History’s most stressful years

The year 2020 may have been the most traumatic most of us can remember, but it wasn’t the most stressful year ever in American history, according to an international panel of historians asked to judge the matter.

That title belongs to 1862, the darkest year of the Civil War, which was deemed the most stressful in U.S. history by the 28 American and British historians consulted by Bloom, the self-therapy app that uses personalized video sessions to help users cope with stress, anxiety, and depression.

At least one historian chose each of the following years, ranked in order by the years chosen by the most historians. • 1862: The darkest year of the Civil War. • 1929: The Wall Street Stock Market crash sparks the start of the Great Depression that will last much of the 1930s. • 1838: The still new United States starts pushing thousands of Cherokees off their land in mid-winter on the murderous trek known as the “Trail of Tears”. • 1919: The Spanish Flu kills 675,000 Americans. Race riots, labor strikes, and the start of Prohibition occur with the U.S. still reeling from the trauma of World War I. • 1968: A year of riots, protests, violence, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy. • 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis when the Cold War almost turned hot. • 2001: The United States is shaken by the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the American mainland. • 2020: The USA records more COVID-19 deaths than any country as unemployment soars, political divides worsen, and the presidential election is supremely bitter.

Last year was very stressful, according to Leon Mueller, Bloom’s CEO. “We wondered what other years had tested human resolve as much – or even more.”

The year 1348 was judged the worst year in world history since it saw the peak of the Black Death which killed one-third of the population of Europe and the Middle East.

While historians listed 1348 as the most stressful in world history, they also ranked the following in order by levels of stress: • 1944: The Holocaust was at its height with Europe engulfed in WWII. • 1816: A huge volcanic eruption in Indonesia blocks out the sun causing devastating crop failures in Europe, China, and North America. • 1644: The Thirty Years War rages in Europe and the Ming Dynasty collapses in China. • 410: The sack of Rome by barbarians. • 2020: The world battled the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“Last year (2020) was the perfect storm of stress,” says Dr. Seth Gillihan, clinical psychologist, best-selling author, and Bloom’s head of therapy.

“It brought disease, deaths, lockdowns, job losses, and financial stress, plus culture wars and bitter political divisions. The only small consolation might be that we now have better tools than we used to for dealing with it.” (Bloom provided this information.)

Alzheimer’s webinars

The Alzheimer’s Association is offering a variety of free educational webinars.

Topics include the warning signs of Alzheimer’s, dementia research, healthy living, legal and financial planning, early stage care partners, late stage caregivers, and understanding and responding to dementiarelated behavior.

To register or for more information, please call 800272-3900 or go online to alz.org/crf. Every day, Medicare fraud affects people with Medicare and their families across the United States – regardless of their background. It’s not just the Medicare program that suffers when fraud occurs. Patients may also discover they can’t get the health care they need.

If someone obtains your Medicare number, they can make charges that may exhaust your benefit allotment. If they charge Medicare for medical visits you never made or equipment you didn’t purchase, your number could be flagged for overuse, and doctors may refuse to see you. These are just two examples of how fraud can end up hurting you directly.

Scammers know the ins and outs of the Medicare system and their attempts can be well thought out. It’s not always easy to know when and where fraud is occurring.

By remembering some simple but effective tips, you can protect yourself against scams, including identity theft and prescription drug fraud.

Remembering to protect, detect, and report fraud helps everyone, including you. • Protect: Protecting your personal information is your best line of defense against health care fraud. Treat Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security numbers like credit card numbers. Never give them to a stranger and don’t carry your cards unless you need them for appointments.

Medicare doesn’t call or visit to sell you anything. Outside of a trusted health care setting, never give this information to anyone who asks for it. • Detect: No matter how careful you are, you may be targeted for fraud. Always review your Medicare statements closely. Things to look for include charges for something you didn’t purchase or receive, duplicate charges, and charges for services not ordered by your doctor.

Compare these documents to your personal records and receipts. Recording medical visits and procedures in a journal or on a calendar can help you keep track of what happened at each appointment and make it easier to spot inaccuracies. • Report: If you suspect you’ve been a target of fraud, report it to the authorities. This can help you and others at risk for fraud. If you have questions about your Medicare statements, call your health care provider.

If you’re uncomfortable calling or are not satisfied with the response, help is available through your local Senior Medicare Patrol. SMP volunteers work with Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers to stop health care fraud, errors, and abuse.

You can also report suspicious calls and ask general questions through this resource. You can find your local SMP program by calling 1-877-808-2468 or online at SMPresource.org.

Suspected fraud also can be reported to 1-800-Medicare or by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

Don’t hesitate if you need help. Funded by the Administration for Community Living, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the SMP programs provide outreach, counseling, and education by highly-trained volunteers in a variety of locations. For free, confidential support, contact your local SMP program. (The Administration for Community Living provided this information.

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