Betina Slataper is, by nature, a nurturer. She worked for nearly a decade as a night charge nurse in the ICU, mentoring new nursing graduates that came onto her floor. A night owl who doesn't mind working while the rest of the world sleeps, she typically clocked in at 6:45 p.m. and headed home around 7:15 the following morning—just in time to dress and feed her oldest before taking him to school.
After her kids grew up, Slataper took a job as a Wellness Nurse at an assisted living facility in Baton Rouge—just as the worst infectious disease outbreak in more than a century swept through the United States. But the pandemic hasn't stopped her from her life's work.
"Caring for others gives me a sense of purpose," she said. "It satisfies my need to nurture…I want to save lives and make a difference."
And so, every day, Slataper heads to work knowing that she has to protect herself in order to stay safe from the novel virus, while at the same time making a difference in the lives of people who are suffering. Louisiana is no stranger to COVID-19 deaths; outbreaks in assisted living and nursing homes are rampant.
Slataper explains, "PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) is worn in caring for all COVID-19 patients/residents. We must wear eye protection—usually goggles or a face shield—an N-95 facemask, a gown, and gloves. This helps to protect us all from getting the virus and also from giving it to other patients."
Photo courtesy of Gillette
Face shields are big visors that are worn over N95 respirator masks to protect them from being soiled or damaged, which is especially important when mask supplies are in limited supply. Every piece of equipment is vital, obviously, but the face shield is what protects your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Slataper has enough PPE to do her job safely, she says, but there are many hospitals and healthcare facilities across the nation struggling to provide an adequate supply of gear for doctors, nurses, and medical staff. That's what drove the Gillette team in Boston, Massachusetts to expand its manufacturing capabilities beyond blades and razors and begin producing face shields for healthcare workers on the front lines of the response to coronavirus.
In just 14 days, a team of passionate Gillette employees put their engineering and manufacturing knowhow to work, created a prototype and began producing the shields that are critically needed. To date, Gillette has donated more than 100,000 face shields to Massachusetts healthcare organizations and will have donated an additional 200,000 face shields by early June — all with the goal of helping to save lives.
"It has been the most inspiring project," reflects Jimmy Jia, Head of Marketing and Operations at Gillette Ventures. "Watching this volunteer community come together to execute something that's not a part of our core business and breaking down barriers to get [face shields] out the door in a matter of days— there isn't a better way to make an impact on our community."
Tim Quigley, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for South Shore Health, an independent, non-profit health system in southeastern Massachusetts, said the system recently modified its PPE guidance to require clinicians wear a face shield or goggles at all times while working with patients — whether or not they have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are suspected of having contracted the virus. "When you are wearing a Gillette face shield for extended periods of time, you appreciate the craftsmanship even more," he said.
It's easy to get discouraged by what is out of our control, but even a pandemic can't stop individuals, organizations and companies from doing good. So, what gets Slataper out of bed every day? "My motto is 'let's go make a difference,' she said. 'Helping others is how I do that.'"
Turn your everyday actions into acts of good every day at P&G Good Everyday.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.