'Sudden loss of consciousness': Read FULL statement from AIIMS on former PM Manmohan Singh's death
The passing of former , widely recognised for his pioneering role in steering India towards globalisation, privatisation, and economic liberalisation, marks a significant loss to the political, social, and economic fabric of the country, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Thursday. "Singh, whose revolutionary decisions laid the foundation for transforming India into an emerging economic superpower, is being remembered for his leadership and vision," he added expressing grief over the former Union Finance Minister's death. Noting Singh's contributions, noted that his leadership during difficult times, particularly during global recessions, played a pivotal role in stabilising and strengthening the Indian economy. In his condolence message, Pawar praised Singh’s deep understanding of the global economy, his farsighted decision-making, and dedication to the welfare of ordinary citizens. “With his leadership, the Indian economy was brought back on track, and the foundation was laid for the country’s future economic success,” Pawar said. "The strong economy that enjoys today owes much to Dr Manmohan Singh’s efforts," the state finance minister said. Pawar also commended Singh’s trustworthiness, integrity, and cultured leadership, acknowledging that the nation has lost a leader who will be remembered for his successful tenure as Finance Minister and PM. "He was a courageous Prime Minister and a leader who earned the trust of the people. The country has lost a son," said Pawar. "Singh’s passing leaves behind a legacy of transformative policies that reshaped India’s economic landscape, and he will be remembered as a key architect of the country’s growth and prosperity," he said. Earlier, also condoled the death of the former prime minister Singh saying the country has lost a great scholar, statesman and economist. "With the demise of former PM Manmohan Singh, we have lost a great scholar, economist and statesman. His contributions to Indian economic reforms, serving the nation as PM for ten years, will be remembered forever," he said on X. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said he was deeply saddened. "My brief meeting with him, at his residence, made an everlasting impression on me, of how PMs can be truly humble, graceful and dignified, despite the very many achievements marked out against their name and tenure," Thackeray said. "For someone like me, born in the 90s, the opening up of India to the world and vice versa, was like growing up in a decade where each day was new, and the world was brought closer to home, thanks to him," said Aaditya.
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New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) Manmohan Singh, who is credited with successfully anchoring the sinking ship of the Indian economy by ushering in bold economic reforms under Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, died at the age of 92 on Thursday. When Singh took the reins of the Finance Ministry in 1991, India's fiscal deficit was close to 8.5 per cent of the GDP, the balance of payments deficit was huge and the current account deficit was close to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Also Read | Dr Manmohan Singh Passes Away: Remembering India's Visionary Leader Who Transformed Nation's Economy, Check Key Highlights From His Career. To make things worse, foreign reserves were just enough to pay for two weeks of imports indicating that the Indian economy was in deep crisis. Against this backdrop, the new economic era was brought in through the Union Budget 1991-92 presented by Singh. Also Read | Dr Manmohan Singh No More: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, LoP Rahul Gandhi Rush to Delhi Following Former PM's Demise. It was a turning point in the economic history of independent India which witnessed bold economic reforms, abolition of licence raj and opening of many sectors to private players and foreign players so that capital could flow in. He is credited with putting India on the new economic policy path which allowed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), rupee devaluation, moderation in taxes, and privatisation of public sector companies. His role in ushering in a comprehensive policy of economic reforms is now recognized worldwide. "I present to you the budget of 1991-92", Singh had said when he stood to present the iconic union budget that took the Indian economy into the direction of liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation. The budget marked a significant shift towards a markets-focused economy. This paved the way for rapid economic growth in the decades that followed. "No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come," Singh had said, as he concluded his Budget speech. Under his tenure, the regulations on import and export were relaxed, and significant changes were made to cater to the needs of businesses. The initiatives taken during his tenure resulted in monumental growth of the services sector especially IT and telecom. On the capital market side, the establishment of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1992 was another highlight of his regime. He continued as the Finance Minister till 1996, when the Rao government was voted out. Singh got another chance in May 2004 to serve the country, this time as the Prime Minister of India. He replaced Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the 14th Prime Minister of the country. In the new avatar, Singh carried forward the ideas of economic liberalisation in 1991 as this path was now tried and tested. In 2007, India achieved its highest GDP growth rate of 9 per cent and became the second fastest-growing major economy in the world. During his tenure as Prime Minister, the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was enacted in 2005 to deal with rural distress and perk up income. Indirect tax reforms were introduced by ushering in the value added tax, replacing sales tax. Besides, a Rs 76,000 crore farm debt waiver and debt relief scheme was implemented across the country which benefited crores of farmers. He also steered the nation during the 2008 global financial meltdown and announced a huge stimulus package to deal with the situation. Aadhaar was introduced through the Unique Identification Authority of India during his tenure as prime minister for targetted subsidy transfer. Direct Benefit Transfers for many schemes were announced under his leadership. He also promoted financial inclusion in a big way and many bank branches were opened during his tenure as the Prime Minister. Other reforms like the Right to Food and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act were enacted during his regime. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
For years, patients in the U.S. health care system have grown frustrated with a bureaucracy they don’t understand. Doctors are included in an insurer’s network one year but not the next. Getting someone on the phone to help can be next to impossible. Coverage of care and prescriptions is often unceremoniously denied. This week’s fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of public feeling — exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness — from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants. In particular, the words written on ammunition found at the shooting scene — “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” echoing a phrase used to describe how insurers dodge claim payouts — amplified voices that have long been critical of the industry. “All of a sudden, I am fired up again,” said Tim Anderson, describing how his wife, Mary, had to deal with UnitedHealthcare coverage denials before she died from Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2022. Anderson said they couldn’t get coverage for machines to help his wife breathe or talk — toward the end, she communicated by blinking when he showed her pictures. The family had to rely on donations from a local ALS group, he said. “The business model for insurance is don’t pay,” said Anderson, 67, of Centerville, Ohio. “When Mary could still talk, she said to me to keep fighting this,” he added. “It needs to be exposed.” For Anderson and others, Thompson’s death and the message left at the scene have created an opportunity to vent their frustrations. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic, as police efforts to find the gunman keep the case in the news. Hans Maristela said he understands why the chatter is bubbling up. The 54-year-old caregiver in California was moved to comment on Facebook about UnitedHealthcare’s reputation of denying coverage. As a Catholic, he said, he grieves Thompson’s death and feels for his family, especially with the holidays around the corner. But he sees frustration with insurers even among his clients, most of them wealthy older people who’ve not been shielded from high out-of-pocket costs. “And then you know the CEO of this company you pay a lot of money to gets $10 million dollars a year, you won’t have a lot of sympathy for the guy,” Maristela said, citing Thompson’s compensation package that included base pay and stock options. “Health care is a business, I understand, but the obsession with share price, with profit, has to be reevaluated.” University of Pennsylvania researcher Michael Anne Kyle said she’s not surprised by the growth of conversation around insurers. “People are often struggling with this by themselves, and when you see someone else talk about it, that may prompt you to join the conversation,” she said. Kyle studies how patients access care and said she’s seen frustration with the system build for years. Costs are rising, and insurers are using more controls such as prior authorizations and doctor networks to manage them. Patients are often stuck in the middle of disputes between doctors and insurers. “Patients are already spending a lot of money on health care, and then they’re still facing problems with the service,” she said. Insurers often note that most of the money they bring in goes back out the door to pay claims, and that they try to corral soaring costs and the overuse of some care. In Ohio, Anderson said his initial reaction to the CEO shooting was to question whether it was connected to a coverage denial, like the ones he’d experienced with his wife. “I definitely do not condone killing people,” he said. “But I read it and said, ‘I wonder if somebody had a spouse whose coverage was denied.’” It’s something Will Flanary, a Portland-based ophthalmologist and comedian with a large social media following, saw online a lot in the shooting’s immediate aftermath and found very telling. “It’s zero sympathy,” he said. “And the lesson to take away from that is not, ‘Let’s shame people for celebrating a murder.’ No, it’s: ‘Look at the amount of anger that people have toward this system that’s taken advantage of people and do something to try to fix that.’” Flanary’s content, published under the name Dr. Glaucomflecken, started out as niche eye doctor jokes and a way to cope with his own experiences with two cancer diagnoses and a sudden cardiac arrest. But it has evolved, featuring character skits that call attention to and satirize the decisions of large health insurers, including UnitedHealthcare. He said he’s never seen conversations around health insurance policy take off the way they did this week — and he hopes these new voices can help bring about change. “I’m always talking about how powerful social media can be with advocacy,” he said, “because it really is the only way to put a significant amount of pressure on these corporations who are doing bad things for patients.”The Yomiuri Shimbun 6:00 JST, November 28, 2024 This is the second installment in a series examining how social media is impacting elections. * * Kenichi Okutani, a Hyogo prefectural assembly member, received malicious phone calls at his home saying such things as “resign,” “liar” and “come outside,” during the recent Hyogo gubernatorial election campaign. Okutani is the chairman of the Hyogo prefectural assembly’s so-called Article 100 committee, which is conducting probes into reelected Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito, 47, over allegations of power abuse and other problematic acts. After Saito lost his position as governor prior to the election, slanderous posts about Okutani were spread on social media, while posts supporting Saito proliferated. Takashi Tachibana, 57, leader of the political group NHK Party, also ran in the election. During the campaign, he delivered a street speech in front of Okutani’s home. He urged Okutani to “come out,” and livestreamed himself pressing the doorbell. Okutani and his mother had evacuated from the house, but Tachibana went on to ask social media users on X, formerly Twitter, to provide information about any sightings of Okutani. Some posts in response said such things as, “He seems to be hiding in the Arima Onsen hot spring resort.” Even after the election, strangers have kept standing in front of Okutani’s home and ringing the doorbell. He has consulted with police. Okutani said with an exhausted expression on his face: “Posts about me on social media are all full of misinformation. This is the first time for me to fear this much for my physical safety.” On social media, a phenomenon called the “echo chamber effect” tends to occur, as users’ ways of thinking become distorted as they are more likely to become connected only with other users who hold similar opinions. Fujio Toriumi, a professor at the University of Tokyo and an expert in computational social science, said that only about 10% of accounts on X reposted posts both in support and in opposition of Saito during the election campaign period from Oct. 31 to Nov. 16. He said that X users who supported Saito tended to repost only those posts made by supporters of the governor and opponents tended to only have contact with others who were critical of him, indicating that the two groups were cut off from each other. It is possible that such echo chambers led to increasingly radical language being used among the two groups. Okutani was not the only one targeted by such online abuse. Kazumi Inamura, 52, who finished second in the gubernatorial election, was the subject of a campaign of disinformation on social media. There were posts that claimed she was trying to promote foreigners’ rights to take part in Japanese politics, even though she had never mentioned such a stance. Her election office received phone calls in protest from people who wrongly believed the posts. Yoshiaki Hashimoto, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and an expert on information social psychology, said about the protesting phone calls, “It was probably a result of confirmation bias.” Confirmation bias refers to the psychological tendency of people to only collect information that matches their own opinions. “It is possible that the protesters strongly believed that they were right and the sense of justice they held encouraged them to take such radical action. Even if others call for cool-headed discussions, they see them as enemies and never accept them,” he said. An example of such an incident taken to an extreme was the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building in the wake of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Donald Trump refused to accept his loss in the election and called on people to participate in protest rallies or take other actions. As a result, a group of Trump supporters formed a mob and temporarily occupied the U.S. congressional building. In Brazil in 2022, about 4,000 people, mainly supporters of a defeated presidential candidate, intruded into the National Congress and other public places based on information received through social media. They committed destructive acts. In the recent Hyogo gubernatorial election, there was evidence of budding violence caused by divisions among the public. At the venues of Saito’s speeches, jeers were heard alongside voices of support. On Nov. 15, during the final phase of the election campaign, thousands of people gathered to hear Saito’s speech in front of JR Himeji Station. In response to opponents of Saito raising placards, some members of the audience repeatedly shouted, “Go home.” At one point, police officers entered the space between them. A 42-year-old man from Nagata Ward, Kobe, held a paper sheet reading, “Shame on you, Saito.” “Saito’s supporters are conspiracy theorists who blindly believe information on social media,” the man said. The man said he got acquainted with fellow anti-Saito activists via social media. Tatsuhiko Yamamoto, a professor at Keio University and an expert on constitutional studies, said, “If divisions accelerate on social media, [Japanese society] may fall into chaotic situations like those seen in the United States and Brazil, in which people tried to overturn election results with violence.” “We need to have discussions as soon as possible about how we can build a system in which people can easily access objective and useful information, rather than extreme opinions,” he added.GEORGETOWN 100, ALBANY 68
BROCKTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 22, 2024-- HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: HONE), the holding company for HarborOne Bank announced today that Inez Friedman-Boyce has been named to the Top 50 Women Leaders in Banking by Women We Admire. The award recognizes Friedman-Boyce’s valuable contributions to the field of banking, expertise and strong commitment to the ethical practices to the sector. Friedman- Boyce serves as EVP, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for HarborOne Bank and Chief Legal Officer for HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. In this role, she oversees HarborOne’s Legal and Compliance functions, including providing strategic legal advice to the board and management; managing SEC reporting and corporate governance; negotiating contractual relationships; handling regulatory applications and examinations; and managing litigation and other disputes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122357104/en/ Inez Friedman-Boyce named to the Top 50 Women Leaders in Banking (Photo: Business Wire) As part of her responsibility, Friedman-Boyce oversees HarborOne’s Community Reinvestment Act program, through which HarborOne has earned multiple, consecutive “Outstanding” ratings from federal and state regulators, a designation reserved for the small group of banks that most effectively meet the credit needs of their local communities. She believes that community service is central to both community banking and shareholder value, and she is committed to improving the lives of people in the communities that HarborOne serves. She is the president and co-chair of Lawyers for Civil Rights, a legal engine for racial equity and social justice in Greater Boston and the Gateway Cities of Massachusetts. She also serves on the boards of OneGoal Massachusetts and the Providence Performing Arts Center. “Friedman-Boyce has played an instrumental role in the growth and success of HarborOne Bank,” said Joseph F. Casey, President & CEO HarborOne Bank. “Her dedication, expertise and guidance has been steadfast and on behalf of the leadership team and Board of Directors of HarborOne, I wanted to extend my sincere congratulations for this well-deserved recognition.” Friedman-Boyce joined HarborOne in 2019 after 25 years in private legal practice, including 15 years at Goodwin Procter, where she was a partner in the Financial Institutions and Litigation groups. During her years in private practice, she was a trusted advisor to corporate boards and management in the banking, financial services, and financial technology industries. She is also a sought-after industry expert, contributing as an author, commentator, panelist, and moderator for numerous publications and organizations. She holds a B.A. from Amherst College and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she graduated with honors. About HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for HarborOne Bank, a Massachusetts-chartered trust company. HarborOne Bank serves the financial needs of consumers, businesses, and municipalities throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island through a network of 29 full-service banking centers located in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and commercial lending offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. HarborOne Bank also provides a range of educational resources through “HarborOne U,” with free digital content, webinars, and recordings for small business and personal financial education. HarborOne Mortgage, LLC, a subsidiary of HarborOne Bank, provides mortgage lending services throughout New England and other states. About Women We Admire: Women We Admire provides news and information on today's women leaders in business, entertainment, sports, motherhood, medicine, law, and many other fields. Women We Admire covers a broad range of topics and areas of interest aimed at recognizing the achievements of exceptional women while inspiring others to aim high and continue their journey towards reaching their full potential. Women We Admire and its affiliates circulate its content to over 34,000 individuals and businesses. Category: All Releases View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122357104/en/ CONTACT: Media: Jennifer White, FVP Community & Public Relations JlWhite@HarborOne.Com 508.895.1338 | 617.610.0123 KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONSUMER WOMEN LEGAL FINANCE BANKING ACCOUNTING SOURCE: HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/22/2024 12:17 PM/DISC: 11/22/2024 12:15 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122357104/enTrump threatens 100% tariff on BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine U.S. dollar
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LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) — Leo Colimerio had 15 points in Queens' 81-78 win against VMI on Saturday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) — Leo Colimerio had 15 points in Queens' 81-78 win against VMI on Saturday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) — Leo Colimerio had 15 points in Queens’ 81-78 win against VMI on Saturday. Colimerio had seven rebounds and five assists for the Royals (4-5). Jaxon Pollard scored 13 points while finishing 6 of 8 from the floor and added eight rebounds. Yoav Berman had 12 points and shot 4 of 7 from the field, including 3 for 6 from 3-point range, and went 1 for 4 from the line. A 3-pointer by TJ Johnson got VMI within 77-76 with 8 seconds remaining, but Nasir Mann’s layup gave Queens an important three-point lead with 6 seconds left. Rickey Bradley, Jr. led the way for the Keydets (5-6) with 19 points and four steals. TJ Johnson added 17 points, six rebounds and three steals for VMI. Augustinas Kiudulas also put up 15 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Advertisement
If you're one of the millions of shoppers browsing for Black Friday offers this weekend, you may want to check out a little-known cashback deal that can see you save even more. Website TopCashback is currently offering up to 45% cashback on all Superdrug purchases, as well as a £15 sign-up bonus for new members - but you'll have to be quick to take advantage of the offer, as it comes to an end at midnight tonight (Saturday, November 30). For one day only, both new and existing TopCashback members can stack this huge cashback deal when browsing the Superdrug Black Friday sale, spelling massive discounts on big beauty brands. One of the biggest savings at Superdrug discovered by shopping experts at The Mirror is on the Oral-B iO3 Matt Black Electric Toothbrush with Travel Case , which has seen its price drop from £159.99 down to just £49.95 for Black Friday. By snapping up the TopCashback deal too, shoppers who also get the sign-up bonus can snag the toothbrush for just £16.22 after cashback, almost 90% off its full price tag. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to get the deal: Head over to the TopCashback website and sign up for an account for free using this link In your TopCashback account, search for Superdrug in the search bar at the top Once you're on the TopCashback Superdrug page, click 'Get Cashback Now' which will redirect you to the Superdrug website Make your purchase on the Oral-B iO3 Matt Black Electric Toothbrush , or choose another Superdrug product you have your eye on, and your cashback will appear within your TopCashback account within seven working days Once your cashback lands in your account, you will have the choice to withdraw it via bank transfer or PayPal, or alternatively you can choose to transfer it to your Reward Wallet to spend on gift cards via TopCashback. TopCashback features over 4,000 major retailers across fashion, electricals, utilities, travel and more, which pay TopCashback commission for referring shoppers to their website at no extra cost to you - in fact, this commission is passed back to customers as cashback, meaning there are plenty of discounts and deals to snap up. To shop on TopCashback, you just need to find the retailer you want to buy from on the site and click through, and then shop online with your chosen retailer as you normally would. Once TopCashback receives its commission from the retailer, it will deposit your promised cashback into your account so you can withdraw it to spend. The website has an overall rating of 4.5 out of five stars on Trustpilot, based on over 140,000 reviews from customers. Another Superdrug bargain is on the Remington S3500 Ceramic Straight Straighteners , which can be all yours for just £2.49 after cashback - less than the price of a takeaway coffee. Or for shoppers who really want to splash out, the Shark Flexstyle 5-In-1 Air Styler & Dryer is currently reduced to £219.99, but new TopCashback members who take advantage of the Saturday deal can get it for £122.49. Molly Mileham-Chappell, consumer savings expert at TopCashback, said: "Black Friday can be a great time to take advantage of promotions on high-ticket items you've had your eye on and had been planning to purchase. This might include the likes of premium perfume or hair tools, which you might have ordinarily waited to buy from Duty Free if you travel internationally. "Additionally, this time of year is chock full of bargains on health and beauty promotions, with bundles and gift sets of popular products often on offer - just make sure you price compare between retailers before hitting that 'checkout' button - sites like PriceSpy can help with this. Splitting sets up into individual items, you can create perfect Christmas gifts for your friends and stocking fillers for your family, and they will be none the wiser!" Elsewhere on the high street, Boots is also running a deal on the Limited Edition Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer Gift Set , which has seen its price slashed from £329.99 down to £249.99 with £80 off. Even better, the retailer is offering shoppers £10 worth of Advantage Card points for every £60 spent on selected electrical beauty favourites - meaning with this purchase you will get £40 back to spend on your reward card. ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities. We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all! To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice . Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community Join our Court & Crime community Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community Join our Northumberland community Join our County Durham community Join our Sunderland community Join our NUFC community Join our SAFC community Join our Great North Run communityIndia News | India Lost One of Its Great Sons: Jharkhand CM on Manmohan Singh's Death
New Baileys flavour treats appear on shelves of three bargain supermarkets – but shoppers are dividedDuring her years as a therapist, Jessica Blehm has counseled senior citizens as they navigate the winding road of life’s transitions. At this time of year, she said that since understanding older people’s concerns may be especially important, she wanted to share some tips to help families during the holiday season. Blehm, who also is a licensed specialist clinical social worker, sees clients at The Center for Counseling & Consultation, 5815 Broadway. “For many older people, the holidays are not necessarily filled with comfort and joy,” Blehm said. “Instead, they are isolated and feel as though they have lost their role of being the hub of the wheel. “In addition, their circle of family and friends is getting smaller; they miss the people who were once a big part of their lives. And sometimes it is a lack of mobility or other physical concerns.” Cognition problems can play a role because “some older folks aren’t capable of being in the present moment,” she added. “In a room full of people talking about so-and-so, grandma doesn’t remember who so-and-so is.” The older generation also misses long-time family traditions of gathering at a certain place on a certain day, eating the same menu and unwrapping presents in a particular way. “In this day and age, many families are more spread out than they used to be and some traditions are no longer possible,” Blehm said. “But there are ways we can soften the blow. “First, we need to acknowledge that change is difficult and scary for older people. They may be cranky, stuck in their old ways or just plain sad. We can comfort them when we say ‘we are aware of how you feel and want to create some new traditions with you.’” For example, ask older relatives to outline the steps to making their Christmas cookies. Or suggest they help compile the menu for Christmas dinner. Or suggest a new system for the gift exchange. Or all of the above. “We also need to be aware that the older generation isn’t always comfortable with technology,” Blehm commented. “This is when you can set up a Face Time call with family members who couldn’t be there. Grandma and Grandpa could actually watch the kids open their presents.” On the physical side of things, older relatives probably aren’t comfortable sitting in the same chair all day, Blehm noted. “We can recognize this and the older person can decide whether to stay or simply call it a day. “The mind-body connection is so tied into all this,” she continued. “If I hurt emotionally and/or physically, I might be irritable. We simply need to engage the older generation in activities, while making time to hear their stories – even if you have heard them many times.” The Center for Counseling & Consultation, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, 5815 Broadway in Great Bend, serves Barton, Pawnee, Rice and Stafford counties. Professionally trained personnel offer: individual and group therapy; marriage and family counseling; community-support services; community-based services; psychosocial rehabilitation; peer support; and medication management. The confidential 24/7 crisis hotline number is 800-875-2544.