Alford, Brooklyn Twp. – Alford was the scene of a possibly fatal accident when Glenn Richardson, son of A. W. Richardson, of Heart Lake, fell down a 50 foot embankment with horse and carriage and was badly injured. His horse was killed outright and the carriage demolished. No one witnessed the accident but he was seen a few minutes before it occurred walking his horse along the road and not driving rapidly, and was then only a short distance from the place where the disaster occurred. There is a sharp turn in the road at this point, caused by the Lackawanna railroad’s new cut-off, which necessitated changing the course of the road The plunge over the embankment might have been caused by the sudden fright of the animal. Glenn had one arm broken in two places, a leg dislocated and was severely gashed under the lower jaw. He also had internal hemorrhages, apparently, and internal injuries are also feared. He is well known in this community and has made many friends by his kindly ways. About three months ago he was married to Miss Mary Decker, daughter of J. M. Decker, a well- known Alford merchant. The distressing accident has awakened wide sympathy among all who are acquainted with the family and a clinging hope that he will recover, his age, 22 years, being much in his favor. [Glenn did recover and lived until 1978 and his wife, Nellie, until 1979. Both are buried in the New Milford Cemetery.]

Montrose – “War Prices on Whiskers!!!” We notice in yesterday’s Democrat the barbers here will advance prices all along the line Oct. 1, on account of the war over in Europe. Now, what’s the war in Europe got to do with whiskers in Montrose? Pray tell us! Nobody from here has gone to have hostile bullets whistling through his whiskers. The old prices were high enough, and we raise a strong voice against the increase. We believe there will be an increase in the sale of safety razors soon. Montrose is a good place now for a reasonable priced barber to locate. Pro Bono Publico. Also judging from the swelling tides of applause accorded Mr. Hillis, at the Colonial, Wednesday evening, when he gave a good sound talk on how to behave in a theatre, it is quite evident the audience gloried in his spunk. It is about the only remedy to be applied, however, and had the desired effect of quieting the person whose interruptions were so obnoxious to the assembly, and very annoying to the players. A gentle tap from a cop’s club, or a leading out into the open, are two other ways with which to deal with disturbers in a pubic hall.

Heart Lake – Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Stark, who have conducted the Heart Lake boarding house for the past two years, have gone to Baldwinsville, N. Y., where they will manage the Empire State House.

Hallstead – The will of Jane E. Krum, late of this place, bequeaths to daughter, Hattie E. Decker, all of her real estate and personal property. To each of daughters, Mrs. Ellen Albright, Mrs. Clara Banker, Mrs. Sarah Trowbridge, Mrs. Frank Waterman, Mrs. Rosa Whited and Mrs. Kittle Miller, $5 each. Mrs. Decker made executor.

Stevens Point – Our school opened with Miss Gillin as teacher. The Mountain school started with Mrs. Nolan as teacher.

Lawton – Mrs. Fred Jones won six cans of Campbell’s Liquid Stove Polish, offered by Geo. C. Campbell & Sons, of Hallstead, in a peanut guessing contest at the Lawton Fair.

Little Meadows – Miss Lyda Bergin, of Montrose, left for the home of her parent here, on Sunday. It is stated that Miss Bergin will teach school in that vicinity this fall and winter.

Gibson – Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Estabrook of Nebraska, who for the past few weeks have been visiting relatives and friends at Brushville, are now visiting relatives in and around Gibson.

Susquehanna – Miss Frances Sabin left Monday for Saratoga Springs, where she will be a student in the Skidmore School of Art. She was accompanied by her father.

Harford – Dr. Hooven made the remark the other day, at the Harford Fair, that only six years ago there was one solitary automobile at the Harford Fair and it attracted much attention. This year there were three to four hundred autos on the grounds each day.

Flynn, Middletown Twp. – Miss Josephine Lane gave a reception to some of her most intimate friends Thursday evening, Sept. 10, in honor of her guest, Miss Daw, of Binghamton, at her lovely home here. There were quite a number present and pictures were taken of those present by flashlight.

Forest City – There is a necessity for great care on the part of both pedestrians and autoists to prevent serious accidents on Main street in this borough. Already there have been several narrow escapes. The street is narrow and since the brick has been put down it is quite natural to step off the pave and cross in any part of the block. Automobiles should be run along the street under control but we regret to say that a few drivers seem to see how fast they can go. The burgess informs us, however, that means will be taken to make the reckless ones pay for their actions. Meanwhile, however, pedestrians should use caution in crossing the street and children should be warned not to play on the pavement. Also more than 5000 spectators witnessed the first aid contests of the Pennsylvania Coal company at Valley View park on Saturday. Twelve teams of six men each took part in the contest. Ewen breaker, of South Pittston, won the first place. Forest City and the Gray slope, of Vandling, were contestants. In the one-man contest Delbert Burdick, of Forest City, won a prize.

Ararat Twp. – A marriage performed by Kleber Shaffer took place at the home of John Shay, September 11, at 8 o’clock, when his sister, Miss Helen, a well-known young lady of Ararat, was united in marriage to Stanton Reed, after which an elaborate dinner was served. The evening was spent with much music and dancing. About 30 people of Ararat present. The couple was unattended and will reside on the Rogers’ homestead. Their many friends wish Mr. and Mrs. Reed a long and happy life.

Choconut Valley – Most of the city people who have been spending some time in this Valley have returned to their homes.

Franklin Forks – The Stockholm reunion was held at C. A. Palmer’s, Saturday. About sixty were present, coming in a goat carat, ox cart, wagons, motorcycles and automobiles.

Lynn, Springville Twp. – J. R. Titman, R. L. Avery, C. W. Lee and G. M. Lake motored to the Syracuse Fair on the former’s Maxwell car using on an average but one gallon of gasoline to 35 miles. How is that for the famous Maxwell?

A picture is worth a thousand words.  This old adage has proved itself again in connection with the sudden NFL crisis involving the Atlantic City incident where Baltimore Ravens Running Back Ray Rice was caught on tape viciously punching his fiancé (now wife) in a hotel elevator, knocking her out, and then dragging her from the elevator to his hotel room.  The entire incident was caught on hotel video surveillance – and the public initially saw the video of Rice dragging his fiancé from the elevator – but did not see the actual physical attack itself.

The initial response to this brutal domestic assault was tempered – the prosecutors in New Jersey placed Rice in a pretrial diversion program – in part based upon the request of the victim not to proceed with prosecution, and the NFL suspended Rice for two games.  The 2-game suspension caused enough of an uproar that the NFL “revamped” its domestic violence policy.  The new policy required a 6-game suspension for a player who committed an act of domestic violence.  The NFL’s new “tough love” policy seemed to satisfy most critics – and the NFL seemed to have put the matter to bed prior to the actual football season.  Rice even appeared before the media, expressed his remorse, and vowed to become a better person for his wife, daughter and the community in general.

Everyone knew what happened in that elevator – he hit his fiancé with such force that he knocked her unconscious – there was no mystery to it.  The video of him dragging her out of the elevator told the tale – but it turns out that knowing something is entirely different from actually seeing something.  When the video of the actual assault surfaced a few weeks ago, people were outraged – and the response was quick from the NFL – Rice was then suspended indefinitely by the league and the Baltimore Ravens cut him.

It has been interesting listening to all the “sport experts” discuss this case – most of whom it seems to me know very little about domestic violence.  It has been distressing to hear so many people – both professional commentators and lay citizens – attacking the victim.  I have heard many people talk about how the victim married Rice after the attack and that there was something wrong with her for “standing by him.”  Some people have suggested that she was greedy – just wanted the paycheck.  Other people have argued that she actually struck Rice first – so she precipitated the physical assault.

Domestic violence is horrific – not only physically – but emotionally and spiritually.  Thankfully, most of us have never experienced it – so we cannot begin to comprehend the state of mind of an abused person – but we can try to have some empathy for the victims.  Domestic violence victims often lack any financial ability to leave an offender – they would be homeless.  They may have children with an offender – which means further breaking up a family – taking a father away from their children.  Some victims may still love the offender – no matter how terrible the relationship has become – they harbor some glimmer of hope that the offender will change.  Leaving may require losing a home – or leaving their family – and this would entail the loss of the only support that they have.  Finally, and most importantly, many victims fear the consequences of leaving – they think it is safer to deal with the domestic abuse than what might occur if they actually leave and further enrage the abuser.

The Rice domestic assault video unveils the brutal reality of domestic abuse, but we need to work harder as a society to understand the responses to domestic violence.  Victims need to be empowered – by family, friends, their community, law enforcement and the criminal justice system – to know that if they report the domestic abuse, they will be supported and protected.  It happens too often – statistics say that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are victims of domestic violence.  For those victims, domestic violence is the cold reality of every single day.

If you are interested in taking a stand against domestic violence here in our community, the Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Event on October 4, 2014 is a great opportunity.  It runs from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the Green in Montrose, starting with a short awareness walk around the community, followed by a performance by the Barefoot Followers, coupled with several engaging speakers, food and children’s activities.

Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/. 

Meet Tammy, The Patient Who Knew Nothing

Tammy, 45, called the pharmacy and stated that “all my prescriptions need to be filled.” The pharmacist asked her what specifically she needed. Tammy is someone who is on 15 medications for cholesterol, diabetes, depression, hypertension, irregular heartbeat, anxiety, chronic pain and asthma. Asked if she had the prescription numbers, Tammy snapped back, “I don’t know what I need. I don’t even know what half these drugs are for.” Tammy is typical of many patients who take a passive role in their health, accepting whatever prescriptions are handed her, never questioning what they are for, and, because she is on medical assistance and has a $1.15 co-pay or less, is not motivated to get involved in her own treatment. And she is not conscious of her body weight – which is on the obese side – because, as she says, “I can eat anything I want because they pills take care of everything for me.”

Unfortunately, Tammy is not an isolated case in terms of being casual about the medications that are very likely keeping her alive. The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research has published some startling statistics. Approximately 125,000 Americans with treatable illnesses die each year because they did not take their medications properly. About 50% of the 2 billion prescriptions filled each year are not taken correctly. Over 60% of all patients cannot identify their own medications. One in 5 patients never fills his or her original prescriptions. Almost 1 in 4 nursing home admissions are due to not taking medications as directed. Ten percent of hospital admissions are due to poor adherence to prescribed medications.

Factors contributing to poor medication adherence are numerous and include those that are related to patients’ lack of disease understanding. In the case of diabetes, it is not uncommon to see a person with that often fatal disease in the market pushing around a shopping cart full of sugar and carbohydrates. They may figure that the pills will take care of their diabetes so why bother changing their diet? Many patients are disinterested when it comes to being involved in their treatment decision-making process. Again, the patient will accept prescriptions but, not knowing any of the side effects that may be experienced, however minor, will stop taking the drugs because of adverse reactions without notifying the prescriber. To compound matters, prescribers are also at fault for poor treatment outcomes: the prescribed drug regimen is too complex, communication between doctor and patient is insufficient and office visit times are limited.

As the former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop reminded us, “Drugs don't work in patients who don't take them.” Thus, physicians must recognize that poor medication adherence contributes to suboptimal clinical benefits, particularly in light of the World Health Organization statement which said that increasing adherence may have a greater effect on health than any improvement in specific medical treatments. In other words, Tammy had the best treatments available for her long list of ailments. Nevertheless, because she turned a blind eye to the advice given to her by her physician and pharmacist, she died within a year of a heart attack.
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD is a pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Write him at ron@Rx-Press.com.