Thursday May 21, 2020
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Volume 65 | Number 39
www.DesertMobileHomeNews.com
CELEBRATING THE RESIDENTIAL PARK COMMUNITIES FOR 65 YEARS
Helping Veterans and Active Duty Military Cope with Social Isolation
In This Issue
Senior News Line.................................2 Spanish Tapas Snack...........................3 To Your Good Health..............................5 Here to Serve You................................8
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s a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of veterans and active duty military personnel are on lockdown, many suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or substance abuse. With the additional challenge of social isolation, finding ways to combat depression, anxiety and loneliness is critical. That is why Help Heal Veterans (Heal Vets), a nonprofit founded during the Vietnam War, has gone into overdrive, shipping more than 90,000 free craft kits since the beginning of the pandemic and creating a newly designed kit to help veterans make the masks they need to stay healthy and safe. Operating on the principle that not all medicine comes in a bottle, Heal Vets distributes kits in craft categories like masks, leatherwork, models, woodwork, jewelry, paint-by-numbers, needlecrafts, poster art, scrapbooks and more. Crafting can provide therapeutic and rehabilitative benefits, including improving fine motor skills, cognitive functioning, memory and dexterity, and can help alleviate feelings of anger and the severity of negative behaviors triggered by PTSD and TBIs. With demands flooding in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kits have been distributed to more than 90 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers around the country
• A study by neurologists showed that some patients suffering from brain trauma and damage on the right-hand side of their brain have a compulsive obsession to tell jokes they find hilarious, while not finding other peoples’ jokes funny at all.
1. U.S. STATES: Which of the 48 contiguous United States has the largest land area? 2. TELEVISION: What city does SpongeBob SquarePants live in? and a large number of military bases, state veteran homes and other locations where the need is great. “The coronavirus is overwhelming, but being alone in a pandemic crisis can be terrifying and deeply debilitating,” says Joe McClain, retired Navy captain and Help Heal Veterans CEO. “Our goal is to give our veterans what they need to heal during this time of enforced isolation.” In a recent survey of vets, 94 percent of those polled who use Heal Vets craft kits said the kits helped them have a more positive outlook on life, and 98 percent said the kits took their mind off problems. With many of the nation’s veterans labeled high-risk now in lockdown with little contact from others, (no visitors, no family allowed, no volunteers and limited staff interaction), it is particularly important to address suicide prevention, according to McClain.
“We’re working closely with the VA Suicide Program to start including VA-produced suicide prevention awareness and education material with our kits,” he says. “Our concern is that during this time of increased stress from isolation and financial uncertainty, some veterans may be at higher risk of taking their own life. We are hoping to raise awareness and improve access to craft therapy kits to help mitigate that risk.” To learn more about Heal Vets and the organization’s COVID-19 efforts, as well as find out how you can help, visit HealVets.org. Anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges can be exacerbated during this quarantine period. Luckily, there are tangible ways to support isolated and sick veterans in their most significant time of need.
• The first sunglasses were invented in 12th-century China and made from smoked quartz. While providing no protection against harmful UV rays, they did give some relief from the sun’s glare and also served as a valuable tool for Chinese judges, allowing them to seem emotionally detached during interrogations.
• May 29 is officially “Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day.” This curious holiday derives from an old custom of placing a piece of cloth from one’s bedroom in a place where food was kept, helping to ensure a supply of future plenty to the household.
• English Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) is credited with the first printed use of the words “selfless,” “psychosomatic,” “bipolar” and “bisexual.”
Article provided by StatePoint.
• Think you hate going to the dentist? A 12-year-old French boy once faked his own kidnapping to get out of it! After being located in a village 100 miles from his home, the lad lied to police, even describ-
3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What color is cyan? 4. FOOD & DRINK: In beer styles, what does the designation IPA mean? 5. GEOGRAPHY: Which two countries share the longest border? 6. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of squirrels called? 7. FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: Which famous author once wrote, “As full of spirit as the month of May, and as gorgeous as the sun in Midsummer”? 8. MOVIES: In the 2020 movie, what is the real name of the superhero in “Black Widow”? 9. BUSINESS: Which animal is featured in the Porsche auto logo? 10. HISTORY: What was the name of the dog who was first to orbit the Earth in a space vehicle? © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc. ANSWER TO TRIVIA ON PAGE 6
ing his kidnapper’s distinctive cheek scar. Only after they had searched for a month and re-questioned him did the boy confess. • Sierra Leone is the world’s roundest country and sits not too far from Egypt -- the world’s squarest country. • Nearly 3% of the ice in Antarctic glaciers is composed of penguin urine. Due to the subzero temperature in that area, it can’t evaporate. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.