Andy Greider on LinkedIn: UtW Dr Richard Shuster | 16 comments (2024)

Good weekend to each of you.Woke up this morning with a smile on my face and a ton of passion in my heart for what we are doing to make a difference in the world.Yes, on a Saturday.I'll likely wake up the same way tomorrow, on Sunday.Or while on vacation over the 4th of July.Because once you TRULY find your calling, create (then embrace and share) the good in what you do - that feeling doesn't just come on "work days."It stays in place, as the root of each day, each moment. The "fun" and "joy" is what comes bubbling up.Are you at a point where your mission, your deliverables, your purpose - all excite you each day as if it is a perpetual "kid on Christmas morning" feeling - even in late June?If not - why not ask yourself "why not?" Because THEN you can make a plan for how to make things happen that bring that same spark to each of your days - even on the weekends.

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Lesson #3 – “Just waiting for someone to say hello, hello in there”The first time I heard “Hello In There” by John Prine – I was walking in a park, alone, and passed a park bench with an old man sitting there, staring off into the distance. It seemed all too perfectly timed that this song would be in my ears, bringing me to emotional tears, and as I approached the man, the song was ending – as it does – with the verse “So if you're walkin' down the street sometime, And spot some hollow, ancient eyes, Please don't just pass 'em by and stare, As if you didn't care, Say, "Hello in there, hello"” Not to be cliché, but I found myself removing my headphones, stopping and sitting down to say hello the man who was seemingly moored to that bench.I came to find that he was recently widowed, was lonely and was revisiting a favorite place he and his wife used to sit and watch sunsets from. Despite being early morning, he still seemed to be seeing the sunset in his mind’s eye. We spent some time speaking, and he shared stories that made my eyes water again, especially once we parted ways and I thought about the pain he was enduring – and likely would be moving forward – but hoped I had helped lighten his load at least a little.This incredibly poignant and powerful song delivers a message we all should be aware of – having empathy for folks you don’t know, especially our seniors, who are often trying to be “the trees that just grow stronger, or wilder every day” – but need help and the gentle encouragement of a “hello in there” from a passer-by.If we were all more understanding of the needs of the elderly about their need for connection and companionship and human empathy, we’d be a better world.It doesn’t take much – a simple greeting or conversation can make a significant difference in someone's life, particularly for those who feel isolated. Small acts of kindness can have a profound impact on those who may feel forgotten or neglected.There is also the underlying message about remembering aging happens to all us (if we are lucky enough to have it occur) – but that it isn’t easy, it isn’t always fun, and we all can share in the journey of life together. Simply taking the time to stop, say hello and have a talk, or listen – all bring an opportunity to learn something new, gain a different perspective and raise appreciation in so many ways.While the song is definitely focused on the idea of aging – it can also serve as a reminder that everyone, regardless of age, can feel lonely and can benefit from compassion and connection – a friend of mine Archie Messersmith-Bunting, M.S., always says “suicide doesn’t happen due to depression – it happens due to loneliness” – and this song brings home why we need to be caring and aware of all those around us.I'd encourage you to stop and say "hello in there" to someone who looks like they could use that compassion as your day progresses.

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We have had numerous doctors call in with burn wounds in the past few weeks. These wounds can often present as much larger in circumference than that of a diabetic foot ulcer or a venous leg ulcer. They even usually dwarf the size of the bed sore / pressure wounds that we treat in home care / assisted living situation. Thankfully, we work with one of the few manufacturers that has a product that is authorized and cleared to handle burns. One case involved a burn wound that ran hip to top of calf, obtained by stepping backwards against a barrel fire. The woman was seriously burnt and we worked with one of our manufacturers to help build (and our billing partner to help get approved) a custom graft package to treat this size of a wound.The patient is on their way to recovery as we write this and we’re grateful to help in all the ways we can with providing proper care.Of course, in each case benefits need to be determined and procedures need to be followed, usually meaning a pre-authorization.Most people do not think of burn wounds as something that can happen – but there are tens of thousands per year in the US, with a much higher percentage in the Atlantic/South region, according to data from Ameriburn.org.If you know of doctors who might want to discuss adding wound care to their practice, or know of a doctor who has had to turn away a patient for advanced burn care – please put them in touch with us, in either case. Thank you – with our solutions there IS Help On the Way.

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Thanks Jane for bringing this to the forefront and making people aware so they can pay attention... I never thought a "safe word" would be needed with my family - but here we are.

Lesson #2 - "If you get worried – what you ought to do is sing”The second lesson is a fairly quick one, from a song I find to be remarkably uplifting from the Wood Brothers, called “Sing About It” The main theme here is the healing power of music, the soothing of the soul, and the buoying of the spirit when you simply lose yourself in the groove, the music, the lyrics that bring you into a better place.By singing – you take it even further, and you can gain emotional balance and joy.I like the idea that the song encourages us to express ourselves – and help fray the strife we may feel in our heads, hearts and souls, by offering up song, be it singing about troubles so they will pass – or singing about joy and love so it may stay.This song also casually speaks on a deeper level to the catharsis and connection music can provide. Like some other songs I’ll feature in this new series, we see how we can learn to cope better with our struggles in life through the beauty and power of music.By being present, mindful and then declarative – we can help ourselves forge a path forward that brings a potential for smiles in tough times, a light at the end of the tunnel (that isn’tan oncoming train) – but also a way to take the days that are great and make them even better, catalyzing a boost into the next day to begin it in a place better than it might have been. By sharing your experiences with music and song, and “singing about it” – you also create community who can help you through those tough times. In my experience, music is the great equalizer, the great salve for most any wounds. We get to lose ourselves in a way that not much else offers – and it is a more-or-less universal language where it speaks to people even if they don’t speak that language – but they can feel that vibe.This song, simple as it is at the core, is powerful and profoundly important to me, along with quite a few others I will share – because it reminds us of the importance of expression, the healing power of music, and the strength found in community and shared experiences. It encourages us to use music as a means to process emotions, connect with others, and find hope and resilience despite challenges or hurdles. What are YOU gonna “sing about” today?

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Wow, it is SO awesome to be able to host such amazing guests making a difference and being unique in the world --> This Episode of Unique This Week, we spend time with another organization supporting veterans... this time in a different way than last week with Hydr8 US LLC, today we visit with ATLVets.Zack A Knight, MBA is a Army Combat Veteran, an author, a speaker – and for the purposes of today’s interview, Zack is the founder of ATLVets where he helps veterans with the desire to start their own business. His programs provide resources and guidance to high performing veterans looking to start their own business but who are unsure where to start, what to do once they start, or how to continue and thrive. Assistance comes in many ways, and begins with elements most veterans find difficult to operate without – some which may surprise you.By providing not just marketing/communication but also money management and much more – the ATLVets program (not JUST in ATL - they will come to YOUR CITY) – brings a sense of mission to each veteran, and aims to help reduce the spiraling number of veterans who either don’t succeed in business or even tragically end their lives due to feeling disconnected and without purpose. Zack always appreciates help in directing high performing vets to his programs, assistance with fundraising, event or program development so he can ensure the effective delivery of services to empower veterans in their entrepreneurial endeavors. Listen in and hear about how they help with grant funding as well as with social events designed around networking and business seminars for veterans (but not just WITH veterans – as Zack wants things the Army DIDN’T teach him and others, as well.) You can also tune into his podcast around BATL (Be a Tactical Leader) and help spread the word by sharing this podcast, his website or getting in touch to see how else you can help. https://lnkd.in/e2VSNAXD

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Diversity brings solutions you don't think of yourself....

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Medical Monday – For this Medical Monday, we get to hear from the program founder, Jodi Bennett – about “how this can positively affect a practice” – with cash flow almost always being an issue, and the reimbursem*nt margins being so slim, we put together a design that bring back margins and cash flow – even with a small amount of patients. Listen in as Jodi speaks for 2 minutes about how this helps position a doctor for healthier patients, happier staff, and a more robust practice. (link won't show preview - but here it is: https://lnkd.in/dkhW6c_n)Please feel free to share this post with a doctor you know who is in primary care, in family practice, is a podiatrist, dermatologist, works in home care or in assisted living. Thank you!

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So, the Grateful Dead Musical Lessons series is now in the books, or headed to the book, so to speak.Thank you for over a year of support and wonderfully kind comments. It gave me great pleasure to share the lessons the music, tour and more taught me in a way that was hopefully relevant to many others.Since I am a total musical devotee, I thought (and many others suggested) I'd keep moving in that vein. So, we’re going to take a journey together here – with lessons learned from bands/songs you likely know – to many you may well not yet know. I’ll try to bring about the major reasons these songs have spoken to me – and ask each of you to comment, and let me know what your thoughts are.We’ll begin with the group that both lyrically and musically has spoken to me on ALMOST the same level as the good old Grateful Dead – Crosby Stills Nash (and sometimes Young.)Lesson #1 - If you smile at me, I will understand"Wooden Ships," a song by Crosby, Stills & Nash was a breakthrough song of it’s time period, around the war in Vietnam and the Cold War that was forming. It speaks of both horror and hope, but starts with the epic and true line “If you smile at me, I will understand …..'Cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language”This opening hooked me in, with the universal truth of this seemingly simple thought.We’re all much more the same, than we are different, no matter how much we may want to believe otherwise.Bringing together two soldiers from opposite sides of a conflict, and likely survivors of a nuclear war or major battle, the idea of unity is again stressed – coming together and cooperating by sharing “purple berries” to help “keep us both alive.”In this, we find a common bond being shared, one that allows them both to continue onwards, “sides” are forgotten.Then there is the idea of fleeing the world that created that war and setting sail into the fair winds, for a course that is new with better recognition of what is truly important, it brings a feeling of creating a better future, one without the mistakes and misunderstandings created that led to war. We’re poignantly reminded that society is fragile, as well – and that we must all be vigilant in trying to move towards places of commonality rather than division. Finding the things that divide us lead to strife, pain, and even war/destruction.Finding the places we are the same, which should always be much greater in number, we find the ties that bind, the things we can be supported by mutually.In some ways, this song seems even more relevant now than it did back when it was written and that is one of the things I respect and enjoy about it – but also feel sad about, as its relevance indicates we haven’t progressed past the dark side of our human nature as much as we could have / should have over the past decades.Still, I have hope for the better things that can happen, and we all play a part in that in each day, each smile we share with someone.

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