#treatment of the elderly

[daemon-in-my-head]

Okay, lemme ramble about my lovely little gremlin for a short while (this is basically a chronological list). Fair warning though canon is a challenge and I intend to win with my '40 years post epilogue, gort never died trash fire of a durgetash bit'.

Suppose I should start simple. His name is Fionnlagh, his nickname Fine, his old alias (yk the one from Gort) is 'Elli/Ellifain'. Atp he goes by Fine. All of these names have meanings cuz I'm insane.

Hes ~200 years old.

Was originally created as a failsafe by Bhaal, in case the original Bhaalspawn fuck up. When yoinking a soul, Bhaal however, did not anticipate this one could fuck up as well.

Speaking of, you remember the throwaway line from Scel in Act 1 regarding a certain bet that is never eluded to? Yeah so I decided Corellon and Bhaal made a bet pertaining a particular stolen elven soul (they are finite after all). The winner is yet to be decided.

Regarding how the gremlin fucked up; got locked away in the Shadow Fell aka Shars domain for a hot century there. Pros; no Bhaal or Scel. Cons; it's the shadowfell.

He's a shadow sorcerer but not by creation. Rather he just acquired that while being exposed to the shadow curse for so long. Titans don't hold up well against curses of higher deities.

He knows the Flymms. He had encounters with one way back before Gortash was even a possibility. He's also not aware Gortash is one of those Flymms.

Upon eventually making his way out of a place that is death and decay in physical form he immediately dipped to Calimshan. Tis where the fucks first met, without knowing obv.

Cue a few decades of cult indoctrination, projecting his dead adopted sister onto Orin and the usual durgetash shenanigans. Except this Durge has a very twisted relationship with Bhaal and worship.

The reason for said relationship is that he remembers. He actually had a nice childhood and adopted family. Until he came of age, which, for elves, happens rather late. He's fully aware of how messed up it is what Bhaal did to him, but he is also his creator.

Shit with Gort is about as messy as you'd assume. He's the first person in over a century who sees him as an individual, a monstrous individual but something greater than just Bhaals creation nonetheless. People stuck in solitude and forced to kill everything they ever adored will quickly ignore all red flags to devote themselves anyway.

Gorts view on him is... Something. It's not soft or lovely, it's something between gaining a rare specimen to study and having someone who understands whatever little remains of your humanity constantly waging a war.

Oh right I should mention the miserable gremlin has a martyr complex. Losing countless people may result in you willingly destroying yourself over harming just another person you don't outright despise. He's exceptionally protective to the point it's nearly possessive.

Massive nerd too. Has ever since loved studying the arcane, medicines and poisons. You gotta know what can heal in order to kill and vice versa. Also comes in handy if you can read draconic script thanks to your Netherese creator.

Have your situationship pick up on your unique skills and absolutely exploit them for the Absolute Plot but go along willingly cuz of aformentioned issues.

Cue some bg3 shenanigans, Bhaalspawn loosing their memories, defying Bhaal but still having this slight flaw of a complex and deciding to spare the obviously horrible person but the person who knows you nonetheless.

Find out that person found you after being brutally tortured and experimented on by a mad necromancer and leaving you for dead.

On top of that find out the only reason you clung to the remains of your awful life and begged a god to spare you just a little longer was for the person that left you for dead.

Decide to leave the city after saving it and wander aimlessly for a few years, thinking a monstrosity such as yourself should've never existed in the first place and that a dull weapon without anyone to wield it is better left to rot.

Get discovered by the Drow you saved and who truly understood you when you couldn't even make sense of yourself and decide to join her cause, if only to repay her.

Develop some sort of closeness with said Drow as you continue to fight in the civil war she instigated for a decade or two. New career branch unlocked; warmonger.

Forget that you're a monstrosity created by a god with weird kinks and accidentally continue a legacy of bloodshed and guilt by means of having a happy little accident with the Drow you've come to like.

Continue to have a mental breakdown over what you've just done and condemned them to while the marks left by wielding a curse, becoming closer to a mortal by defying your godly creator and decades of fighting start to show in your failing body.

Lose the drow. Cut away the thing she adored and lose one eye. Swallow your agony because you still have a singular, precious thing left to protect.

Return to the city and roots you barely remember hell-bent on exploiting them to keep your treasure safe and happy and finding ways to keep the curse gnawing away at you at bay for just long enough to see it through.

Meet the man who accomplished a great deal of his ambitions and grew somewhat restless over the years again. The only man who remembers how you were. The one who loathes you for abandoning him and what you had.

Oh also his adopted family was part of an elven house. A fallen house. A house of traitors who fucked around with Mythals. He does not remember. He goes back to using that name.

And from this point onwards, a lot of shit happens, and all of it is his fault. And he knows. Oh God does he know.

[gazagfmboost]

Najiyya Abdelhadi, a 63-year-old woman who suffers from a severe case of colon cancer in Gaza.

Vetting: IG content going back to 2015 & Personal IG Video #1 Instagram: Mohammed.katry Fund Currency: £ Pound

Their home has been burnt down, & Mohammed's mother is suffering gravely with no access to medication, clean water or food. He is political science student at the now destroyed university- & reached out hoping for help with sharing his beloved mothers story. I hope that you will please consider donating any small amount if you are able, or to give a heart/re-share to the post to help them to feel seen & heard at the very least, Thank you very much for caring <3

Small 10k goal!! Help Najiyya Abdelhadi in her battle against Cancer in Gaza gofund.me/b70e992e

[teenagefeeling]

despite my allergies i have still considered getting a cat tbh. i love dogs but they kinda demand attention in a way that cats just don't. cats are slightly more self-sufficient creatures (like, emotionally) and crucially, you don't need to walk them outside every single day. also they're smaller and generally cost less and they're such cute lil guys and obviously they're very fun to play with but i would truly need to figure out some kind of allergy solution because my throat will close up if im exposed to too much Cat Essence 😔

[the-busy-ghost]

Look I respect the art of past ages, but it's the 21st century and personally I'd like to see less depictions of the Greek Muses as ethereal sexually objectified fairy women, and more art of Thalia doing stand-up

[anak1n]

assisted / medical euthanasia becoming legal is sooo scary bc there's no future in which that then doesnt become a cycle of insurance companies or medical centers encouraging you to pursue that path when you might become bad for their margins

[javaghoul]

i love eBay's Make An Offer option, but sometimes I feel guilty when the seller accepts.

"Oh look at that listed for £20... Make an offer, huh? Ok"

"I will offer you 99 PENCE, merchant."

Sometimes I wonder if they've read the decimal point wrong.

[tearlessrain]

the thing about karlach's ending that pisses me off is that it doesn't make sense if you do everything you can for her though. the gondians are master workers of infernal iron, and if you liberate the house of hope, and make sure dammon lives, you have all the ingredients needed to help karlach's condition improve. it simply doesn't make sense for her to say that she will NEVER EVER go back to avernus even when you have a safe place to set up an independent hellforge and work on a new non-explosive heart replacement. it frustrated me immensely that in my playthrough because i didn't choose to romance her and i had wyll become a baldur's gate bigwig, she chose actively to explode and die... when i had everything i needed to save her life. to go on the terminal illness theme, it felt to me like she had cancer and i had chemo and she was rejecting it and choosing to die horribly instead of get it treated... which totally does happen IRL, but isn't exactly FAIR to her as a character. it's good writing because it makes me engage emotionally with it to this level but it's frustrating because i felt like i should have been able to save her with the pieces available in the game.

this is all also leaving aside that gale has a scroll of true resurrection in his fuckening satchel. WHY can't i immediately use it on Karlach after she 'plodes lol is Gale really that selfish?

okay fuck it, I'll bite. yeah, it IS unfair and frustrating and she doesn't deserve any of it, and that was kinda the whole point and it's why I think they did such a good job with Karlach's arc. because, again, it was a pretty clear metaphor for terminal illness and the associated grief/helplessness/denial/scrambling for solutions that comes with dealing with it. your chemo metaphor is interesting because as you've mentioned people DO often choose not to go through chemo, because chemo itself is miserable and draining and wrecks your body and is not guaranteed to work, and some people would prefer to just remain as active and present as possible for as long as possible and then go out when it's time, especially if the cancer is aggressive and terminal and chemo may not do much. kind of like going to Avernus would be miserable and draining and dangerous, and Karlach stated many times how much she hates Avernus and would rather die than go back. how on earth does it not make sense that she wouldn't choose that, especially believing as she did that she would immediately be shanghaied back into Zariel's service indefinitely after so many years of being desperate for freedom.

though ironically, people in real life sometimes react to cancer patients choosing not to do chemo or other procedures that suck/are invasive and awful the same way you're reacting to Karlach not wanting to go to Avernus. sometimes, and for some people, it's not about just extending your life as far as possible at any cost. there's a point at which it isn't worth it, and that point is different for everyone. and BOY does that make some folks upset when a loved one's "it's not worth it" point is different from theirs. It's why DNR is a thing, and it's also why you should think very carefully about who you want making medical decisions for you if you're incapacitated and have a talk with that person/clear instructions written up.

I already mentioned in the post that they sort of dropped the ball on not explaining why all those potential avenues don't work so I don't know what you expect me to say about that, but I stand by my previous statement of "all I really need them to say is 'yeah the gondians agree, this thing is fucked' and I'll accept that." I would love for them to add that in. but I don't think it should be fixable.

finally, considering that the scroll of true resurrection was intended to be used on Gale during that quest, yes it's on Larian for letting you revive him in other ways and keep the thing, but it's still metagame-y and I don't think it qualifies as a plot hole so much as a game design flaw. it annoys me when people bring up "why didn't they account for my cheesing in the story" arguments as writing critiques.

[epocheldercare]

Epoch Elder Care is India's leading expert in assisted living & Dementia care. It provides top-tier services for individuals suffering from Dementia across the country. With over a decade of experience, Epoch Elder Care is the most trusted name in the industry.

[daintydoilypon]

Silo: Dainty's practiced Spanish everyday-

His fam: UH NO I'M SURE YOU'RE WAY BETTER AT SPANISH THAN HER

Me:

[heckaroniandcheese]

went on a huge adventure today because i wanted a longer than usual hike and a longer than usual paddle because i am fit enough now that the standard i set while utterly malnourished and out of shape does not provide the amount of exertion that my body apparently craves. for whatever reason.

so i went to go do a hike that nearly fucking killed me dead last year thinking that would show me. alas it just plain sucked so i had the energy to spend 2.5 hours on the lake looking hot as fuck.

[bihet-dragonize]

“Actually medical misogyny” as opposed to? Or did you want medical MISOGYNY to affect men too?

You really woke up on a Monday and went "I think I'm gonna be stupid in Kia's inbox"

[ihrvietnam]

Cách chữa đau gót chân dân gian là phương pháp được thực hiện đầu tiên, mang lại hiệu quả cao, nhanh chóng, dễ thực hiện và tiết kiệm chi phí. Bài viết này sẽ hướng dẫn các phương pháp phổ biến và hiệu quả nhất, người bệnh có thể tham khảo và có kế hoạch chăm sóc, phục hồi sức khỏe phù hợp.

[pangur-and-grim]

a lot of you probably knows Belphie's story, but I'll summarize just in case.

Devon Rex cats are better for people with allergies (less shed fur + less Fel d1 protein in their saliva), so on February 16, 2024, I went the breeder route and put down a deposit. before Belphie even opened his eyes, he was mine!

every Friday, the breeder sent me a new photo. I had a broken leg, and was basically rotting in bed at that point, so it was the best part of my week. then, at 12 weeks old, I BROUGHT HIM HOME!

at first, he was so alive! like a wind-up monkey that never shut off. he dangled from the wall-hangings, savaged my feet as I walked, and used my elderly cats as jumping poles to do cool acrobatics over. but all this gradually faded.

first, he stopped playing. then he stopped climbing. then he stopped moving much at all. my vet ran tests on him and found multiple pathogens (calcivrius + mycoplasma), but the medication didn't help - he kept declining.

on September 17th, I woke up to find him swollen like a balloon. we finally had an answer: he had Feline infectious Peritonitis, aka FIP. before 2017, this would've been a death sentence. he would've kept bloating until he drowned in his own fluids. and before 2024, I would've been forced to inject him with black market drugs. but thankfully, South Tower Animal Hospital in Fergus, Ontario was doing a study on the oral medication! we drove two hours, enrolled him, and left with the GS-441524 pills.

and he went from those photos above.....to this:

I thought Belphie would die as a kitten. I'd accepted that he would never grow up. but now he gets to LIVE!

and all for the low cost of $7,553.....ahhhahaha........god.

that + a recent home disaster has wiped out my savings, but I still need to pay for Belphie's medication. to remain in this study, I need to do bloodwork monthly until Feb 2025, and he'll need daily pills until March 2025.

I've put a risograph print + enamel pin set up at greerstothers.shop. I hate asking for help, but if you'd like to support Belphie's continued treatment, please consider checking them out!

[agosteopathy]

Effective Osteopathy for Knee Osteoarthritis and Baker's Cyst

This case study highlights the successful osteopathic treatment of a 65-year-old woman with knee osteoarthritis and a Baker's cyst. The targeted treatment plan significantly reduced pain and swelling, improving her mobility and quality of life.

[riding-with-the-wild-hunt]

today's vetted campaigns. please continue to donate if you have the means and share as widely as you can regardless. the individuals on here go through so much every day just to communicate their stories to us - let's uphold that trust by showing them as much support as we can.

july 15th:

Hadeel Mikki (pregnant and needs perinatal care), her husband Waseem, their two young daughters, and Hadeel's mother and two brothers (they are the only survivors of her family) (€5,091/€35,000) - @hadeelmekki, verified by @/90-ghost

Aspiring doctor Malak Dader, her six siblings (they've already lost her teenage brother, and two of her younger brothers need medical treatment), and her parents (one injured, one sick with hepatitis) (€110/€25,000) - @malakabed, verified by @/90-ghost

Mohammed Al-Habil (needs urgent surgery after being shot in the leg), his five siblings (one of whom is immune-compromised and has congenital heart disease), their mother, and his widowed sister-in-law ($5,713 CAD/$70,000 CAD) - @mohammedalhabil2000, verified by @/90-ghost

Hanaa Jad Al-Haq, her husband Muhammad Hammad, and their little son Yousef (£2,675/£20,000) - @henomohammed, @hanaajad123, #246 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

Salam, her husband Mohammad, and their two little children (€17,365/€40,000) - @save-salam-family, verified by @/90-ghost

Aya Maher, her three younger siblings (two under 18), and their mother (€4,920/€25,000) - @ayamaher444, #216 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

The AlBalawi family of ten, including several children and two chronically ill members who need treatment (€24,200/€50,000) - @bisanalbalawi18, @elbalawi, @yasminalbalawiigaza, verified by @/90-ghost

The Ayyad family of eight, four of whom are children ($24,842/$35,000) - @aymanayyad82, @mayadayyad81, @aymanayyad1, verified by @/nabulsi

Munna Tashmali and her five children (this is the third time they've lost their home) (£3,269/£30,000) - @monashamali, verified by @/nabulsi

Maha Ibrahim, her husband Ahmed Al-Habil, and their two young children, one who is immune-compromised, and the children's sick grandfather (kr34,626 NOK/kr1,067,200 NOK) - @mahaibrahim12, @ahmedkhabil, #79 on butterfly effect project's spreadsheet

Ahmed Baalousha, his wife Islam, their three children (one a newborn), and Ahmed's parents and sister (€15,802/€50,000) - @5735765, @mahmoudbalousha4, #124 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

Mohammed Al Manasra (needs treatment for chronic respiratory illness and a leg injury), his wife (also sick, needs chemotherapy), their three little children, and their cat (the family has already lost many extended members) (€26,790/€40,000) - @save-mohamed-family, #192 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

Hanaa Al-Lulu (needs treatment for a painful foot growth) and her family (€2,628/€40,000) - @enghanalulu, verified by @/90-ghost

Mohammed Hijazi and his elderly parents, including his severely injured father (€2,106/€20,000) - @savemohammedfamily, verified by @/90-ghost

Maysaa Balousha (suffers from pulmonary fibrosis and is deteriorating without treatment), her husband Muhammad, and their four children ($118/$60,000) - @tamer200333, extended family of Mahmoud Balousha (#124 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet)

Mahmoud Saleh and his family (they've already lost several members, including Mahmoud's father and niece) (€5,265/€20,000) - @mide404, verified by @/nabulsi

Helping Siraj Abudayeh, his wife, and their three young children rebuild their destroyed home ($6,449 CAD/$82,000 CAD) - @siraj2024, #219 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

Eman, Ahmad, and their two little children (€1,653/€15,000) - @zain-leen1993, @leen-gaza, verified by @/90-ghost

not yet vetted:

Mohammad Taysir, his wife Basma, and their two little children (€0/€50,000) - @yazanfamily

Mahmoud Alkhaldi and his family of five, including his little nephew ($235/$50,000) - @mahmoudalkhaldi

Shimaa, her little daughter Juri, and several members of her husbands family (€331/€50,000) - @shimaashaban22

your help, even if it seems insignificant to you, can bring life and hope to so many people. now is not the time to give in to despair or allow apathy to stifle our actions. here is something you can do. don't pass it by.

[mikewanders]