keech2 comments

Posted in: Japan a 'death-in-hospital' superpower, though many elderly would prefer to remain at home See in context

Zibala,

It's a very long story, but it all comes down to a lack of professionalism and empathy on their parts. The nurses had never seen EMTs or firefighters act in such a way. The obachans even gave them an earful.

It was really surprising.

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Posted in: Japan a 'death-in-hospital' superpower, though many elderly would prefer to remain at home See in context

Laguna,

It is difficult.

My wife actually was not Japanese, but our daughter was born and raised here. She is my connection to Japan. It's her home.

We have permanent residency and, like you, I have no plans on going back. There's no real reason for it.

I wish you all the best. Good luck in your future.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan a 'death-in-hospital' superpower, though many elderly would prefer to remain at home See in context

Laguna,

I'm sorry for your wife's passing. It's the most difficult time. I will suggest some counseling. It's working for me, but that choice is yours. I'm very glad that your wife was able to pass at home. It really makes a difference to help loved ones go out on their own terms. I hope that you'll be able to move forward and enjoy the rest of your life.

Wallace,

Thank you for your kind words. It was difficult but we got through it and the people who came to us were just wonderful.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan a 'death-in-hospital' superpower, though many elderly would prefer to remain at home See in context

We spent years planning my wife's death, planned for her death at home, got a DNR and had things planned as much as possible.

We had help in the home whenever she was home from the hospital.

We started off with one week in the hospital and three weeks at home. When home, three days a week at daycare (9:00 -16:30 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday).

On days she was not at daycare (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), we had helpers in the morning to help keep the house clean and keep her company, nurses in the afternoon to help feed her lunch, change her clothes, wash her body and hair, change her diaper, etc. Physical therapist in the afternoon to keep her muscles from atrophying as much as possible. And a helper in the evening to help her eat dinner and change her in to her pajamas. Sunday was the only day when we were on our own.

As her disease progressed, it switched slowly to three weeks at the hospital and one week at home and then as things got really bad, 3-4 days at home and 3.5 weeks at the hospital.

She came home for the last time in the beginning of October and for the next 7 weeks, we had so much help everyday. It was amazing. They were taking care of her and of my daughter and me. They would always check in with us, kick us out of the house so that we weren't stuck in the house all day. A complete support system.

On the night she died, we called the care manager after she passed and she and a nurse came. They helped us clean her up, put her in clean clothes, did her hair, laughed and cried with us and then they called the ambulance to take my wife to the hospital to have her declared dead. We had brain samples taken from her at the hospital (her request) to help people better research her disease.

These folks were super kind, amazingly efficient and just what was needed for the last 3.5 years of her life.

They are wonderful and they don't make anywhere near as much money as they deserve. We would have been in such worse shape mentally, physically and spiritually without them.

Now, the fire department and EMTs are a completely different story. They managed to anger everyone; my daughter, me, the care manager, the nurse, my wife's doctor, the two obachans from next door and across the street, who came in to say good-bye to my wife...everyone. Looking back, it was actually quite impressive that they were able to anger so many people so much in 5 minutes.

That being said, all of the people who cared for my wife and family are some of the best people that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

And all of it covered by insurance.

The key to it all is the care manager that weaves through the labyrinth of the national, prefectural and local insurance systems to get all the care that is possible.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Posted in: Son arrested after 75-year-old mother found strangled at home See in context

@peppe

What you are saying is the problem. A longer life doesn't mean a better life. If the god you are talking about was merciful, no one would be in such a situation.

@Dave Fair

I understand completely. My wife has a terminal disease and I've watched her just slowly disappear for the last 15 years. We have worked with her doctors, nurses and other caregivers to create a care program. We did not have to be forceful, just had to talk with them and come to an agreement about what was possible and what we wanted. We've got a lot of care, but there is a limit and I do wish that there was more available.

Many other families won't bring up the topic with their doctors and won't accept help even when it's offered. It's very hard to admit that you can't care for a loved one. And, while I'd never take that way out, I can understand why others do it. People who do this are usually not monsters, but simply people who see no other way out.

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Posted in: Explorers find WWII Navy destroyer, deepest wreck discovered See in context

It's an amazing story. The whole thing can be read about in the excellent book "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Soldiers."

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Posted in: What is palliative care? How is it different from hospice? See in context

My wife has a terminal disease. We have worked with her doctors, nurses and other caregivers to create a palliative care program. We did not have to be forceful, just had to talk with them and come to an agreement about what was possible and what we wanted. The thing is is that many patients and families won't approach the topic and won't set up a plan. They don't want to bother the doctors and everyone. Whenever we apologized for taking their time, we always got the same response that it was their jobs and my wife's comfort was most important.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Woman arrested over arson-murders of bedridden husband, son See in context

zichi,

Thank you for your kind words.

Not as wonderful as I could be.

But trying.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Woman arrested over arson-murders of bedridden husband, son See in context

My wife has MSA, a Parkinsonian type disease. I have been her caregiver for 15 years.

I'm pretty lucky. She goes to daycare 3 times a week. On days when she's home, except Sunday, we have a rehab person come, a nurse to help feed her lunch and change her. And Monday to Friday, a helper comes in and feeds her dinner. There's also a person who comes in and cleans the house twice a week. We have a fantastic care manager, who bends the rules a bit to get us the maximum amount of help or a little more. My wife goes into the hospital for respite care for 2-3 weeks, then comes home for 30 days, then back to the hospital for another 2-3 weeks.

I have all this help and I still can barely manage and some days I can't. It took a lot to come to realize that I needed help. It's a blow to the ego to admit it. I honestly don't think that many J-folks don't know how much help that they can get. It really is the responsibility of the unwell person's primary hospital or clinic to help get things started. Once it's started, it is surprisingly easy to get the help. It may not be all you need, but it is something.

The stigma attached to not being able to manage and the breakdown of the extended family here in Japan are huge. It leaves people mentally and physically broken, backed into a corner and feeling that the dramatic solution is the only one they have.

While I can't condone these people's actions, I can certainly understand how they got there.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Posted in: Death row inmate hanged; 6th execution since Abe became PM See in context

For all those braying about how wonderful this is, just google Johnny Frank Garret, David Spence, Timothy Evans or Cameron Willingham. All innocent men executed by the government.

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Posted in: Woman found strangled to death in Kanazawa hotel room See in context

The murder happened across the street from my office. Local scuttlebutt( a couple of my friends are reporters at the local newspapers) is that the women were in a relationship and had a fight of some sort that got completely out of hand. Lots of people in town are being surprisingly hush-hush about the whole thing.

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Posted in: 28 killed as sectarian riots spread in north India See in context

Ah, religion.

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Posted in: U.N. criticizes several countries, including Japan over death penalty use See in context

What do Carlos de Luna, Larry Griffin, Ruben Cantu, David Spence, Ellis Wayne Felker and Cameron Todd Willingham all have in common? They were all executed for crimes and now are believed to have been innocent and thus wrongly executed. Until the death penalty is used fairly regardless of race or socioeconomic status and there is no room for doubt in any case, it should be shelved.

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Posted in: Australian author Bryce Courtenay dies 2 weeks after publishing final novel See in context

Sad to hear this. "The Power of One" was a fantastic book. (The movie was horrible.)The follow-up, "Tandia," was great. "April Fool's Day" was gut-wrenching and beautiful. "The Potato Factory" was interesting and, in some ways, disturbing. This man was a consummate storyteller. He will be missed.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Judge denies bid for park Nativity displays in Santa Monica See in context

Religious displays in public parks, at government buildings or any other tax-payer supported area are a violation of the separation of church and state. It's that simple. When Christians don't get their special privileges to preach or display their beliefs, they cry persecution.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: 'God particle' a gateway to new vision of universe See in context

I really wish they would stop calling it the "God particle." @Guza! The US was going to build one, but Congress cut the funding in the early 1990's. Google "Superconducting Super Collider." @T-Mack The Large Hadron Collider will not destroy the earth. There's a good explanation at Skeptoid. Here's the link. skeptoid.com/episodes/4109

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Posted in: Roman jewelry found in ancient tomb near Kyoto See in context

ubikwit, You're welcome. It is quite a good read. A couple other books that really struck me about the breadth of ancient trading were THe Lost History of Christianity, which explores the movement of Christianity to the East along the trading networks and An Edible History of Humanity. If you get an opportunity, check them out.

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Posted in: Roman jewelry found in ancient tomb near Kyoto See in context

Speed, Don't know if a Roman ever made it to Japan, but an East Asian made it to Italy. His bones were found around 2009. His mitochondria DNA showed him to be East Asian. Also, a 5th century Buddhist statue from India was discovered in a Viking burial in Sweden. An interesting book is Silk Road:Warriors, Monks and Merchants by Luce Boulnois. Very good read about how things went back and forth along the Silk Road.

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Posted in: Following poem, Israel bars entry to Guenter Grass See in context

oginome, Sorry but this is going nowhere. Thank you for the exchange.

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Posted in: Following poem, Israel bars entry to Guenter Grass See in context

oginome, Grass stated that he wanted to join the Kreigsmarine to escape his family situation at home. Not the best of ideas during a war, but that is his stated reason. Not any love for Hitler or Nazism. Not to fight for a genocidal fascist regime. Since we do not have any other statements by Grass or others who knew him at the time, his statement is the only evidence we have for his reason to join the Kreigsmarine. You state that Hans and Sophie Scholl were conscripted into the Hitler Youth and BDM, but other young Germans, including other members of the White Rose, refused to join these organizations at all. They chose not to refuse entry. So, by your logic, the Scholls must be Nazis. Thus, any member of the military who fought in the German armed forces was a Nazi, including members of the White Rose who were in the military.

You stated that Grass was a Nazi. Being a Nazi usually implies that one is an anti-Semite. It seems to be a prerequisite for being a Nazi. So, I stated my opinion about that. As far as being an attention seeker, you are correct. Any celebrity who wants to highlight their views will state them openly knowing that there will be a reaction in the media. It's the nature of the beast.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Following poem, Israel bars entry to Guenter Grass See in context

Oginome, Grass was drafted into the Waffen SS in November 1944 after being turned down for the Kreigsmarine. After 1943, the Waffen SS was no longer a volunteer organization. Men were drafted into it. The Nuremburg Trials declared the SS a criminal organization, but exempted those who were drafted in after 1943. These men had no choice. These men who were drafted were not all rabid Nazi fanatics from the movies. As for membership in a certain group making you a Nazi, Hans Scholl was a member of the Hitler Youth and Sophie Scoll was a member of the Bund Deutscher Madel. So, going by your criteria, they were Nazis by their membership in these groups. Also, several of the members of the White Rose were in the Army. Does that make them Nazis? I was also wondering if anyone here commenting as actually read any of Grass's work other than this poem? His novel, Crabwalk, pretty much shows that he is not an anti-Semite. Being against the policies or actions of the Israeli government does not automatically make a person an anti-Semite.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Female manager of gentlemen's 'snack club' stabbed to death See in context

THis attack happened about 10 minutes from my house. The snack was really in a residential area, not the downtown area. Neighborhood gossip says the guy was jealous about her paying attention to some other customer. He had also supposedly given her a large amount of money. Like I said, just neighborhood gossip, but the local obachans seems to know what's happening better than the police.

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Posted in: Woman jumps to her death at Shin-Koiwa Station; 5th suicide there since July See in context

George Palmer The spot is called Tojinbo. It's in Fukui. Pretty well-known jumper spot here in Hokuriku.

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Posted in: Christians and Muslims clash in Cairo, 1 dead See in context

This is a disappointment. The "Egypt-for-All" organization had been working to bring together Copts and Muslims. Many Muslims went so far as to offer themselves as human shields around Coptic churches during the celebration of Coptic Christmas in January. This was done as a sign of solidarity with the Copts after an attack on New Year's Eve on a church in Alexandria. Sad and worrying.

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Posted in: Japan excavating site linked to WWII human experiments by Unit 731 See in context

For an excellent in-depth coverage of Ishii, Unit 731 and other aspects of human experiments done by the Japanese during the war, you should read "Factories of Death" by Sheldon Harris.

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Posted in: 'Pink Panther' director Blake Edwards dies at 88 See in context

Great director. I still think his greatest directorial achievement was to get Julie Andrews to go topless in SOB. Wonderfully shocking and a major image change for her.

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Posted in: Steve McQueen Exhibition to be held at Marunouchi OAZO See in context

Forgot to mention that the song is by the Drive-by Truckers.

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Posted in: Steve McQueen Exhibition to be held at Marunouchi OAZO See in context

Any Steve fans should check put the song "Steve McQueen." Great tribute to the coolest man whoever lived.

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Posted in: What is your definition of a hero and who are some persons, either living or deceased, whom you would consider to be heroes? See in context

Dewaashita Thanks for looking at Ponheary's site. I have never met a more giving, positive and determined person in my life. After all that she has experienced in her life, she still see the best in people. Probably a reflection of herself in others. If you ever plan to go to Siem Reip, get her for your guide. You'll have the best time and end feeling like one of the family.

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Posted in: What is your definition of a hero and who are some persons, either living or deceased, whom you would consider to be heroes? See in context

Ponheary Ly, the bravest and greatest person I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

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