Caribbean American Weekly - Issue 140

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ISSUE 140 VOLUME 22

December 17, 2021

SERVING THE CARIBBEAN AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES!

FTC Warns Communities of Color: Beware of Consumer Scams

BY LINDA NWOKE SPECIAL TO WWT

H

ave you or someone you know ever been scammed? In 2020, consumers received over $480 million refunds through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) effort.

One of the FTS’s missions is to investigate and ensure the reimbursement of money to defrauded or consumers turned victims of illegal business practices.

Scams abound across the United States

Biden’s First Year On Immigration A Mixed Bag ....12

continued on page 4

Prepare, Be Patient, Be Present: Tips for Another COVID Holiday ....16

Council Votes on Historic Municipal Voting Rights Legislation

C

ity Hall, NY: New York City is proudly home to millions of working, taxpaying immigrants, yet those who are not U.S. citizens have no power at the ballot box to determine who represents them. The Council today will vote on historic legislation to give eligible non-citizen New Yorkers the right to vote in local elections. Under this bill, any New continued on page 5

PAHO: Millions Now Protected Thanks to Vaccine ....2

Call 855-768-8845

Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez Photo courtesy: CM Rodriguez’s office

The Need to ‘Decolonize’ Parenting ....3

Ways to Help Your Loved Seniors Enjoy the Holidays ....18

Knowledge is Power when you use it!

Get a FREE Consultation!

Ask the Lawyer:

Being Grateful Can Improve Your Mental Health ....15

Brian Figeroux, Esq., Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association

COVID-19 Vaccines for Children: How Parents are Influenced ....6

New York City Banned Gas in New Buildings. Here’s What You Need to Know ....9

Taking out a Student Loan for Your Child Can Hurt Your Own Financial Well-being ....10

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SPECIAL CARIBBEAN REPORT Caribbean Consulates Anguilla 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200 Antigua & Barbuda 305 East 47th Street, Suite 6A New York, N.Y. 10020 Tel: 212-541-4117 The Bahamas 231 East 46th Street New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-421-6420 Barbados 820 Second Avenue, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-551-4325 Belize 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1911 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-593-0999 Dominica 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400H New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-949-0853 Dominican Republic 1500 Broadway, Suite 410 New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-599-8478 Grenada 685 Third Avenue, Suite 1101 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-599-0301 Guyana 308 West 38th Street New York, N.Y. 10018 Tel: 212-947-5119 Haiti 815 Second Avenue,6th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-697-9767 Jamaica 767 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-935-9000 Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-838-6887 Montserrat 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200 Panama 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 20th Floor New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-840-2450 St. Kitts & Nevis 414 East 75th Street, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10021 Tel: 212-535-5521 St. Lucia 630 Third Avenue, 7th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-697-9360 St. Maarten 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 800-786-2278 St. Vincent & The Grenadines 801 Second Avenue, 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-687-4981 Trinidad & Tobago 125 Maiden Lane, 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10038 Tel: 212-682-7272 For more Consulate information go to www.cawnyc.com/directory

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COVID-19 Cases Tripled in the Americas in 2021, But Millions Now Protected Thanks to Vaccine

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ashington D.C. (PAHO): While COVID-19 infections tripled in 2021 and health systems struggled to cope, “we have learned what it takes to bring this virus under control,” and must urgently address gaps in vaccine access to ensure everyone is protected, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne urged.

“When we compare 2020 to 2021, this year was undoubtedly worse,” with more than 98 million infections and 2.3 million lives lost, the Director said in a media briefing today.

As the second year of the pandemic draws to a close, Dr. Etienne called on the region to employ all resources available to bring the virus under control, including vaccines, masks, social distancing and surveillance.

Today more than 1.3 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the Americas, and 56% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated.

But despite this coverage, the Director warned that “millions in our region have yet to receive a single dose.”

“Vaccine inequity continues to divide our region and if we don’t address these glaring gaps, we’ll fail to bring this virus under control,” she warned.

As we look forward to a new year and promising developments in COVID-19

Director Etienne. Photo PAHO

therapeutics that may help treat the virus, curb hospitalizations and prevent deaths, we should incorporate lessons learned from vaccine rollout, Dr. Etienne highlighted.

Countries must “heed the advice of the WHO, expert committees, scientists and regulators whose jobs it is to carefully review the safety and efficacy of drugs and recommend when, where and how to deploy them.”

But countries must also start preparing now to ensure timely and affordable access to such new treatments.

The PAHO Director emphasized the importance of expanding regional production, “so countries don’t remain completely dependent on pharmaceutical imports.”

The Region has the “technical expert-

ise, a well-established manufacturing capacity, strong regulatory infrastructure, and an effective pooled procurement mechanism via our Strategic Fund” that, if leveraged, will help us accelerate access to COVID technologies, she added. Most importantly, the region must continue to work together.

Collaboration across borders enabled vaccines to be developed in record-time, variants identified quickly, and countries to adjust responses based on latest evidence, the Director added.

“Each time we worked together, we had breakthroughs,” she said. “Sharing is central to defeating this pandemic.”

Over the past week, the Americas reported over 926,056 new COVID-19 infections – an 18.4% increase in COVID cases from the previous week. The US and Canada are experiencing a resurgence in cases as Mexico sees a steady decline. Cases are also down in Central America, with the exception of Panama.

In South America, cases have dropped in Bolivia for the first time since September, but increased in Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay and remained steady in Brazil and Peru.

In the Caribbean, infections are down overall, except in Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia and the Cayman Islands, which reported the highest weekly incidence in the Americas. l

Cox Calls on Member States to Capitalize on Opportunities from the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

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EORGETOWN, Guyana: CARICOM Assistant SecretaryGeneral, Trade and Economic Integration, Mr. Joseph Cox, says the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was not only causing upheavals in health and social spheres, but was also having serious deleterious effects on economic life by causing a re-ordering of processes, changing operational ethos, and strategic pivoting at both the national and regional levels.

Mr. Cox alluded to the peculiar challenges facing the Region of small developing states fighting a pandemic including supply chain disruptions, high freight charges, and inflation.

The CARICOM Assistant Secretary General was speaking in an interview following the 53rd Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), where The Region’s emergence from the widespread impact of the pandemic underpinned the discussions of the CARICOM Trade Ministers.

The two-day Ministerial addressed several matters that focused on the contin-

ued safe reopening of economies in a COVID-19 environment, re-configuring business processes and digitalization, and consolidating the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Mr. Cox said freight charges were moving in some instances by 400 per cent or more, and that it was “absolutely critical” for ministers to be apprised of the full impact of increased freight charges.

High maritime costs could mean the loss of comparative advantage in specific products for regional exporters.

Fill That Void “If we are not careful, we could end up losing those markets just on the basis of costs and differentials in terms of maritime charges,” Cox said, adding that the charges would also have the domino effect of hiking prices which the consumer would have to bear.

But he pointed out that the freight scenario in particular, and the other pandemic impacts generally, create the opportunity for change and for regional producers to “step up and seek to fill that void”

by manufacturing some of the items that people required.

“You are likely to see further disruptions in terms of the supply chain (but) there are obvious solutions. What this really points to is that as a Region, we have to move from what you call ‘just in time’ production mode to ‘just in case’.

You have to buy a little more; you have to keep your inventory higher. We also have to look at near-shoring opportunities. You have to use data analytics to start to determine how is it that you’re treating with shipping and the timelines associated with your shippers. Of course, you have to look at how you procure your shipments…

“It is disruptive, but you have to plan for it,” ASG Cox reiterated. He noted the peculiar scenario of demand pull and cost push factors driving inflation in Member States. l —WiredJA News Team

Read more stories at www.nyc.com

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THOUGHTS

The Need to ‘Decolonize’ Parenting: A Q&A On Family Healing with Erasma Beras-Monticciolo

ublisher I.Q. INC. Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief

A

Legal Advisor Brian Figeroux, Esq.

s part of its ongoing Urban Matters Community Healing Agenda series, The New Hood project of the Center for New York City Affairs talks about the reality of intergenerational trauma with the co-founder of Power of Two, a non-profit that since 2015 has done in-home parent coaching, stressing links to community resources, in Brownsville, Brooklyn and the South Bronx.

Erasma Beras-Monticciolo: I am an Afro-Latina from Brownsville, Brooklyn.

I come to this work with that historical knowledge very much present, not only intellectually but also in my biology. The confluence of the generational trauma passed down to me both as a Dominican and as a woman of color growing up in Brownsville, along with my experience as a mother in the United States, has shaped my commitment to heal communities by decolonizing parenting.

That is why I, alongside Anne Heller and Dr. Kristin Bernard, co-founded Power of Two. Our organization acknowledges the root cause of intergenerational trauma and centers the Black, Latino, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) family experience, helping parents develop confidence in their inherent parenting abilities and strengthening their emotional connections with their babies.

Our work prioritizes the decolonization of parenting for BIPOC, allowing families the opportunity to break from the colonial European parenting framework.

That framework enforced strict discipline and fear as a mechanism of oppression and was adopted by BIPOC families out of the necessity of protecting their children. While the context has changed from slavery to the institutional and sys-

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. —Hosea 4:6

Pearl Phillip

BY URBAN MATTERS

The New Hood: Please tell us a little bit about your role and experience in addressing intergenerational trauma in communities of color.

TEAM

Graphic & Website Designers Praim Samsoondar Kenrick Williams Feature Writers Linda Nwoke Victoria Falk temic racism that exists today, we continue to perpetuate these negative narratives for the same reason as before, to protect our children.

Our historical, intergenerational traumatic experiences alongside the toxic stressors directly correlated to marginalization have led to maladaptive behaviors in the parenting of our children that are oppressive and harmful, and which causes so much compounding trauma.

That combination of both historical and ongoing trauma gets passed down through our biology and although we're now living in a time when we can change that, it's so inherent to the way we were brought up that we're having a difficult time pulling away from it.

I come to this work with an abundance of pride in my community's strengths and my community's history of resilience, and with a real fervent commitment to help my Black, Latino, indigenous, and all people of color heal from the intergenerational trauma wrought by colonization and by existing systemic racism. Helping our communities reconnect to our indigenous values, which really centered children and welcomed them as part of the community and as contributors to the social fabric of the community, is what my work is about.

TNH: Please tell us about the root causes of trauma in the families that you're working with.

Beras-Monticciolo: You may be familiar with Dr. Joy DeGruy's work on post-traumatic slave syndrome. There are a lot of

opinions about it and its use of epigenetics as a way of helping to understand that trauma has been intergenerationally embedded into who we are, both into our psyche and our physicality or physiology.

It posits that trauma is something that we carry within us but also that the environment in which we find ourselves very much influences what happens and how that particular trauma manifests itself.

If you're constantly exposed to living in a community that has experienced disinvestment; if you're constantly being badgered or dehumanized by police; if you're constantly dehumanized when you go to the welfare office to ask for support because you can't pay your rent or pay for food; or if you're living in shelter and then have to navigate the bureaucracy of the homelessness system – all of that is compounding on our historical trauma.

In those moments of dehumanization, violence, and despair, what often happens is that our family units fall apart.

The constant battering takes a toll – on the individual parent, on the children, on entire generations. Colonization is the methodology through which racist ideologies were configured into societal structures to create a consistently punitive outside world for BIPOC families. In order to survive that world, we've had to develop behaviors that are incredibly maladaptive and that have torn away at our community's ability to heal itself. l A 2021 New York University Senior Leaders Fellow, Erasma BerasMonticciolo is the co-founder and executive director of Power of Two.

Contributors Jennine Estes Tarsha Gibbons Janet Howard Mary Campbell Travis Morales Chris Tobias Email info@myiqinc.com Telephone 718-771-0988 Website www.cawnyc.com

REAL ESTATE AGENTS WANTED: APPLY NOW! It's time to make a career choice that you will LOVE. Send your resume to info@equitysmartrealty.com

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KNOW YOUR RIGHTS Beware of Consumer Scams/ continued from page 1 and beyond, occurring in various forms – easy to make money, threatening phone calls, convincing emails, mind-blowing financial increase, and miracle cures.

Some scams frequently occur from the financial, colleges, government, and health industries on issues like car-buying, student debt relief, for-profit colleges, government impersonators-IRS, prepaid cards, and other money-making opportunities.

Such fraudulent activities occur within the community, across the country, and even continents.

It emanates from individuals, reputable impostor companies, and even organized crime rings.

Many of these target people of color with varying levels of income and immigration status.

Sources of Data In a press briefing organized by the Ethnic Media Services in collaboration with the Federal Trade Commission, extract findings from the five-year report were shared by representatives of the agency.

The report is a product of data gathered from various reported fraud cases at reportfraud.ftc.gov, across multiple industries and over the years.

Monica Vaca, the Acting Deputy Director of the consumer response division and operations in the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, was in atten-

dance to share the findings.

She explained that since 2016, they have handled more than 25 actions and 100 cases. They identified activities that either specifically targeted or disproportionately impacted communities of color.

Also in the meeting was the second FTC representative, Attorney Rosario Mendez, who works in the Consumer and Business Education Unit.

She presented and explained that the report used aggregates of the complaints from other law enforcement agencies, attorneys general offices, and the Better Business Bureau. All these sources are vital to the process of data gathering, she explained.

"Those reports are so critical and important to us because they give us a window into the marketplaces that different people are experiencing," said Monica Vaca.

Ms. Mendez said that an FTC economist combined and analyzed the 2020 reports and the census demographic data "to help us get a sense of who was complaining to us, from what communities, and what they were complaining about."

The agency also examined census data using zip codes to match reported cases and communities because the complaints submitted to the agency do not gather information on race or ethnicity.

By examining census data, they were able to identify issues occurring in specific neighborhoods like primarily Black, Latino, or white populations.

However, data on Asian and Native American populations were excluded

from the analysis because of inadequate data from neighborhoods with them as the majority, although they have some information about the community.

Examples of Investigated Cases While the agency has pursued several cases, some have been quite outstanding over the past years.

In 2019, the FTC began investigating Amazon on reports of withheld tips from Flex drivers between 2016-2019.

These individuals make deliveries for Prime Now and Amazon Fresh using their vehicles.

FTC filed a lawsuit after numerous complaints that alleged Amazon withheld the agreed 100% of tips on top of $18-25 per hour agreed with drivers. "Most times, customers thought they were tipping their drivers, not Amazon," Vaca said. "But the drivers were left shortchanged."

The agency made a case that Amazon used those tips to supplement base pay, despite complaints by several drivers.

Amazon ignored the drivers' complaints and continued the practice before the investigation.

Amazon and the FTC eventually reached a $61.7 million settlement. The FTC sent out refunds to the drivers — enough to pay back in full.

In 2018, FTC filed a case against the Tate's Auto Group, alleging that the group ran false advertising through print and radio ads in Navajo media.

Four of their car dealerships falsified income and down payment information

on vehicle financing applications. The case resulted in a $450,000 settlement in July.

They also shared another car-financing case involving FTC and Bronx Honda.

The organization's general manager allegedly told salespeople to "charge higher financing markups and fees" to Black and Latino buyers.

According to Vaca, the New York City car dealership changed sales prices and double-charged customers without informing them. They "changed the car sales prices on paperwork in the middle of a sale without informing the consumer, and also double-charged people on taxes and fees without their knowledge," she said.

FTC and Bronx Honda settled for over $1.5 million settlement last year. The FTC is sending an average of $370 each as refunds to approximately 4,000 affected people.

Types of Fraud in Communities of Color The FTC had issued a report on how different consumer issues affect other populations.

The top issues reported are credit bureaus, impersonator scams, banks and lenders, auto-related, and debt collection.

The most common fraud in Black-mainly neighborhoods involved credit bureau scams, a higher percentage of reports about used cars, and student debt relief cases. continued on page 5

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5

DIASPORA CONCERNS Historic Municipal Voting Rights Legislation/

Consumer Scams/continued from page 4

continued from page 1 Yorker who is a lawful permanent resident or authorized to work in the United States, who has been a resident of New York City for at least 30 consecutive days, and who meets all the qualifications for registering to vote under the Election Law other than U.S. citizenship, would be eligible to register to vote as a “municipal voter.”

Registered municipal voters would be entitled to vote in any primary, special, general, or run-off election for Mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate, Borough President, or Council Member, as well as on any local ballot initiative. The Board of Elections would implement this new system, which would include developing a new registration form specifically for municipal voters and giving them the opportunity to enroll in a political party so they can vote in local primary elections. Under this bill, eligible non-citizens would be able to start registering to vote on December 9, 2022, and once registered, could begin voting in local elections as of January 9, 2023. The bill would also create an advisory group to provide recommendations regarding the implementation of this new municipal voting system.

Intro 1867, sponsored by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, will give certain non-United States citizens living in New York City the right to vote in local elections. A person will be entitled to vote under this bill if they (i) are either a lawful permanent resident or authorized to work in the United States, (ii) have been a resident of New York City for at least 30 consecutive days, and (iii) meet all the qualifications for registering to vote under the Election Law other than U.S. citizenship. Any person who satisfies these criteria will be eligible to register as a “municipal voter” with the NYC Board of Elections. Once registered, they will be entitled to vote in any primary, special, general, or run-off election for Mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate, Borough President, or Council Member, and on any local ballot initiative. The bill does not authorize municipal voters to vote in any state or federal elections.

“In one of the most diverse cities in the world, we need to ensure that there is adequate representation for all New Yorkers. That starts by expanding the scope of who is allowed to vote in our local elections,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez. “Immigrants in New York City own over half of the local businesses and contribute over $190 billion dollars to the citywide GDP. During the height of the pandemic, it was our immigrant New Yorkers who kept New York City running. Over half of our front-line essential workers are immigrants and approximately 1 in 5 are non-citizens New Yorkers.

They have all earned the right to participate in our city elections. I want to thank Speaker Johnson, my colleagues at the council, The New York Immigration Coalition, United Neighborhood Houses, and the Our City, Our Vote coalition for their support and for getting us to this point. Today, we are writing a new chapter in our city's history. One that will finally include the voices of all immigrant New Yorkers who hold green cards, working authorizations, DACA, or TPS.” At each local election, municipal voters will vote at the same polling places as U.S. citizen voters, and will not be required to form a separate line. If there are state and federal races taking place on the same day, municipal voters will be given a separate ballot that only includes local races. Municipal voters will be eligible to enroll in a political party for purposes of voting in local primary elections.

The BOE will be required to develop a new registration form for municipal voters. Such forms will need to be made available wherever voter registration forms for U.S. citizens are made available and will need to be translated into any languages that U.S. citizen voter registration forms are translated into under state and federal law (currently, such forms must be translated into Spanish, Bengali, Korean and Chinese). All federal, state, and local confidentiality policies that pertain to U.S. citizens will also apply to municipal voters, and the BOE will be prohibited from publishing any list of registered municipal voters separately or distinctly from the complete list of all voters entitled to vote in New York City.

The bill will create an advisory group to provide recommendations regarding the implementation of this new system of municipal voting. The committee will be chaired by the Public Advocate, and will include two members appointed by the Mayor, and two members appointed by the Speaker. The advisory group will be required to meet at least twice per year and publish a report annually.

Under this bill, eligible non-citizens will be allowed to begin registering to vote as municipal voters on December 9, 2022, and registered municipal voters will be eligible to begin voting in local elections on January 9, 2023. l

"Often, these are problems relating to trying to get something inaccurate off of a credit report, those types of issues," Vaca said.

For Latinos, it involved car-buying schemes. And for whites, the most common type of fraud was impersonator scams. Scams in the form of impersonators, pretending to be representatives from the electric company or even IRS. The scammers subtly threaten a customer with possible consequences if the targeted person doesn't pay up overdue bills immediately.

Vaca mentioned that the FTC had seen false advertisements in Korean or Vietnamese for COVID-19 treatments or cures targeted at the Asian community.

She explained that they targeted "bogus health claims such as "cures" for COVID-19, cancer or diabetes that don't help at all."

"These scammers on the phone will say anything to get money from people," she says.

How to Recover from Scams There are three primary methods of paying scammers, debit cards, cash, and credit cards.

According to Mendez, how you pay matters. "The majority of people from black and Latino communities pay with methods that offer few protections," Mendez said.

Victims from Black and Latino communities often pay through debit cards and cash, while whites get scammed using credit cards.

The payment method often affects the level of difficulty to trace and possibly reverse the transaction. Vaca explained.

"These hardcore frauds demand payments that are very difficult to trace, very difficult to reverse, and that helps them stay anonymous," she said.

Of all the methods, credit cards are the most effective way to protect the consumer. In contrast, other payment methods are less effective, offering little or no protection.

"It's quite hard to get money back when you've been defrauded, but it's not impossible. What we tell people is to try and file your report, try."

The FTC has numerous resources to help consumers, like graphic novels in Spanish and other free publications and the Pass It On campaign. These will educate people on what to do when they are in trouble.

They also have resources and tips for buying a new car or a used car, and the consumer.gov website provides "straightforward, basic consumer protection information."

However, they suggested that if you believe someone has defrauded you or someone you know, a report can be filed in English at reportfraud.ftc.gov or Spanish at reportefraude.ftc.gov.

Reporting a scam helps prevent future occurrences, the more people know of a scam scheme and pattern, the more people are on guard, and it is discouraged.l

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FAMILY MATTERS

6

COVID-19 Vaccines for Children: How Parents are Influenced by Misinformation, and How They Can Counter It

BY JAIME SIDAN, BETH HOFFMAN & MAYA RAGAVAN THE CONVERSATION

S

ince COVID-19 vaccines became available for children ages 5 to 11 in early November 2021, many families have been lining up to get their school-age kids vaccinated prior to holiday travel and gatherings.

As of Dec. 14, 5.6 million U.S. children ages 5 to 11 – or about 19% of this age group – have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. And 2.9 million, or about 10% of this age group, are fully vaccinated.

However, the pace has begun to slow.

Vaccination rates in this age group vary widely across the country, and the U.S. is still far from reaching a threshold that would help keep COVID-19 infections in check.

We are a team of medical and public health professionals at the University of Pittsburgh. We have extensive experience researching vaccine misinformation on social media and working with community partners to address vaccine hesi-

Health care providers are just one trusted source of information for parents on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for children tancy, counter misinformation and promote vaccine equity.

Through this work, we have seen and studied the ways that anti-vaccine activists on social media target vulnerable parents who are trying to navigate the challenges of digesting health information to make appropriate choices for their children.

Social media and vaccine misinformation Anti-vaccine activists are a small but

vocal group. According to research conducted by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, just 12 social media accounts – the “disinformation dozen” – are behind the majority of antivaccine posts on Facebook. Studies also show that only about 2% of parents reject all vaccines for their children. A larger group, or about 20% of parents, can more accurately be described as vaccine hesitant, which means they are undecided about having their children receive vaccines as recommended by the U.S.

Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention.

With regard to COVID-19 vaccines specifically, as of October 2021, about one-third of parents with children ages 5 to 11 years said they would get their child vaccinated right away. Another one-third said they would wait to see how the vaccine is working, and the last one-third said they would definitely not get their child vaccinated.

It can be difficult for parents to sort through the large amount of information available about COVID-19 vaccines – both true and untrue. In their search for answers, some parents turn to social media platforms. The problem is, these parents are often targeted by anti-vaccine activists who are better organized and more skilled at tailoring their messages to the varied concerns of people who are vaccine hesitant in comparison to provaccine activists.

Social media, in particular, has been a primary vehicle for the spread of misinformation. Although sometimes misinformation is blatantly false, other times it continued on page 7

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FAMILY MATTERS

7 COVID-19 vaccine information. While social media platforms have announced policies of removing vaccine misinformation, research suggests this is not always effective at reducing the influence of such misinformation. Learning how to find the source of a piece of information and thinking about who are the intended targets may help people determine whether the information is true or distorted.

COVID-19 Vaccines for Children/continued from page 6 is more like a game of telephone. A kernel of truth gets modified slightly as it is retold, which ends up becoming something untrue. Unfortunately, exposure to COVID-19 misinformation has been shown to reduce people’s intent to get vaccinated.

Addressing parents’ vaccine concerns So how can pediatricians and other health care professionals empower parents to feel confident in the choice to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19?

The answer may lie in working with communities to promote the vaccine as trustworthy instead of simply asking communities to trust it. We are part of the Pittsburgh Community Vaccine Collaborative, which is a communityacademic partnership that seeks to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccines. Through that effort, we have focused on building trustworthiness of the vaccines and of the providers and health systems that are offering the vaccines in their communities.

Health care providers are a trusted source of information for COVID-19 vaccine information, but they are not the only sources. Research has found that it is important to lean on the expertise and voices of community partners, community health workers and religious leaders.

Our research suggests that pediatricians

When parents turn to social media to find information about COVID-19 vaccinations for children, they can become easy targets for misinformation spread by anti-vaccine activists. and public health professionals can effectively use social media to promote vaccination and provide families with reputable scientific information to address their questions and concerns.

Results of a survey that was recently published in Academic Pediatrics found that 96% of parents used social media.

Of those, 68% reported using it for health information.

For example, a pediatric group we partner with uses comedy combined with information to combat myths and answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Social media is also an effective way to reach adolescents who can decide for themselves if they want to get a COVID19 vaccine without their parents’ consent (in some cities and states). Adolescents

may also be able to influence their parents.

Research shows that parents who report high COVID-19 vaccine intention for themselves also report high COVID-19 vaccine intention for their children.

Therefore, talking about vaccines as a family may be helpful in combating misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, parents who have had their children vaccinated can use social media to share their experiences and make it feel more normal and accepted among their peers.

We have also learned that promoting media literacy, which encourages people to question the media information they come into contact with, can empower parents to sift through the “infodemic” of

Next steps Addressing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation can feel overwhelming. The American Academy of Pediatrics has helpful information for parents to support making decisions around the COVID-19 vaccine. Parents can also have conversations with their children about media literacy and evaluating information. And they can talk to their children – especially adolescent-age children – about how getting the COVID-19 vaccine can protect them and others.

Increasing COVID-19 vaccine rates for children and young people is important to promote their health and wellness, as well as to move closer to ending the pandemic.l Jaime Sidani is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences. Beth Hoffman is a PhD Candidate in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences. Maya Ragavan is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences

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Health

Bill de Blasio Mayor Dave A. Chokshi, MD, MSc Commissioner

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EDUCATION

8

NYC Announces 2022-23 Admissions Policies for Middle and High Schools grade.

Typically, the high school admissions process begins so early in the school year that student information from only their seventh-grade year is available. As a result, many parents who hope to have their children admitted to competitive schools push their children to have a stand-out seventh grade year. Sometimes that means paying for tutoring to boost their state test scores or sending their child to school sick to keep their attendance records up.

“I think this is the first time ever they’ve used eighth-grade grades,” she said. “So people are going to be nervous about that because it hasn’t been anticipated.”

BY CHRISTINA VEIGA, CHALKBEAT

N

ew York City officials unveiled long-awaited details on how middle and high schools will accept students for the coming year: Middle schools will continue a pause on academic screens, and high schools will dramatically streamline their competitive admissions criteria, education department officials announced Tuesday.

In a reversal, high schools will also continue to give admissions priorities based on whether students live within a certain borough or zone. Those priorities were set to be eliminated this year, but Mayor Bill de Blasio changed course following pushback from some corners of the city, including Queens, where families were concerned about long commutes.

District-level priorities, such as the one previously given to a handful of coveted schools in Manhattan’s District 2, are still gone. (Those were removed last year.)

Applications for middle schools will open the week of Jan. 10 and will be due the week of Feb. 28. Offers will be sent in early May. For high schools, applications will open the week of Jan. 24. The deadline is the week of Feb. 28, with offers sent in late May. The changes follow another year of pandemic-related disruptions to the competitive and stressful admissions process — one that critics say helps drive New York City’s status as among the most segregated school districts in the country.

An unusually large portion of the city’s schools use screens such as test scores, grades, and attendance for admission.

Students who are Black or Latino, or those who come from low-income families, have disabilities, or are learning English as a new language are less likely to meet admissions requirements.

While the new policies could help encourage integration, advocates say the impact is likely dulled by the fact that there are no new initiatives aimed explicitly at bolstering diversity.

“These are big changes, but also the bare minimum,” said Nyah Berg, executive director of New York Appleseed, which advocates for school integration.

“A lot of those gatekeeping tools remain or they’re lurking in the background.”

A Year Filled With Uncertainty This year’s admissions process has been murky as decisions about how schools would be allowed to admit students dragged into de Blasio’s final weeks in office.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams will be sworn in on Jan. 1, raising questions about whether the new administration will move to put its own mark on the controversial admissions process. Current education department officials said they consulted Adams’ team about the latest reforms. A spokesperson for his cam-

Students wait to enter their high school in Elmhurst Queens on Sept. 13, 2021. New York City is changing the competitive admissions criteria for high schools, but keeping certain geographic priorities based on a student’s home borough or zone. Gabby Jones for Chalkbeat paign did not return a request for comment.

The incoming chancellor, David Banks, has declared himself “not a big believer in screens.” He hinted that more changes could be coming under the new administration.

“Screening in certain situations is maybe a good thing — we got some schools where you’ve got to audition and demonstrate a level of talent,” he recently told Chalkbeat. “But I think screens have been used, in many ways, to be discriminatory and keep other kids out of the school. And that I do not support and so we’ll be looking at all those things and figuring out the best path forward.”

‘Promising’ Middle School Changes Before the pandemic, 196 middle schools screened applicants based on measures such as state test scores, grades and attendance. Last year, middle schools put a pause on screening applicants, since many of those measures were dramatically altered or unavailable during the pandemic. That pause will continue for another year following “positive feedback from school communities and families, as well as promising outcomes,” according to the education department.

After removing screens, the share of students from low-income families who were matched to “in-demand” schools ticked up to 48% — an increase of 7 percentage points, according to the education department. Officials, however, did not say which schools were included in that tally, only saying they considered those where incoming students had high test scores.

“This administration has brought real and lasting equitable change to the admissions process that has dismantled historic barriers and opened up opportunity for more students than ever before,” outgoing schools Chancellor Meisha Porter said in a statement.

Unlike last year, performing arts middle schools will be allowed to require auditions for admissions. Education department officials said most auditions

will happen virtually, though schools can opt to do them in person.

Significant Reforms for High Schools The most significant changes this year will happen for high school admissions.

Schools will still be allowed to screen, but they will not manage the application process themselves. Instead, students will submit applications for all screened programs through the city’s MySchools platform.

Then, a team of education department officials will use “one centrally designed rubric” to make admissions decisions, according to the department. But it’s unclear to what extent the process will truly be streamlined. While schools “should” use the same set of criteria and rubrics, the department will give wiggle room “if needed” to school leaders who “wish to deviate,” a department spokesperson said.

Screens have been whittled down to only first-semester grades from a student’s eighth-grade year and a sample of work. Schools will not consider attendance, nor will they use test scores, as last year’s state tests were opt-in and most students did not take them.

The department will share the common rubric closer to when applications open, officials said.

Depending on how many schools stick to the centralized process, those changes could add up to big departures from how the process has traditionally worked.

In the past, schools set their own screens and students had to hunt down admissions criteria for each school.

Some schools required their own essays or tests, or conducted interviews.

Rubrics, which detail how admissions decisions are made, were often hard to find or unavailable. The process of ranking student applications could be timeintensive and expensive for schools.

Joyce Szuflita, who runs NYC School Help, a company that assists families with their school search, said she expects parents to be concerned about the shift to using academic records from eighth-

‘Incremental’ Steps Towards Integration Many of this year’s changes echo policies that advocates have said are necessary to make the admissions process more transparent, and therefore, fair.

Berg, the executive director for Appleseed, said she was “encouraged” by the changes.

“Two years ago, these processes were happening in black boxes,” she said.

But the steps are only “incremental,” Berg said, especially because the education department didn’t couple the changes with policies aimed explicitly at integration. The city could do that by, for example, giving underserved students a priority for admissions — something that almost 50 middle schools and about 35 high schools across the city have opted for.

Advocates have also argued the preservation of attendance zones and borough priorities could also shut students out of higher-performing schools beyond their neighborhoods.

Berg said it will also be important to make sure parents, and school officials who help students navigate the application process, understand the new changes.

“Transparency in policies is great, but if that transparency doesn’t trickle down to parents and students, then it can take away from the benefit,” she said.

“They’re still placing students and families in the crosshairs of having to scramble through the holiday season to get applications in, in an already burdensome process.”

One omission from the new policies: any changes to the specialized high schools process. While state law governs their admissions, some argue that the mayor has authority to change enrollment policies at a handful of the smaller specialized high schools — though de Blasio has contested that. l This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Republished

by The CITY on December 15, 2021.

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HOMEOWNERSHIP

9

New York City Banned Gas in New Buildings. Here’s What You Need to Know

BY SAMANTHA MALDONADO, THE CITY

T

he City Council on Wednesday passed a bill making New York the largest city in the United States to effectively ban the use of gas in new buildings and to turn to electricity for power.

More than 50 municipalities in California have all-electric building codes, and other cities, including Seattle and Ithaca, are advancing electrification in new buildings. But no other American city has a dense building stock like New York, which faces colder seasonal temperatures compared to most places that have adopted similar legislation.

The New York bill, which establishes a threshold for how much carbon a building can emit, limiting the use of gas, could set an example for the rest of the country, environmental advocates said.

“To think that every new iconic skyscraper on the New York City skyline will soon be built without any fossil fuel use — I think it’s a game-changing moment for the climate movement,” said Jenna Tatum, director of the Building Electrification Institute.

Mayor Bill Blasio is expected to sign the bill or let it lapse into law.

Here’s what you need to know: What’s the point of prohibiting gas in new buildings?

Buildings are responsible for about 70% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, which warm the planet and threaten health.

“Furnaces, boilers and hot water heaters emit more carbon in New York City than all uses of electricity combined today, so electrifying those systems becomes our biggest way to fight climate change,” said John Mandyck, CEO of the Urban Green Council.

This measure has the potential to save about 2.1 million tons of carbon emissions by 2040, according to an estimate by the Rocky Mountain Institute. That’s equal to taking nearly half a million cars off the road.

“New Yorkers will look back years from now and say that it had a major positive impact on public health,” said LJ Portis, environmental policy and advocacy coordinator at WE ACT for Environmental Justice.

I’m planning to move to a newly built place soon. Does this mean my building won’t have gas?

Nope — the ban doesn’t take effect right away. The ban would apply to new buildings with fewer than seven stories by 2024. That extends to July 2027 for buildings with seven or more stories.

Any gut renovation that requires a new building permit would also be subject to the law. Affordable housing would be subject to the ban in 2026 and 2028, depending on whether they’re below or above seven stories.

Dozens of all-electric buildings are already in the works around the city, pro-

Councilmember Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Brooklyn) speaks at a City Hall rally ahead of a Council vote on banning natural gas in new buildings, Dec. 15, 2021. Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

viding models for future developments.

How will this affect my current apartment?

New York City is aiming to reduce carbon from existing buildings through Local Law 97, which requires owners to meet certain emissions limits starting in 2024.

Based on how quickly the state can green the grid, most building owners, especially in the commercial sector, won’t have to do much to comply. But retrofits to electrify will help other buildings meet those targets.

This policy, as well as the looming gas ban, will help to “prove the market for energy efficient and electric building technologies and develop the workforce that is needed to install and service them,” according to Amy Turner, a senior fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School.

That means building owners are likely over time to find more — and more affordable — electrical options for appliances if they want to upgrade their heating systems.

money on paying for new fossil fuel infrastructure like pipelines.

Some studies have shown it’s less expensive for developers to build efficient, all-electric homes than it is to build using fossil fuels, and that electric space and water heating and air conditioning results in lower costs to owners over the lifetime of the appliances.

“These policies are hugely important because they save us future costs so we don’t have to go back and fix the buildings in the future,” Samantha Wilt, a senior policy analyst focused on clean energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

pass a bill in Albany that would make New York the first state in the nation to mandate all-electric buildings.

Who backed the new measure?

Local environmental and climate justice advocates pushed the measure, saying it would tamp down on the carbon released into the atmosphere, leading to a healthier planet — and healthier neighborhoods.

Con Ed, the utility supplying electricity and some gas to city dwellers, also backed the bill, as did businesses that help to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings.

Supporters pointed to climate science that shows the need to eliminate dependence on fossil fuels to prevent further damage to the earth. They’re looking to

Can New York’s grid handle this change?

While Con Ed says it doesn’t expect blackouts, New Yorkers have lived through past power outages, which could take a bigger toll on people in all-electric buildings. Still, a report by the Urban Green Council found the city electric grid won’t need upgrades to handle the increased reliance on it until after 2035, when, the organization predicts, more than a third of all the building stock citywide is expected to have been electrified.l

Who opposed it?

Some big players in the real estate industry and National Grid — which provides gas to many New Yorkers — lobbied against the timeline. They warned power might not be reliable in the winter, when heat is needed, and argued it would be difficult for developers to construct large, all-electric buildings. Those interests ultimately won a longer timeline for the ban to take effect, foiling ban supporters who wanted the no-gas rule in place by 2023.

So in the future, new buildings won’t have gas stoves?

That’s right (as long as the law isn’t repealed). Buildings won’t be able to use any fossil fuel-powered appliances, like gas boilers and stoves. Instead, they’ll incorporate electric or induction stoves and incorporate heat pumps that move cold or warm air into a home.

These swaps will make residents more comfortable and healthier, according to Russell Unger, a principal and co-leader of the Building Electrification Initiative at the Rocky Mountain Institute.

“The stuff coming off of these open flames is not all that different from having a car idling in your kitchen,” Unger said.

“Over time, there’ll be notable improvements in air quality. There’ll be less ozone. There’ll be lower levels of particulate matter, which will reduce cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, asthma, premature mortality.”

How much will this cost me? How much will it cost my landlord?

Studies have predicted lower utility bills as a result of all-electric development — but it’s unclear what the effect would be on bills for those living in multi-family housing in New York City, which sees higher than average electricity costs.

Even with increased electric use, the average New Yorker is bound to save

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MONEY MATTERS

10

Taking out a Student Loan for Your Child Can Hurt Your Own Financial Well-being lower financial well-being scores by 1.88 points.

BY THOMAS KORANKYE THE CONVERSATION

W

hen people take out student loans for themselves, certain risks are involved. The debt can negatively affect a person’s mental, emotional and even physical well-being.

It can also harm a person’s financial well-being.

But when taking out a student loan for one’s child, the risk is even higher that the loan could be associated with lower financial well-being.

This is what economics scholar Charlene Kalenkoski and I found in our peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Personal Finance. The study – which used a nationally representative federal dataset on household economics and decision-making – involved nearly 12,500 American adults ages 18 and over, with an average age of 48. It is not known whether the parents had taken out private or government loans for their children.

By lower financial well-being, we mean that these parents were more likely to report feeling as if they will never be able to have the things they want in life

or that they are “just getting by financially.” They also report feeling a lack of control over their financial situation.

These statements are part of what the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau uses to measure financial wellbeing. Lower financial well-being decreases overall well-being.

Our findings remained consistent even after we took into account several other factors, such as the education levels of the parents, whether or not they work, how much they earn per year and how they spend their money. We also considered their financial literacy and their current financial strain.

Borrowing parents worry more about finances The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers people a financial wellbeing score on a scale of 0 to 100. Taking out a student loan is associated with a lower financial well-being score for everyone, but our research found that it is associated with an even lower score when the loan is for the borrower’s child.

For instance, taking out a loan for oneself is likely to lower the score by 1.44 points, and taking out a student loan for one’s spouse likely lowers the score by 1.37 points. However, taking out a student loan for one’s child was likely to

Most students rely on loans In public policy discussions about people who take out student loans, it’s not always clear whether the loan is for themselves or someone else, such as the borrower’s spouse or child. Knowing this information provides insight into how student loan debt relates to the borrower’s well-being if the loan is for their children.

In 2020, 64% of of college graduates financed their education via student loans – accumulating an average debt of US$29,927.

The combined amount of federal and private student loans – as well as the number of borrowers – continues to increase. The total amount of student loan debt reached $1.75 trillion as of Nov. 30, 2021, and the total number of borrowers stood at 47.9 million.

Negative effects on households These student loan debts have adverse effects on individuals, households and the U.S. economy. Consequently, the fedcontinued on page 11

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MONEY MATTERS

’Tis the Season for Student Loan Scam Calls

BY EMILY WU FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC)

I

f you have a federal student loan, you probably already know that the Coronavirus emergency relief program that has paused your payments is ending. Repayments will begin again after January 31, 2022. Scammers know it, too, and are looking for ways to take advantage: they’re calling, texting, and emailing to try to use any confusion around restarting your student loan payments to steal your money and personal information.

If you get a call, text, e-mail, or message on social media from someone about your federal student loan, here are some things to keep in mind:

•Never pay an upfront fee. It’s illegal for companies to charge you before they help you. If you pay up front to reduce or get rid of your student loan debt, you might not get any help — or your money back. Also, remember that there’s nothing a company can do for you that you can’t do yourself for free. And you never have to pay to get help from the Department of Education.

•Never give out your Federal Student Aid ID, your Social Security number, or other personal information to anyone who contacts you. Scammers posing as student loan servicers can use this information to log into your account, change your contact information, and even divert your payments to them. Instead of giving out your FSA ID, call or contact your servicer.

•Don’t sign up for quick loan forgiveness. Scammers might say they can get rid of your loans before they know the details of your situation. Or they might promise a loan forgiveness program — that most people won’t qualify for. They might even say they’ll wipe out your loans by disputing them. But they can’t.

Scammers use fake seals and logos to lure people in. They promise special access to repayment plans, new federal loan consolidations, or loan forgiveness programs. It’s a lie. If you have federal loans, go to the Department of Education directly at StudentAid.gov.

If a scammer contacts you, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.l Emily Wu is an Attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer & Business Education

11 Student Loan for Your Child/ continued from page 10

eral government is considering federal student loan forgiveness.

In a December 2021 letter, several Democratic lawmakers urged President Biden to extend the pause on student loan payments – which ends in January – and to act to cancel student debt.

The lawmakers call attention to “significant disparities” that contribute to the racial wealth gap. “Twenty years after starting college, the median Black borrower still owes 95% of their loans, compared to only 6% for the median white borrower,” the lawmakers note, citing a 2019 Brandeis University study.

Studies have shown that student loan debt influences household decisions and outcomes. This includes delayed homeownership, lower likelihood of stock ownership, lower probability of life satisfaction and lower financial wellness compared with those without student loan debt.

Our study used a dataset for 2017. The long-term effects on parents’ financial well-being after taking out loans for their children’s college education are not known. Having datasets for longer periods of time would enable us to examine whether the loans cause lower financial well-being at different stages in parents’ lives, such as when their children finally move out or when the parents retire.l Thomas Korankye is an Assistant Professor, Personal and Family Financial Planning, University of Arizona

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12

IMMIGRATION

Immigration Detention and Enforcement Are a Mixed Bag in Biden’s First Year

BY REBEKAH WOLF

I

mmigration detention and enforcement in the United States under the first year of the Biden administration has been a mixture of improvements and setbacks.

The Trump administration implemented nearly 400 changes to interior enforcement with the goal of subjecting all undocumented immigrants to enforcement actions, and President Biden assumed office having made significant commitments to limit enforcement activities in an effort to reduce the hardship experienced by many immigrants and their families.

The President’s first year has brought a number of significant changes to immigration enforcement within the U.S., but with mixed results.

Though 2021 saw steps away from some of the Trump administration’s most egregious policies, the implementation of the Biden administration’s new priorities has varied across the country. The number of people in immigration detention increased significantly and disturbing trends also continued in the use of private prisons for immigration detention.

President Biden. Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com

A Return to Enforcement Priorities On January 20, 2021, Acting DHS secretary David Pekoske issued an interim memorandum that provided the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with a framework of priorities for enforcement. This outlined who DHS should—and should not—prioritize arresting, detaining, issuing notices to appear to, and deporting.

This was followed up with a memo issued on February 18, 2021 that further carved out specifics for who was considered a priority for enforcement. The intention of these priorities is to focus enforcement efforts on a subset of indi-

viduals, presumably leaving others in relative safety from enforcement activity.

These priorities included people who were considered national security threats, entered the country on or after November 1, 2020, or were convicted of aggravated felonies.

The enforcement priorities were challenged in federal court by Texas and Missouri, who argued that the priorities unfairly restricted ICE’s ability to pursue enforcement against other groups of people. While a district court judge initially agreed with the states, that decision has been stayed by the 5th circuit while the case winds its way through the courts.

On September 30, 2021 the administration issued another, more final, version of the enforcement priorities which was considered an improvement on the previous memo, though it notably no longer applied to release from detention. This memo moved away from the categorical approach of the previous memos and instead listed aggravating and mitigating factors in favor of or against enforcement.

These memos stood in contrast to the Trump administration’s approach of arresting and detaining everyone ICE encountered. But while the return to a set of priorities was a welcome move by many, it did not go far enough for many advocates.

Legal service providers and other advocates regularly noted that the memos still left discretion entirely in the hands of the field offices, and there were significant discrepancies between field offices in how they were applied. There was also no clear way to request review of a decision by the field office of a decision to designate someone as an enforcement priority. Finally, field offices rarely gave explanations for how they came to a continued on page 13

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13

IMMIGRATION Biden’s First Year/ continued from page 12 determination, leaving representatives in the dark as to how it was being applied.

An Increase in Detention Under the Trump administration, immigration detention reached an all-time high of over 50,000 people. The large reduction in detention numbers down to a historic low of under 15,000 people near the end of Trump’s term was due to changes at the border. The first major change was the implementation of MPP and then the use of Title 42 to drastically reduce numbers of individuals entering the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even with those border restrictions still in place, immigration detention has continued to grow under the Biden administration, with overall detention numbers increasing by 50% since Biden took office. Immigration detention continues to be extremely dangerous both to those detained and the surrounding communities, as detention centers act as superspreader locations for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, detention in rural locations, such as in Louisiana and New Mexico, continued and even expanded.

Detaining individuals in these areas has been criticized for the increased potential for due process and human rights abuses.

For example, advocates from New Mexico and nationally focused on the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, NM, where a group of Haitians

Editorial credit: Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

were being detained with virtually no access to legal information, legal counsel, or even the ability to speak to officials in their native language. All of this at a detention facility that failed its inspection in July 2021 for, among other reasons, being dramatically understaffed.

Other detention centers, such as the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, LA, were investigated for their extremely poor conditions. At Winn, with government oversight agencies went so far as to recommend that ICE discontinue detaining people there, yet the detention continues.

The Use of Private Prisons In the Biden administration’s first week in office, it banned the use of private prisons at the federal level. However, a loophole was left that private prison companies are increasingly taking advantage of: the ban didn’t apply to immigration detention centers. And ICE has openly admitted that it continues to search for additional facilities across the

country to increase detention capacity.

This was met with some resistance by members of Congress but was nevertheless left as policy. Across the country, as the federal government is terminating or not renewing contracts with private prison companies, those prisons are being re-opened under contracts with DHS to detain immigrants. Immigration detention capacity is expanding, even though President Biden promised at the beginning of his term to address mass incarceration.

Advocates have been resisting the prison-to-detention-center trend, however, largely on the local level by asking state governments to ban the use of private prisons in their states. Results have been mixed, with a successful campaign most recently in Illinois.

The Biden administration has clearly made attempts to improve the country’s immigration detention and enforcement policies after a dismal record by his predecessor. Much more is left to be done.l

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14

JOBS & RECESSION

Goal for 2022: Become a Paralegal attorneys, opposing counsel, vendors, staff members, clients, and others. The work is varied, and each day brings new challenges.

BY THE CHAMBER COALITION

A

career as a paralegal (also known as a legal assistant) can be a wonderfully fulfilling profession. Paralegals perform legal, regulatory, and business-related research for lawyers working at their organization.

Most of the time, paralegals work for law offices, non-profits, corporations' legal departments, or courts. These professionals also provide legal support services to attorneys. They assist lawyers in filing motions, memoranda, pleadings, and briefs in various court systems and accompany lawyers to see clients and go to court. Here are five great things about being a paralegal: 1. Rise in Pay Paralegal compensation has risen steadily in the past decade. As paralegals perform a broader and more complex range of tasks (paralegals even represent clients in court in certain countries and administrative tribunals), their earnings continue to rise. The average paralegal salary hovers at around $50,000 per year, but paralegals often make more through bonuses. Overtime hours can also add significant cash to a paralegal's paycheck.

2. Explosive Employment Outlook The paralegal field is one of the fastestgrowing professions on the globe. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, predicts the employment of paralegals and legal assistants by over 25 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations. Among the factors driving this growth is client demand for cheaper, more efficient delivery of legal services. Since hourly rates charged by attorneys are typically double or triple the rates of paralegals for the same task, law firm economics mandates the increased use of paralegals to minimize costs. As a result, a paralegal career is one of the hottest non-lawyer jobs in the legal industry.

3. Easy Career Entry Unlike lawyers who must complete seven years of formal education and pass the bar exam to practice law, you can become a paralegal in as little as a few months of study.

4. Intellectual Challenge Paralegal work is intellectually challenging and involves a range of high-level skills. The most successful paralegals are problem-solvers and innovative thinkers.

Paralegals must become subject matter experts in their specialty areas and master legal procedure, research, drafting, and other skills. They must stay on top of ever-changing laws and new legal trends and developments while interfacing with

5. Rising Prestige As paralegals perform more complex and challenging work, paralegal prestige is rising. Paralegals are no longer simply lawyer's assistants; they assume corporate management roles, leadership roles in law firms, and entrepreneurial roles in independent paralegal businesses. Over the years, paralegals have transcended the image of glorified legal secretaries to become respected legal team members.

Ready to Take the Leap?

A career as a paralegal can be rewarding professionally and personally and offers a unique opportunity to help others; options vary, depending on the paralegal's practice area. Paralegals in the public interest sector help poor and disadvantaged segments of the population with legal issues ranging from protection from domestic abuse to assistance preparing wills. Ready to take the leap, the next step? Call us at 718-722-9217 or visit www.freeparalegal.org to complete your registration which includes payment.l

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Being Grateful Can Improve Your Mental Health

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Kitchen Corner

Hot Cinnamon Apple Brandy Cider

BY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID

J

oanna is a Mental Health First Aider who practices gratitude regularly, and especially during stressful or difficult times, as a way to manage her mental health. And she’s not alone. Many mental health intervention programs and life coaching regimes include gratitude practices in their treatments through activities like gratitude journaling, group discussions and daily meditation.

Research has also shown that “by consciously practicing gratitude, we can train the brain to attend selectively to positive emotions and thoughts, thus reducing anxiety and feelings of apprehension.” The simple act of reminding yourself of the positive things in your life – even as simple as the roof over your head or food on your plate – can invoke feelings of thankfulness and optimism that make managing stress, depression or anxiety easier.

If you’re not sure where to start or how to practice gratitude every day, try these simple exercises: Try to appreciate everything. This includes not only the big and obvious, but also the small. Recognize the good in every part of your day.

Find gratitude in your challenges. It can be hard to feel thankful when faced with a stressful situation. But taking the time to find gratitude and optimism during your difficult times can make manag-

ing them easier.

Keep a gratitude journal. Take a few minutes at the end of each day to think about what you are grateful for and write them down. This can be anywhere from one thing to 10 and will help you develop a habit of recognizing the good from each day.

Volunteer in your community.

Research shows that volunteering is significantly helpful in improving mental and physical health, including increased life satisfaction and happiness, and lower depressive symptoms, stress and anxiety.

Spend time with loved ones. Spending time with loved ones can help you recognize things to be grateful for and evoke feelings of happiness and love.

It can be easy to get busy during the holiday season but taking a few minutes every day to practice gratitude can have a positive and long-lasting impact on your mental health.

Hope you have a safe holiday!l

T

his sweet, delightful hot cinnamon apple brandy cider is spiced with freshly squeezed apple cider, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon!

By Culinary Envy, AllRecipes.com Ingredients ½ gallon fresh apple cider 1 cup apple brandy (Optional) ¼ cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon brown sugar ¼ cup honey 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¾ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 pinch salt 10 thin strips orange zest 10 small cinnamon sticks Directions Step 1 Combine apple cider, apple brandy, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar,

honey, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and salt in a pot over medium-high heat. Simmer until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.

Step 2 Pour apple cider mixture into heat-proof mugs. Twist orange zest strips between your fingers to release the essential oils; drop 1 into each mug. Add 1 cinnamon stick to each mug.

Cook's Note: For best flavor, use fresh-pressed apple cider—available in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 549 calories; protein 44.3g; carbohydrates 41g; fat 21.4g; cholesterol 103.7mg; sodium 1620.6mg. l Prep:10 mins Cook:10 mins

Servings: 10

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16

HOLIDAYS 2021

Prepare, Be Patient, Be Present: Tips for Another COVID Holiday "If you do have any symptoms of a respiratory tract infection, the approach these days should really be tested for both of those viruses — COVID-19 and the flu."

"I have a kid at home, and so I did have a cold last week," said Humphries, who is also a member of the Infectious Diseases Society. She said testing is "certainly worth it, not only for yourself and your own health, but also for all of those around you."

BY DAMIAN MCNAMARA, MA WEBMD HEALTH NEWS

T

is the season — again — for holiday travel and get-togethers with friends and family amid the challenges of a global pandemic. Yes, personal and public protection measures remain essential, but that doesn't mean you have to be a Scrooge about traveling and spending time with loved ones.

You can still enjoy gatherings and other holiday traditions if you prepare, remain patient, and remember to consider the comfort level of others, infectious disease experts said at a media briefing Wednesday sponsored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

"Here's my practical advice for this holiday season … try to match up the risk reduction practices that you can sustain with the activities that you feel are going to sustain you," said Joshua Barocas, MD, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.

Consider layering protections such as masks, testing, moving activities outdoors, and more — adjusting what you do based on how risky each situation is.

"Ultimately, the higher the risk situation, the more personal protection you

need to keep yourself healthy — and the lower the risk situation, the less mitigation you need," said Barocas, who is also an Infectious Diseases Society member.

The multi-layered approach is particularly important as uncertainty about the Omicron variant circulates across the U.S. Facts about Omicron are still limited, he said.

"But what we do know is that this variant does appear to transmit more rapidly.

“Its severity is truthfully yet unknown.

But here we are," said Barocas.

"We're all sort of waiting to see how this all unfolds," Romney M. Humphries, PhD, said during the briefing. "Many of us are a little concerned, obviously, just to see exactly what the data” shows about

how severe Omicron is and how well it can evade vaccines.

It's Also Cold and Flu Season The holidays are traditionally a time when other respiratory viruses also arrive like an unwelcome stranger at the door.

For many who develop symptoms at the end of 2021, the natural first question is, “What do I have?”

"We have a lot of other circulating viruses this season, such as influenza. But also, we're seeing an awful lot of rhinovirus, which causes the common cold," said Humphries, medical director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Dual testing is a valid strategy, she said.

Pack Some Patience and Empathy Holiday travel can be stressful even in a non-pandemic year. Add COVID-19 to the equation, and well, be patient and acknowledge that everyone is coming off almost 2 years of additional challenges, the experts advise.

"We are all frustrated. We are all tired, we are all just done," Barocas said.

It is important to remember that the person working the ticket counter at the airport, the grocery store employee, the person working at the movie theater — "they're not the ones making the rules, they're simply doing their job by enforcing them."

"In the spirit of trying to unify, I ask people to try to refrain from taking that continued on page 17

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17

HOLIDAYS 2021 Another COVID Holiday continued from page 16 immense frustration out on them."

International travel could increase this holiday season after the Biden administration lifted travel bans on 33 countries on Nov. 8.

"I know many of us are considering traveling to see family that we've not seen for, at this point, for several years," Humphries said. "My family is outside the United States, and I have not seen them for over 2 years."

Staying apart has been a challenge, she said. "This is really difficult, particularly for those of us that have aging parents or have very young nieces and nephews -where a couple of years can make a tremendous difference."

Test Preparation It's more essential than ever to prepare in advance for traveling, Humphries said.

With updated requirements that can include a negative COVID-19 test within 24 hours of air travel, for example, ensure that you can get a test.

"As we look towards the holiday season, unfortunately, we are expecting to perhaps see some small surges of COVID-19," Humphries said.

This could affect local testing capacity, how many tests are available, and turnaround time for results.

"If you're needing a test for travel, make sure you prepare for that well in advance,” Humphries said.

Also recognize that a negative viral test is required for re-entry to the U.S. "So not an antibody test, but a test for the virus itself, within 24 hours of your departure for arrival into the United States by air," she said.

A home test only counts when done in front of a health care provider during a telehealth visit, she added.

And for peace of mind, people can consider taking another test after returning home from traveling.

"But absolutely, if you have symptoms, you should consider being tested for COVID," Humphries said. "Even if you are vaccinated, because we are still seeing substantial circulation."

And whether you’re traveling to see friends or family or hosting a holiday gathering, read the room. It is important to be aware of and respect everyone's

level of comfort with the potential COVID-19 exposure.

"We're all at different levels," Humphries said.

Some people, for example, are comfortable going out to dinner if they are vaccinated, but others are not.

New Year's Resolutions While traditional resolutions like losing weight or exercising more are always to be applauded, an unusual year might call for some unusual resolutions. WebMD asked the infectious disease specialists for their own New Year's resolutions at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic.

"To focus on our mental health more through the next year," Humphries said.

"I think we could all kind of acknowledge … it's been a tough couple of years."

She hopes to take the time for self-care and appreciate the importance of mental health "not just for myself, but for my kid that wasn't able to go to school and is still kind of in this weird place."

Spending more time together is another goal for 2022, she said, which includes "making sure that we're taking the time as a family to enjoy each other's company."

Barocas agreed on the importance of spending time with family in 2022 and added two more resolutions.

"One is understanding other people's situation a little bit more. We have very much lost our way, I believe, in in this whole mess,” he said.

Everyone is having a lot of strife and stress at the moment, he said.

"Keeping in mind that the person next to you is suffering in the same way that you might be, might be a good secondary New Year's resolution,” Barocas said.

His other New Year's resolution is a plea.

"If you are unvaccinated, I would resolve to have conversations, openended conversations, about the vaccine, about vaccination and the importance of it," Barocas said. "So that perhaps you can move towards vaccination."l Damian McNamara is a staff journalist based in Miami. He covers a wide range of medical specialties, including infectious diseases, gastroenterology and critical care. Follow Damian on Twitter: @MedReporter.

FALSE: I’M HEALTHY. I DON’T NEED TO BE VACCINATED. TRUE: Young or otherwise healthy people who are unvaccinated have gotten very sick and died from COVID-19. COVID-19 can also cause long COVID which can include difficulty breathing, muscle and joint pain, headaches, and tiredness.

COVID-19 VACCINES SAVE LIVES. GET VACCINATED. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT NYC.GOV/COVIDVACCINE.

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HOLIDAYS 2021

Ways to Help Your Loved Seniors Enjoy the Holidays 3. Shield them from noise Youngsters can become boisterous, which seniors may find distracting. Set aside a quiet room away from all the activities.

Be on the lookout and if need be, lead the seniors to the quiet room for a relaxing time. There they may interact one-on-one with family members until they are ready to join the main gathering.

BY MARY CAMPBELL

T

he holiday season is a happy time for families. People get together, eat, and make merry as they reminisce over the old days. However, some older adults may find the holidays difficult, even depressing. The holidays may bring painful memories of happy times gone by.

Depending on their health, family, and financial status, seniors may react to holidays in unexpected ways. The holidays might be especially difficult for seniors living alone and away from family and those living in-home care. Holidays can bring up feelings of loneliness and anxiety. Limited mobility could also hamper seniors from enjoying the holidays.

So what can you do? You don't need to make major changes to make the holidays enjoyable for your loved senior. You just need to be considerate. Here are a few ideas to help your loved senior enjoy the season.

1. Involve seniors in holiday preparations Although seniors may not be agile and some may not be mobile at all, they can still help with holiday preparations.

Involve them in tasks that they can per-

form. You know what your seniors love.

Involve them in activities that they enjoy.

Make them feel useful and connected to the family. Ask seniors what they want to do and incorporate their ideas into the holiday activities.

2. Re-live memories Share happy, hilarious, and light-hearted memories. Elderly people love sharing amusing memories of days gone. Stories of "In our days ..." usually bring laughter to the younger generation. Grandmothers and fathers who lived before cell phones, computers, and other modern gadgets enjoy sharing experiences with today's generation. The latter cannot imagine

how the elders "survived" in such "oldfashioned" days.

General memories of days gone by can evoke fun and laughter. However, bear in mind that memories of holidays past may provoke painful recollections for some seniors. Don't let seniors wander into memories that cause pain and regret.

Concentrate and enjoy the good memories.

In most cases, singing old songs should be a joyful pastime for all — seniors included. Accept what has changed and celebrate what has remained the same.

Create new memories by snapping many photos of seniors with the new generations.

Party Rentals for All Occasions

4. Make your home safe De-clutter and remove anything that could trip seniors. Remove loose rugs and if the seniors are staying for the night, make sure there is enough light everywhere. Place electrical cords out of the way, and create room for wheelchairs.

You can designate a responsible young adult or two to watch over the seniors to make sure they are comfortable.

5. Be considerate Be thoughtful and take the needs of your loved senior into account. When planning the menu, remember that some seniors may not be able to eat anything that needs hard chewing. You could also ask them in advance what they would like to eat, and incorporate their wishes.

Keep in mind that many seniors suffer memory loss. If you notice that your loved senior has forgotten something, don't emphasize the fact. Don't say something like, "Grandpa, you don't remember?" Don't cause distress to your loved senior.

6. Stay in touch If you can't be with your loved senior during the holidays, call them. In fact, call them regularly - perhaps once a week and not just during the holidays. Set up a time that works for both of you and engage.

If you can, visit your elderly family members as often as you can. Bring the children, if any. Seniors love spending time with children. However, take into account the health of the senior, so that children don't exhaust them.

Final thoughts The holidays are a time for caring and togetherness. Don't stress about budgets and heavy spending. Love and consideration are more important than the amount of money you spend. Spend quality time with your loved senior and create new memories for the future. l

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HOLIDAYS 2021

19

Staying Safe and Joyful: Tips for a Dementia-Friendly Holiday Celebration

F

or many, the holiday season is a joyful one spent together with loved ones—including families affected by dementia. Being adaptable and building an inclusive environment are key to creating dementia-friendly holidays and celebrations. With the holiday season right around the corner, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is providing tips on how families affected by dementia can adapt holiday gatherings to make them safe and dementia-friendly during this festive time.

“The best way to support someone with dementia during the holiday season is to create an inclusive environment to enjoy holidays and celebrations, while understanding and adapting to changes and being aware of the many emotions the holidays can bring,” said Jennifer Reeder, LMSW, AFA’s Director of Educational and Social Services.

Families caring for someone with dementia should consider the following steps: Adapt past favorite traditions or create new ones.

Build on old traditions where you can, such as enjoying favorite music or movies. Start new ones around things the persons can, and likes to do, such as tour-

Be open with guests.

Consider sharing beneficial information with guests beforehand, such as ways they can communicate with the person, what they respond well to, and what may upset them—especially visitors who don’t regularly interact with the individual. This will guide them on how they can be helpful and supportive. ing neighborhood holiday lights, and do it together. Whenever possible, involve the person by asking what traditions are important to them (this will help you prioritize and plan). For example, if the person used to do all the holiday cooking, make it a new tradition to cook together as a family. If they oversaw hanging holiday lights, make it a group effort.

Avoid overdecoration.

Excess stimuli may be challenging for someone with dementia. Too many flickering lights or an abundance of decorations can be overstimulating and disorienting. Also, be aware of the person’s sensitivity to factors such as loud noises.

Create a safe and calm space.

Avoid fragile decorations (which can shatter and create sharp fragments) and

ones that could be mistaken for edible treats (which can create a choking hazard or broken teeth). Reduce clutter to avoid potential tripping hazards. Securely hook Christmas trees to the wall to avoid falls and utilize menorahs or kinaras with electric candles to reduce fire hazards.

During the celebration Preserve normal routine.

Changes in daily routine can be challenging for someone living with dementia. If the person usually takes an afternoon walk, build in time for that. If they go to bed early, hold the celebration earlier in the day so that everyone can participate.

Holiday Celebrations Like with traditions, adapting celebrations is key for a dementia-friendly holiday. Try to focus on what they enjoy while keeping in mind their safety and comfort.

Connect with loved ones through technology.

Videoconference technology (i.e., Facetime, Zoom, Skype) can include others who can’t attend in person.

Before the celebration Prepare the person.

Help build familiarity and comfort by showing them photos of the guests or arrange a phone call/Facetime chat with the visitors beforehand.

Take a Strengths-Based and PersonCentered Approach.

Focus on what the person is still able to do and what they choose to do now, rather than dwelling on what they used to do.l

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20

HOLIDAYS 2021

9 Holiday Travel Safety Tips During Covid-19 7. Bring hand sanitizer: Sanitizer is a must-have for holiday travel. Make sure you have plenty of it so you can keep your hands clean throughout your journey, especially if you're taking public transportation.

BY CHRIS TOBIAS

N

ow that vaccines for COVID-19 have become more widely available, more and more people are making travel plans for the upcoming holidays. However, the pandemic hasn't ended yet, which means you'll want to take precautions if you plan to travel this holiday season. This is especially the case with the new Omicron variant causing more uncertainty and unease. With that in mind, following are nine critical holiday travel safety tips: 1. Get vaccinated: Make sure you're immunized against covid-19 and that all of your shots are up to date (get your booster if you haven't already). The most effective deterrent against the virus when traveling is to get vaccinated against it.

2. Get tested before you leave: Although the vaccine will reduce the risk of getting COVID-19, you can still get it. As such, if you're traveling somewhere, such as to a family holiday gathering, you should strongly consider getting tested before you leave. The last thing you want is to spread the virus without knowing you had it —especially if you're visiting at-risk family members and friends.

8. Try to avoid crowds: Avoid crowds as much as possible. Of course, it may be challenging to do so (such as at an airport). If you are forced to wander through a crowd, try to keep six feet distance between you and anyone around you — and wear a mask!

3. Look into your destination's COVID-19 status: You should look into the COVID-19 status of your holiday travel destination before you leave. If the area you're visiting has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases, you might want to reconsider your travel plans.

cials if they ask for it. Not to mention that some establishments, including restaurants, bars and live-music venues, may require vaccine cards to gain admission. Most places will accept an image of your vaccine card on your smartphone.

4. Familiarize yourself with COVID19 rules: Not every place has the same laws regarding vaccination status and mask use. Check the regulations of the area you're visiting so that you don't accidentally break the law.

6. Take extra masks with you: Make sure you and whoever you're traveling with have additional masks in case the one you're wearing gets dirty, worn out or lost. Some places require everyone to wear masks indoors — but even if they don't, you should still strongly consider doing so to help further reduce the risk of infection. Some countries also are now prohibiting cloth masks.

5. Don't forget your vaccine card: Make sure you don't forget your vaccine card. You'll need it to show security, medical staff and law enforcement offi-

9. Be aware of the symptoms: Be mindful of what the symptoms are so that you can isolate yourself from your family if you experience any of them. If you get infected while traveling for the holidays, the last thing you'll want to do is spread it to loved ones.

Nobody wants to go through another year without spending time with their families during the holidays. However, before you book your holiday travel, it's essential to take the necessary precautions to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. By following the tips listed above, you'll significantly reduce your chances of getting COVID-19 during your holiday travels. l

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21

HOLIDAYS 2021

Five Holiday Ideas for Couples Who Don't Want to Exchange Gifts

BY JANET HOWARD

C

hoosing the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday list can be stressful. And for long-term couples, traditional gift exchanges may also get a little boring. This holiday season, create a new tradition that focuses on togetherness rather than materialism with these five holiday ideas for couples who don't want to exchange gifts.

1. Spend a Whole Lazy Day Together If you're in a long-term relationship, chances are it's been a long time since you spent a whole, uninterrupted day with your partner. Between work, family obligations, errands, and maintaining a social life, it can be hard to find the time for each other. This holiday season, treat yourselves by taking a day to focus solely on one another. Take a vacation day, ignore your chores, turn your phones off, and spend the day doing whatever you feel like doing.

A lazy day will help you and your partner to relax and reconnect just in time for the new year. Plus, you'll forgo materialism and get to experience the real meaning of the season by celebrating your love.

expensive present for your partner.

2. Go on Vacation Spending a lazy day at home can be great for a quick recharge, but nothing says relaxation quite like a vacation. Instead of exchanging gifts, consider pooling your resources and going on a vacation at the end of the year instead. A vacation allows you to leave behind all the stressors of everyday life while also experiencing new cultures.

If money is tight, skip birthday and anniversary gifts for a year too and save for your holiday break instead. It will be worth it - especially if you live somewhere with harsh winter weather that you can escape.

3. Plan a Fancy Date Night If you can't quite afford a vacation, planning a fancy date night is a budgetfriendly alternative that can be just as special. Choose an upscale restaurant and get all dressed up for a night of great food and great memories. Then finish the night by taking in a movie, or choose another activity that the two of you enjoy.

Splurging on a fancy night out will probably cost you just as much as you would have spent on gifts, but the memories you'll make will last a lot longer.

4. Choose Practical Gifts If you're not quite ready to completely forgo traditional gift exchanges, you can still distance yourselves from materialism by focusing on sensible gifts. Fill a stocking for your partner with practical items like razors, socks, and other commonly used items. That way, you both still have gifts to open, but they are necessary items.

You can also add a few small, fun gifts in the stockings as well. Little surprise gifts will keep the holidays fun without the pressure of having to find the perfect,

5. Splurge on a Shared Gift Instead of buying each other gifts this holiday season, pool your money and buy something together that you can both enjoy. This could be something fun, like a new TV, or something more practical, like a new piece of furniture for the house.

Many stores have sales throughout the holiday season, so the money you would usually spend on each other can be used to snag a great deal together instead.

Plus, you'll have the chance to work on your communication skills as you compromise on a gift you'll both enjoy.

If conventional holiday gift exchanges are getting stale in your long-term relationship, it may be time to start a new tradition. Instead of gifts, set aside time to relax with your partner, either at home or on vacation, or spend a fancy night out at a great restaurant. If you still want to exchange gifts, focus on sensible items, like everyday necessities or something shared for your home. These new traditions alleviate the pressure of having to find the perfect gift for your partner, allowing you to focus instead on each other this holiday season.l

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Your work is essential!

Protect yourself & others from flu and COVID-19 this fall and winter:

MASK UP

LATHER UP

SLEEVE UP

Wear a face mask that covers your nose and mouth.

And keep your distance (at least 6 feet) from others when you can.

Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever.

Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season.

A flu vaccine can protect you, your loved ones, and your co-workers from flu.

You can also protect those around you by staying home if you are sick.

CS319348D

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23

HOLIDAYS 2021

Skip Fights About Digital Devices Over the Holidays – Instead, Let Them Bring Your Family Together

BY SHELIA R. COTTEN THE CONVERSATION

H

olidays are a time for family and friends to come together, to celebrate and to enjoy each other’s company. Older adults, who are often lonely and socially isolated, can particularly look forward to reconnecting with family and friends. However, when technology enters the picture, gatherings may not be quite so positive.

All across the U.S., people of all ages are increasingly using technology – including adults 65 and older. My research, and that of others, has found that using computers, smartphones and the internet can help seniors fight depression and loneliness, and enhance their sense of well-being and self-worth.

Technology use can also help older adults feel like they matter to others and help them stay connected with loved ones.

However, my research, with colleagues, has also found that older adults still prefer in-person social interactions.

This can cause problems during holidayseason family gatherings, when younger relatives are likely to want to spend lots

of time on their smartphones and other devices, often ignoring others in the same physical location. It’s a conflict one of my Ph.D. students, Christopher Ball, has called the “physical-digital divide.”

Fortunately, our work both offers explanations for these difficulties and suggests ways to turn holiday disagreement and disappointment into increased family connection that can last all year long.

Conflicting feelings When they’re away on family visits that can last several days, it’s common for young people – tweens, teens and those in their 20s – to want to stay connected to their friends. However, older adults near-

by may feel frustrated, disrespected, isolated and even offended.

In our study, older adults told us they often attempt to limit this and other negative effects of digital devices by declaring tech-free “bubbles” at particular times or places. They ask their friends and relatives to put devices aside during mealtimes and other key activities, to better focus on engaging with others face to face.

But that’s not the only way to create a balance between using technology and interacting directly.

Finding opportunities Certainly there can be times when devices should be put down and in-person interaction comes first. Yet all generations can benefit when older family members see how they can use technology to improve their own lives.

Our work suggests that situations with potential for intergenerational conflict can be shifted to bring relatives together: Younger generations can show their older family members about technological devices.

Grandchildren, for example, can demonstrate to their grandparents how they use

mobile phones, tablets and social media, explaining what they like about the technologies. It might even turn into a teaching opportunity, helping older family members learn to entertain themselves online. They might even want to find out how to text – or even video chat – with geographically distant relatives. Using these technologies can help people stay connected to friends and family once the holidays are over.

That will likely require some additional patience on the part of the younger technology coach. Older adults learn at slower rates than younger generations. And it may be harder for them to remember instructions, so they might need to be shown how to use the device or app several times. A key factor is making sure the relatives know they can ask for help when technical difficulties inevitably strike.

If older family members see how excited their descendants are about using digital devices, they may decide to cross the generational digital divide – which can help them live more enjoyable, connected lives not just during the holidays, but all throughout the year. l

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High blood pressure, diabetes & your heart Type 2 diabetes puts you at higher risk for heart disease, but there are steps you can take to lower your risk. Managing your blood pressure is one way to lower your risk of heart disease.

High blood pressure is anything above 120/80 mmHg.

What can you do?

Start simple

What’s the connection?

Ask your doctor to check your kidney function and blood pressure.

Adults with diabetes are

Know your numbers

MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK OR STROKE THAN PEOPLE WITHOUT DIABETES.

The combination of high blood pressure and diabetes drastically increases your risks. That’s why it’s vital to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.

If you have diabetes, there is a lot you can do to manage your high blood pressure.

Talk to your doctor about your next steps.

Keeping your blood pressure and blood glucose in your target ranges is vital for your overall health.

Keep it up Take care of yourself with exercise, healthy diet and taking your medications as prescribed.

You’re not in this alone. Find answers to your questions and join the initiative at: https://KnowDiabetesbyHeart.org/join © 2020 American Heart Association, Inc. and American Diabetes Association, 501(c)(3) not-for-profits. All rights reserved. Know Diabetes by Heart is a trademark of the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association. Unauthorized use prohibited. Citations available upon request.

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The lawyer you hire, does make a difference!

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