Here come the scary decorations, pumpkin carving, trick- or-treating, and spooky costumes because Halloween is just around the corner! These traditions are what make Halloween fun and exciting year after year. However, did you know that jack-o’-lanterns come from an Irish legend or that trick-or-treating comes from a historical ritual called “souling”? The Origins and Legends Behind Your Favorite Traditions
Reliable Information in Difficult Times YOUR LONG-TERM CARE ADVOCATE
As a geriatric care manager, I often consider how my work spans age groups. I have a photograph of my mom, my daughter, my granddaughter, and me — four generations of women. It reminds me that I help our clients both understand and access long-term care as a professional with a decade of experience as well as personal experience as a daughter. So much misinformation about long-term care options traces back to skilled nursing facilities. Though people who need a high level of care have the right to remain there, skilled nursing
As we prepare for Oct. 31 activities, here are some fun facts you might not know about Halloween!
HALLOWEEN IS BASED ON A CELTIC FESTIVAL. Samhain, a pagan festival held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, celebrated both the harvest and the “dark” second half of the year. During this celebration, it was believed the barrier separating the spirits from the physical world would come down, allowing demons to enter and the spirits of all who passed away that year to move on to the next life. ‘STINGY JACK’ HELPED EVOLVE JACK-O’-LANTERNS. The Irish myth of a man named “Stingy Jack” goes like this: Stingy Jack invited the devil for a drink, and because he didn’t want to pay, he convinced the devil to turn into a coin so he could buy their drinks. However, instead of paying, he placed the “coin” next to a cross in his pocket that prevented the devil from returning to his original form. Once he freed the devil, Stingy Jack continued to trick him. When he died, God turned away Stingy Jack with only coal to light his way, so he placed the coal in a carved-out turnip to create a lantern. From there, people slowly transformed his “lantern” into the modern-day jack-o’-lantern! CANDY CORN WAS ONCE CALLED CHICKEN FEED. Candy corn, which the Wunderlee Candy Company began producing in the late 1880s, is an extremely popular Halloween candy. In fact, today, about 35 million pounds of the candy are sold each year! When the Goelitz Candy Company brought it to the masses at the turn of the century, they called the sweet tricolored candy “Chicken Feed” because so many people worked on farms at the time. Their early ads exclaimed, “Something worth crowing for!”
facilities strongly discourage it because long-term custodial care isn’t profitable. Unfortunately, I’ve seen many instances of them lying, intimidating, and threatening with financial consequences so families will move their loved ones out of the facility to communities that cost more (no Medi-Cal option) while providing less care or to home where family is expected to provide the care — and countless people take their advice without knowing the truth or all options. Other misunderstandings occur because people don’t know where to turn for information. They use Google to try to answer their questions, but find information that’s confusing, outdated, or simply incorrect. Many families don’t know where to find an advocate to help them through this complicated and emotional process. So, they try to do it themselves, only to become overwhelmed or pay far more than necessary. My role is to be a resource for our clients who are navigating life changes and don’t know where to turn. When our clients or their families struggle with long-term care, I can ensure they understand all the options and choose one that makes the most sense financially, socially (support systems nearby), and provides the best care for their well-being. Unlike case workers at skilled nursing facilities, my only agenda is to educate families on all options available, and I have no financial incentive for clients to choose one type of care over another. I can’t erase the stress that comes with these types of transitions, but it makes me happy to alleviate some of the pressure. I find it particularly rewarding when someone I helped years ago comes back with new questions. It means I was successful the first time, and they trust me to have the answers they need again.
Now you know! Happy Halloween!
People only want what’s best for their families, and it should be much easier for them to access the information they need. But until things change, I’m proud to be a resource for so many and help them find peace of mind during a trying time.
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