Disability & Special Needs Ministry
January 2021
All are gifted, needed, and treasured!
MONTHLY BIBLE VERSE
“I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35
“Welcome to the nineteenth (19th) edition of the Gulf States Conference (GSC) “Disability, Special Needs, & Possibilities Ministry Newsletter”. The format of remaining issues will focus not only on “secular” disability matters, but also on an endeavor to provide “Spiritual” input to endure these turbulent times. Future editions will be published on a monthly basis.
Because the COVID-19 virus continues to rage, we will cover a variety of subjects on coping with the stress and strain of quarantine mandates. If there is a specific topic you’d like to see addressed, please contact our office at your convenience.
Biblical Quotations
The history of John affords a striking illustration of the way in which God can use aged workers. When John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, there were many who thought him to be past service, an old and broken reed, and ready to fall at any time. However, the Lord saw fit to use him still. Though banished from the scenes of his former labor, he did not cease to bear witness to the truth. Even in Patmos, he made friends and converts. His was a message of joy, proclaiming a risen Savior.
The tenderest regard should be cherished for those whose life interest has been bound up with the work of God. These aged workers have stood faithful amid storm and trial. They may have infirmities, but they still possess talents that qualify them to stand in their place in God's cause. Though worn, and unable to bear the heavier burdens that younger men can and should carry, the counsel they can give is of the highest value.
They may have made mistakes, but from their failures, they have learned to avoid errors and dangers, and are they not therefore competent to give wise counsel? They have borne tested and trial, and though they have lost some of their vigor, the Lord does not lay them aside. He gives them special grace and wisdom.... The Lord desires the younger laborers to gain wisdom, strength, and maturity by association with these faithful men.
As those who have spent their lives in the service of Christ draw near to the close of their earthly ministry, they will be impressed by the Holy Spirit to recount the experiences they have had in connection with the work of God. The record of His wonderful dealings with His people, of His great goodness in delivering them from trial, should be repeated to those newly come to the faith. God desires the old and tried laborers to stand in their place, doing their part to save men and women from being swept downward by the mighty current of evil. He desires them to keep the armor on until He bids them lay it down.
(Conflict & Courage 363.2 – 363.5)
TOPICS OF INTEREST
Explore. Learn. Connect
This website is regularly updated to provide the disability community with information about rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how they apply to the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. The resources are based on information from known national, federal, and state sources. Accessibility cannot be guaranteed for external links. This website is a collaboration of the ten regional ADA Centers in the ADA National Network, funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
SITE ADDRESS: https://www.adacovid19.org/
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR VIRUS RISK
The most effective public health messages do not merely tell people what not to do. They also tell people what they can do with only a small amount of risk.
This sometimes feels counterintuitive, because it gives people permission to take some risks, rather than urging maximum safety all the time. In the long run, though, a more realistic approach is actually the safer one, many experts say.
Human beings are social creatures. Most are not going to sit in their houses for months on end. Moreover, pretending otherwise tends to backfire. It leads people to ignore public health advice and take needlessly big risks. “We need different, more nuanced, and more practical messaging about coronavirus safety,” Sarit Golub, a psychology professor at Hunter College, has written.
(Federal officials took a step in this direction this week by shortening the recommended quarantine period after virus exposure.)
Today, I want to give you a three-step guide to risk minimization. It’s based on a Times survey of 700 epidemiologists as well as my conversations with experts and colleagues, like
Donald G. McNeil Jr.
1. There is one behavior you should try to eliminate, without exception: Spending time in a confined space (outside your household) where anyone is unmasked.
Do not eat indoors at a restaurant or friend’s house. Do not have close, unmasked conversations anywhere, even outdoors. If you must fly, try to not to eat or drink on the plane. If you are going to work, do not have lunch in the same room as colleagues. Group lunches have led to outbreaks at hospitals and elsewhere.
2. This next set of behaviors is best to minimize if you cannot avoid it: Spending extended time in indoor spaces, even with universal masking.
Masks are not perfect. If you can work out at home rather than at a gym — or do your job or attend religious services remotely — you are reducing your risk.
3. Now the better news: Several activities are less risky than some people fear.
You do not need to wear a mask when you go for a walk or a jog. Donald, who’s famously careful, bikes without a mask. “I consider keeping six feet distant outdoors more important than wearing a mask,” he told me. “If I had a birthday candle in my hand and you’re too far away to blow it out, I can’t inhale whatever you exhale.”
You can also feel OK about doing many errands. About 90 percent of the epidemiologists in our survey have recently visited a grocery store, a pharmacy or another store. Just wear a mask, stay distant from others and wash your hands afterward.
The big picture: I find it helpful to think about the notion of a personal risk budget. I do not spend any of my risk budgets on supermarket shopping, because grocery delivery works well for my family. However, I do take occasional unmasked, distant walks with one or two friends. They help keep me sane as we head into a long, very hard winter.
For more: The survey of epidemiologists — done by Margot Sanger-Katz, Claire Cain Miller and Quoctrung Bui of The Times — has much more, including how they’re thinking about a vaccine.
THINK ABOUT THE PHRASE “AIR POLLUTION"
Are you picturing black plumes curling out of factory smokestacks and the tailpipes of idling vehicles? Something to worry about outdoors, that is, not inside your home? Not so fast: Air pollutants could be within your own walls too, seeping from your furnace, your basement, even that new couch, and their threats range from eye irritation to an increased risk of cancer, and maybe even death.
Do not panic (really). Once you recognize the threats, you can often clean up the air in your home without too much trouble. Moreover, as we head into a winter where the pandemic may force us to be at home more than ever, now is a good time to make sure your everyday air is as clean as possible. Here are some of the most common indoor air concerns — and how to deal with them.
Radon
In vast swathes of the country, everyday rocks like granite and shale hold deposits of uranium, thorium and radium under the soil. These deposits silently decay into radon, an odorless gas that can seep into homes via minuscule cracks in foundations and floors. Inhaling it (technically, inhaling the radioactive particles that radon is produced in the decay process) damages the lungs. After smoking cigarettes, radon exposure is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Homes in some parts of the country, like the Rocky Mountain West, the Midwest and the Appalachians, have a particularly high risk of radon problems from the underlying geology. However, because of quirks in minerals and soils nationwide, “radon is everywhere,” said Bruce Snead, director of the National Radon Program Services at Kansas State University. “The only way to know the level anywhere is to test for it.”
Fortunately, that is not hard to do: Start with a short-term test, available at hardware and home-improvement stores, which takes three to seven days and provides a snapshot of fluctuating radon levels. You want an average of less than 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), which is 10 times the average outdoor background radon. If the first test comes in higher than that, it is time to look into mitigation. If not, it is still worth following up with a long-term test (90 days to one year) to make sure you are in the safe zone over time.
Worrisome levels of radon should be dealt with swiftly by calling a mitigation professional. Depending on your home style and the soil underneath it, a pro will install some kind of underground suction-and-fan system to suck radon away from your home, and vent it to be diffused in the outdoor air. Costs range from $750 to $4,000, Snead said, and “99 percent of the time will get the house down below 4 pCi/L, and many times below 2 pCi/L.”
MOLD
First, the bad news: There is definitely mold in your living space. Mold, an umbrella term for a variety of fungi, lives everywhere, and you cannot get rid of it. The good news is that it will not mushroom up to problem levels without moisture, and that you can control.
The biggest issue with out-of-control growth is that mold shoots invisible allergens into the air, causing sniffling, wheezing, eye irritation or rashes in many people. Mold poses even more risk for those with underlying conditions, triggering asthma attacks, exacerbating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sometimes causing fungal infections in immunocompromised individuals.
If you have a mold infestation, you probably already know it. “If you can see it or you can smell it, you’ve got a problem,” said Scott Damon, health communication lead for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s asthma and community health branch. The only solution is prompt cleanup, a task you can probably handle yourself in small areas (10 feet square or less) but one that will demand professional help for larger ones. Carefully check references if you do hire a contractor, as scammers sometimes claim they can fix mold problems.
It is much better to keep mold at bay in the first place by finding and fixing leaks and minimizing dampness. Often the problem is “a leaky roof or window, or a broken pipe,” Damon said. “But it can also be high humidity — use a dehumidifier to bring down that humidity level. And it’s important that you ventilate the more humid parts of your house, like the bathroom, laundry and cooking areas.” Flip on exhaust fans while showering, cooking or running the dishwasher, and make sure your clothes dryer vents outside.
CREDITS:
-New York Times Credit...Luci Gutiérrez, By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan
Published by
George Hamilton
Assistant Disability Ministry Director
Gulf States Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
H. 256-883-7751
C. 850-543-1398
Disabilities & Special Needs Ministry Goals
Email: gsc-disability@gscsda.org
Website: https://gscsda.org/disability-ministries
Location: 10633 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL, USA
Phone: 3342727493