Kept hostage by a virus

Monday, good morning dear bloggers.

Laane asked:

Have you ever been kept hostage by a virus?

Yes.

About 10 years ago we were ready for a vacation of 14 days.
My parents had booked bus and hotel, trips at the foreign location and a friend who had to water our plants and keep a watch on the house.
I was not very happy with the trip, but I adjusted my opinion and agreed to go with them.

The day before I got a nasty fever.
Within a few hours I was sitting sweating on the couch, crying from feeling bad.
Then I got red spots and a huge headache and my mom got almost a panic attack, she thought it was meningitis and called the doctor.
he said it was just a bug, but I wasn´t allowed to travel and had to stay home.
But there was no need, according to him, to cancel the trip.
The family could go and the friend could keep an eye on me, he would visit me the next day and then decide if he would visit again or leave instructions for the friend.

So there I was± home alone without the fun, with the friend visiting me 4 or 5 times a day during long hours... with the telephone on stand by. She cooked and was very nice...
After a week I was recovered, but wasn´t allowed to go to a party of friends, because she didn´t know if my parents would be OK with it.

Yes.... I was kept hostage by a virus.






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Less calories

This evening I was talking with a friend about eating.
One of those conversations that have no end and either explode into a very strong and loud discussion or fade away into a quiet being together.

What sparked a good lough was the news that the producers of the largest ice creams have plans to make them smaller.
Smaller...into 250 calories. To provide people a more healthy choice.

Haha!!

I can advice you how to make a healthy choice with the old amount of calories: don't take the icecream! Don't look at it at all! Don't sniff. Keep your ears closed so you won't hear the mumbled "yummies" and other exclamations of delight.

250 calories!!
That's more than a whole healthy meal!

A couple of days ago I read a report about restaurants in America... in Boston I think it was.
It was discovered that 92% of meals from large-chain and local restaurants had more calories than a person needs on a daily basis.
I know we get here less on our plates, but I bet it's still too much for one meal.

Here in The Netherlands we cook ourselves, most of the time.
When I'm in doubt I ask online a question at a search engine and I decide to cook or bake the stuff or leave it alone.
In fact I'm quite simpel when I cook for myself, but cook more elaborate when it's for others.

The past years I skipped creams, sauses and ice cream more and more. I also used less butter to bake, and I take the fat from minced meat.
So gradually I've learned to eat less calories and I'm happy with that.

But to end the meal with an icecream of 250 calories???

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!



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Fires and the elderly

The day in the media opened with a report published by firefighters to make people more aware of the dangers of house-fires in houses of the elderly.
They predict a 62% increase of dying from a house fire in the elderly by...eh..2020 or 2030. (Sorry I can't remember).

More old people live alone than decades before.
This is due to cutbacks in the subsidies for old peoples homes.

Last year many of them were closed and the people had to move into their own home again. Those who didn't have a home anymore were forced to rent or live with family.
Only those with huge medical problems were allowed to stay in a home.

In the sixties we had a huge discussion here in The Netherlands about old people living at their own home.
It was not right, was the conclusion.
People needed all sorts of care and where better could they receive that than at a home for the elderly.
The availability of nurses at all hours, centrally cooked dinners, no need to fetch groceries, control of medication and all sorts of other care could be given as cost-effective as possible.
All this was combined with a geriatric doctor in the house, a hairdresser, religious services and a lot more.

Quite some old family members lived that way.
Some having their own room, kitchen, shower and toilet behind a closed door with a doorbell at an outside corridor, some in a room with a kitchinette, toilet and shower, with a door that could be opened by the nurses, at an indoor corridor, and some at a multiple occupied room when they needed daily hospital care.
I[ve seen it all.

In case of a fire people were warned by the fire-signalling service, told what to do, and when they needed help to get outside there were well trained people available and even a warm place to hide. The firefighters had a direct automatic warning signal from the home so often they were already there before the fire was inspected.

Now people have to take the responsibility for everything themselves.

Last year there was a fire in an electric circuit of a restaurant at the ground floor of an apartment building.
The fire spread rapidly and when the firefighters arrived part of them tried to extinguish the fire and others tried to evacuate the building.
That was a huge problem.
Even though the fire was retained in a compartment of the building, the smoke was everywhere.
The old people were simply not quick enough the be away before the smoke penetrated everything.
4 people died, some where hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
It will take longer than a year before it's possible that people return to their home. So most decided to live elsewhere.

If the building had the same facilities as an old people's home those people wouldn't have died.

It's so sad to see that the government refuses to take responsibility. It's all about money and where to save it.

When I'm old the care for old people will be so low that maybe we have just a small room to live in and we'll be very poor. When we haven't died from our diseases, because even in the health care the cutbacks are enormous.

How is it possible that after WW2 people were able to built a successful economy and a well functioning society and now all is disappearing?




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