People
ask me all the time about the best way to scan their old prints. If you have
taken on the role of family
photo historian, you will need to do some scanning at some
point.

You
may still have boxes of loose prints or stacks of old photo albums, and while you
know that scanning is the best way to preserve them, it can be hard to get
started.

Let’s
break it down to some manageable steps and take a look at some options to get
things going.

The
first question is: are you going to do it yourself or hand it off to someone
else to do the job?

Doing It Yourself

Doing
it yourself may or may not save you money. It is really more a question of time
and will. Scanning a photo collection can be a big project; it can take weeks
and even months.

It
will be a process best done consistently and steadily over time. Big gaps of
time between tasks can break your focus, and you might have to reacquaint
yourself with your workflow as well as the scanner and software you had to
learn.

The
plus side of scanning your photos yourself is, in fact, all that time you will
be spending with you and your family’s history.

This
can be a priceless opportunity that will not only better acquaint you with all
those people, places, and events, but can serve to cement those things into
your own memory as well.

That
can be somewhat life changing and give you a unique perspective on who you are
and where you came from.

Consider the Cost

Print
scanners come in two forms: there are the flatbed scanners most of us are
familiar with, and there are batch scanners that can scan multiple prints in short
amounts of time.

Flatbed
scanners are fairly inexpensive. One to two hundred dollars will get you a
perfectly good scanner that will yield good quality scans. Unless you are
scanning only a few prints, stay away from those printer/scanner combos. They are
very slow, and the quality may not be great either.

A
good batch scanner, such as the Epson
FastFoto
FF-680W Photo Scanner, can
cost several hundred dollars.

It Takes Time

The
time element is what you really need to consider. A batch scanner will scan
between 30–50 prints per minute, while a flatbed scanner will take about 15–20 seconds
per scan.

You
can sometimes group a few smaller prints into one flatbed scan, but you will
then need to separate them into their individual files, either manually or with
some software.

But
here’s something to think about: while batch scanners may be too costly an
investment for just your photo collection, you could get a few friends together
and pool your resources to buy one to scan all your collections.

Not
only will it be cheaper, but it will be a lot easier to learn how to do it
together. And who knows, it may be the beginning of a new part time business venture;
a lot of people need this service.

Sending It Out

Your
other option is to give your print collection to a scanning service to do.
There are big companies that can handle the job, but you will also find local
professionals who can help you as well.

The
upside of a larger company is, they may be cheaper and even provide convenient
shipping options if they are not in your area.

The
downside is that shipping can sometimes be risky, and you can’t insure one-of-a-kind
memories. In fact, insurance companies will usually not insure old prints for
any more than the value of the paper they are printed on, and you can imagine
how little that is.

A
local professional can offer a more personalized experience. They may pick up
your order or even do the scanning at your location. They can also sit down
with you beforehand to discuss ways to organize it.

How to Prepare

Although
it may be tempting to just drop off a box full of prints to be scanned, I think
it makes more sense to do some preparation when possible and not have to deal with
an unorganized digital file mess when you get it all back.

It
will also probably save you some money as you
can get rid of a lot of prints that you have no interest
in scanning.

We
often have batches of prints we got back in those one-hour photo envelopes or
groups we may have put together at some point. Whatever you can do to organize
at least some of your prints by year, person, place, or event will be helpful.

I
like to write down the info and date on an index card that can then be scanned
with its batch of prints. The scanned index card can later be used as a visual
divider to help organize those digital images.

If
you don’t know the year a photo was taken, even sorting photos by decade will
be helpful. It is a wonderful feeling to have a nicely organized set of scans,
renamed and sorted into folders and all set to look at and share with family
and friends.

Working
with a local professional can help guide you through this process. They can
even place your prints into archival boxes and sort them the same as their
corresponding scanned digital files.

If
you do work with a larger company, ask them what kind of customized work they
will do if you help prepare the files and information for them.

Albums
can be trickier and will depend on whether you want to remove the prints from
the album or even if you can. Many albums are not archival, and I have found
that the prints in them are often in worse shape than loose prints due to
oxidation and exposure to light.

Using
thin dental floss can be an excellent tool in removing prints from those stickier
album pages (sometime a spatula works too), but you may have to scan the entire
album page in some cases if the prints cannot be safely removed.

Good
luck, have fun, and enjoy a great journey down memory lane.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How
many boxes of photos have you scanned to this day? How many more do you have to
go? Do you do the scanning yourself, or have you used a professional service?
If you haven’t started yet, what’s stopping you? What tips do you have for
those who have yet to begin scanning their family photo collection? Please
share with our community.

For many people, symptoms of incontinence come on gradually. The need to urinate becomes more frequent, a sense of urgency increases, and leakage becomes a regular occurrence. In many cases, people are already making adjustments to their lifestyle – double checking for the location of the nearest bathroom, for example, or using pads or even diapers – before they discuss the issue with a doctor.

Unfortunately, sometimes medical doctors or other providers inform their patients that these bladder conditions are just a fleeting bladder sensitivity, or age-related bladder weakness, and do not require treatment. But when is a “weak bladder” something more?

What to Look for

Incontinence can be an embarrassing thing to discuss with your health care provider. How can you decide whether this is just a normal part of aging and something that should be treated at home with pads or diapers, or a condition that truly deserves medical attention?

If you’re asking yourself any version of this question, you owe it to yourself to seek an educated medical opinion. Why? Because you do not want to miss a serious medical condition, and because you really do not have to live with those symptoms given modern non-invasive treatments available today.

Any time there is bladder leakage, bowel leakage, or other symptoms of overactive bladder, including spasms and waking up in the night to urinate, the situation warrants a discussion with a doctor.

At minimum, some testing to screen for other related health conditions is necessary because the “weak bladder” diagnosis can occasionally be a red herring. For example, someone who smokes tobacco is at risk for bladder tumors. Someone who is overweight may be at risk for diabetes. These are both conditions that can and should be checked for with screening tests.

Incontinence – A Progressive Condition

Most often, bladder and bowel symptoms are bothersome and disruptive to life, and symptoms usually get worse with time. If you’re spending time dealing with symptoms of incontinence, you have options for treatment.

In fact, overactive bladder, bladder leakage and the dreaded related condition of bowel leakage are all highly treatable. But if you aren’t getting detailed information about your options for resolving incontinence, look for incontinence specialists and centers in your area that offer the latest technology.

Sacral neuromodulation is one of them. This impressively effective treatment for bladder and bowel leakage and overactive bladder has a success rate exceeding 90%, with no surgery, anesthesia, or medications. In more than 20 years of practice, I’ve seen this played out again and again.

The Takeaway

Overactive bladder, urinary incontinence, and bowel leakage are not a normal part of aging but are true health conditions that impair quality of life. And treatments have become simpler, easier, safer, and much more effective in recent years.

If you’re wondering whether your weak bladder is something more, trust your instincts. Mentioning it to your doctor means that you are one step closer to finding relief and getting back to sleeping through the night and saving money otherwise spent on pads and diapers. But be prepared to look for specialized care if you’re told that it’s simply a “weak bladder.”

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Would you be comfortable mentioning incontinence with your medical provider? Have you been told this condition is simply a “weak bladder”? Have you seen improvement by doing nothing?

These are uncertain and anxious times. I can’t help but think more of us are anxious and tense than in previous years: I know my friends and I are. So what to do about that anxiety, especially if it’s multiplied?

First, know that anxiety is uncomfortable, but it’s a normal response to stressful times. But it doesn’t have to be debilitating. Here are a few things you can do immediately to begin to handle anxious feelings:

Control What You Can

Some stressors are within our power to change. If we are putting ourselves in anxious situations, set limits as you can. Remember: “No.” is a complete sentence. Self-care is important in anxious times.

Belly Breathing

When you breathe deeply, your body gets a message to relax. Belly breathing is one of the most effective ways to immediately calm down, so here is a simple instruction:

Sit or lie down in a comfortable spot. Place one hand below your ribs and another on your chest. Take your time.

Take a deep breath in through your nose, allowing your belly to push your hand out, but not moving your chest. Belly breathing is deep and from below the chest.

Exhale fully through your mouth on a count of five. You can purse your lips if you like. Feel how the hand on your belly goes in as you push all the air out of your lungs. Your hands will indicate if you are truly belly breathing.

Repeat five times; 10, if you can.

In the Instant

If anxiety comes upon you suddenly, take a full, deep breath in on a count of three and a full exhale on a count of five. Repeat this 10 times. You can do this as many times as you need to.

Eliminate Caffeine

I know, you love coffee, like I do. But at least for a while take all caffeine out of your diet. Soda, coffee, tea, chocolate. You can use caffeine-free versions of these products, and don’t be surprised if you don’t ever return to caffeine again. And never consume energy drinks.

Caffeine boosts your metabolism. Your heart rate and blood pressure go up and so do feelings of anxiety.

Foods with sugar and starch can raise and lower blood sugar, leading to stress. It’s smart to cut way back on those, too.

Lower Intake of Alcohol

Alcohol can be a depressant, and hangovers can increase anxiety.

Consume an antioxidant-rich diet. Blueberries, eggs, salmon and whole grain foods can help reduce anxiety.

Use Rational Thinking

Many people can control free-floating anxiety by asking themselves, “What’s the worst thing that could happen? How likely is it to happen?” Combined with deep breathing, this can be effective for people who respond well to logic.

Help Others

Volunteer work has long been prescribed by therapists for anxiety and depression. The act of doing something for others helps distract us from spinning out on our own anxieties.

Natural Remedies

If you prefer treatments of the natural variety, chamomile tea is said to be calming. So is ginseng and valerian root. You can find these in teas and also in supplements.

But if you are on prescription medicines, be sure to check with your doctor before ingesting any natural remedies or herbal supplements, as some have unpleasant interactions with some drugs.

Meditate

The overall, stress-reducing benefits of meditation are well known, including lowering blood pressure.

If you don’t have the patience to meditate on your own, use guided imagery daily to force yourself to sit still long enough to meditate. You can find many of these for free on YouTube or you can buy a commercial product.

Exercise

Exercise is a great stress reliever. It’s even better if you can do some of it in the sun, getting valuable Vitamin D exposure.

For some people, deficiency in Vitamin D leads to anxiety symptoms, so get your full share daily. A supplement helps, but a long walk in the fall sunshine has a double impact: exercise plus Vitamin D.

See a Therapist

If you can’t manage anxiety with these methods, talk to someone. Sometimes it’s necessary to air your feelings to an impartial professional who has the ability to help.

See Your Doctor

If your anxiety is severe, you might need medications, but it’s smart to try other methods first. Anxiety meds are overprescribed and do not work on the root of the problem. They’re a short-term solution for most, but not all, people.

It may take a while to re-program your body to handle anxiety, especially if it’s been building up for a while. But these methods and especially deep breathing, have been successful for many.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What works for you to help manage anxiety in stressful times? What would you add to this list? Please join the conversation below.