#Senior care services in my area

[theseniorcare]

How SOC Can Make Your Mom at Home

Old age can be a terrorizing and depressing thought for most of us, the challenges get multiplied with signs of memory loss or dementia. It is then that it gets very difficult for family members to take care of the ailing, elderly. An assisted living or facility is quite often the best solution. We take a lot of pride when we say that Serenity of Commerce is the best care provider for your mom and her health conditions. We understand it is a difficult choice for the family to entrust the responsibilities of their mom to an external agency so we doubly assure that we make your mom feel “at home”. 

Built on a sprawling and picturesque setting amidst lush greenery, our institution is an epitome of love and care. We treat each member as our family and welcome them with a warm hug. We ensure the comfort of home and beyond. Our top priority remains safety and security. Our trained staff maintains the best hospitality and medical standards and imparts a homely atmosphere round the clock. 

Apart from the physical and mental well being of your mom, we also take care of their social well being. Make them feel special in every possible way by arranging get-togethers, small picnics, and musical evenings. We believe there is nothing more healing than soaking in the winter sun and enjoying the spring breeze, we make your mom enjoy each season and its varied colors with us. 

At Serenity of Commerce, our main motto remains the overall development and assessment of each member with proper medical aid along with abundant love and care, so that they never miss their homes. The families should also rest assured because they know their mothers are in safe hands.

Source URL : https://www.serenityofcommerce.com/blog-details?linkname=how-soc-can-make-your-mom-at-home

[heartfeltcareathome]

Finding the right provider is indeed crucial, but you can simplify the process by assessing some vital facts like the compatibility of the caregivers, the experience and expertise of the providers, and the breadth of support services. More focus should be given to the fulfillment of future requirements rather than meeting the immediate needs of care. Visit: https://heartfeltcareathome.com/

[sepublic]

            So thanks to @coulrology the revelations on Osran knowing Kikimora’s mother and helping her get into the Emperor’s Coven (and there being ‘resentment’ from this) are driving me insane because what happened during Follies at the Coven Day Parade?????

            Did Osran have any thoughts about Kikimora’s mother telling her to abandon her duties to go visit??? After all, HE wouldn’t dare to do that, and of course he’s a Coven Head who genuinely matters for the Day of Unity whereas Kikimora is just another interchangeable tool (Ignore that Osran canonically has an unseen replacement sshhhhh). Did Kikimora consider going to Osran, having him vouch for her since he’s a senior?

            Dana mentions ‘resentment’ which makes me wonder if Kikimora feels humiliation at having to rely on Osran, on ‘owing’ him a favor perhaps. So maybe she never brought this up to Osran for this exact reason, it’d be a second favor. Kikimora definitely likes to rely on her connections, but it points to a paradoxical self-loathing at having to depend on others, on not being the one in charge and pulling the strings. She wants to manipulate, not beg!

            And I guess Kikimora’s mother never brought it up to Osran, Hey you got her into this job, tell her to leave it! Probably because she was talking to Kiki herself the whole time, no need right? Does Osran feel any resentment himself, did he feel he ‘owed’ one to Kiki’s mom and sees Kikimora as just a nepo baby he helped create? So seeing Kikimora struggle because she never earned it and is still beholden to her mother who actually got her that is like. His cruel vindication. Maybe she should leave and Osran just bluntly tells Kikimora to do so, furthering her breakdown and desperation to (initially) accept Luz’s help.

            Osran was basically confirmed to come from the same hand as Kikimora, which does ruin my little gag I always had in mind of her appealing to him over this, only for Ozzy to flatly correct her, “I’m from the right hand.” AKA the Bonesborough area. Titan, what did they feel about Palm Stings being displaced, being made colder than the Knee because of Belos? Did Kikimora and her mother have to move out, or did they adapt the way witches can somehow live on the side of the Knee?

            The ecological devastation must be insane; I bet Kikimora soothes herself knowing she basically single-handedly ruined Belos’ entire work of centuries, when he could’ve been nicer to her. It was her actions that led to him wasting away for months in agony and humiliation, building himself back up just to start falling apart when his regeneration reached its limit. I bet that made her feel REAL good.

            But yeah, we know now that Kikimora is stuck doing community service via physical labor; Or maybe it’s not even community service, it’s just a regular job because her outfit may or may not be a uniform. Did she have her mother come back to her, asking for help? Did Osran ever meet up with Kikimora and attempt to talk her down, subdue her, feel some responsibility because maybe she wouldn’t have gone so far if he hadn’t gotten her into the coven to begin with?

            On the other hand, as I’ve said; Kikimora actually ended up being the lynchpin, which must’ve been an empowering realization that she unfortunately took the wrong lesson from in attempting to become a shadow empress during the Collector’s reign. Did Osran ever think to himself, Wow I helped save the Boiling Isles! He’s not seen vying for power like Terra, Adrian, and Vitimir are; It could point to him actually caring about the isles on some basic level.

            So maybe in contrast to Kikimora, Osran uses this feeling of importance for good; He decides to help the CATTs rebuild the Boiling Isles into a democratic society, hence the Boiling Isles Council. I don’t recall anyone or anything saying that Raine, Darius, and Eberwolf are the only members, maybe Osran is among them. But maybe he isn’t because he’s old and retired, happy to know that maybe he ultimately undid more damage than he caused as a coven ehad.

            Though, he might certainly mourn the damage he indirectly caused to Palm Stings; But given the alternative was Belos committing genocide, a displaced landmass is tolerable. But does Kikimora care? Or did she renounce her home like she renounced the family that lived there? I would not put it past her…

            Augh this reminds me of a Post-Hoot where they mentioned a scrapped concept for S3 of the protagonists wandering a desert in Abomination mechs; And we know Kikimora has Roka, AND she comes from a desert. That’s a glimpse into a Kikimora storyline, and probably Osran too; And probably Blight Industries because of the use of mechs plural, and we know Kikimora got hers from Odalia. So maybe Odalia and/or Alador, and some of the Blight kids, would be there.

            And Darius why not? He’s got ties to the Blights and might want to keep an eye on them and Kikimora and Osran; Esp Kiki since Raine seemed to clock her as a potential asset in the rebellion, which obviously proved to be good judgment. Imagine Raine telling Darius to keep an eye on Kikimora and Osran, esp if Osran is ultimately well-intentioned; And Darius melds an Abomination spy into one of the mechs, or even fuses with one of them to replace its goop components and hide within it! Haha, man…

[prince-liest]

Wooo, the past two days have reminded me that I really enjoy medicine! It's just the emergency department that isn't for me, almost as if I chose family medicine for a reason, haha. (Also apparently our local ED is a shitshow. I wouldn't really know, as it's my only point of reference, and as far as I know most EDs in underserved areas are shitshows. At any rate, I lost a patient for 3 hours the other day because someone moved them without telling me and updated the chart incorrectly, and I hunted for them all around THRICE without finding them, and signed them out as Left During Treatment until someone finally called me like, "Heyyy... so did you send X to the pharmacy...?" and I was like, "They're STILL HERE???"... ANYWAY.......)

No matter what rotation we're currently on, the family medicine residents do 1.5 days of clinic a week, and half a day of didactics. ED shifts can't be interrupted, so mine are all lined up so that I have all of Tuesday in clinic, and Wednesday split between clinic/didactic. I've basically gotten only half a day off so far in the past two weeks due to the night shift schedule, but this litte two-day family medicine interlude has felt like a break in its own way, haha. Now that I'm getting a better hang of the EMR, clinic just feels very nice, and it's exactly what I want to be doing. And as part of our didactic, we spent a couple of hours today doing sports physicals for the nearby college, which was neat! Got free pizza after, too, eyy.

One small thing I really wish was standardized is that anybody on inpatient service and emergency medicine rotations had an official break, at least 30 minutes per shift (which is not a lot considering shifts are 8-10 hours for ED and 12 hours for inpatient service). Most other rotations (including even inpatient pediatrics) have an hour designated for lunch, but two of the most grueling ones don't, and what ends up happening is that even if my seniors have told me not to worry and to take a 30 minute lunch in the ED, I feel guilty doing it because everybody else is scarfing down a 10 minute sandwich at their computers while staring at the patient charts and I feel bad taking even 15 whole minutes because it's noticably 5 minutes longer than the EM resident took! And it's the same thing for my coresident that's currently on inpatient service. It's just a long time to go without a dedicated break and it's part of what makes those services exhausting.

Anyway, today and yesterday were both good and I have some things I'm sooo excited for! I got into contact with the new endocrinologist that works with our program because she does trans health care and we're going to start a trans health clinic together. The only real question, which my program director is going to be talking over with her, is figuring out how I can participate in that longitudinally, because unfortunately it doesn't count for my family medicine continuity clinic, and there are some rotations where the hour requirements apparently don't allow me so much as to take a half-day per month for a different service (lookin' at you, inpatient service - which is 6a-6p, 6 days a week, so they'd also be breaking duty hour restrictions if they put the clinic half day on one of my single weekly days off lol).

Regardless, we'll figure something out! I really, really want to do this and my PD is excited about it, so I think they will try to make something work. I'm kinda crossing my fingers that they do allow me to take one half-day per month for this even on inpatient service.

[thepaintedsable]

Sketchbook page, but this time I think I've found a thing I like. That's Not My Neighbor OC and a few extra worldbuilding concepts for them + a little sketchbook Journaling to commemorate the northern lights being pushed down across the entire US!

Talking headcannons/fun concept stuff and closeups under the cut:

Have I played TNMN? No. Do I think I'd even like playing TNMN? Probably not for more than a few minutes or when I need a repetitive task to procrastinate or something. Not a fault of the game, just not my style haha. Does the concept of postwar/Cold War era monster horror intrigue me to no end? Hell yeah.

I'm not too into history, really, but I don't think people are digging into that fact enough. It is Febuary of 1955. Nineteen. Fifty-five. The Second World War was only a decade ago, the second red scare and McCarthyism is still on fire in the states, the US-soviet arms race is in full force, the Cold War is still weighing heavy on citizens minds, and a lot more stuff I’m not educated enough to remember!!! But what's this? There's non-human creatures of unknown origins preying upon citizens, often attempting to take the form of a human being but failing and producing horrible, mangled excuses for the human form as a result? To the point where we have a whole new protective service to deal with their capture and new jobs formed to watch communal living facilities?

Are apparement complexes more or less popular, considering the risks of living without a doorman and those of living in a highly populated area? Is the arms race contributing to more weapons being created for the common citizen, for the DDD? How does this change the political situation, the rumors, the drama? Gosh, the world must be on fire in that regard!

Why, the draft is in very recent memory. Why wouldn't they employ it to instate their doormen? I mean, not many would want to be face to face with a traumatizing, intelligent monster, even behind glass.

Meet Doorman #365, an unfortunate fellow drafted to be locked in the building, forced to wear a gas mask used in the last great war, and entrusted with a dozen human lives!!! Yay! He's been nicknamed "Leroy" by his residents, to give him a more... human touch. Really, they find the masks and military nature of this new batch of doormen to be highly unsettling, but it must be for their own good, right? I mean, just look what happend to the old doormen who didnt have these safety measures, the old tenants...

Drafted and unhappy about it, he is basically on house arrest within the building, and what used to be just an office space and surprisingly large janitors closet is now officially his apartment. Whenever out of the enclosed parts of his room, he is expected to be in full uniform, mask included. He is currently one of two Doormen stationed at his building, the senior of the pair. Neither knows what the other actually looks like. Doormen are escorted by DDD to new complexes and should not be allowed to enter otherwise.

The masks were found to confuse some of the less intelligent doppelgangers, producing much more obvious yet twisted forms as they attempted to replicate what they believed to be extra or less eyes (glass visors), intestines (breathing tubes), etc. at the residences that employed them. It swiftly became policy. With some tweaks, the old gas masks of the war could also mask voices as well. To avoid further issues of doormen being copied, doormen were bid to stay indoors and stay covered at all times. Being extremely unpopular job, a draft was set.

Doormen must appear friendly, though! So styling and care of uniform also became extremely important. This is mostly up to the doorman (to increase morale, of course!) so each uniform, and therefore each building, will have its own personality :) DDD graciously supplies all uniform pieces, room decorations, and weekly rations for their Doormen, selected from the catalog! Residents are encouraged to increase connection to their doormen, though, so home-cooked meals and outside trinkets are not uncommon.

Leroy is not... enthused about this job. Hes not even allowed to use his actual name outside of his coworker, and he thinks he might be going a little stir crazy at this point. He certainly wouldn't have chosen this position for himself, but his birthday was picked, so what can he do? Desert? And be hunted down like a doppelganger? Hell no. At least he gets to sit behind some hopefully bulletproof glass and surely reinforced walls all day. His residents aren't too bad (he thinks some try too hard at not seeming suspicious, though), his coworker is... undecided, and even though the doppelgangers are, well, scary they haven't been too clever at his location. He often gets handed newspaper clippings or used wrappers instead of the entry forms and IDs. They're getting smarter, just very slowly. He hopes he isn't around when they wise up.

I really enjoy thinking about all this lol.

[himblebo]

I’m always thinking about clothes and clothes hold so much significance in Rebecca and I just need to say that I would redesign Danny’s costume for the musical to set her firmly in the past that she can’t let go of. Everybody else dressed for 1926, Danny dressed for 1916 or thereabouts. I don’t recall if it’s ever explicitly stated how long Maxim and Rebecca were married, but the number 10 is rattling around in my head so it’s what I’m going with. It would distance her further from reality and do some of the storytelling for her character visually. She doesn’t care for what’s new, she wants things to stay the way they were with Rebecca. So she would probably be wearing the same kind of uniform in 1926 that she would’ve been wearing when she and Rebecca first came to Manderley however many years ago.

Something along the lines of this silhouette, which isn’t terribly far off from the existing costume, but is still different. A wash dress or tub dress would simply be the most practical daily attire!

No weird hip peplum thing, and proper undergarments so that the frumpy unfitted bodice has that soft pigeon-breast shape.

There’s still quite a bit of fabric in the skirt, but rather than flaring out at the hips it falls more straight—flattened hips are in from this point on until curves start to come back into fashion later in the 1930s. Remember, fabric was rationed during WW1–and the kind of thrift that was instilled in everyone during that time, let alone someone like Mrs. Danvers, is a value that would likely stick around for awhile in rural areas like the coast where Manderley sits (as opposed to cities, where trends and goods cycle much faster), giving her more reason to keep wearing the same things: they are perfectly serviceable garments, no need to spend the time or money making replacements. That would be inefficient and wasteful.

I’m almost certain that the existing hip peplum and slouchy bodice are intentional to make the actress appear stern and frumpy, but that also doesn’t scan right for me—Mrs. Danvers would keep her clothes perfectly tailored. There’s also something to be said of the implications of an older style—even if you’re not a fashion historian, most people see an older style and immediately have some sort of association of seniority or authority (it distinguishes an older person when in contrast to newer styles) as well as a certain frumpiness or orneriness (the resolution not to change). If it’s properly tailored and has the proper support garments (girdle and brassiere at this point, maybe a bust bodice for shaping, but we’re past corsets and into flattening the hips without accentuating the natural waist), it can have the same effect and communicate more about the character’s past and motivations.

I think one of the best examples of this tactic I’ve seen in costuming is Jessica chastain’s character in crimson peak—I clocked immediately that her clothing was 15-20 years out of style, and it told me right away that the passage of time (and the refusal to accept the passage of time) was an important aspect of the story.

Anyway I’m absolutely supposed to be doing something else right now and none of the books I have in the office go past the 1890s so. This post would be better if I had access to the 1910s catalog reproductions that I have in my workshop at home.

[anamazingangie]

The Women Surrounding a Medieval Queen

This goes through the different types of maids that would serve a Queen, as well as the different duties and function of companions or lady's in waiting

This is something i've had in docs as a personal reference forever. I'm putting it here so I can link it on discord, but please note NONE of this information is my own, it has all been collected from a dozen+ wikipedia pages.

Overview of Maid Types:

Maids traditionally have a fixed position in the hierarchy of the large households, and although there is overlap between definitions (dependent on the size of the household) the positions themselves would typically be rigidly adhered to. The usual classifications of maid in a large household are:

Lady's maid: a senior servant who reported directly to the lady of the house, but ranked beneath the housekeeper, and accompanied her lady on travel. She took care of her mistress's clothes and hair, and sometimes served as confidante. .

House-maid or housemaid: a generic term for maids whose function was chiefly "above stairs", and were usually a little older, and better paid. Where a household included multiple housemaids, the roles were often subdivided as below. .

Head house-maid: the senior house maid, reporting to the housekeeper. (Also called "house parlour maid" in an establishment with only one or two upstairs maids). .

Parlour maid: they cleaned and tidied reception rooms and living areas by morning, and often served refreshments at afternoon tea, and sometimes also dinner. They tidied studies and libraries, and (with footmen) answered bells calling for service. .

Chamber maid: they cleaned and maintained the bedrooms, ensured fires were lit in fireplaces, and supplied hot water. .

Laundry maid: they maintained bedding and towels. They also washed, dried, and ironed clothes for the whole household, including the servants. .

Under house parlour maid: the general deputy to the house parlour maid in a small establishment which had only two upstairs maids. .

Nursery maid: also an "upstairs maid", but one who worked in the children's nursery, maintaining fires, cleanliness, and good order. Reported to the nanny rather than the housekeeper. The nursemaid would often stay with one family for years or as long as their services were needed.  .

Kitchen maid: a "below stairs" maid who reported to the cook, and assisted in running the kitchens.

Head kitchen maid: where multiple kitchen maids were employed, the "head kitchen maid" was effectively a deputy to the cook, engaged largely in the plainer and simpler cooking (sometimes cooking the servants' meals). .

Under kitchen maid: where multiple kitchen maids were employed, these were the staff who prepared vegetables, peeled potatoes, and assisted in presentation of finished cooking for serving. .

Scullery maid: the lowest grade of "below stairs" maid, reporting to the cook, the scullery maids were responsible for washing cutlery, crockery, and glassware, and scrubbing kitchen floors, as well as monitoring ovens while kitchen maids ate their own supper. .

Between maid, sometimes known as a "tweeny": roughly equivalent in status to scullery maids, and often paid less, between maids in a large household waited on the senior servants (butler, housekeeper, and cook) and were therefore answerable to all three department heads, often leading to friction in their employment. .

Still room maid: a junior maid employed in the still room; as the work involved the supply of alcohol, cosmetics, medicines, and cooking ingredients across all departments of the house, the still room maids were part of the "between staff", jointly answerable to all three department heads.

A Closer Look

A lady's companion was a woman of genteel birth who lived with a woman of rank or wealth as retainer. Where ladies-in-waiting were usually women from the most privileged backgrounds who took the position for the prestige of associating with royalty, or for the enhanced marriage prospects available to those who spent time at court, a lady's companions usually took up their occupation because they needed to earn a living and have somewhere to live. A companion is not to be confused with lady's maid.

Like a governess, a lady's companion was not regarded as a servant, but neither was she really treated as an equal; however her position in the household of her employer was notably less awkward and solitary than that of a governess. Only women from a class background similar to or only a little below that of their employer would be considered for the position.

The companion's role was to spend her time with her employer, providing company and conversation, to help her to entertain guests and often to accompany her to social events. In return she would be given a room in the family's part of the house, rather than the servants' quarters; all of her meals would be provided, and she would eat with her employer; and she would be paid a small salary, which would be called an "allowance" – never "wages".

She would not be expected to perform any domestic duties which her employer might not carry out herself, in other words little other than giving directions to servants, fancy sewing and pouring tea. Thus the role was not very different from that of an adult relation in respect of the lady of a household, except for the essential subservience resulting from financial dependency. Lady's companions were employed because upper- and middle-class women spent most of their time at home. A lady's companion might be taken on by an unmarried woman living on her own, by a widow, a married woman who lived with her husband and sons but had no daughters and desired female company, or by an unmarried woman who was living with her father or another male relation but had lost her mother, and was too old to have a governess.

In the last case the companion would also act as a chaperone; at the time, it would not have been socially acceptable for a young lady to receive male visitors without either a male relation or an older lady present (a female servant would not have sufficed).

A lady's maid is a female personal attendant who waits on her female employer. The role of a lady's maid is similar to that of a gentleman's valet.

Traditionally, the lady's maid was not as high-ranking as a lady's companion, who was a retainer rather than a servant, but the rewards included room and board, travel and somewhat improved social status. In the servants' hall, a lady's maid took precedence akin to that of her mistress.

In Britain, a lady's maid would be addressed by her surname by her employer, while she was addressed as "Miss" by junior servants or when visiting another servants' hall.

A lady's maid's specific duties included helping her mistress with her appearance, including make-up, hairdressing, clothing, jewellery, and shoes.

A lady's maid would also remove stains from clothing; sew, mend, and alter garments as needed; bring her mistress breakfast in her room; and draw her mistress's bath. However, she would not be expected to dust and clean every small item, as that would be the job of a housemaid.

A maid, housemaid, or maidservant were once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, where the retinue of servants stretched up to the housekeeper and butler, responsible for female and male employees respectively. The word "maid" itself means an unmarried young woman or virgin. Domestic workers, particularly those low in the hierarchy, such as maids and footmen, were expected to remain unmarried while in service

"What the fuck is a lady in waiting, then?"

A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank A lady-in-waiting was considered more of a secretary, courtier, or companion to her mistress than a servant.

In some other parts of the world, the lady-in-waiting, often referred to as palace woman, was in practice a servant or a slave rather than a high-ranking woman though they had the same duties. In courts where polygamy was practised, a court lady was formally available to the monarch for sexual services, and she could become his wife, consort, courtesan, or concubine.

The duties of ladies-in-waiting at the Tudor court were to act as companions for the queen, both in public and in private. They had to accompany her wherever she went, to entertain her with music, dance or singing and to dress, bathe and help her use the toilet, since a royal person, by the standards of the day, was not supposed to do anything for herself, but was always to be waited upon in all daily tasks as a sign of their status.

Other functions historically discharged by ladies-in-waiting included proficiency in the etiquette, languages, dances, horse riding, music making, and painting prevalent at court; keeping her mistress abreast of activities and personages at court; care of the rooms and wardrobe of her mistress; secretarial tasks; supervision of servants, budget and purchases; reading correspondence to her mistress and writing on her behalf; and discreetly relaying messages upon command.

Ladies-in-waiting were appointed because of their social status as members of the nobility, on the recommendation of court officials, or other prominent citizens, and because they were expected to be supporters of the royal family due to their own family relationships. When the queen was not a foreigner, her own relations were often appointed as they were presumed to be trustworthy and loyal.

The ladies-in-waiting were headed by the mistress of the robes, followed in rank by the first lady of the bedchamber, who supervised the group of ladies of the bedchamber (typically wives or widows of peers above the rank of earl), in turn followed by the group of women of the bedchamber (usually the daughters of peers) and finally the group of maids of honour.

Ok here is where it gets confusing

First Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of the highest of the ladies of the bedchamber, those holding the official position of personal attendants on a queen or princess. The position is traditionally held by a female member of a noble family.

Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. 

The Maid of the Bedchamber was an office of high status selected from nobility. She had often been a maid of honour before she was promoted, because of birth or royal favor. Her tasks were essentially the same as the tasks of the maids of honour, though they were of higher status. 

A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. 

The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. 

Traditionally, a queen regnant had eight maids of honour, while a queen consort had four; Queen Anne Boleyn, however, had over 60.

A maid of honour was a maiden, meaning that she had never been married (and therefore was ostensibly a virgin), and was usually young and a member of the nobility. 

The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the household who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. (In the 18th century Princesses of Wales had one too).

Initially responsible for the queen's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post-holder latterly had the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting on the queen, being in attendance herself on more formal occasions, and undertaking duties at state ceremonies.  During the 17th and 18th centuries, this role often overlapped with or was replaced as first lady of the bedchamber. In modern times, the mistress of the robes was almost always a duchess.

A brief overview of a medieval household and the male/king's equivalents.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Jesse Singal

Published: Mar 22, 2024

Yesterday CNN published an article by senior writer Tara John about the UK National Health Service’s newly skeptical stance toward youth gender medicine. The main takeaway, which is big news to observers of this debate, is that the NHS will no longer provide puberty blockers to young people, other than in research contexts. (As for cross-sex hormones, a relatively strict-seeming regime is set to be implemented, and they will be offered to youth only “from around their 16th birthday.”)

As myself and a number of others pointed out, the article contains a sentence that is, in context, rather wild: John writes that “Gender-affirming care is medically necessary, evidence-based care that uses a multidisciplinary approach to help a person transition from their assigned gender — the one the person was designated at birth — to their affirmed gender — the gender by which one wants to be known.” But of course, whether youth gender medicine is medically necessary and evidence-based is exactly the thing being debated, and anyone who has been following this debate closely knows that every national health system that has examined this question closely, including the NHS, has come to the same conclusion: the evidence is paltry. That’s why so many countries, including Sweden, Finland, the UK, and Norway have significantly scaled back access to these treatments for youth.1 So it’s very strange to see this sentence, which reads as though it comes from an activist press release, published in a news article in CNN, an outlet that generally adheres to the old-school divide between news and opinion.

There’s a strong case to be made that CNN’s sentence, as written, is false. Gender medicine is at best unproven, when it comes to the standards society (and regulatory bodies) expects medical researchers to adhere to. The situation with youth gender medicine is particularly dicey, given that this is a newer area of medicine suffering from an even severer paucity of quality studies.

It would be bad enough for this sentence to have appeared in one article on one of the most important news websites in the world. But here’s the thing: this wasn’t the first time. Rather, this exact sentence, and close variants of it, has been copied and pasted into dozens of CNN.com stories over the last few years, as a Google search quickly reveals. 

This sentence, and its close variants, appear over and over and over. I asked my researcher to create a list of all the instances he could find. Here’s what he sent back, in reverse chronological order.

1. England’s health service to stop prescribing puberty blockers to transgender kids by Tara John (March 15, 2024)

2. First on CNN: Major medical society re-examines clinical guidelines for gender-affirming care by Jen Christensen (February 26, 2024)

3. Record number of anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in 2023 by Annette Choi (January 22, 2024)

4. Gender-affirming surgeries in US nearly tripled from 2016 to 2019, study finds by Jen Christensen (August 23, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

5. Trump-appointed judge blocks parts of Indiana ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth by Sydney Kashiwagi (June 17, 2023)

6. The debate on the American right isn’t about classified documents. It’s about fear of transgender rights by Zachary B. Wolf (June 15, 2023)

7. 19 states have laws restricting gender-affirming care, some with the possibility of a felony charge by Annette Choi and Will Mullery (June 6, 2023)

8. Alabama governor signs bill placing limits on transgender athletes in college sports by Rebekah Riess and Dakin Andone (May 31, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

9. Missouri attorney general drops controversial emergency rule that would have banned gender-affirming care for children and many adults by Andy Rose and Nouran Salahieh (May 17, 2023)

10. Maryland governor signs bills protecting abortion rights and gender-affirming care by Liam Reilly and Kaanita Iyer (May 3, 2023)

11. Oklahoma governor signs legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors by Jack Forrest and Joe Sutton (May 2, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

12. Missouri judge pauses enforcement of limits on gender-affirming care for trans youth and adults for 15 days by Devan Cole (May 1, 2023)

13. Transgender health care restrictions hit roadblocks in 3 states as gender-affirming care becomes marquee issue for state GOP leaders by Dakin Andone (April 27, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

14. The clock is ticking in Missouri as health care providers race to establish care regimens for trans patients by Alisha Ebrahimji, Kyung Lah, and Anna-Maja Rappard (April 26, 2023)

15. Missouri judge temporarily blocks limits on gender-affirming care for trans youth and adults from going into effect by Devan Cole (April 26, 2023)

16. Gender-affirming care, a ‘crucial’ process for thousands of young people in America by Jen Christensen (April 25, 2023)

17. Advocacy groups sue to block an emergency rule limiting gender-affirming care that’s expected to go into effect this week in Missouri by Michelle Watson, Claudia Dominguez, Taylor Romine, and Kyung Lah (April 25, 2023)

18. Utah state senator’s home vandalized in possible retaliation for transgender bill, police say by Rebekah Riess and Sara Smart (April 22, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

19. North Dakota governor signs gender-affirming care ban for most minors by Michelle Watson and Jack Forrest (April 20, 2023)

20. Indiana and Idaho enact bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth by Sydney Kashiwagi (April 6, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

21. Kentucky GOP overrides governor’s veto of youth gender-affirming care ban by Jack Forrest (March 29, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

22. Kentucky governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care for youth by Kaanita Iyer and Paradise Afshar (March 24, 2023)

23. Georgia’s governor signs ban on certain gender-affirming care for minors by Maxime Tamsett, Pamela Kirkland, and Jack Forrest (March 23, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

24. Florida sued over bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth by Devan Cole (March 23, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians regard. . . ”

25. Missouri AG seeks to restrict gender-affirming care for minors by Raja Razek and Shawna Mizelle (March 21, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians, however, regard the treatment as. . . ”

26. New Mexico governor signs bill protecting access to reproductive and gender-affirming care into law by Paradise Afshar and Kaanita Iyer (March 18, 2023)

27. Minnesota governor signs order protecting access to gender-affirming health care by Chris Boyette and Jack Forrest (March 8, 2023)

28. Tennessee governor signs ban on gender-affirming care for minors by Shawna Mizelle (March 3, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians regard the treatment as. . . ”

29. Democratic AGs condemn DeSantis administration for asking Florida colleges for information on students receiving gender-affirming care by Devan Cole (March 3, 2023)

30. Mississippi enacts ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors by Devan Cole (February 28, 2023)

31. GOP lawmakers escalate fight against gender-affirming care with bills seeking to expand the scope of bans by Devan Cole (February 13, 2023)

32. South Dakota governor signs bill prohibiting gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors by Sydney Kashiwagi (February 13, 2023)

33. Woman faces federal charge for calling in a false bomb threat to a Boston hospital providing gender-affirming care by Sonia Moghe (September 16, 2022)

34. Boston Children’s Hospital says it’s gotten violent threats over care for transgender children by Jen Christensen (August 17, 2022)

35. Texas can continue investigating families seeking gender-affirming care for their transgender children, state Supreme Court says by Alisha Ebrahimji, Ashley Killough, and Raja Razek (May 13, 2022)

I haven’t triple-checked every single one of these, but it’s undeniable that effectively the same words have appeared in about three dozen CNN articles since May of 2022, which was already years after the present wave of European nations rethinking these treatments had begun. 

When I asked CNN about this, I heard back from someone there who explained on background that it’s standard for outlets to provide reporters with guidance about accurate and appropriate language. While that’s true, it doesn’t really answer my question. Sure, it’s not unusual for an outlet to have a house style, sometimes enshrined in a stylebook, that provides rules about how to refer to, for example, individuals in the United States who lack legal status. They used to be called “illegal immigrants,” and now they’re often called “undocumented immigrants,” or language to that effect. This is a fairly normal process by which language changes and, sometimes as a result of a push-pull between outlets and advocacy groups, outlets decide which changes to make and when. So you may or may not agree with the fact that many outlets have switched from “biological sex” to “sex assigned at birth” when discussing trans issues, but the underlying process of switching from one phrase to another is standard and occurs in many areas. 

This is quite different. You do not generally see the same complex sentence pasted over and over and over into news stories written by different authors and published in different sections. I asked CNN if it could provide me any other examples of CNN.com publishing the same sentence in multiple stories by different authors, and posed the same question in an email to Virginia Moseley, the CNN executive editor who, according to the website, “oversee[s] international and domestic news operations across platforms.” I didn’t hear back about this.

This copy-paste job is journalistically problematic for a number of reasons. For one thing, it suggests that CNN has decided, at the editorial level, that its institutional stance is that youth gender medicine is “medically necessary” and “evidence-based.” While they’re being used somewhat colloquially in these articles, these terms have fairly specific definitions in certain medical and legal contexts, and treatments only qualify for such designations if they have exceeded a certain evidentiary benchmark based on solid published research. That is not the case here — far from it, actually. As written, this is a deeply misleading sentence.

The language also puts CNN writers in an awkward position. Does each and every bylined author of these stories believe that youth gender medicine is “medically necessary” and “evidence-based”? Maybe they do (which would be disturbing), but the fact is that they didn’t write these sentences — they, or one of their editors, grabbed that language from somewhere else and pasted it in. They are effectively outsourcing their own judgment on a hotly contested controversy to their employer. This is not what journalists are supposed to do, and, at the risk of repeating myself, it’s significantly different from a reporter rolling their eyes when using language like “undocumented immigrant” or “sex assigned at birth,” rather than their own preferred verbiage. Those are rather small-stakes linguistic quibbles, different not only in degree but in kind from the question of whether or not youth gender medicine is medically necessary and evidence-based. And it goes without saying that a CNN reporter who does develop doubts about youth gender medicine is likely to be deterred from investigating further by the fact that their bosses have already decided that this is the way they’re going to cover this subject — say the line, Bart. Why bother?

It’s a pattern, unfortunately. Many outlets dug themselves into a deep hole on this issue by simply acting as stenographers and megaphones for activist groups rather than doing their jobs. And now that there is ever-mounting evidence undercutting the loudest activist claims, climbing out of this hole is going to be awkward. But there’s no other option, really. Because right now there’s absolutely no reason to take CNN.com seriously on this issue — the site has proven, demonstrably, that it doesn’t take itself seriously on this issue. 

--

1 The sentence doesn’t specifically mention youth gender medicine, but that’s clearly the context in which it was presented. The sentence wouldn’t be accurate as applied to adult care either, anyway — an independent systematic review commissioned by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health came back with rather dismaying results about the quality of research there as well, more info on which here.

==

It's nothing but a religious recitation.

[maplemouse-warriors]

its twin flames tuesday friday

i want to be more consistently posting about twin flames because i AM working on it often, so on tuesdays i'm going to post an update on what i've been chewing on. dont mind how its not tuesday, its fine

this twin flames tuesday will include updates on the following:

Location

Naming System

Clan Structure

BloodClan

Territory Powers

Location

When thinking about what I like in regard to the places in Warriors, I really enjoy the variability. I like that the Clans have such distinct territories, and I like that there's a huge mountain range! I like that SkyClan lives in a river gorge! And I like the different challenges that each location can present, from terrain difficulties to new kinds of predator.

So when I decided to model the Clans' home on a real region, an area that preserved a lot of what I enjoyed of canon was the Northern Cascades, in the Cascadia region of North America. The Northern Cascades National Park has a wealth of information on plants, animals, and biomes in this region, making information easy to find. (I like to peruse the lists of various flora and fauna provided by the US National Park Service provided on the National Park's website. This is my pro-tip for naming cats with ecologically accurate names!)

The Clans in Twin Flames officially live within this region now!

Naming System

A bit more involved, I want to get funky with the structure of naming here. For fun! A fuller write-up of how these names work will probably be somewhere down the line (and can be made higher priority if anyone asks about it), but for now, I have renamed all of Arc One ThunderClan. Some family tree shuffles are included in this. Some of my favorite renames are below:

Star Bright Blue Moon (Bluestar)

Pale Willow Petal (Willowpelt)

Small Mouse Burr (Mousefur)

Star Blistering Sand Storm (Sandstorm)

Wild Flame Blazing (Wildflame / Princess)

Noble Golden Flower (Goldenflower; initially named for the golden eagle)

Strong Cinder Glow (Cinderpelt)

Dry Rustling Bracken (Brackenfur)

Storm Freckled Fern (Ferncloud)

Soft Coot Fur (Sootfur)

Clan Structure

I like keeping most roles fairly fluid, allowing them to be added and removed as a Clan sees fit. However, to add more leadership for a cat to aspire to, I'm adding a Council to each Clan. This mainly provides structure to the 'senior warriors being consulted' aspect of canon, although the method of choosing Council members likely changes Clan to Clan, and potentially leader to leader. WindClan's medicine cat appoints members to the Council, whereas in SkyClan Council members would be voted on. This is in progress, still hammering out the details here.

BloodClan

First off, transfem Scourge. I think Scourge is neat, and this is the highest honor I can bestow.

BloodClan starts as a tight-knit group of strays, and eventually grows to a protection racket/mafia as the Twolegs become more and more hostile to the stray cats in town. They do truly protect people, although the price is much too high.

Scourge herself is born to a ShadowClan cat who left the Clan (still working out exactly WHY she left - I'm thinking either she was in a half-Clan relationship and caught, or she simply chose to leave once Brokenstar started training kits), who is renamed Quince when she is fostered by Nutmeg's owners. Tiny is raised as Rusty and Princess' dear childhood friend, until they join the Clans, and he thinks he will never see them again.

Territory Powers

I am giving the cats magic powers. All of them. These Territory Powers are born out of a community caring for the territory they live on. Proper stewardship and love for the land that a group calls home grants them with a gift. Each cat has a small well of power that they can use in various ways, although if they drain the resource completely, they'll need to wait for it to recharge. Each Clan has 3 different abilities, suited to the Clan's culture and territory. These are gotten based on the territory a cat grows up in, and may change if they move to a new place. For example, when Wild moves from Wind to Thunder, her partially-developed WindClan abilities become newly-acquired ThunderClan abilities after she's stayed for a while. Complete write-ups of these abilities will come in a later Clan Culture post, although if there's a Clan or group you want to hear about sooner, feel free to ask :3

[seniorcaregivertriangle]

I am a mature PCA/caregiver who provides private duty care to the senior/aging population in the Raleigh-Durham area. I have a recent negative TB test, CPR certified, auto liability insurance, reliable transportation, no criminal history, and references.

I work in Wake, Durham, Orange, and Chatham counties only.

My experience:

*Memory care (e.g., dementia, Alzheimer's)

*Hospice/end of life care

*Diabetes care

*Transitional care

*Respite care

*Overnight care

*Hospital sitter

My duties/responsibilities:

*Personal Care: Bathing, toileting, dressing, grooming, and feeding.

*Companion Care: Activities (indoor & outdoor); accompanying on outings and appointments; errands (grocery store, pharmacy).

*Mobility/Ambulation Care: Help with getting in/out of the shower, bed, or chair; assists with walking with/without a walker or rollator; helps with fall prevention measures.

*Medication/Appointment Reminders: Helps monitor blood sugar, blood pressure, and heart rate; helps with appointment, birthday, and bill paying reminders; ensure that meds are taken at the appropriate times.

*Light Housekeeping/Chores: Prepares meals; cleans dishes/kitchen, laundry, vacuum/mop, dust, makes beds, retrieves mail, answers telephone/door, waters plants.

Why pay for the expensive upcharges charged by franchises? Why bother with the constant revolving door of caregivers going in and out of your loved one's home?

Contact me today to learn how my caring and compassionate in-home care services can help provide stability, as well as alleviate the stress and frustration associated with caring for your senior loved one.

Please reply to this post, send an email or call/text me for a confidential interview.

Sincerely,

Tracie

[theseniorcare]

Why Reviewing ADL Reports Are Important

ADL or Activities of Daily Living refers to the practices or the methods that we adopt to streamline the treatment towards better care for our residents. It is imperative to document and visit the ADL at regular intervals to see the progress of your mom with the assigned team of skilled medical practitioners. During such sessions, we also include family members as and when needed. This helps in maintaining transparency and at the end of the day everybody is on the same page concerning the development of your mom. 

We understand that at old age and with a certain memory loss people tend to show different signs at different stages but with a regular reviewing of ADL reports, we get to understand a pattern of each patient. This makes it easier for us to plan a personal care chart for our lovely ladies. As we keep reiterating our first and foremost aim remains to give each one of them unique and undivided attention. 

Documenting the reports and studying them along with doctors also help us to identify medical complications if any and thus prepare the medication accordingly. We also arrange the dietary plan as per the physical and clinical records to keep our ladies fit. 

We also include grooming; proper hygiene habits and see to it that everything is followed properly to avoid any chances of bedsores. We encourage our ladies to socialize and participate in their favorite tasks. This helps them connect with the external world and keeps them happy and cheerful from within. 

All these activities when properly documented, monitored, and evaluated by a panel of experts and shared with the family the growth story becomes evident. The families can also share their feedback at each step and help us improve with our services and make our mothers smile and cherish their stay with us. 

[wedesignyouny]

Employing Elder Lawyers in Queens: Their Significance and Function

Employing Elder Lawyers in Queens: Their Significance and Function

In the borough of Queens, where cultural variety and a complex tapestry of customs thrive, comprehensive legal advice about elder law is essential. An elder lawyer’s knowledge is crucial when people and families begin to navigate the challenges that come with becoming older. My Elder Law Attorney is a dependable legal partner in Queens who is prepared to offer seniors and their loved ones individualized answers and sympathetic assistance. This post explores the vital function of an elder law attorney as well as the specialist services provided by My Elder Law Attorney.

Comprehending Queens' Elder Law

A wide range of legal matters that particularly affect elderly people and their families are included in elder law. The topic is broad and complex, covering everything from long-term care and estate preparation to healthcare choices and safeguarding against elder abuse. An senior lawyer acts as a guide, addressing particular issues and making sure that legal solutions are in line with individual needs in Queens, where the aging population is diverse and rich in cultural traditions.

Key Areas of Expertise in Elder Law

1. Estate Planning:

Crafting comprehensive estate plans tailored to the unique circumstances of seniors.

Addressing issues related to wills, trusts, and asset protection.

2. Long-Term Care Planning:

Assisting with Medicaid planning and other strategies to cover the costs of long-term care.

Navigating the complexities of nursing home and assisted living facility admissions

3. Healthcare Decision-Making:

Drafting advance healthcare directives and powers of attorney.

Ensuring that seniors' wishes regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care are legally documented

4. Protection Against Elder Abuse:

Advocating for seniors' rights and taking legal action in cases of abuse or neglect.

Implementing preventive measures to safeguard against potential exploitation

My Elder Law Attorney: Your Trusted Elder Law Partner

1. Local Expertise:

My Elder Law Attorney has a deep understanding of the local Queens community.

Knowledgeable about the borough's healthcare facilities, elder care services, and legal landscape.

2. Compassionate and Client-Centric Approach:

Recognizing the sensitivity of elder law issues.

Providing compassionate and individualized legal services that prioritize the well-being of seniors.

3. Holistic Legal Services:

Offering a holistic range of elder law services.

Addressing legal, financial, and healthcare aspects to provide comprehensive solutions.

4. Transparent and Accessible Services:

Open communication with clients to ensure understanding and comfort.

Transparent explanations of legal processes, fees, and potential outcomes.

Hiring Elder Lawyer in Queens to Empower Seniors

At The Law Offices of Ann-Margaret Carrozza, we are aware that seniors' legal needs go beyond those of regular clients. Our goal is to provide Queens' elderly population and their families with the legal know-how and resources they need to deal with the difficulties that come with getting older. Visit My Elder Law Attorney - Elder Law to learn more about our services and how we can be your trusted elder law partner in Queens.

[perks-of-being-a-nurse]

What made you want to become a nurse ?

hey @coldbrewman1 ! sorry I'm not sure when you sent this, I'm not super active on this blog anymore and mostly just post a mash up of things on my main @starfish-enterprise .

anyway! I don't have a super profound answer to this question. I've always been interested in medical things/the human body as long as I can remember. I remember looking at human body books I had as a little kid and stuff like that. this turned into watching medical shows, reading lots of random stuff, and sneakily watching medical reality/reenactment shows when I wasn't supposed to be watching TLC 😆

I've been pretty involved in scouts Canada since I was six going up through the program, and through scouts I had opportunities to do first aid training which I really liked. I also met a lot of amazing people who are lifelong friends who shared my same interests, and starting in highschool I was able to be involved in a "vocational program" focused on first aid and medical training and providing volunteer first aid for camps, scouting events, and community events. I have been able to be part of the medical service for three national scout camps with thousands of kids and it's amazing!

doing this volunteering kind of solidified in my mind like okay something medical is definitely what I want to do. originally I really wanted to be a paramedic, and the year after I graduated from high school I got my emergency medical responder license. I never ended up getting paid to work with that license (I did volunteer,) but I did volunteer under that scope. where I live it can be difficult to make a good wage starting out as a paramedic. BC has a provincial paramedic service, and it's a union (which is great) so it's all seniority based, so getting a full time position in a city can take a long time. on call hourly pay is terrible, and you usually start in a rural area where you might not get a lot of calls, so if you don't get any calls you could make just $14 for a 12 hour shift.

my mom discouraged me from pursuing that for various reasons, and she also really encouraged me to get a university degree, which is what most people do in my family. I didn't want to do just like a random biology degree, because I don't necessarily work well when I can't see a clear trajectory and a concrete end goal of what I'm working towards, if that makes sense. even doing a degree with the goal of med school still has a lot of possible routes to get there, and it's so much school, which is not my favourite lol. I also knew I still wanted to do something medical/health care related, so that led me to nursing! I applied to a few universities in my last year of high school, and I was accepted to nursing programs at Queens and Western universities in Ontario. I almost went to Queens, but I didn't feel ready to go straight into university after high school.

I took a year off, did that EMR course and licensing, worked at a grocery store and as a nanny, and did volunteer ski patrol (more first aid) at my local ski hill.

during that year I applied to my local nursing program which I wasn't able to apply to straight out of high school due to various course credit stuff which they have since changed. I was lucky enough to get in on my first try, which is amazing because there's often a long wait-list for this program. then I finished and became a nurse!

tldr: I like medical stuff, becoming a doctor is a lot of school, and paramedics don't make as much money 😆

anyway, I don't a have a super profound answer or anything, it was just a good career choice that worked for me. nursing wasn't a calling to me, its not really my passion, it's my job. it's a job that I really like and sometimes love, but it's my job, not my life. I think we need to hear more of that because it will help nurses get paid more and change public perception. I'm not nursing for altruistic reasons, and honestly I don't know anyone who is. the narrative of nursing being a calling or whatever needs to change imo.

sorry about my little diversion at the end there! there's the long convoluted answer 😆

[junebugwriter]

Defrocked

(CW: emotional abuse)

I used to be a pastor. Let me explain.

I grew up in the United Methodist Church, and when I received a calling to ministry, that's where I decided to get ordained. To do that is a long, involved process called "candidacy." There are a LOT of requirements to getting ordained, the biggest hurdle usually being a Master's degree in Divinity, or an M.Div. While it was difficult, getting my M.Div. was perhaps one of the most fun, life-giving and enjoyable years of my life. It also gave me a lot of hope for the future.

During my time as a student, I decided to be a part-time student pastor. I got my license, and become a lay local pastor, and worked at a small-town congregation about an hour from my seminary in Texas. Honestly, if I could have chosen to be their my entire career, I would have. That church was the most loving congregation I think I have ever been a part of, and you could not ask for a better church to be a part of going through ordination processes.

However, as all things go, my time there ended. I finished my M. Div., and I began the next step in candidacy: being a Commissioned Elder. This means that I was a pastor in a probationary period of about 2 years in which I get to do ministry in a more expanded capacity. The way it was supposed to work --the way I was TOLD IT WOULD WORK-- was that I would receive interviews from three different churches to see which was the best fit, and I would be able to have input into where I would go. Sounds wonderful! That is not what happened.

I was given (1) interview with a potential church, and that one went very well. I loved the location, loved the potential senior pastor, and all of it looked great. However. The Cabinet--a group of district superintendents and the Bishop-- decided otherwise. That church I interviewed for? They gave it to another guy, because he was from the same area as that church.

Me? I was assigned to [Redacted] First UMC.

I received a phone call from the District Superintendent that I was under, and she told me to expect a call from... let's call him Pastor Dick. Pastor Dick was the senior pastor at [Redacted] and the bishop had appointed me to him.

"Why?" I asked.

"Listen," she said. "Sometimes... things don't go the way we plan. But I promise you'll be okay at that church."

Friend, I was not.

Pastor Dick used to be a District Superintendent and was KICKED OFF the Cabinet by the current Bishop. The two were mortal enemies. He had an axe to grind. He did not want an associate. Pastor Dick, I would go on to find out, was an inveterate narcissist, toxic and emotionally manipulative in every way. He was a Good Ol' Boy, and didn't much care for our Woman Bishop and her more progressive leanings.

I was to be his associate pastor. I had to make this work.

The next year and a half under Pastor Dick was, to that point, the most difficult time of my life I had ever experienced, rivalling High School, in which I was mercilessly bullied. Dick was a technophobe--man had a flip phone, and didn't even have a computer. He had his emails printed out by his administrative assistant EVERY MORNING. I do not actually know what he did during the days. I assume it was mostly phone calls with parishioners or his buddies. The man had as a part of his pay package a MEMBERSHIP IN THE LOCAL COUNTRY CLUB. There was nothing the man loved more than hearing the sound of his own voice. It was a constant barrage of hot air from him every day, all day.

At this time, I was just being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. Being under Pastor Dick made my anxiety, vertigo, and depression spike as well. I called out frequently. I did what I could to not be in the office. Pastor Dick did not like this, not one bit. I needed to be in the office! Why? I honestly don't know. I tried writing a sermon once in a coffee shop, and he threw a holy fit.

Most pastors, when they are an associate, usually get a worship service of their own to coordinate. At a church that size with almost 2000 members, this seemed obvious. But Pastor Dick thought otherwise. He did not want me to have a Sunday Service. No, he wanted both of those to belong to him. Never mind that people usually liked my sermons better. Never mind that I needed opportunities to preach for my candidacy.

So he thought around the issue. He told me to create a Saturday worship service--you know, like a lot of big city churches with lots of people have, to reach a new kind of crowd!

Hey gang, do you know why those big churches have Saturday worship? It's because their Sundays are overflowing with people, and those are the overflow services. Our Sundays? They were pretty well attended, but FAR from overflowing.

Still, this was my chance. I coordinated with my worship guy. We crafted an ancient-future worship service, with stripped down acoustic music and really challenging theology. We were going to be dynamic! Interesting! And we had a blast. We had a solid group of people regularly attending, having communion with us, becoming a community. It wasn't gangbusters successful, but it was OURS. And we loved it.

Until a "consultant" came, and killed it. He saw what we were doing. It was intentionally different from "marketable" church worship experiences. No big lights, no loud music, just a group of people, singing to acoustic guitar, an academic sermon, using new versions of ancient liturgies... and he hated it. He said it was a waste of time and energy.

The next week, Pastor Dick cancelled it. We didn't even get a final worship service to send it off.

The superintendent, different from my previous one, saw my time there as a failure. He decided to move me mid-year to a two-point charge, deeeeeeeeep in the piney woods. In the second poorest county in Texas. Two small, struggling churches. I would be the only pastor. No mentors to help me. I was failing, and he wanted me shoved off to a corner to rot.

I languished in those churches for three and a half years. I did my damnedest. I built connections. I tried to be a good pastor. I started initiatives. I did what a pastor ought to.

But here's the rub. I was a twenty-something pastor in a church entirely filled with retirees. I was an urban-suburban-leaning young pastor, who would ideally have been best suited to a larger church in the city and given a mentor pastor who gave a damn. Instead I was given a narcissistic abuser, and a sabotaged shot at success. These towns I was sent to? They were dying. <2000 people maximum. And they wanted me to get a massive growth of attendance? I barely spoke these people's language! I tried, though. I did my best, walked with them all through all kinds of difficulties. I did funerals, went to the hospital regularly. But there's only so much I could have done. The die was cast.

The truth was, the bishop had found in me an acceptable loss. I didn't look like what a pastor should look like, talk like the kind of marketable pastor-talk they wanted, and generally did not fit in the box the church had for me. I fought it. I fought my failure tooth and nail. But I was isolated. Alone. My partner and I were the youngest people in those churches, and we didn't have any friends. She put her career on hold for me. She had no prospects for her career out there. We both were miserable, but dammit, I still showed up every Sunday.

Yet the church did not see this. They merely counted my mistakes as failures, and called me ultimately responsible for not single-handedly saving two dying churches in dying, impoverished towns. The church denied me. They gave me the choice of either voluntarily discontinuing and leave the ministry, or proceed to the Board of Ordained ministry and have them discontinue me. Either resign, or be forcibly removed.

I gave up. I had weathered ten years of the candidacy process. I had given everything I had to the church. I was more depressed than ever. I was heartbroken. And they hung me out to dry. Told me that "many are called, but few are chosen."

I call bullshit. They knew what they had done by sending me under Pastor Dick. They knew that no fresh-faced seminarian would survive under him. They knew that he would take me down with him. And I still managed to last three and a half years after him, clawing for every inch of ground I could.

But the church did not care. So I picked up my things and left. I had thankfully seen the writing on the wall beforehand. I applied for PhD studies and was accepted within a week of that meeting which defrocked me. I left my home in Texas, and headed west, to California, where I am now.

I'm writing my dissertation now. Academia is far from perfect, but it's a damn sight better than being in the ministry, at least for me. I might actually have a future as a transfemme theologian, one I would NEVER have as a pastor in the UMC.

The church needs good pastors. I would support anyone who wants to take that calling on.

It's just not me. I'm done with fighting the ministry. I can answer my calling in Academia.

So what was this? Just a release on the pressure valve of my anxiety, anger, and frustration. But it's also my story, more or less. There's more to it. I could tell you about how gaslit I was. I could tell you all the times Pastor Dick was a dick. I just might! But for now, this will do.

To end on a lighter note, my mental health has never been better since leaving the ministry. I never would have figured out I was trans in the ministry. I suppose it was necessary to let that dream die to become the person I was meant to be all along. As much as it hurts to admit, it was for the best.

[wutbju]

Jimmy Dale “J.D.” Herchenhahn entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior whom he so earnestly loved and served Thursday morning May 11, 2023 at the Lower Cape Fear Hospice LifeCare Center. Some people called him Dr. Herchenhahn, many others knew him as Pastor, but to us he was forever our precious Dad and Papa. His faith has become sight, and we believe he heard a big “Well done, good and faithful servant” when he entered heaven’s gates!

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of over 54 years, Jean Herchenhahn; his parents, A.B. and Iva Herchenhahn, two brothers, Allen Herchenhahn and Fred Herchenhahn; and five sisters, Lucille Jones, Jean Brunson, Gayle Mattheiss, Dawn Gunderson, and Louise Bates.

Jim loved his family dearly and will be most missed by his three children, Janna (Jeff) Attoe of Hampstead, Jay (Gina) Herchenhahn of Lancaster, SC, and Joy (Brad) Barth of Kernersville, NC; grandchildren Jensen (Ray) Rivera, Jonah Attoe, Jayse Attoe, Kalli Herchenhahn, Kassi Herchenhahn, Khloe Herchenhahn, Caleb Herchenhahn, Cooper Barth, Colton Barth, and Copley Barth; great-grandchildren, Vincent and Halston Rivera; two sisters, Wilma Jones and Judy Ray; many nieces and nephews. Janna, Jay and Joy would like to thank Steve and Joanna Groves, David Groves, and Tom Hayden for faithfully and lovingly caring for our dad. We would also like to acknowledge and thank David  and Cathy Lane, Edna Lancaster, Mark and Nancy Cramer, and Jimmy Sibbett for loving our dad and being the hands and feet of Jesus in dads time of need.

Jimmy Dale was born April 25, 1941 in Macedonia, Mississippi. During his junior year of high school in Pensacola, Florida, he received Christ as his Savior under the ministry of Dr. Dolphus Price.  As a senior, he surrendered to preach the Gospel.  He attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina before serving two years with the United States Army. He was a Vietnam Veteran.

Jim finished his college education at Tennessee Temple College in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was involved in many aspects of college life including playing on the baseball team and serving as student body President. It was there that he met and married his sweetheart. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1968.  He pastored the Fellowship Baptist Church in Trion, Georgia for three and a half years during his tenure at TTC and afterwards. Then in 1970, the Lord called the Herchenhahns to Wilmington to work at Grace Baptist Church—first as Assistant Pastor under Dr. Ray Noland, and then starting in 1971 as Senior Pastor of Grace and President of Wilmington Christian Academy.   

The Lord used Pastor Herchenhahn in a great way during his thirty-six years in leadership of the church and school.  Hundreds of people came to know the Lord under his ministry, and many others grew in their faith.  A number of men and women were called to various areas of “full-time Christian service” under his leadership.  Many missionaries, pastors, teachers, and others are still serving the Lord around the world.

He retired from Grace at the end of December 2006. That freed them up to do some short-term mission work in Guam. After that he began filling pulpits for preachers in and around the Wilmington area. That ministry led them to Riley’s Creek Baptist Church in 2010, where he was called to be their Senior Pastor. He retired from Riley’s Creek in 2021 for the primary purpose of taking care of his beloved wife and soulmate who was declining in health. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he possibly could, and that he did.

Only eternity will reveal the impact of the life and ministry of Pastor J.D. Herchenhahn. He was an exemplary pastor, faithfully preaching the Word and sharing the gospel, as well as humbly serving and caring for people. He often quoted these lines from a poem: “Others, Lord, yes, others, let this my motto be, “help me to live for others, that I may live like Thee.” He certainly reflected Jesus through his life.

The family will receive friends for visitation from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at Grace Baptist Church, 1401 North College Road, Wilmington, with a  memorial service honoring Pastor Herchenhahn will be immediately following. Close family friend and co-laborer Rev. Mike Meshaw will officiate along with Rev. David Lancaster and Rev. Jay Knolls.. There will be a graveside service at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at  Oleander Memorial Gardens. with Rev. Brian Beaver conducting the service.

In lieu of flowers  memorials  may be made to Lower Cape Fear LifeCare Foundation, 1414 Physicians Dr., Wilmington, NC 28401. We will be forever grateful for their gentle care and compassion given to our dad.

Online condolences may be made by selecting Tribute Wall.

[bruceadamslawal]

Business Name: Bruce Adams Law Office

Street Address: 1302 Noble Street Suite 3D

City: Anniston

State: Alabama (AL)

Zip Code: 36201

Country: United States

Business Phone Number: (256) 237-3339

Business Email Address: bruce@bruceadamslaw.com

Website: https://bruceadamslaw.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bruceadamslaw/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bruce.n.adams/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BruceAdamsLaw

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bruce-adams-law-office/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bruceadamslaw01/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bruceadamslawoffice

Description: Bruce Adams Law Office has over 30 years of experience providing Anniston, AL and nearby communities with elder law & elder care, probate administration, and estate planning. Our compassionate Anniston elder law attorney provides legal support to seniors and the elderly. The elder law attorney and his team assist families in preparing for the rising costs of long-term care and qualifying for government benefits such as Medicaid. Estate planning attorney Bruce Adams provides estate planning services that include setting up wills, trusts, and power of attorney. Our elder law & estate planning law firm also provides an experienced probate attorney who is readily available to help with probate administration. Call today for a free consultation.

Google My Business CID URL: https://www.google.com/maps?cid=11434417445372000048

Business Hours: Sunday Closed Monday 8:00am-4:30pm Tuesday 8:00am-4:30pm Wednesday 8:00am-4:30pm Thursday 8:00am-4:30pm Friday 8:00am-12:00pm Saturday Closed

Services: Family Law, Business Services, Wills, Trusts and Probate, Elder law attorney, Asset Protection Strategies, Business Planning, Complete Estate Plan, Death Claims, Estate Planning Wills, Personal Injury Attorney In, Personal Injury Cases, Personal Injury Claims, Personal Injury Lawyers, Wills Trusts, Family law attorney, Personal injury attorney, Property damage litigation, Estate planning attorney

Keywords: elder law attorney, elder law attorney near me, elder care attorney, elder care attorney near me, elder attorney near me, elder lawyer, estate planning attorney, probate lawyer, estate planning attorney near me, probate attorney, estate lawyer, estate planning lawyer, estate attorney, trust lawyers near me, wills and estate lawyers near me, probate attorneys near me, trust attorney, lawyers for wills, lawyers near me for wills, elder law

Payment Methods: Cash, Debit Card, Visa, Master, Amex, Discover

Number of Employees: 2-10

Owner Name, Email, and Contact Number: Bruce Adams, bruce@bruceadamslaw.com, (256) 237-3339

Location:

Service Areas: