Senior Care Center

By Christa Hedrick

Randolph County Medical Center in Pocahontas is one of a handful of hospitals in Arkansas to have a facility within its walls devoted to the special care needs of older adults.

Run by Horizon Mental Health, the Senior Care Center offers help for a number of emotional and behavioral health needs that befall the elderly.  Stroke, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and depression are a few of the conditions suffered by older patients which may leave them confused, anxious, and frightened, with feelings of hopelessness that make them unable to cope with daily responsibilities.  The Senior Care Center is designed and staffed to lead its patients out of this fog and into a world in which each of them can achieve the highest possible quality of life for themselves.

Just as we know that infants and children have specialized medical needs, we now know that adults over the age of 55 have specialized needs as well.  As our metabolism decreases, medications work differently.  Certain health problems, such as diabetes, hypertension and pulmonary disease often worsen as we grow older and add to the losses associated with aging, making it increasingly difficult to cope with daily living.  At a time when our energy and strength is lessening, we can find ourselves facing the monumental task of caring for a loved one who is no longer able to care for himself.

Primary care physicians who often see a patient for a few minutes and only when she presents with specific symptoms are forced to rely on the patient to supply information regarding her feelings and needs.  Those who are not trained in geriatric needs may overlook certain signals and fail to properly diagnose because of insufficient data from the patient, leaving a patient even more bewildered.  Just as there is a need for children to be seen by pediatric specialists, there is a need for the aging to be seen by geriatric specialists.

The Senior Care Center, heartily staffed and small, by design, provides an environment where assessment of a patient’s needs is the top priority.  With a maximum of 12 beds on a secure unit, there are four to six registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse’s aids on the ward at all times.  They log all medications and monitor and log patient responses, interactions, moods and physical abilities.  They are available 24 hours a day to speak with family members about their loved ones who are in their care. 

Augmenting that staff are Psychiatric social workers, the Program Director and a psychiatrist, who review the logs constantly and tweak medications while providing counseling and therapy sessions.  In addition, the ward has the availability of the entire hospital medical staff, including primary care physicians, specialists, occupational therapists, psychologists, activities therapists and pharmacists.  

They employ a team approach to the treatment. Everyone involved in the patient’s care becomes a member of Treatment Team and is in almost constant communication with each other.  Informal discussions about patient care occur daily and a formal team meeting, which includes the participating family members, are conducted each Wednesday.

The program is structured for intense short-term, overall care with an emphasis on regulating the patient’s medications and providing a continuing treatment plan and counseling as necessary.  With this end in mind, the medical specialists at Randolph County Hospital are actively involved as needed.  Patients are observed closely and all affects of medications are monitored so dosages can be adjusted quickly.  The average stay is 10-14 days. 

The Treatment Team leader is Dr. Debra Williams of Jonesboro. Dr. Williams is the staff psychiatrist at the Senior Care Center.  She visits the site daily, talking with patients and reviewing charts.  With the help of the staff pharmacist and medical specialists, she reviews the patient’s medicines and eliminates as many as possible.  A common instance is that, as a patient ages, he manifests more symptoms and may see more than one physician or specialist. Medications are prescribed and changed and more are added.  He may have his prescriptions filled by more than one pharmacy or by mail order.  Drug interactions can be missed, misunderstandings about dosages occur and often a medication that should have been dropped as another was introduced is continued. 

The constant monitoring at Senior Care enables Dr. Williams to watch closely for changes in the patient, and the close relationship with the resident pharmacist allows her to order an adjustment in medication immediately when the patient’s condition calls for it.  She believes in using the minimum medication needed.  “Start low, go slow” is her motto when it comes to medicating her patients.

Doctor Williams interned at Mayo and Menninger clinics and specializes in both geriatric psychiatry and pediatric psychiatry.  She continues her education at a rate in excess of 75 hours per year to be sure she is giving her patients the best treatment she can.  She became interested in geriatrics during her internship at Menninger.  One of her responsibilities involved nursing home work.  “Older patients are still human,” she says.  “They deserve a good quality of life as much as the rest of us.  That’s what I try to give them.  The best they can have.” 

When asked what would help her do a better job, she replied, “Earlier diagnosis. If we can diagnose some conditions earlier and begin treatment, we can give patients 3-4 more good years with their families.  Sometimes that can mean the rest of their lives.”

There are barriers, however.  It is still difficult to get people to ask for psychiatric help.  People still think of  “crazy” when psychiatric help is mentioned.  They don’t realize that mental health is like other health.  There are many different problems and greatly varying degrees of health needs.  They have no problem asking a physician for “something for stress” or “something to calm my nerves”, but to many, the idea of seeking the help of a psychiatrist is like asking to be ridiculed or locked away.  Still others simply do not realize that help is attainable.

The irony is that emotional problems are shared by a vast majority of the population and almost all mental illnesses can be cured or controlled with proper medications.  This is not a statement that can be made about physical illnesses.

Dolly Coke, previously the Program Director of the Senior Care Center, says, “People think of a psychiatric unit as being someplace where we will lock them up and throw away the key. That is not true.  It is true, this is a secure area.  It has to be because we have patients who wander, but we take patients off the unit to smoke and to take walks.  It is really a gentle environment.  We try hard to make our guests as comfortable as we can within our constraints.  Our goal is to get them as ready as possible to meet the outside world with as little stress as possible.”

Patient referrals to the Senior Care Center can come from their physician or other health care professionals.  Some patients are sent from a nursing care center when behavioral problems become severe enough to endanger the patient or his family.  Concerned family members or the patient, himself can also call and ask for an assessment.  A qualified professional will immediately be sent to the home and interview the potential patient before giving a recommendation.  Some of the problems, which qualify a person for admission to Senior Care are:  depression, confusion, agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, combativeness or suicidal tendencies.  These are symptoms of conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, anxiety disorders or addictive disorders.

Kay Huggins of Rector learned about the Senior Care Center after her husband suffered a series of strokes, which left him confused, agitated and unable to sleep.  “They did a good job with my husband’s medications”, Kay says. “He was unable to sleep even with sedatives.  He wanted to get up but wasn’t able to walk without help.  I was having to hold him in bed or hold him down in a chair to keep him from hurting himself.  Within a few days they had his medications regulated to the point that he could sleep regularly and he could be moved to a rehabilitation center.  It was the kind of help he could not have gotten in a hospital.”

Geriatric health care needs have only recently been identified and many healthcare professionals do not believe they are being adequately addressed.  Facilities like the Senior Care Center in Pocahontas are unique in their specialized, total care approach.  You will not find a facility like this in most larger cities where resources are more plentiful, but they are not concentrated like they are in Senior Care. 

All of Horizon’s facilities of this sort are found in rural communities.  This is a tremendous resource to have with the population aging as it is.  This is a facility that can address behavior problems and return one to the community in many cases, in a condition that will allow them to lead an enjoyable life.  In other cases, when further treatment is needed, the facility can help them establish a medication routine that will allow them to feel safe and comfortable. 

There are several other Horizon owned facilities in Arkansas and more in the mid south.  Care in these facilities is covered by Medicare and by most major health insurance plans.  Anyone who feels they or someone they care about would benefit from the Senior Care Center can ask for a referral from their physician or they can call Senior Care directly.  The daytime phone number is 800 892-6013.  The local number is 870 892-6292.  In the case of an emergency, 870 892-6293 answered 24 hours a day at the nurses station.

A Look Into Depression

By Christa Hedrick

Imagine yourself in a deep well.  It's dark and cold and airless.  Sometimes you can see the light from the top but it's far away and you can't reach it.  Sometimes you can't even see it.  You have a rope but you are too tired to climb it.  You know you couldn't reach the top anyway.  You are terrified of unseen things around.  You feel yourself turn around and around but what you see is always the same.  There is no way out.  Soon, even the act of looking up at the light is more than you can do.  You are tired.  Sometimes you rally and call weakly for help but no one hears.  They might not come anyway.  There is no way out.

This is what it is like to be in the grip of clinical depression.  Almost everyone will fall victim to depression at one time or another in her life when faced with the emotional trauma of divorce, death of a loved one, illness or other life altering situations.  It is normal to harbor these feelings for a short time.  Most people however, work through them at their own pace and eventually continue with their lives. 

The emotional illness named depression is far worse than those days now and then when one has the blues and it is greater than grief or sadness.  It can overshadow a lifetime of success.  And anyone can be stricken by it. 

If you don't suffer from depression yourself, chances are you will come in contact with someone who does.  It is estimated that 75 percent of Americans suffer from depression in some form at some time in their lives.

Linda, a bright perky forty-six year old ad executive has fought depression most of her life and feels now that she has conquered it.  "I didn't know I was depressed,"  she says.  "I didn't know what depression was.  I guess I have been depressed most of my life.  I had been thinking of suicide as a way out since I was a young girl.  I never talked about it, because I knew it was wrong, and I didn't want anyone know.  But I never felt I had any control over my life and the only way out was out of life."

Linda is typical of many depressives.  Even though they feel responsible for all the bad things that go on around them or for the lack of good things, they simultaneously feel as if they are not able to guide their own existence.  In essence they give over those controls to others by not making decisions that affect them.  As an alcoholic, her father taught her the role of enabler.  The oldest child of parents in an unhappy marriage, Linda was doubly burdened with the need to accept responsibility, but as a child she was not included in the decision making process.  The habit carried over into her own marriage.

From her early thirties she periodically reached for help with different therapies with varying degrees of success.  She rejected drug therapies out of a fear of dependency and because she did not like the fuzzy feeling earlier anti depression drugs produced.  Successful psychological and psychiatric therapies were interrupted when her military husband changed duty stations.  Four years ago she was introduced to Prosac with good results.

"I still get the blues now and then and even let the feeling of hopelessness get the best of me sometimes, but I am comfortable with the thought that these feelings will pass and they do.  I only took Prosac for seven months and I kept in close contact with my doctor both while I took the drug and for several months after she and I had weaned me off it.  I also work on my emotional being constantly.  Prosac worked for me and I am one of the lucky ones who doesn't need it constantly, but if I need it again I will take it again for as long as I need to."

Linda has also made some life style changes that have reduced the stress she was under.  There are many ways to combat depression.  Linda feels that each sufferer must look for and take advantage of whatever works for her or him.

That's probably good advice for anyone suffering from depression.  With modern technologies and treatments, depression is almost always curable, but over 70 percent of chronic suffers do not seek help. The nature of the illness itself often gets in the way of looking for treatment.

In spite of the billions of people who have suffered from the malady since the beginning of time, the current sufferer almost always feels alone in her despair. No one else can understand what she feels. She often feels guilty about her despondency. She should be able handle things better, to get control, to get past whatever has triggered her gloom. She should be a better person. She feels at once powerless to control her life and responsible for everything that is wrong with it.

Until just a few decades ago depression was treated almost as an afterthought illness, not much more understood by the doctors who tried to treat it than by those who were stricken by it. Heartbroken lovers were allowed to waste away. Physical symptoms were treated while emotional needs were ignored. Sufferers of severe depression with the more dramatic symptoms were often institutionalized and treated with methods bordering on the sadistic.

 That may be one of the reasons so many suffers do not seek help today even though current therapies, which are much gentler and less intrusive, are 80-90 percent effective. It is an accepted fact that a chemical imbalance occurs in the brain of depression sufferers. Whether this imbalance is the cause or the result of the illness is not entirely clear, but regardless, reinstating this balance is an important part of treatment. Drug therapy in conjunction with psychotherapy can cure most cases. Electroconvulsive therapy, a milder and redesigned version of the older electroschock therapy is used with great success on some of the more severe and stubborn cases.

 The drugs used in treatment today bear little resemblance to those used 20 years ago. Phenobarbitol, valuim, thorazine and other drugs used to suppress emotions and impulses, and even feelings, have been replaced as treatments for depression, with drugs known as antidepressants. These drugs, tricyclics and monoamineoxidase inhibitors allow the brain chemicals to gradually return to a normal, balanced state which alleviates the feelings of gloom and allows the sufferer the ability to view things in an optimistic manner. Without this correction, even therapy designed to build self esteem will often falter.

Some people will benefit from a limited treatment with chemicals while others will require medication for the rest of their lives.

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Depression is contagious in a way.  It is impossible to keep your spirits up when someone you care about is lost in despair.  You try to help and you look for things to "fix" to make them better, but when they don't respond, most people become frustrated and begin to back away or further shut out the depressive.  The constant drag on energy and the constant failure to extricate a loved one from the well sows the seeds for depression in the caregiver.

 Almost everyone will come in contact with this illness at some time in her life. For some it will come in the form of a crushing, imobilizing feeling of despair.  For some the feelings will be varying degrees of melancholy. For others it will be the confusion and frustration of loving and living with chronic suffers. In one of these ways depression has been leaving its mark on civilization for centuries, described even in early Greek and Egyptian writings, referred to by Shakespear as the "Elizabethan Malady".

 Depression is more than a feeling of sadness. Sadness is a normal emotion for anyone who has suffered an upset or a loss. Bad moods are common, but they pass quickly.

Even though it can grow out of sadness, depression goes much deeper, affecting the quality of daily life, sometimes resulting in feelings of utter hopelessness. Without the ability see an end to the pain, sufferers of depression sometimes take drastic measures such as emotional withdrawal, suicide or even murder.

 Depression is often triggered by a loss. Loss of a job, the death of a loved one, divorce, all cause disturbances in one's life that can bring on feelings of despondency and dread. Upheavals of this kind can cause one to question one or more of her basic beliefs, to turn her focus inward to look for reasons. Others who are perpetually beaten down until they feel that nothing they can do will change a bad situation will also slip into depression.

 25 percent of all women and 10 percent of men are struck by depression at least once in their lives. 11 million Americans fall prey to depression each year. Depression will find its victims in all economic ranges, all age groups, all nationalities, all faiths. For many of them the illness will be temporary, lifting gradually as their lives adjust to whatever changes have been thrust upon it.

 For others, depression is not a passing problem. For them it doesn't go away, or if it does it comes back frequently. It will affect every aspect of their lives. Their self-esteem will suffer. For some, depression will also manifest itself in chronic medical conditions, lowered immune system functions or disabilities. Some will die from it and a few will ask for help and find it and eventually find the way out of it.

  Depression can be either unipolar, constantly depressive, or it can be bipolar, which means depression alternates with periods of euphoria. Some forms of depression are seasonal, relating to the amount of sunlight available each day. This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. This illness usually occurs between fall and spring when the days are short and often rainy or gloomy. It can be treated by placing bright lights throughout the house for a prescribed length of time each day. Symptoms of SAD are general feelings of irritability, loss of pleasure, lessened motivation, and daytime drowsiness.

 The symptoms of depression can be as varied as the paitents. Sadness which is inappropriate for the situation is the obvious clue. Other more subtle symptoms include changes in appetite and sleep habits, loss of libido, trouble concentrating or making decisions. Thoughts of suicide or using drugs or alcohol to alter ones mood are definate trouble signs. Fatigue, feelings of worthlessness and self blame, or feelings that one is unloveable are also symptoms. If any of the above symptoms are pronounced enough to interfere with a normal daily lifestyle, it could be a symptom of depression.

 In order to diagnose a patient, a doctor should ask about the symptoms mentioned above, and gather history on the individual and the family. Depression often runs in families. If it is available the doctor can also run a biochemical imaging test, usually performed in a sleep lab. With all this information available the doctor can evaluate the data and make an appropriate diagnosis. Then he and the patient should be able to find a treatment suitable to the patient's needs. It is important that once a patient is diagnosed and treatment has begun, the patient and the doctor stay in close communication so the results of the treatment can be monitored accurately and altered if necessary.

 Depression is an illness that needs the attention of society. It takes a toll on everyone. Depressive parents pass the tendency on to their children. Whether this is done biologically or strictly by demonstrating the effects of low self esteem, children of depressed parents often become depressed in later years. Low self esteem is definately taught and learned and preventable. A depressive spouse can drag a partner into the land of desolation as well.

 Watching a loved one suffer with depression can be painful in itself. It's hard to understand the mood swings. When suggestions are made that would seem to offer relief.  the sufferer can't seem to see that it would help. They don't appear to try to make changes or to fix it. They don't even notice when others try to make things nice for them or they misinterpret what is done for them, slipping even further into depression. Eventually caregivers get angry and then feel guilty and sometimes find themselves falling into the same traps.

 There are steps that can be taken to help someone else through depression however.

 1. They should be encouraged to seek help. This isn't an easy step, but it is critical for the well being of the individual. Depression is much easier to combat with the right mix of drug therapy and psychotherapy.

 2. If they are suicidal, someone should get help immediately. 15% of depressives do kill themselves. Some even take it a step further and want to take others with them out of the pain. This has been the basis of several seemingly pointless massacres in the past few years, the McDonald's massacre in San Ysidro, California, for one.

 3. It is important that one not place blame on the depressive. They really can't help what is going on inside their heads. Anyone who's never experienced the grip of depression can hardly understand the feelings of helplessness the depressive has. They will be feeling enough self blame without extra input from others.

 4. Sufferers of depression need to be led gently back to the land of light and love. It is important that they be supported, but be not condescended to.

 5. The best defense is  to counter the negativity without judging.

 6. They need to be encouraged to go out. They often feel so worthless they feel they will bring others down if they are in contact with them. They are often surprised to find that others really do enjoy their company.

 7. It is important too that those dealing with depressive personalities be realistic with their expectations. It probably took them a long time to get to the point where anyone else noticed a problem. They need patience and realism and honest affection.

 8. Those trying to help a victim should definately SEEK SUPPORT. This really isn't something anyone should attempt to do alone.

 There are also some things that anyone suffering from depression can do to help relieve the symptoms.

 1. Anyone suffering with depression should try to take depressive thoughts with a grain of salt. Knowing that the thoughts are just that and not necessarily the way it really is, means one does not have to act on them.

 2. It is also important to keep busy. A depressed mind will almost always come back to those depressive thoughts if it is left idle.

3. Since one of the problems depression suffers have is that they can't seem to do everything they think they should, they can focus more on doing the things they 'can' do and less on the things they 'should' do. It is often hard to know the difference and often harder to admit that there is a difference.

 4. Depression sufferers must fight the inclination to withdraw. It may seem like the most comfortable place for them is away from everyone else, but it is not the best place.

 5. Exercise really does increase certain brain chemicals that elevate a person's mood and self esteem.

 6. Anyone who thinks they might be suffering from depression will want to become familiar with the symptoms. It is not uncommon for sufferers to deny to themselves that they have a problem. They can learn to recognize the signs of depression.

 7. Those suffering from this problem can SEEK HELP. Although they often feel that they are totally alone, they really don't have to fight the battle without help. There are many different kinds of help for depression and many people who will be glad to lend assistance.

Depressive Neurosis

Poor self image, low self-esteem, and extremely high standards for herself.

Impossible to set realistic goals or to reach the unrealistic ones set for themselves

Manic-Depressive Psychosis

Bizarre mood swings

Highs escalated energy level, grandiose plans, rapid or constant talking, hallucinating.

Lows brooding self-contempt suicidal

Involutional Depression

Severe has physical causes as well as psychological

Psychotic Depression

Exaggerated grief and sorrow

linked to unsettled time of our lives adolescence, pregnancy, memopause  Hormones

death divorce, job loss

Symptoms

bleak outlook pessimistic, apathetic toward activities formerly enjoyed

constant fatigue

variety of physical complaints

loss of interest in sex

loss of appetite

overeating

unable to sleep

sleeps too much

Melancholia

A state of profound depression

For those who have been in the clutches of depression and escaped, it is always lurking, ready to reclaim them.  For those who have never known the all encompassing feelings of isolation and  hopelessness depression can bring it is impossible to understand the depth of desolation it can render. 

Those who try to live with and deal with depressive personalities are often met with a barage of confusing signals.  They may either give up or find themselves in the same situation unless they recognize the need for help and undertake the sometimes thankless struggle to get it.

Getting treatment is extremely important, because as tragic and frightening and bewildering as it is, clinical depression is almost always curable with the proper care.  The problem is convincing a depressive that they need help and that help is available.  The purpose of this book is to keep that light shining down into the well and to give someone enough information to be able to recognize the need to reach out.  Because the rope is there.  There is a way out.  There really is a way to help someone find her way out of the maze of clinical depression.

25 percent of all women and 10 percent of men are struck by depression at least once in their lives. 11 million Americans fall prey to depression each year. Depression will find it's victims in all economic ranges, all age groups, all nationalities, all faiths. For many of them the illness will be temporary, lifting gradually as their lives adjust to whatever changes have been  thrust upon it.

They become accustomed to what they are feeling.  It becomes the norm and the rest of the world is wrong.  Remember they are responsible for everything that is wrong and yet have no control over anything.  A paradox.  They don’t  want to hear how to fix it, but they want someone to make it right.  They cry out for help in everything they do but will not listen to ways for them to make it better.

They play games with others and with themselves.  Questions like “What do you want?” or “What can I do?” are met with “Nothing” or “I don’t know.”  They don’t want to hear an answer.

Meet Sandra Rousell

By Christa Hedrick

If you haven’t met Sandra Rousell, I urge you to do so. She is the force behind the new look of the Rector Arkansas website and is passionate about its future development and its usefulness to the people who live here as well as those who live elsewhere but have a heartfelt interest in Rector.

A self taught programmer and web developer, Sandra saw a need to make the Rector website more dynamic and more interactive with the community. In October she put a proposal before the city council and within a week had put her numerous skills to work designing and administering the new Rector website. She volunteers not only her time and abilities but her access to the servers to keep it active.

And why would she invest so much time and energy into this project?  Because she now calls Rector home. Talking with Sandra it is hard to miss her enthusiasm and her love for Rector. She has moved about often throughout her life and was never able to stay in one place long enough to call it home. She has been in every state in the United States except for Alaska and Hawaii and she plans to visit them when she can.

She met her husband, Wayne when they were both serving in the Kalamazoo, MI Army National Guard. She was attracted to his sweet disposition and his willingness to help with anything she was working on. She says he still supports her even though he isn’t exactly into computers the way Sandra is. “When I start to explain to Wayne what it is I am doing” she says, “his eyes start to glaze over and I can tell he is about to snore at any second.”

But he’s her best proof reader. According to Sandra that is an important position. She is dyslexic and often inverts letters and numbers, so a proof reader is a must. They’ve been married since 1992 and she says he is still charming.

When they started looking for a place to put down roots, Rector moved across their radar because an acquaintance was living here. They had with them Sandra’s niece, Jo Vanna and there was a real need for safety and stability. A small town seemed like just the place they needed. They first fell in love with a big older house on West 3^rd St. and then began to experience the charm that is so prevalent to Rector and its residents.

One of the first to welcome Sandra and Wayne was Linda Waldron. Sandra says, “She made me feel at home instantly.” Sandra was also thrilled to tap into Linda’s knowledge of the local history. “I think she knows everything there is to know about Rector,” says Sandra. Of course Sandra has posted some of this history on the website, in case you would like to take a look.  Or, as Sandra recommends, add your own contributions.

An incident which occurred soon after they moved here reinforced her feeling that they had indeed moved into a caring community. “My car wouldn’t start after shopping at Harps. I saw a police car drive up and asked for help. The officer was Police Chief Tommy Baker.  He gave my groceries and me a ride home. Talk about small town charm, it’s like Mayberry in this lovely town.”

“Rector reminds me that small town sweetness and hospitality in America still exists,” says Sandra. She and Wayne have been calling Rector their home town since 1999. Their hundred and something year old, two story house is shared with three Weimaraners, one border collie, two cats, 3 parakeets and 4 Tanks of fish.

Now Sandra wants to give back to Rector by creating this website. She wants to bring her hometown closer together and sees the website as a perfect tool to accomplish that.

 “The website is built with technology that can keep us close,” Sandra says, “and bring those who have moved away closer to their roots in one click. It’s my belief the Rector Arkansas website will unify our community. Sometimes there is simply not enough time in a day to do all you want to do. The website can keep you informed without having to leave your house.”

“It’s a bit difficult to get to know life in Rector until you have established yourself here,” she says.  “Creating a website could be an opportunity for the town’s charm to warm up all the new and existing people who live here and/or wish to live here. The site’s technology gives us the opportunity to keep everyone informed about daily events, emergencies, or opportunities taking place in Rector.”

The website has 24 hour availability and if used to its potential local residents can stay abreast of scheduled events, local interests and important immediate happenings in and around town. It can become a format for airing opinions via the blog and sharing information such as genealogical knowledge. Links in the website can take you directly to KAIT8 news and weather or to various pages of the Clay County Democrat.

Her vision is to see the website used often and aggressively by the community residents to inform and share with others all parts of life in Rector. The website is available to anyone with internet access, wherever they are currently. It can be an instant look into community activities, an invaluable tool for Rectorites who travel and to former Rectorites who currently live elsewhere.

Sandra urges everyone to get online and take a look. Then jump in and become a contributor. Put your club’s news online. Use the community calendar to show what happenings are coming up. Regardless of the nature of the event, if the activities are listed on a community calendar, everyone can see at a glance what is going on.

Report suspicious or criminal activity anonymously. Let your opinion be read on a blog. Sell or buy items online. There is so much more and if there is something you think will make the site better, let her know. Sandra is adamant that the site belongs to Rector and she wants to make it accessible to everyone.

She pays the bills by tutoring clients in the world of e-commerce. She writes her own software and currently represents 3,421 clients with marketing and advertising for their product lines.

Her hobbies are varied and range from quiet activities like board games and reading to more aggressive activities like basketball, workouts and cycling.

When I asked how the dyslexia made things more challenging for her, Sandra refused to acknowledge it as a difficulty. “I’m dyslexic. I learned to work with it.

You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Education and motivation are the true keys to success.” This is a message she tries to deliver to the students when she substitutes as a teacher at Rector schools.

She is a splendid example of that philosophy. If you haven’t met Sandra Rousell, I urge you to do so. If you haven’t visited the Rector website lately, I urge you to do so. The web address is the same: www.rectorarkansas.com and it’s your website. Use it.