, which has an enormously large collection of brand-name baggage. And that traveling isn’t the only time men search for an upgrade.
I no longer max-out my credit cards but one trip to TJ Maxx means I might have to cut my closet space in half. I can no longer bear to lie in the sun and I survive winter about as well as the night watch. I’ve learned that our country has hit bottom so many times it’s like two-for-one night at the Eagle. And that I’ll never learn to take it. I’ve learned that my political views have changed a lot of people’s minds. And that I still have a sense of humor.
I’ve learned that friends come and go, lovers come and go, family comes and (hopefully) goes home, but the planet just goes. And that sadness is in the bloodstream.
Oh, one more thing: I’ve learned that, despite the above, I’m a fuck of a lot happier at 53 than I was at 23. Membership has its privileges.
David Toussaint writes about subjects affecting older gay men. If you’ve got a “Daddy Issue,” let him know. –-DRT
Tuberculosis infections in the Northern Cape have been rising steeply, particularly in the John Taolo Gasetsewe District.
A recent forum explored what was happening in the province, and what could be done to address the situation and reduce the spread of the disease.
TB neglected for some time
The district has the second highest rising rate of TB in the country. According to Audrey Kgape from the provincial Department of Health, the rise may be caused by different reasons including poor adherence to treatment.
She said efforts to curb the spread of TB had dipped when the country turned its focus on HIV as the priority health issue.
“As a result, most of the energy was directed to HIV and TB was neglected for some time,” Kgape said.
Dikeledi Senatle, a professional nurse and a TB survivor, said she believed the stigma attached to having TB was the main cause of the poor adherence levels.
“Wearing a mask can be very challenging,” Senatle said, explaining how people in the infectious phase of TB were supposed to wear masks in public in order not to spread their infection to others, particularly when they cough.
MacDonald Keetsamang from Networking HIV & AIDS Community of Southern Africa (NACOSA) said poverty was also driving the rise in TB.
Watching people’s reaction
“Our people want to be permanently placed on a disability grant, and that is why some of them will default on their treatment,” he said.
As Nacosa we are facilitating consultative forums for community based organisations and funded some to facilitate community dialogues around TB which also includes the mines.
Malebogo Marumo a community health care worker said she one day decided to wear a mask and went to town; this was just because she wanted to see the people’s reaction towards her, and starting from the hiking spot she struggled to get a lift.
Until she got into a taxi which the passengers look so frustrated and angry at the driver that how could he want to put their lives at risk with a TB patient.
Marumo said from that day she noticed that it is not easy to live and be accepted in the society with TB especially MDR.
Basic hygiene a challenge
Phillemon Mailinga from Hearts of Compassion, an NGO that focuses on palliative care, said basic hygiene education was important to reduce the risk of TB infections. Basics such as washing hands, opening windows, smart coughing and adhering to TB treatment, although important, may not be applied by patients living in shacks without running water – making basic proper hygiene a challenge.
Malinga said Hearts of Compassion found poor and unemployed patients found it difficult to adhere to treatment.
It was suggested that the Department of Education join the fight against rising TB levels as children were becoming infected and their studies were being affected in cases where they were hospitalised for long periods. – Health-e News.
Image credit: iStock
