My daughter was away at college preparing for her final exams and nursing boards. I knew that my daughter's cat, who has been part of our family since my daughter was in second grade, was dying of a fast growing cancer. I couldn't tell my daughter because I didn't want to upset her and take her mind off her studies and impending graduation. Once our Vet determined that there was nothing further that could be done she showed me how to give pain meds and fluids at home to keep her comfortable in hopes that she would live long enough to allow my daughter to say goodbye after her graduation. The entire week I stayed with our cat around the clock. She had completely stopped eating and drinking and was slowly dying before my eyes. She slept most of the time except when I had to put the needle in between her shoulder blades to give her fluids. Then she would cry quietly and look at me with pleading eyes. Her breathing was becoming so shallow that I had to get close to her and listen to see if she was still alive. After a week of this I began to realize that the most unselfish thing I could do for this beautiful creature was to let her go. I wrapped her in her favorite blanket and and drove her to our Vets office after they had closed for the day. She was so skinny and frail but when I held her close she still purred. I thanked her for the 14 years she had been one of my daughter's closest companions and I held her as she took her last breath. I was afraid my daughter was going to be angry with me when I told her that i made the decision with out giving her time to say goodbye. She was sad but understood that I did the kindest thing I could have done for her kitty. Question: The Mom believes that? === The answer to the above question is
OPTIONS:
- The cat will get well
- not enough information
- The cat is suffering
- The cat needs a friend
The cat is suffering

So many kids, so many stories. Parents die, leaving kids devastated and unable to speak for days. Parents get deported, leaving kids despondent and hopeless. Children endure emotional, sexual, physical abuse. And more. The saddest story I ever heard was from the kid in my AP Lit class who had taken her senior year to accept invitations from education reform groups to speak around the country, which she did, without doing any of her homework. She waited until after grades were turned in at the end of the year to contest the "D" on her report card because it meant not going to UC Berkeley. She brought her mother with her, and her two sisters. After going around and around for a while with me and the principal, her mother said that her divorce had really affected this girl, and she had been fighting so hard all her life to get into Berkeley, and what did I have against her daughter? She deserved to go to Cal! They were all in tears. The principal found a way to change her 64% to a 70.01%, and off she went. This young woman full of potential and energy, learned from her mother and my boss, that excuses rule the day. She appears to think that "social justice" means fighting to get your way because the deck is stacked against you, instead of doing the right thing. This is sad. I know this isn't what you were after, and that this memory says more about me than it does about her. Many other kids I have counseled, who are getting through something life-changing, seem to understand that life is in session, there will always be challenges to rise above, and that focusing in the classroom is a great way to get one's mind off one's troubles, if the environment is supportive and the spirit is willing. Question: What is probably true about the author? === The answer to the above question is
OPTIONS:
- She grades students based primarily upon completion of homework
- not enough information
- She is small-minded and petty
- She thinks homework should take priority over life experiences

Answer: She is small-minded and petty

To be honest, people don't usually ask me this. Instead, they want to know things like "How do I keep my mother from falling?" or "What should I do? My grandfather's been falling." After all, falls are a scary thing. Most people know that falls are dangerous for older adults. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that one in five falls causes a serious injury such as a broken bone or head injury. Fear of falling can also seriously affect an aging adult's quality of life and sadly, can keep a person from being active and thriving. So, many seniors and family caregivers are interested in fall prevention because the risks are so great. And the good news is that although it's not possible to prevent all falls, it almost always IS possible to take actions that will reduce the chance of a bad fall. If you want to learn more, you're in the right place. In this post, I'll cover: * How understanding why aging adults fall can help you keep an older parent or yourself safer, * Why personalized fall prevention plans work better than relying on general fall prevention tips, * The four-step process I use to help older adults prevent falls, * A practical example showing you how to use these steps to avoid falls yourself. First, understand why older people fall There are many reasons that aging adults fall. Most older people will be falling due to their own unique combination of reasons. So how, exactly, should YOU go about reducing fall risk? Now, you can and should try to implement the general tips that are often listed in most fall prevention resources: exercise, medication review with the doctor, vision checks, and home safety reviews. But if you really want to help an older loved one avoid falls, I recommend you learn to better understand why he or she, in particular, might fall. Question: What is probably true about the elderly? === The answer to the above question is
OPTIONS:
- They probably want to avoid things that make them fall
- they probably want to be very active despite the risk of falls
- they probably want to take many risks
- not enough information
They probably want to avoid things that make them fall