This Thanksgiving, you can show the people you care about how important they are to you by keeping them safe. Research has shown that the number of people seeking treatment for heart failure, knife injuries, burns, food poisoning, stress, domestic violence, and car accidents spikes during the holidays.
This year, we have another concern: COVID-19. Gatherings can raise exposure risk and rapidly spread through a group, rippling out to others once participants leave the holiday event. Here are some tips to help you and your loved ones stay safe through the holiday:
COVID-19
The best ways to lower the risk of COVID-19 this Thanksgiving:
Wear face masks when you’re around others.
Stay six feet apart
Limit the number of people at gatherings. In NC, guidelines call for no more
than 10 people at indoor gatherings. Keep in mind other places may have different restrictions and research them before traveling.
Limit travel as much as possible. Check ahead to ensure that wherever you’re going is not experiencing a significant outbreak.
Frequently wash or sanitize hands, especially while preparing food.
Sanitize high-touch surfaces often.
No holiday celebration is worth risking your life or the lives of the people you love.
If you are at an increased risk for COVID-19, stay home this year and don’t invite others into your home.
Do not endanger elderly relatives by visiting them, especially with younger family members who may have been exposed to COVID-19 at school or working in person.
Experts are projecting a spike in COVID-19 to occur around the same time flu
season is generally at its peak, which may create a strain on healthcare resources. Getting your flu shot is a big way to help ensure that
doesn’t happen.
The CDC recommends everyone who is 6 months or older get vaccinated.
The flu vaccine is the number one way to prevent getting the flu.
Stress
As fun as the holidays can be, they can also be a very stressful time. Remember to take time to de-stress.
Avoid self-medicating with alcohol.
Take time out for yourself to relax and do activities you enjoy.
Avoiding stress is extremely important for those with an underlying heart condition, so take extra good care of yourself if you’re in that high-risk category.
The American Heart Association notes that the risk of having a heart attack can be as much as four times higher in the hours after eating a large meal, especially one that is high in fat. If you have underlying conditions, a large, indulgent meal could be the trigger for a serious heart problem.
Add to that the fact that studies have found cold weather to be harder on
the heart and the stress of the holidays, and the risk of a heart attack can be increased by at least 5% during the holiday season.
There are a few easy ways to decrease your heart attack risk on Thanksgiving while still enjoying the day with family.
Avoid excess salt.
Eat smaller portions.
Start with vegetables.
Avoid excessive drinking.
Remember to destress.
Most importantly, don’t ignore symptoms! You may not want to “spoil the
holiday” by seeking care but the sooner you address an issue, the better your health outcome is likely to be.
Burns
Burns are a common reason people end up seeking emergency care on Thanksgiving.
One of the major dangers when it comes to cooking for Thanksgiving is frying your turkey.
Always ensure your turkey is entirely defrosted and completely dried before placing it in the fryer.
Remember, a grease fire cannot be extinguished using water. If a fire starts, cover it with a metal object like a lid or sheet pan, and use baking soda or a fire extinguisher designed to put out grease fires to extinguish.
If you’re planning to fry your turkey, plan ahead and buy an extinguisher when you purchase your other cooking supplies.
Try
to avoid distractions or overextending yourself while cooking. Being distracted or frazzled greatly increases the odds of grabbing a pan
without an oven mitt, spilling hot liquid while draining something, or forgetting to keep an eye on kids in the kitchen.
It’s also a good idea to wait on that glass of wine or other drink until you’re done in the kitchen for the day.
Knife injuries
Knife injuries are a leading cause of medical issues on Thanksgiving. It is a time when many who do not regularly cook enter the kitchen, or when experienced cooks are distracted, stressed, or drinking.
One of the best ways to avoid cutting yourself is to carve the turkey in the kitchen. You may picture someone at the head of the table, knife and fork in hand, carving each person a piece of turkey, but it is much safer to carve the turkey in the kitchen on a steady surface with good lighting and bring the slices to the table on a platter.
Another way to avoid knife injuries is to ensure that your knives are sharp. It may seem counterintuitive, but a sharp knife that cuts easily through food is a lot safer to use than one that has dulled and requires more force.
Food poisoning
The biggest concern when it comes to food poisoning is food preparation.
Here are some tips, based on advice from the CDC, to help you avoid illness:
Keep your turkey in the refrigerator in a leak-proof bag until it’s time to cook it. Make sure to defrost in advance.
Use
a separate cutting board and kitchen tools for the turkey and wash your
hands after preparing it before touching anything else.
Ensure
that your turkey is cooked thoroughly using a kitchen thermometer to
check that both the breast and thighs have reached 165 degrees
Fahrenheit.
It is also important to
check the temperature of your stuffing, especially if it is inside the
turkey. It needs to reach the same temperature as the turkey to be
safe.
Immediately refrigerate leftovers after eating and throw away leftovers after four days.
Car accidents
Car accidents tend to spike around heavy travel days such as those surrounding Thanksgiving.
The number one way to stay safe in the car is to never drink and drive or get in the car with someone who has been drinking. Remember, a safe ride is just a few taps away with apps like Uber and Lyft, or a call away with a cab company.
Another huge issue
for those traveling during the holidays is driving while sleep-deprived. Whether you’re waking up early to make a long drive after a late night, or driving home after spending longer than planned visiting with family, remember, it’s always better to arrive late than to not arrive at all. Sleepy drivers are involved in 100,000 crashes a year, causing 1,500 deaths and more than 70,000 injuries.
Sports injuries
It’s practically a Thanksgiving cliché that after the big meal, family members head outside to play a game of football.
Remember to stretch, warm up, and avoid overexertion while playing sports.
This year, due to COVID-19, it’s also important to avoid physical contact, such as roughhousing or tackling, with people who are not members of your immediate household.
Domestic violence
Unfortunately, the holidays can be a time when domestic violence increases. The added stress of traveling, crowded homes (something we should all avoid this year due to COVID-19), unmet expectations, and increased spending can all lead to tensions that spark conflict.
Stay safe with these tips:
Don’t give in to pressure to spend time with relatives you generally don’t get along with during the holidays. COVID-19 safety concerns provide a legitimate reason to excuse yourself from attending gatherings and situations where you don’t feel comfortable or safe.
Avoid serving alcohol during family gatherings where stress could be running high.
Avoid sensitive topics such as politics and redirect family members who bring them up in conversation.
If a situation is getting out of control, remove yourself and other loved ones if you can do so safely, and call for 911 help.
We’re here for you on Thanksgiving if you need us.
For minor injuries or illness, NHRMC ExpressCare is open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. even on holidays.
Business Insider - Published on Nov 14, 2017 As Thanksgiving week looms, travelers are planning ahead to beat the crowds. If you want to join them, you'll have to plan to do your traveling on the quieter days. Not sure which those are? Google has you covered. It analyzed historical data to determine the best and worst days to travel. Following is a transcript of the video.
Thanksgiving travel times. Traveling this Thanksgiving holiday? Plan ahead to turn a traffic jam into an open road. Google analyzed traffic data. It identified the best and worst times to travel. Driving?
The best time to leave is 6 a.m. on Sunday.
Traffic will get progressively worse until 3 p.m. on Wednesday. 6 a.m.
Friday is the best time for the trip home. After-Thanksgiving traffic peaks at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Flying?
Wednesday before Turkey Day is the worst day to fly. Consider flying on Thanksgiving for cheap flights and less crowds.
Sunday will be rife with delays, crowds, and frustration.
If you can manage it, flying home on Monday could be much easier.
A holiday with effortless travel?
That's something to be thankful for.
Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, science, retail, and more.
A year after COVID cancelled many family gatherings, the holiday is back, and the "Sunday Morning" commentator has some advice about getting the most from your family's feast. "CBS Sunday Morning" features stories on the arts, music, nature, entertainment, sports, history, science and Americana, and highlights unique human accomplishments and achievements. Check local
listings for CBS Sunday Morning broadcast times. https://youtu.be/fgreFbI9v2s
"Sunday Morning" 11/21
Our annual broadcast devoted to food, hosted by Jane Pauley.
Ben Tracy looks at the increased popularity of "plant-based" or vegan diets.
Lee Cowan interviews country singer Walker Hayes about his ode to Applebee's;
Mo Rocca explores the history of the Automat;
Seth Doane meets pasta makers in Puglia, Italy;
Serena Altschul looks at new efforts to deliver more food to homes, helping farmers and restaurateurs;
Tracy Smith sits down with the cast of the new movie "The Humans";
Lilia Luciano visits a storied Mexican restaurant, the Mitla Café;
Roxana Saberi checks out an AI wine taster;
Jim Axelrod goes in search of a perfect cup of coffee;
Luke Burbank looks into the origin of ranch dressing;
Jonathan Vigliotti meets a water sommelier;
Grammy-winner T-Pain mixes a beer-and-ice cream cocktail for Kelefa Sanneh.
“As we sit down for Thanksgiving this week, a lot of us, thanks to the pandemic, are farther from our families than we would like. But while we prepare smaller meals this year, it is important to remember where all that food comes from” 🌽
Chris Hayes, giving thanks to essential farm workers during the pandemic.
Aired on 11/25/2020.
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No farm workers No produce in stores Nor restaurants etc.
I didn't even think of that. Wow.
Americans are being given an inside look at the prodigious skill it takes to bring
food to their thanksgiving tables this year, thanks to a Twitter thread showing videos of farm workers in action.
United Farm Workers kicked
off the now viral Twitter thread by asking followers to comment with their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. As replies flooded in, the group shared videos and information on the farm workers who produce the items.
How Thanksgiving food gets to the table
Americans are being given an inside look at the prodigious skill it takes to bring food to their thanksgiving tables this year, thanks to a Twitter thread showing videos of farm workers in action.
United Farm Workers kicked off the now viral Twitter thread by asking followers to comment with their favorite Thanksgiving dishes.
As replies flooded in, the group shared videos and information on the farm workers who produce the items.
Over 40,000 man-made objects have been tracked in Earth orbit since 1957. Many of the objects have since burned up in the atmosphere and currently there are just over 17,000 trackable objects in orbit. Less than 10% of these active satellites.
This visualization, created by Dr Stuart Grey, lecturer at University College London, shows how the amount of space debris has changed since the dawn of the space age. The tracking data covers objects over 10cm in size and is supplied by https://www.space-track.org
If you are interested in our orbital environment, please subscribe to Watch this Space!
If you have any questions or would like to use this video please get in touch at: http://www.stugrey.com or http://www.twitter.com/stugrey
Space Debris 1957 - 2016 Episode 5
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The story of space debris highlighting how the unintended consequences of intense spaceflight activity during the past 60 years has resulted in a growing population of debris objects that pose hazards to safe space navigation. In 2013, experts estimate that 29 000 objects larger than 10 cm were orbiting Earth.
Space Debris Story
(2013) European Space Agency, ESA
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This video was produced for the 6th European Conference on Space Debris, 22-25 April 2013.
Thanksgiving Song
