Early Alzheimer’s diagnosis worth it?
In the Nov. 30 Bangor Daily News editorial, these two sentences appeared together, without any hint of irony: “Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death and the only one of the top 10 without a treatment. But there is promising research in the works that could lead to earlier diagnoses based on genetics and family history.”
This thought process is common among educated people who write on the subject. I’m waiting for an article to appear that will explain why a person would want to find out at age 35 that there is a 48 percent chance that they will develop Alzheimer’s disease by age 65.
Remember, there is no treatment and no cure. And exactly what is one to do with this information? Worry? Commit suicide? On the bright side, this type of medical thought is good for the economy, resulting in more trips to the doctor, more tests and at some point more expensive drugs that “show promise,” more side-effects and more drugs to treat those side-effects.
Ron Logan
Orono
Abolish solitary confinement
I’ve experienced an extraordinary emotional awakening during my studies this semester at the University of Southern Maine. A course on mass incarceration has opened doors within my heart that I thought would remain locked forever. My newfound ability to empathize with Maine’s inmates has even extended to my own father, whom I’ve been estranged from for nearly 10 years. I cannot help but share the insights gained, as I’ve borne witness and am further studying the failed policies of the Maine Department of Corrections.
The continued use of solitary confinement (referred to by prison officials as “segregation”) is perhaps the most egregious of our state’s numerous miscarriages of justice. In 2014, PBS Frontline filmed a documentary, ” Solitary Nation,” about the use of segregation and chose the Maine State Prison as the example of America’s widespread abuse of solitary confinement.
Even the United Nations special rapporteur on torture condemned solitary confinement as cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The American Psychological Association also has found that solitary confinement exacerbates mental illness, which leads to an increase in violent behavior and self harm.
These are just some of the many reasons why Mainers must call for the complete abolition of solitary confinement in Maine’s correctional facilities and county jails.
Matthew Raymond
Augusta
Address mobility challenges
David Projansky, who is the housing resource developer in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Aging and Disability Services, shared his perspective on mobility challenges faced by individuals who are aging or have disabilities during a Maine Department of Transportation workshop on Nov. 18 in Auburn.
During his presentation, Projansky observed that lack of existing rural transportation options poses a challenge to adding seniors housing where public transportation is lacking. He mentioned as an example that the nearest public transportation for Mount Desert Island is in Ellsworth.
David Chiu, former president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, pointed out at the 2015 National Gathering of the Village to Village Network in October in Seattle that hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to build seniors housing to deal with and head off the “gray tsunami” of America’s aging population. He told the audience that if 1 percent of those construction dollars were diverted to village support, that 30 times as many seniors would be served by village transportation volunteers who allow seniors to age in place.
It’s possible to demonstrate to state leaders that village support would reduce the need for new seniors housing by allowing many seniors to age in place. At Home Downeast, a village serving Blue Hill Peninsula and Mount Desert Island, and Awesome Seniors, serving the Boothbay Region, each serve rural populations lacking year-round public transportation. They demonstrate that Maine could get more bang for our bucks by supporting villages with some of those construction dollars.
John Andrews
Scarborough
Collins ‘dilemma’ with Trump
I read in a Dec. 2 article in The New York Times the following quote from Sen. Susan Collins about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“He may bring out people who don’t usually vote, which could be helpful to some of my colleagues,” The Times quoted Collins as saying. But “I’m not up [for election] next year,” she said, “so I don’t have that dilemma.”
I have supported Susan, but I wonder how she can think that bigotry, racism and lying can be helpful to anyone or especially our nation. She does not have a dilemma about that?
David Hoisington
South Paris