Q: What happened to the UPS store owner who cashed in the gift cards that someone was sending to the tornado victims in Alabama?
—Bob Presley, Jonesboro
A: Edward Michael Copenhaven, who owned an UPS store in Johns Creek, and employee Margaret Kate Carlisle were charged with multiple counts of felony theft after allegedly taking more than 50 Target gift cards worth more than $2,000 from a package at his store. The cards were being sent from Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church in Johns Creek to the victims of the tornadoes that ravaged Alabama in April. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 6 in Fulton County Superior Court, a spokesperson for the Fulton County District Attorney's office told Q&A on the News in an email.
Q: We hear of people with broken hips going to the hospital and dying from complications. What are the complications that cause death?
—Frank Burnette, Decatur
A: There can be many complications from a broken hip – and if surgery is needed to repair the hip – including blood clots, which can become lodged in a pulmonary artery and block blood flow to lung tissue. Those can sometimes cause fatal pulmonary embolisms, according to the Mayo Clinic's website. Immobility following a hip fracture can lead to pneumonia, pressure ulcers (bedsores), urinary tract infections and muscle weakness, which can result in permanent loss of mobility. Pneumonia and bedsores "contributed to a 70 percent increase in mortality within six months of a hip fracture among nursing home residents," according to a 2009 study by scientists at the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife that was published by the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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