Above is my Uncle Bobo, my Mom's brother (looking in the scope-like device on the lower right) with General Patton in Germany in WWII.
Say thanks to a soldier today, and every day.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wishing a blessed Memorial day to all our servicepersons
Above is my Uncle Bobo, my Mom's brother (looking in the scope-like device on the lower right) with General Patton in Germany in WWII.
Say thanks to a soldier today, and every day.
"Nowhere does Islam say, 'Let your wife die.'"
Gender issues worsen Iraq's medical woes (AP via Breitbart.com)
Discussed here are results to date of the combined efforts of an Iraqi physician and an American official of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to meet a desperate need for nurses in Anbar province in Iraq. Their one hospital has no nurses and relies on family members to care for patients, and the village that just graduated their first group of 10 nurses' aides has one female nurse and one midwife for over 50,000 people!
Cultural differences can be difficult to deal with when caring for Middle Eastern women in America and elsewhere. Even if they can speak English, they are often painfully reluctant to discuss symptoms and bodily functions, or reveal their body for examination, which unfortunately is necessary for a physician to make a diagnosis and recommend treatment. It is immensely more difficult if the patient does not speak English and the only translator is a husband or son. If it is a gynecological issue in particular, women will simply not say the necessary words to describe their problem to their relatives, or any man, nor will the men allow it. This presents a difficult dilemma for any healthcare provider. Hospital translation services have improved greatly in recent years, and many large facilities now prohibit family members translating for each other. Smaller facilities such as physician's offices, however, often have no other option.
As stated at the beginning of the article, many men in this conservative part of Iraq would rather let their sick wives die than be touched by a man for assistance. The CDC official and the physician coordinating these efforts to supply qualified nurses to this population deserve commendation, as do the brave women signing up heroically to become nurses and care for their fellow countrymen in such a desolate, discriminatory and dangerous environment. I wish them well.
Discussed here are results to date of the combined efforts of an Iraqi physician and an American official of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to meet a desperate need for nurses in Anbar province in Iraq. Their one hospital has no nurses and relies on family members to care for patients, and the village that just graduated their first group of 10 nurses' aides has one female nurse and one midwife for over 50,000 people!
Cultural differences can be difficult to deal with when caring for Middle Eastern women in America and elsewhere. Even if they can speak English, they are often painfully reluctant to discuss symptoms and bodily functions, or reveal their body for examination, which unfortunately is necessary for a physician to make a diagnosis and recommend treatment. It is immensely more difficult if the patient does not speak English and the only translator is a husband or son. If it is a gynecological issue in particular, women will simply not say the necessary words to describe their problem to their relatives, or any man, nor will the men allow it. This presents a difficult dilemma for any healthcare provider. Hospital translation services have improved greatly in recent years, and many large facilities now prohibit family members translating for each other. Smaller facilities such as physician's offices, however, often have no other option.
As stated at the beginning of the article, many men in this conservative part of Iraq would rather let their sick wives die than be touched by a man for assistance. The CDC official and the physician coordinating these efforts to supply qualified nurses to this population deserve commendation, as do the brave women signing up heroically to become nurses and care for their fellow countrymen in such a desolate, discriminatory and dangerous environment. I wish them well.
Monday, May 4, 2009
If this doesn't put a smile on your face, you need therapy
An elderly couple playing a duet on a piano in the atrium of the Mayo Clinic - watch how they lovingly pat each others behinds when they switch places. So sweet :)
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