Contagion 2011

   

Imagine yourself in a world wide pandemic.  No, wait....you've just been in one! 

 For this summer, I've decided to watch a few older disaster films.  I chose Contagion 2011 to watch yesterday. This film is loaded with stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Lawerence Fishbourne, Marion Cotillard and Bryan Cranston.

One of the reviewers of Contagion 2011 wrote, If something like this did ever happen, I shutter to contemplate the societal ramifications.

My reaction to the movie was far different from the first time I saw it.  Who would have guessed that a mire 8 years later, 2019, we would experience COVID, a virus that began in China and eventually killed a million people in the United States alone. 

Contagion 2011 was a tale about an untreatable super virus rapidly spreading across the world.  

Another reviewer wrote after watching the film, I found myself wanting to bathe in a gallon of hand sanitizer.  In real life, I felt like I was drowning myself in a bucket of hand sanitizer.  Every day.

It's doubtful anyone took the movie seriously.  After all, Gwyneth Paltrow coughed in Hong Kong, headed home to Minneapolis, but with a five hour layover in Chicago to meet an old boyfriend.  And a few weeks later people were dropping like flies.  That's just silly, right?

Lawrence Fishbourne plays the Dr. Fauci role, only nine years before Dr Fauci played it in real life.

There are many heroes in this film and a few troublemakers.  Fewer than we had in real life.  And there were no deniers.  What was happening was too real to be denied.  

I saw this film on YouTube for free. 

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Are You Crazy? The Fall Will Probably Kill Ya

 

Remember the quote above from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?  

The Kid was afraid to jump off a cliff because he couldn't swim.  But, even though he jumped and the fall didn't kill him, statistically, Butch was correct.

According to the CDC:

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries among older adults.

About twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. It's a miserable illness and all I wanted to do was lie on the couch.  But, I knew that wasn't the answer.  I tried several balancing classes recommended by my medical team, but they didn't work for me.  

Then Betsy, the parish nurse at my church, recommended a class led by a woman named Claudia.  It was different.  She had the same philosophy I did.  It sounds counterintuitive but, for most of us oldies, it's truly a "use it or lose it" situation.

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries among older adults.

For most of us, sitting on the couch is not the answer. Claudia was all about staying strong and exercising, no matter how bad we felt.  She had great tips, like reminding us that it's more dangerous to walk downstairs than upstairs because we tend to fall forward.  

There was an old lady in a wheelchair the class.  Her daughter would wheel her in and return later to pick her up.  After a couple of sessions, Claudia had this woman standing for most of our activities. 

On the third day she was sitting in a regular folding chair when her daughter arrived.  The daughter was obviously upset to see her mom not in her wheelchair and was trying to pick her up.

From across the room, Claudia called to the daughter, "Leave her alone.  She can transfer to the wheelchair by herself."

And she did. 

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries among older adults. 

Falls happen everywhere, including hospitals.  Especially hospitals!

The best remedy is not to stay in bed.  It's to, as best we can, move!  Of course we need to be careful, but we need to move.  Every day.  If you're afraid and don't feel well and your loved ones want you to sit or lie down 24-7, just remember this:

The Barcalounger will probably kill ya!

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