Sortof spring

It's still quite cold (hence the new fingerless gloves I am knitting) and you know what that means--cold and flu season! Both the kids have had runny noses and an overall "gunk" for a few weeks off an on but this past week proved the most taxing. Gubby came home Monday with a fever to return Thursday and still end up going home early-his fever hadn't quite retreated. Emmy got sick on Wednesday and is just now recovering, as well. Thankfully, spring break is upon us so the kids can recuperate completely.

That did not stop us from helping Daddy and Bruce lay the concrete for Daddy's renovated shed (and hopeful processing area for the business) and from having a small hike and picnic at Tom Brown Park. We saw lots of neat plants including ferns, mushrooms, and wild flowers. I am off to Seattle to visit my dearest friend, Christa, and am hopeful to be fully recovered from my cold, as well.

Regardless of my nasal congestion and general malaise, however, I received wonderful news for my dissertation. The medical and mental health director at the Louisiana Department of Corrections (LADOC) has accepted my proposal for my dissertation and has agreed to provide me access to five supermax prisons in the state that have an on-site, peer-to-peer hospice program. LADOC has truly led the way when it comes to these unique programs and the overall results point to a win-win-win for inmates at the end-of-life, their inmate volunteer caregivers, and the prison/community as a whole. Furthermore, they do it at very little cost! I am hopeful that I can support their efforts by exploring a few unique facets of the peer-to-peer relationship as well as several mental health variables--it is my goal to promote this model in both Florida and nationwide as a cost-effective, low impact, humane alternative to standard medical care within our correction facilities. What's not to love? I must note, however, that Mr. Jamey Boudreaux at the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization was most instrumental in this process and urge everyone to check out their work here