Last Updated on April 20, 2026 by Sarah Wilson My 2.5-Week Colombia Itinerary: Visiting Medellín, Salento, Bogotá, Villa de Leyva & Cartagena Colombia is full of contrasts: buzzing cities, colourful towns, lush coffee landscapes, colonial streets, Caribbean heat, and incredible food. In 2.5 weeks, I visited Medellín, Salento, Bogotá, Villa de Leyva, and Cartagena. The […]
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Joshua Close has played a lot of roles. He’s been in FX’s “Fargo,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Netflix’s “Wayward.” But nothing quite prepared him for playing Slinger, the combat veteran at the center of the film “American Solitaire,” which hits select theaters Friday.
Close drew on his own family to find the character. His cousin served multiple tours in Kandahar, Afghanistan, as a special forces member, and one conversation stuck with him.
“He said he had to go back on his third tour because he didn’t feel safe at home,” Close told Military Times. “He felt more comfortable being in situations like Kandahar because he knew who the people were around him. He knew how to behave.”
That kind of detail is exactly what writer-director Aaron Davidman was after. A first-time feature director, Davidman spent years traveling the country talking to people about guns, violence and the cost of military service before writing the script.
A conversation with a former Army captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than a decade became the seed of the story.
“He just impressed me with the real layered, nuanced, complex relationship to service, firearms, healing, reintegration,” Davidman said. “I decided to focus a story on a guy like that. What would it be like to follow a trained warrior and a reintegration through their eyes, through the experience of the veteran?”
The result is a film that resists the chest-pounding war movie template.
Slinger comes home from Afghanistan wounded and estranged from his young son, adrift in a country he trained to protect but no longer recognizes himself in. The film examines how, for some veterans, post-traumatic stress disorder and reintegration grief don’t manifest dramatically, but instead quietly erode a person from the inside.
Co-stars Joanne Kelly and Gilbert Owuor round out the film’s central trio, each character at a different point on the road back. Owuor said the dynamic mirrored something true about group identity and the loneliness that can live inside it.
“When you look closer and start to examine the different members in the group, you realize that even for them, that can start to break down depending on where you are in the journey,” he said. “And I think that’s a very scary place to find yourself.”
Kelly drew on her own family, as well, including a cousin who deployed four times to Afghanistan as a nurse. The preparation opened a conversation between them that had never happened before.
“I think it was one of the things I love about this job, the constant learning about humans, about different lives,” Kelly said.
Davidman has partnered with impact agency Picture Motion to build post-screening discussions into the release. It’s a deliberate response to the isolation the film depicts, and to a broader cultural moment the filmmakers believe demands a quieter kind of conversation than the one usually surrounding guns and military service.
“We’re not holding a screening, we’re convening,” he said.
For Davidman, the most revealing research didn’t come from one-on-one interviews but from watching veterans talk to each other.
“Watching these brothers and sisters share their stories, and they may not have even served at the same time or in the same branches, but there was a shorthand that was so informative,” he said.
That earned specificity shows on screen. “American Solitaire” doesn’t reduce its protagonist to a symbol. Slinger is a man trying to figure out who he is once the structure that defined him is gone, a challenge researchers and clinicians have long identified as among the hardest parts of coming home.
“I hope that people feel there is an accurate portrayal of veterans and of three-dimensional human beings going through real experiences,” Close said, “and that they can relate and feel less alone.”
“American Solitaire” opens in select theaters Friday and is coming to VOD at a future date. More information at americansolitairefilm.com.
Friends, welcome to a land where you can float on strawberry dream clouds all day long. This chia pudding is next-level but still ultra simple (5 ingredients!). Just blend strawberries into your favorite milk, sweeten to taste, add chia seeds, and chilllllll.
The result is a heavenly, fiber-rich snack or breakfast that tastes just like strawberries and cream but more sophisticated — mmmmmm. Let us show you how it’s done!
Last Updated on April 20, 2026 by Sarah Wilson 2.5 Days in Cartagena: A Hot, Colourful End to My Colombia Trip Cartagena was the final stop on my two-and-a-half-week trip around Colombia. I arrived just after 2 pm, and the heat and humidity hit me immediately. It felt nothing like Bogotá. I stayed at Casa […]
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Located in Astoria, Oregon, just near the mouth of the Columbia River where conditions include towering surf, high winds, rugged cliffs, and sea caves that earn the region its name: the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” AHRS is where our search-and-rescue personnel train in the most demanding conditions in the world. For 30 years, AHRS has prepared Coast Guard rescue swimmers, pilots, and flight mechanics to rescue stranded people in any condition, at any time. This tough, realistic training has allowed the Coast Guard to fulfill its most sacred trust with American by saving more than 5,200 lives each year.
Whether it’s a stranded hiker on a cliff, a mariner swept into heavy surf, or children trapped by rising floodwaters, the training in Astoria ensures our crews can launch into chaos and bring people home when they need us most, and helping to secure our foothold as America’s first and preeminent first responders.
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Fifteen U.S. airmen were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star Medal in a Tuesday ceremony for their work in flying missions in contested airspace during recent combat operations.
Maj. Gen. Charles Bolton, the 18th Air Force Commander, presided over the ceremony and bestowed the medals upon the Fairchild Air Force Base airmen, assigned to the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, according to a Wednesday release.
“These historic missions were fraught with peril and required decisive reactions to dynamic operational environments,” Bolton said during the ceremony. “The way they choose to respond, the way they adapt and work together – that’s what we’re highlighting today.”
During missions in contested airspace, the airmen provided crucial refueling that allowed for other Air Force “assets to continue the fight and return home,” the release reads.
The release says the airmen were involved in Operation Midnight Hammer — the Jan. 22, 2025 U.S. attack on three main Iranian nuclear facilities — but did not detail the extent of their involvement.
Bolton said during the ceremony that the members’ skills and perseverance led to the success of the overall mission, and he acknowledged the efforts of all Fairchild’s personnel in the mission, as well.
“From maintainers ensuring aircraft readiness, to mission planners and support crews, none of this could happen without the collective efforts of our Air Force family,” Bolton said.
The ceremony drew a crowd of around 300 people, the release says, with Fairchild personnel, local community heads and family members in attendance.
Fairchild Air Force Base, located in Spokane County, Washington, houses the force’s premier tanker base and survival training school, according to the base’s website.
The Distinguished Flying Cross recognizes heroism or extraordinary achievement in aerial flight, and the Bronze Star Medal is awarded for heroism in combat.
One of the challenges of obtaining home health care for seniors is its cost, which is often beyond the means of people and their families. The cost barrier is especially true of aides hired through private home health agencies, which is often considerably more expensive than hiring an aide directly.
On my Risking Old Age in America podcast, I recently talked with Wendy Adlerstein, co-owner of First Light Home Care in west suburban Boston, about the benefits of hiring assistance through an agency and what goes into the extra cost. She also calls for statewide licensure of home health agencies to make sure they all provide what they promise.
Here are some extracts from our discussion:
Risking Old Age in America (ROA): How difficult or easy is it to recruit home health workers?
Wendy Adlerstein: It’s definitely a laborious process. We have a team specifically dedicated just for recruiting and hiring. They screen hundreds of candidates. And we really only hire about 3 percent of the people we talk to.
ROA: How has the recent immigration crackdown affected your recruiting or your current employees?
Adlerstein: Unfortunately, we definitely see that there has been a shift. Certainly the pool of caregivers that are available is shrinking. One of the big things that we also see is the renewal process for employee authorization documentation is extremely slow, if not completely stopped.
ROA: How much do you pay your employees?
Adlerstein: In this region, agencies pay caregivers between $19 and $24 an hour.
ROA: And you pay FICA and other benefits?
Adlerstein: Yes. They’re all W-2 employees.
ROA: I understand that Massachusetts is one of the few states that doesn’t regulate home health agencies and that people in your field actually would prefer to have regulation. Why is that?
Adlerstein: Yes, that is a very big topic right now because there’s a bill in the legislature that is getting some traction this time around. It would create standards that replicate what we are already doing. Unfortunately, there are agencies out there that do not follow the same guidelines. This can create some safety issues and concerns for anyone opening their home and letting someone come in without all the proper oversight and background checks. Licensure would standardize and professionalize home care in Massachusetts.
Listen to the entire conversation here.
Topics
00:29 Overview of the Home Healthcare Agency
01:13 Benefits of Being Part of a Franchise
01:52 Wendy’s Background and Journey
02:54 Differences Between Private and Nonprofit Home Care
03:38 Typical Clients and Home Health Aides
04:59 Recruitment and Vetting Process
06:15 Impact of Immigration Policies
08:46 Employee Compensation and Client Costs
14:09 Regulation and Licensing in Home Care
20:12 Challenges and Recommendations 24:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
For more from Harry Margolis, check out his Risking Old Age in America blog and podcast. He also answers consumer estate planning questions at AskHarry.info. To stay current on the Squared Away blog, join our free email list.
Last Updated on April 20, 2026 by Sarah Wilson If you’re looking for an easy weekend escape from busy Bogotá, the colonial town of Villa de Leyva is a great choice. I spent 1.5 days here and loved the slow pace, mountain views, and relaxed atmosphere. Getting to Villa de Leyva I booked my bus […]
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Home care for elderly people is somewhat misunderstood as a medical service. While it can include home health, home care is practical aid that brings bonus benefits: socialization, cognitive stimulation, personal empowerment, dignity, and comfort for your aging loved one. Families also benefit from peace of mind and vital support.
ADLs are activities of daily living. According to the National Institutes of Health, the ability to carry out these tasks defines an individual’s level of functioning (more here). Someone who cannot carry out ADLs requires intensive assistance, whether that’s from a family caregiver or a professional.
Examples of ADLs include:
Someone who cannot do these activities independently often ends up in full-time care outside their own home. While this is sometimes the best option, it can come with downsides in the form of the senior’s lost sense of agency, comfort, and dignity. In addition, not all families can afford this option, or want it. In this case, they turn to in-home options (their elderly parent’s home, or moving them into their own).
Another type of ADL assistance is for IADLs, or instrumental activities of daily living. Some of these are:
Professional caregivers typically work on a customizable basis in your elderly loved one’s home, performing ADLs and some IADLs. (Many of our clients see their caregiver daily for a few hours, or just a few days per week.) Some benefits of in-home care are:
Decreased hospital readmission rates. Post-discharge care is known to impact whether a patient makes a full recovery without additional hospital visits. A professional caregiver monitoring your loved one’s routine—everything from taking meds on time to drinking water—means the doctor’s aftercare instructions are followed. It also means attentive help to prevent falls and quick response to emergencies, like post-surgical infections.
Cleaner, safer living environment. A caregiver can help keep your loved one’s home tidy and organized, reducing the risk of falls and other injury and preventing overwhelm from incomplete chores. On paper, a caregiver is doing dishes and laundry and making the bed; in practice, they are maintaining an uplifting, tranquil, and sanitary living environment.
Quick and informed eyes and ears. A caregiver is alert to changes in your senior loved one’s health, including mental health. They will notice depressed moods or pessimism, as well as frequent headaches or shaking hands. They will notice signs of cognitive decline and memory loss. They may hear about questionable activity before you do, like online or phone-based scams. They will also quickly know about home maintenance needs, like a drafty door or a leaking sink. Their routine attention ensures you know sooner about issues that need a response.
Socialization and cognitive support. If the caregiver is a good fit, your elderly loved one will look forward to spending time with them. Along with practical assistance, they provide conversation and moral support. They can also play games with your loved one to keep them intellectually engaged, encourage creative activities, or help them do their PT-approved exercises to maintain brain and body health. Beyond tasks like cooking and cleaning, a caregiver helps raise your loved one’s spirits and live a fuller daily life.
Family support. A good caregiver will educate the family about their senior’s care and available resources they might not know about, based on their experience with many other elderly clients. They are a wealth of knowledge about routines that work, self-care and respite care, and getting what you need from a busy healthcare provider.
Agency and self-direction. Caring for the elderly in their own home, versus in an institution, gives them a greater sense of independence. They are able to voice their preferences, from the temperature in the house to what they’ll have for dinner. Particularly when your loved one begins to need more help, options for elderly care at home can feel easier to accept and get used to.
Beginning home care can be intimidating. When it comes to your elderly loved one, broaching the subject takes sensitivity and empathy, as well as preparation. Gather information about your options, costs, and benefits your loved one qualifies for. (Veterans and their spouses tend to underuse their available VA benefits.) Take stock of their needs and desires, and get their genuine consent to make a collaborative plan.
Families sometimes have differing opinions about how to help parents or grandparents, who will do what, who will pay for what, and who will be a point of contact. Make an intentional plan with siblings and be transparent about what your loved one needs in terms of care. Home care is often a lifesaver when everyone has full time work and children, or when families are spread across the country and can’t be physically available.
When screening agencies and caregivers, look for verifiable experience and qualities such as reliability, patience, and interpersonal abilities. Use reviews and references. Get deeply involved early on so you can feel confident trusting them in the long term.
In-home care can be the best alternative to providing all their care yourself or moving your loved one into a care institution. If your loved one needs home care, our VetAssist mission is to make home care easily and quickly accessible for those who qualify through the VA Pension with Aid and Attendance benefit. Veterans Home Care can help you determine whether you or your loved one will be eligible to receive the benefit, which can cover some or all of the cost of home care, and we make it easy to apply. Chat with us via our website, or call us at (888) 314-6075.
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Last Updated on April 20, 2026 by Sarah Wilson After enjoying the peaceful mountains of Salento in the coffee region, arriving in Bogotá felt like stepping into another world. The city is busy, energetic, and full of contrasts. To make things easy, I pre-booked an airport transfer. I based myself in La Candelaria (the old […]
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