Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion. It may be accompanied by a change in attitude, from positive and caring to negative and unconcerned. Burnout can occur when caregivers don't get the help they need, or if they try to do more than they are able, physically or financially. Many caregivers also feel guilty if they spend time on themselves rather than on their ill or elderly loved ones. Caregivers who are "burned out" may experience fatigue, stress, anxiety and depression. What Causes Caregiver Burnout? Caregivers often are so busy caring for others that they tend to neglect their own emotional, physical and spiritual health. The demands on a caregiver's body, mind and emotions can easily seem overwhelming, leading to fatigue, hopelessness and ultimately burnout.   Abstract source

Young individuals with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) experience sleep disturbances and often experience daytime tiredness, which in turn may impact on their daytime functioning and academic attainment, but there are few longitudinal data. Methods: Data on sleep habits and behaviour were taken on the same day as an in-hospital polysomnography. This study assesses the developmental sleep profiles of children and young adults aged 4–23 years old with SCA. We examined retrospective polysomnography (PSG) and questionnaire data. Results: A total of 256 children with a median age of 10.67 years (130 male) were recruited and 179 returned for PSG 1.80–6.72 years later. Later bedtimes and a decrease in total sleep time (TST) were observed. Sleep disturbances, e.g., parasomnias and night waking, were highest in preschool children and young adults at their first visit. Participants with lower sleep quality, more movement during the night and increased night waking experienced daytime sleepiness, potentially an indicator of lower daytime functioning. Factors influencing sleep quantity included age, hydroxyurea prescription, mean overnight oxygen saturation, sleep onset latency, periodic limb movement, socioeconomic status and night waking. Conclusion: Sleep serves an important role for daytime functioning in SCA; hence, quantitative (i.e., PSG for clinical symptoms, e.g., sleep-disordered breathing, nocturnal limb movement) and qualitative (i.e., questionnaires for habitual sleep behaviour) assessments of sleep should be mutually considered to guide interventions. Abstract source

Africa Sickle Cell Alliance was founded as a result of the Amplify Sickle Cell Voices Series. An initiative which started as a result of people coming from different parts of the world to discuss issues affecting the sickle cell community. Africa Sickle Cell Alliance is a group of African Sickle Cell Organisations representing patients, caregivers and all stakeholders advancing the rights of those affected by sickle cell disease. It is an umbrella organisation representing all organisations in Africa with currently over 23 African Countries as members. Africa Sickle Cell Alliance is tasked with the responsibility of advocacy, research and development of sickle cell, public education and awareness of sickle cell, social and family support of people living with sickle cell and partnerships with public and private sectors in the development of sickle cell treatment, care, and policies in Africa. Official website

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B. was a 15-year-old adolescent girl living with her parents and attending 10th grade referred for outpatient psychiatric services after superficially cutting herself with a razor blade. Medical history was notable for sickle cell disease (SCD) and multiple related complications, but no previous psychiatric evaluation or treatment. Her chief complaint on presentations was “I want to be in control of my emotions." History of Present Illness B. presented to the pediatric emergency department with her father after he learned that she had self-injured by superficially cutting her arm with a razor blade. She reported that this was the only time that she had engaged in any form of self-injurious behavior, and her parents denied knowledge of any prior incidents. She also denied that this was a suicide attempt, and reported that she cut herself due to feeling “overwhelmed.” She reported wanting to regain control of her emotions and that she had read on social media that self-injuring might help; in this instance, she reported that cutting did not have the desired effect. Abstract source

It’s cold and flu season and the usual advice is being dispensed: Get the influenza vaccine, wash your hands regularly and avoid contact with anyone who’s already sick. But is there anything else we can do? “Most common illnesses are spread by your hands,” said Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona who has spent a career tracking germs everywhere from toilet seats and airplane trays to computer touch screens and hotel TV remote controls. “Hand hygiene is the most important thing you can do for yourself.” He advocates washing hands or using sanitizer when coming home after a day of touching our germ-ridden world. Experts suggest other tactics to keep in mind during cold and flu season: Get Enough Sleep One study found people who get fewer than six hours of sleep at night are more susceptible to catching colds. Disinfect Phones and Tablets “You’re continually touching them along with other surfaces, which is great for moving germs around,” Gerba said. “You can use alcohol wipes on phones, and you should clean and sanitize them once a day.” Abstract source

When sickle cell patients arrive at emergency rooms, they often have great difficulty getting the treatment they need. Paula Tanabe, an associate professor at the Duke University School of Nursing, is making it her mission to change that. Sickle cell disease, an incurable genetic blood disorder most common among people of African descent, affects 100,000 Americans. It causes normally disc-shaped red blood cells to take the form of pointed crescents or sickles. Common complications—which often bring death by the mid-40s—include strokes, anemia, severe infections, and damage to blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, and other organs. Treatment can also be complicated because many patients are unable to work and that can lead to a lack of health insurance. Acute and unpredictable pain, severe enough to require large doses of narcotics, is a well-documented feature of sickle cell disease. But Tanabe has found that too often patients in sickle-cell agony are not handled properly by doctors and nurses in the emergency department because they erroneously think the patients may be running scams, seeking drugs. Abstract source

When Janoi Burgess was a child, he thought doctor appointments were fun. “I used to love it because they had a section where you could play games,” said Burgess, who was born with sickle cell anemia, an inherited blood disorder. “They were really nice and friendly.” But when he turned 21, the South Florida resident could no longer go to his pediatric specialist. Instead, he “bounced around” to various adult primary care doctors, none of whom seemed well versed in the details of his condition. When he had a painful sickle cell crisis two years later, his only choice was to go to a hospital emergency department, where, he says, he waited three hours for pain medication. “They triage you based on severity, and pain is not something that they consider as severe” as other conditions, he recently recalled. “One doctor even said, ‘Your labs are OK so you’re not in pain.’ It was crazy and insulting at the same time.” Burgess’ experience is not unusual among many adult sickle cell patients. The disease affects up to 100,000 people in the United States, most of them African Americans.   Abstract source

We can’t get out of bed in the morning and it’s no surprise why. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of us wake up feeling out of sorts and sluggish at least a few times each week. Are you among the groggy and grumpy when the alarm goes off each morning? Try these seven tricks to step up your sleep game and make climbing out of bed easier: Start the Night Before Drink chamomile tea before hitting the sack. Don’t check email from under the covers; in fact, leave your electronic devices in another room so the glowing screens don’t interrupt your sleep. And keep your shades drawn. Sunlight tells your body it’s time to wake up, so to keep from rising with the sun, shut your blinds before you go to bed. Stop Hitting Snooze Do you set your alarm 45 minutes earlier than you need to get up—giving yourself plenty of time to hit the snooze button every nine minutes—with the belief you’ll gently rouse yourself awake? (We’re guilty of this one!) This misguided behavior actually cheats you out of extra minutes in deeper, more restorative sleep stages. Abstract source