SERVE DAILY VIEWPOINT
Hear ye, a tale of good people By Ed Helmick
After years of exposing my ears to airplane and Jeep tire noise, I finally had to stop the denial and recognize that I was having a lot of difficulty hearing conversations. My friends and associates probably already recognized this. At age 75 my first conversation about a hearing aid was at a hunting expo last February. I found a booth selling a noise canceling hearing aids that I thought was an interesting concept. The young man at the booth, Darrin, would not discuss price until I had a hearing evaluation to determine what type of hearing aid I needed. I picked up his literature and filed it away at home. Throughout the spring and summer of 2019, I conclude I was missing discussions in meetings and on a one-to-one-basis, abusing the aviators’ phrase “say again”. I got out my hearing aid file and called Darrin for an evaluation appointment. He concluded I need the 16-channel hearing aid. When my wife and I were quoted the price of $4,000. Our expression was wow, we can’t afford that. My wife and I live on Social Security and whatever I can earn giving a few flight lessons and selling magazine articles that I write. We Left discouraged and discussing that we had hoped the hearing aids would be around $1,000 to $1,200 because that is about what we could afford. The evening after our hearing aid discussion with Darrin I received a text message to call him. Darrin told me they were a family business and he had discussed our situation with others in his family and they would sell me the $4,000, 16-channel noise cancelling hearing aid for $1,500. They would just list it in their business as a demonstrator. We accepted the offer and scheduled an appointment to have a mold taken for a customized hearing aid fit. When Janice and I went back for the fitting of the hearing aids, Darrin commented that he decided to discuss the lower price with his family because of Janice’s eyes. When Janice asked what that meant, Darrin explained that he could see the love she had for her husband and the hurt that she was experiencing when we could not afford the hearing aids for him. This turns out to be a wonderful story of good people and another blessing in our lives to be recognized. We are very thankful for Darrin and his family. We also recognize where blessings like this come from. (Helmick is a Serve Daily contributor.)
22
NOVEMBER 2019
The Hidden Epidemic By Christina Halversen
The issue of mental illness is becoming an epidemic with no sign of stopping. There is a disconnect between those who deal with mental health issues and those who don’t, while some cannot identify the illness within themselves. Both of these issues can be helped through more education on this topic, especially through better awareness brought to mental health issues in schools. Mental illnesses have reached an all-time high, as anxiety and depression have become prevalent in this day and age, specifically within teenagers. One of the main issues is the lack of awareness that surrounds the issue, as it is not being taught to kids in the education system. This has many negative effects: one of which is that, many times, they are unable to identify their issues, thus not getting the treatment they require. Teenagers often struggle with mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, that can form during these years of development. Unfortunately, most deal with these struggles without knowing what is wrong, which can be dangerous. For example, I struggled during my early teenage years, constantly lashing out at people and always feeling overwhelmed. I never knew what the cause of my struggles were, so I never did anything about them until things got worse. I’d heard of my sister struggling with similar problems so I decided to talk to my mom, finally able to get the help I needed. For me, this lack of knowledge hindered me from getting better, as I didn’t know what was wrong, having never talked or heard about mental illness. This is why learning about it in school health curriculums is so essential, because it can allow others to be able to identify issues within themselves quickly and get the help they need. Due to a lack of information,
many kids also don’t get the treatment for their conditions. According to the 2015 Child Mind Institute Children’s Mental Health Report, “Anxiety and depression are treatable, but 80 percent of kids with a diagnosable anxiety disorder and 60 percent of kids with diagnosable depression are not getting treatment” (ADAA). This education in school is crucial as it could help kids get necessary treatment. Since mental illness is a diagnosable condition, treatment is available, but awareness is necessary for those who require this treatment to get the help they need. Some may argue that mental health is not something that needs to be addressed in schools as it is something that is simply overdramatized in society, not an actual issue. However, this is not true, as shown by studies proving that the brain can have chemical imbalances and that traumatic events in life can cause these illnesses to form in one’s body. One Stanford study stated, “rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, and medical problems” (Stanford). This proves that mental illness is not something that is simply made up, but it is rather a diagnosable illness. It is important to address the problem of mental illness, because it isn’t going to go away on its own. Ways to help this epidemic also need to be implemented before it becomes out of control. The key piece missing from this solution equation is youth awareness of these issues; they are not being educated about mental illness, even though they themselves often struggle with these issues. Thus, by adding a mental health unit focused specifically on anxiety and depression into high school health classes, a change for the better will start with this worldwide issue.
Addicts now facing onslaught of fake, deadly pills Nowadays, the drug world is far more dangerous. Addicts now have to be cautious about buying fake pills that look exactly like the ones you get at your local pharmacy. They might think they are buying a Xanax, Oxycodone, or maybe an Adderall even. But in reality, they are buying something
that is deadly. Dealers are mixing concoctions and pressing them with a little machine to make something that they think will be way more addicting and less costly. They are putting fentanyl in them which in reality is more addictive and cheaper, but also deadly. Just taking, snorting, one pill is killing
people. Before addicts had to worry about getting fake drugs that didn’t get you high. Now they have to worry about getting fake drugs that kill you. The death rates for today’s drugs is massive compared to years ago. Anyone struggling with addiction needs to get help fast to
avoid this tragic situation. For more information on the dangers of homemade pills, go to narconoc-suncoast.org./blog/fake-xanax-kills-9-people-in-floridawhat-else-was-in-it. html. Narconon can help you take steps to overcome addiction in your family. Call today for a no cost