Monday, March 12, 2012

Brain Injury


March is Brain Injury Awareness Month


Brain injury can result from many types of injuries and severity can vary with individuals. Parents must be very aware of brain injuries, especially if your child participates in sports or has engaged in combat. Many schools do not want to get involved with brain injuries because it costs time and money and can slow down competitive sports. If your child has problems in school and it is related to repetitive brain injuries, you may be able to get special education help and medical rehabilitation for your child. Same is true for veterans who were exposed to explosions. Help is available.

Below is a CDC article on brain injuries.

Concussion


Most people with a concussion recover quickly and fully. But for some people, symptoms can last for days, weeks, or longer. In general, recovery may be slower among older adults, young children, and teens. Those who have had a concussion in the past are also at risk of having another one and may find that it takes longer to recover if they have another concussion.


What are the Signs and Symptoms of Concussion?

Symptoms of concussion usually fall into four categories:
TBI symptoms thinking icon.gifThinking/
Remembering
TBI symptoms physical icon.gifPhysical
TBI symptoms emotional icon.gifEmotional/
Mood
TBI symptoms sleep icon.gifSleep
Difficulty thinking clearly
Headache

Fuzzy or blurry vision
Irritability
Sleeping more than usual
Feeling slowed down
Nausea or vomiting
(early on)

Dizziness
Sadness
Sleep less than usual
Difficulty concentrating
Sensitivity to noise or light

Balance problems
More emotional
Trouble falling asleep
Difficulty remembering new information
Feeling tired, having no energy
Nervousness or anxiety

Some of these symptoms may appear right away, while others may not be noticed for days or months after the injury, or until the person starts resuming their everyday life and more demands are placed upon them. Sometimes, people do not recognize or admit that they are having problems. Others may not understand why they are having problems and what their problems really are, which can make them nervous and upset.
The signs and symptoms of a concussion can be difficult to sort out. Early on, problems may be missed by the person with the concussion, family members, or doctors. People may look fine even though they are acting or feeling differently.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Are Banks For Our Communities or Just Fraud ???


Bank of America has announced that it will reduce mortgage principles by up to $100,000 for up to 200,000 of its mortgage holders. Great, and while this is what Bank of America should have done years ago, I am sure Bank of America will make the rules so difficult, most homeowners who are underwater will not fit the limited qualifications. So, we need to continue to apply pressure to banks to help those homeowners who are struggling to pay underwater mortgages. In addition, we need to ask ALL banks who hold mortgages, especially those who hold underwater mortgages in the central valley, to step up and show they support the residents in the valley communities.  We need to pressure all banks in our community to reduce mortgage principles to the 2009 or 2010 property assessed values with forgiveness of the fraudulently high excess mortgage amounts. We are also pressuring the state and the federal government to not tax the forgiven principle amounts as income. Sometimes banks transfer loans to other banks to try to shift or escape “ownership” of the mortgages and keep their ill-gotten gains under a new name. If you find this has happened to you, please contact a trained HUD home loan counselor or send me an email at saveourvalley@hotmail.com. We can improve our quality of life in the valley if we can get banks and bankers to help by appropriately reducing the principle owed on all underwater home mortgages.
As a bank customer, please send this notice to your bank.

   “I am concerned about the home mortgage crisis. Banking schemes and manipulations cost all of us in the central valley - residents, businesses, parents, homeowners, students - valuable time, hurt many thousands of people, hurt our economy, impoverished our schools, and increased our national debt. The future of our children for generations to come is at stake and our national security too. Current banking policies our not in the best interest of our communities. Our community wants families and children in homes, not in rental units. The wealthy elite are gaining wealth and power on the backs of the middle-class and the low-income workers. Our valley will crumble if we can not get the banks and bankers on board to support and help our loved valley communities. You, as a bank, have received your federal bailout monies, which are supposed to be used to help citizens, not as a banker’s windfall.
Please adopt a broadened version of Bank of America’s Making Home Affordable Principle Reduction Program and allow ALL underwater home mortgages to have principle reductions to the level of their 2009 or 2010 assessed values, whichever is lower. Please let us know you are with us in this fight to improve our central valley economy, improve education, support teachers, support valley businesses, and help families and kids. ARE YOU WITH US?”

This problem affects both renters and home owners, so everyone is hurt by the manipulations by the banks. Rental rates skyrocket as homeowners are pushed out of their houses. As fewer people own homes, our community, schools and our kids suffer due to decreased income for the school budget causing layoffs and decreased classes. We are all in this boat and we need the banks to finally share their federal financial windfalls. Procrastination is not an option, too many have already been hurt.

 Dr. Loraine Goodwin, M.D., J.D.
Candidate CD 16 and Supervisor District 3