Report of 10 Aug 2020

 Good evening!

We were out on the balcony, and it was a tad hot, thus we are inside under the fans.  We have no airconditioning - too expensive, one usually has a/c in 1 or 2 rooms of the house and so, one tends to live in those rooms.  When exiting the a/c'd room(s), then, the blast of hot air makes adjustment uncomfortable, so we choose to live without the coolth.  I was telling Scott today that the radiating heat in June was stupefying, but living near the sea has its perks: we have not felt the heat too horribly, plus we have not really been gadding about outside to get hotter.  Work from home also has its perks.

We are well, as is the Banyan.  I was there last week.  The B now makes hummus; a friend shared the recipe and since all the ingredients are available here, I had most delicious hummus last week.  We asked if a local restaurant would sell it for us, and they are understandably apprehensive: it was not made in their kitchen, they have no idea of practices in ours, there is a pandemic about.  They declined, and so the B will make it for internal consumption.  Incidentally, "hummus" is apparently the most mispronounced food.  

We have an older patient who is diabetic and she now has dementia.  It is sad to see - dementia is a very cruel illness.  This is a patient who is always well-dressed and used to read avidly.  Her family has been traced, they are in Chennai and - by mutual agreement - the patient continues to be with us.  Many patients elect not to return to their families: sometimes, our harshest weapons are our mouths.  This patient has started the inexorable slide into forgetfulness; she cannot remember what she ate for breakfast, and has to think of answers to questions.  She is also eating less, which goes along with dementia.  The team has planned an activity or 2 - puzzles, walking - to arrest the decline, and we hope for the best.  

There was an apparently mentally ill lady on the street near our house last week.  I phoned Kovalam and they tried to locate her ("rescue") and take her to the B, but she could not be found.  I hope the lady has a family, that she has a roof over her head, food, some affection.  

There is so much unevenness in the world, isn't there - some people have a lot of wealth, many have very little.  We are grateful for those who have a lot, and who would choose to share, to make life better for all - the Gateses, Mr. Buffett, Hans Foundation in India.  We can do our job because of such folks.  

We spoke to the children and they are well, thank goodness.  Naren had some questions on sleep, and Nat was wearing a nice, strappy top which I greatly admired.  There was a lot of chuckling during the call, which completely and happily rejuvenated Scott and me; in a sense, "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."  Both children cook more now and I love to hear what they have made/eaten.  As I told them, I learnt to appreciate flavors most during our Turkey trip - the food was delicious and could be savored. 

I spoke to my Dad and that was fun.  Last week, he shared details of his first and only beating from a patient - it was cool.  He said he had received other whacks as a child from his parents, but that was de rigueur.  This week, he wanted to know of the mental health program in Sri Lanka: someone from Sri Lanka had come to one of our conferences and was so impressed, there is now a replication in SL.  We are to train the personnel, including the community workers.  These are folks who could not study mainly due to poverty and now are so enthused about learning, they make excellent students.  It is a joy to teach interested parties. 

We hope that you have joy in your life and manage to stay safe.  

Unw -

R