The Benefits Of A Computer Networking Technology Diploma

Technology continues to expand at an alarming rate and there will always be a high demand for individuals with the education and training to keep that technology up and running. A computer networking technology diploma is a ticket to a successful and prosperous future. As a graduate, there are a wide variety of benefits that you will enjoy.

The job market for someone holding a computer networking technology diploma will always be there. Someone who has graduated with this degree will not have to worry about job security. The job lookout is very good for at least the next decade, with more related jobs being created at a high rate.

The most common career of a person possessing such a degree is as a network administrator. Almost every company and major business in the world needs administrators to maintain, monitor, repair, and defend their critical infrastructures. Degree holders can also work as computer programmers, network operators and information system managers.

But the job market is not only limited to corporations. There are also plenty of jobs available through the government, defense, and contracted companies. The jobs pay very well and have great benefits for employees and their families.

Salaries for people who have earned their diploma are very good. The average salary of a network administrator is about $60,000, but it can be well into the six-digits. Information system managers can make considerably more money, with the average annual pay hovering at around $115,000.

While talking course in networking technology, a student will learn the fundamentals of wireless networks, computer forensics and repair, cloud computing, web technology and design, and programming. Upon completion, students will be comfortable with troubleshooting, repair, maintenance, and configuration of hardware and software, as well as network operating systems including Windows, Linux, and Novell NetWare.

No background knowledge is even required to enter this field of study. You can enter with no computer knowledge at all or with years worth of experience and still get a good education. A diploma program should walk everyone from the basics of computer all the way through advanced network technologies.

Students will be exposed to a wide variety of course material which will help them prepare for additional information technology certificates. Some of the most popular include the Cisco Certified Network Administrator (CCNA), Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP), and many programming languages. Furthermore, there limitless certificates offered by most major computer companies. All of these extra certifications greatly improve your available job market and potential salary.

Thousands of schools offer this field of study. The good thing is that it is offered both on campus and as distant learning. If you are able to take classes in an actual classroom on campus, you can learn a lot and have access to hands on training. However, online schools also have high expectations and allow students the ability to take classes on their own time and at their own pace.

Technology continues to expand and there will always be a demand for people who can set it up and keep it running. This field of work offers job security, satisfaction, and good salaries. If you have any interest in the technology arena, you cannot go wrong by getting a computer networking technology diploma.

Evaluating an Assisted Living Home in Phoenix, Arizona

In Arizona, there are over 1,500 assisted living homes to choose from which can be quite overwhelming when needing to locate a quality adult care home. Thankfully, most people don't have a need for continuous skilled care that is provided in a nursing home as they grow older. However, many seniors do need help with day-to-day activities like bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning and shopping, and Phoenix residents have some great choices when it comes to assisted living homes that bridge the gap that exists between living independently at home and living in a nursing home facility.

Seniors, including those who are in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease, can still maintain some of their independence while being assisted with activities that are becoming more difficult for them by moving to a Phoenix, Arizona assisted living home. Phoenix adult group homes offer private rooms as well as common areas that residents can use for recreation, planned activities and socializing - all supervised by trained staff, 24/7/365. Meals, support services, housekeeping, transportation to appointments and errands, help with managing medicine, and more are all offered to residents of long term care homes in Phoenix. Choosing the right senior care provider can be challenging, and all are certainly not created equally. Let's look at how to best evaluate assisted living facilities.

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  Cost. Cost. Medicare, unfortunately, pays none of the cost of staying in an Arizona board and care home, and Medicaid pays very little either. Private insurance may cover the costs for care services - check your individual policy to make that determination. Creating a checklist with all the fees can help eliminate unwanted surprises in the future, for example transportation or hair perms by a visiting hair dresser are usually not covered in the original monthly cost. However, since the monthly cost of staying in a Phoenix assisted living home includes lodging, meals, and more, this type of housing is usually more affordable than nursing homes or hiring an in-home care agency.
  
  
  
  


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  Location. Once it has been determined how much you can afford, you will want to find an adult care home that is nearby so that you and others can visit with your loved one often. Assisted living homes located closer to a Phoenix hospital like John C Lincoln or Mayo Clinic have a greater benefit when your loved one will need to go back and forth to doctors appointments. Choosing a care home that is near you, a hospital, senior center and other places your loved one will be visiting will prove to be very beneficial.
  
  
  


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  Services. Assisted living homes in Phoenix, Arizona are licensed by the department of health to provider care in all levels of care from personal care to direct care. Some group homes only specialize in a specific area of care even if they may be licensed to provide all levels of care. Be sure to inquire on the areas of specialty, what special needs their residents have or that they have cared for in the past like Alzheimer's Care, Dementia & memory care, Parkinson's, Diabetes care, stroke care or others.
  
  
  
  The ideal facility offers the right amount of care and support for the needs of the resident while still encouraging them to remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible. Consider future needs as well; for example, your loved one may not be incontinent now, but if they become so in the future, how does the facility handle the condition? Would you need to go through the trouble of moving them again? The ideal care home would allow the resident to age in place and offer more care when needed. Consider all possibilities as your loved one will likely need a higher level of care later on down the road.
  
  
  


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  Tour the facility with your loved one, and ask to see more than just the public areas of the building(s). Visit resident rooms, if possible, and ask if you can stay for a meal. Stroll through the facility unsupervised if possible, which will allow you to experience the assisted living home without any "sales" talk from the staff. Take a few moments to talk with current residents - you should ask them what they like about the facility and what aspects have room for improvement.

While making the decision to move to an assisted living home is one of the hardest things in life to do, there are some top-notch adult care homes in Phoenix that can allow your loved one to have a true "home away from home" while getting the care and supervision that they need - without the indignities that sometimes accompany moving to a nursing home.

Caring and Fun-Loving Jobs - Making a Difference in Someone's Life!

There are many jobs that can make a difference in someone's life, be it taking care of the elderly or showing love and care to the children. Here are some of the ways to make someone's life different and earn an income at the same time:

Home Companions

They are also known as personal attendants who are highly valued and are caregivers to the elderly, handicapped or convalescent people. They often provide good companionship to them and at the same time prepare and serve meals, keep the house tidy, take them to medical appointments and many more.

What it takes: All you need is compassion, empathy and patience to qualify for this job. Besides that, you have to be safety conscious at all times and basic first aid skill is required. Since you are apt to be doing a lot of lifting and carrying, you ought to have good amount of physical strength. A talent for organisation will also come in handy.

Where the jobs are: The best way to find this kind of job is by word of mouth. Ask around for any home bound person who could use some help or inquire at places like nursing homes, senior centres, convalescent centres, or organization for the chronically ill. Another good place to find these jobs would be Help Wanted ads in the newspaper.

What this job could lead to: You could pursue a career in health care as a nurse, doctor, occupational therapist, nutritionist, physical therapist or hospital administrator.

Nurse's Aides

They perform a significant role in hospitals and nursing facilities. Besides helping nurses, they also offer cheer and warmth to patients who are either in pain, afraid or just plain bored. They are also considered members of the care-giving team, along with the nurses, doctors and physical therapists.

What it takes: To be an outstanding nurse's aide, you must have a strong desire to help others who are in need. You should be able to work well in a team, possess good communication skills, and be able to endure repetitive tasks. Some other highly valued skills include patience, understanding, emotional stability, dependability and good listening skills.

Where the jobs are: These jobs are often available in hospitals, nursing homes and personal care facilities. Therefore, flip through the Yellow Pages and find them today!

What this job could lead to: This is an excellent way to see if you are suitable and would like to pursue a career in the medical field. If everything goes well, you might become a nurse, medical technician, doctor or pharmacist.

If any of the jobs above appeals to you, start looking for them today! You could just make someone life different and might even be successful in your work!

Pressure Sores in Nursing Homes Lead to Closure

Once a person is sick we do our best to alleviate whatever pain he has. We seek for professional care. When we are too busy with a lot of responsibilities, we depend on those professionals and their skills to better our patient's condition. But what happens when we find out our patient developing pressure sores in nursing homes?

Pressure sores are deadly. They are not simple lesions that can be found on the pressure points but they can cause further infection and complications. According to some cases reported, severe pressure sores can lead to amputation and death. This is the reason why some families of victims do not just accept settlement negotiation from these facilities. For a patient to develop pressure sores in nursing homes is a manifestation that there is negligence among those health care professionals. So why is still there a room for negligence?

According to some studies,elderly facilities sometimes give poor health care because of the following reasons:

Lack of staff. SNU-Skilled nursing units need to have enough skilled health care providers. Due to a rapid growth of this industry, it has been tough for those which are having poor income to keep up. Competitive salary can't be offered to skilled health care providers. Thus, the facility cannot attend to every patient well.

Lack of training among staff. For this industry, it is very important that all of the staff receive training on the latest medical updates. Most of the cases handled by pressure sore lawyers include lack of training as the main reason for sores to develop. They lack training and updates like how often a turning is needed for a specific patient condition.

Lack of good health care facility. This includes not just the medical equipment used but also beddings and bed foams. There is already a new technology that can prevent pressure sores from happening. This is using an air bed that has air chambers to evenly distribute pressure. Some nursing homes are already using this, however this can be expensive.

Lack of proper sanitation. Patients develop sores because proper sanitation is not implemented. Patients are found to be sitting in their urine which makes them more susceptible to bacteria.

Those points should be considered by elderly facilities to keep their license active. A significant number of nursing homes lost their license due to neglect of providing good health care. As more and more family members of patients do not just accept money to settle any lawsuit that is filed against them and hire pressure sore lawyers to make sure that the nursing home pays their due.

The Seven Primary Types of Personal Injury Cases

There are at least seven primary types of personal injury cases, as follows:

1. Intentional Torts. A tort is a civil wrongdoing. Intentional torts include intentional acts which result in personal injury to a victim. Common examples of intentional torts include battery and assault. The victim of an intentional tort has a legal cause of action against the at-fault party who committed the intentional tort.

2. General Negligence. Negligence is also a tort. However, unlike intentional torts, negligence occurs when a person or entity causes an accident by failing to act reasonably under the circumstances, despite whether they intentionally caused an accident. This broad category of torts includes many specific subcategories and consists of the vast majority of legal claims made by personal injury victims, such as car accidents.

3. Car accidents. Car accidents generally involve a claim for the tort of negligence. That said, this subcategory of negligence is unique in that the federal government and most states have enacted special statutes governing drivers, vehicles, and car insurance. Said statutes create so many unique legal issues that car accident litigation is generally considered a unique subcategory of personal injury claims.

4. Premises liability. Premises liability laws cover the duty of a landowner, landlord, tenant, property manager, and similar entities to persons on the property. Landowners owe persons on the property unique duties dependent upon whether the person is an invitee, licensee, or trespasser. Again, while the vast majority of premises liability cases involve the general tort of negligence, these unique legal issues in premises liability cases are such that this area of the law is generally considered a separate subcategory of personal injury claims.

5. Professional malpractice. Professional malpractice is another specific type of negligence claim involving the negligent acts of a professional, such as a doctor or lawyer. Most states have enacted special statutes applicable only to professional malpractice claims. This specific area a negligence is again, a separate subcategory of personal injury claims.

6. Product liability. Product liability involves the duty of product manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to product purchasers and users. While many product liability claims involve negligence claims, they also usually involve claims specific to this area of the law, such as strict liability and failure to warn. Again, this is a unique subcategory of personal injury claims.

7. Wrongful death. Each state has enacted wrongful death statutes governing the claims that can be made and the damages which can be recovered when a tort causes a victim's death. A wrongful death claim can be made in conjunction with any of the foregoing categories and subcategories of torts; however, the uniqueness of these claims warrants a separate subcategory of personal injury claims.

While there are many other types and subtypes, the foregoing are at least seven of the primary types of personal injury cases.

Elder Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect

According to Wikipedia, elder abuse is a general term used to describe certain types of harm to older adults. Other terms commonly used include: "elder mistreatment", "senior abuse", "abuse in later life", "abuse of older adults", "abuse of older women", and "abuse of older men".

One of the more commonly accepted definitions of elder abuse is "a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person."[1] This definition has been adopted by the World Health Organization from a definition put forward by Action on Elder Abuse in the UK.

The core feature of this definition is that it focuses on harms where there is "expectation of trust" of the older person toward their abuser. Thus it includes harms by people the older person knows or with whom they have a relationship, such as a spouse, partner or family member, a friend or neighbor, or people that the older person relies on for services. Many forms of elder abuse are recognized as types of domestic violence or family violence.

The term elder abuse does not include general criminal activity against older persons, such as home break ins, "muggings" in the street or "distraction burglary", where a stranger distracts an older person at the doorstep while another person enters the property to steal.

In 2006 the [International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA)] designated June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) and an increasing number of events are held across the globe on this day to raise awareness of elder abuse, and highlight ways to challenge such abuse.

Symptoms of Elder Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect

NOTE: Although only one of these indicators may be sufficient to indicate abuse, neglect or exploitation, the presence of only one, or even a few of the indicators, do not necessarily determine such. However, the larger the number of indicators present, the more likelihood there is of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Clergy are, of course, encouraged to be alert for indicators in the elderly with whom they come in contact, and to report same to jurisdictional protective service.

Malnutrition
Dehydration
Frequent or multiple decubiti
Poor personal hygiene
Unclean clothes or bedding
Withholding drugs by caretaker
Over medicating of client by caretaker
Untreated physical or mental health problems
Inadequate heating or cooling
Multiple injuries, burns or bruises
Vague explanation or denial in view of obvious injury
Conflicting or illogical explanations of injury
Exaggerated defensiveness exhibited by caretaker
Over hostility towards client exhibited by caretaker
Has "imprint injuries" (i.e., bruises that retain the shape of traumatizing object). Note shapes of bruises similar to objects or hand/thumb/finger marks. Inner arm or thigh bruise are especially suspect as are injuries to the head, scalp or face.
Unwillingness to discuss problems or injuries with caretaker or in caretaker's presence
Fearful of caretaker, but anxious to please
Failure to meet basic subsistence needs despite adequate income
Reliance on client's income by caretaker for personal needs
Legal documents signed when caretaker is incapable of understanding

Identifying the Health Care Market Segments For Your Small Business

The first step in a small business selling to the hospital market space is being able to identify the different segments that they will approach. This is one of the essential building blocks for them to craft their method to and match the correct messages to their potential clients. There are five major segments in institutional hospital selling for small businesses to focus on.

The largest in size of the segments is the Integrated Delivery Networks (IDN) which is, at its basic level, a multi-hospital system that can cover a large geographical area. The groups have come together to share resources in an attempt to provide better continuity of care for their patients, but for small business vendors the main item of note is that they have consolidated a lot of their purchasing power.

As a general rule, the larger the group the longer it will take to penetrate these types of accounts. Furthermore, it is critical to understand that even when a small business gets under contract with the IDN, it does not guarantee orders, but rather just simply provides a streamlined vehicle for participating facilities to purchase the businesses products or services.

IDNs are definitely part of the marketing mix of a small business, but absolutely not the only part.

The next level segment is the slightly smaller hospital systems, which is a group of two or more hospitals (sometimes referred to as sister facilities) that are commonly found in the same geographical area. These groups normally have system wide directors that have heavy influence on the choice of vendors. Similar to IDNs, this level generally takes longer to secure a relationship with, but delivers a tremendous amount of value once established as a vendor.

Hospital systems would be one of the foundational pillars of a small companies business develop plan.

Individual hospitals are the next segment in the order of size. This is the number one penetration point for small businesses developing their foray into health care. Individual hospitals have directors that are reachable, large enough to provide small businesses a substantial transaction size with repeatable orders and are the ultimate internal referral to escalate to their related hospital system or even the larger IDN the facility belongs to.

Individual hospitals are the centerpiece of a small businesses plan of attack into health care.

At the next level are the facilities that cover long term care such as nursing homes and assisted living. The long term care segment can provide quicker sales as their transaction sizes are usually smaller. The area of concern in creating an approach to these places is determining the decision maker that authorizes purchases. Some facilities are tied to a hospital and some are not, some are part of a group and some are standalone. This will take investigation, but it is well worth it as sales coming in the door will keep momentum going for a small business while simultaneously pursuing the larger accounts.

Nursing homes and assisted living are the section of a small business plan that generates small deposits in between the larger sales at hospitals.

The final focus of the health care market space is the clinics and surgery centers. Just like long term care facilities, they have the same challenges in locating the purse strings in becoming a vendor, but will yield faster smaller sales.

Clinics and surgery centers also are part of generating cash flow for a small company and smaller jobs to fill a fulfillment schedule or technicians calendar.

There is a sixth segment made up of Group Purchasing Organizations (GPO). They combine many facilities purchasing power, negotiate lower prices from vendors and take a fee from both sides (hospitals and vendors) for this service. Often these are very large and cover the entire country so they look for vendors that have the capacity to handle national accounts.

Small businesses should avoid these GPOs until later stages of their companies growth.

A business development plan for a small business that blends a simultaneous approach to IDNs, hospital systems, long term care, clinics and surgery centers around a main thrust into individual hospitals will have a strong foundation to build a successful business for years to come.

Fire These Nurses! Well, If Someone is Not Doing Their Job, Why Do You Need Them?

Let us say that you have someone in the nursing home or in a rehab and care center, and you have detected something incorrect or wrong or just something that needs to be changed. Your first instinct might be to tell the nurse or aid that is in the room or on duty right there. Most times, these workers will instruct you to go to the nurses station. And, since you are usually agreeing to almost anything that sounds reasonable, you go to the nurses station and you present your problem, question or critic right there at the nurses station.

Do not do it. You heard correct. When the aid, worker or doctor instructs you to go to the nurses station with the problem, do not do it. Well, you can go there, and find out which nurse or staff member is in charge of that particular issue or problem that you wish to speak about , for example, food, or clothing or medicine. Find out which worker is in that department. Once you are directed to the proper nurse, do not speak with her about the issue at the nurses station at all. Why ?

1. If the issue is something that is likely to annoy the nurses or make more work for nurses, then all the nurses or workers that are hanging out at the nurses station will have their ears open to what you are saying. So, instead of having your privacy and the resident's privacy, now every single person sitting or hanging out at the nurses station is now listening to what you are saying.


2. Since everyone is listening, and since the issue might be one that is annoying or probably to cause the nurses more work, most likely, some will interject with their own remarks, opinions or sly remarks regarding the issue EVEN though they have no authority to rectify or change the problem and even though it is not their department. They will feel free to enter into the conversation. This puts you at a loss. Have you ever tried to converse with five people who are disagreeing with you or who might be upset that your observation or problem might be causing them to have more work every day? Trust me with this one. Whenever you want to speak with staff, never speak with the nurse who is sitting behind the nurses station. Tell her that you need privacy in conversation and ask to speak with her aside somewhere. There is no reason why she should not oblige you. After all, the HEPA laws guarantee patient privacy do they not?


3. It is your right to refrain from discussing patient's, resident's or family members issues or problems or questions in the hallways of facilities or in any public areas of the nursing home. That is the law. And any employee, no matter what their job, who insists that you discuss private things in the public areas of the nursing home is breaking the law. But most employees will not tell you this. So, learn the laws yourself and save yourself lots of time and trouble.


4. Speaking with one staff member while five or six others are watching and listening protects the facility but does not protect you or the resident. Why? They are protected because they can back each other up and say what you said, even if you did not say it. This has happened many times in unscrupulous rehabilitation and care centers across America and across the world.

So, protect yourself and protect the family member, resident or patient by not discussing anything personal at all at any nurses station or in any public area of any nursing home, physical rehabilitation and care center or in any medical building, lab or hospital. Protect yourself from unscrupulous workers. If a worker is innocent and honest, that worker will want to talk with you in private, not in any public hallway and not in the public nurses station. So beware of ANY employees that wish to discuss personal things at the nurses station. Yes, they need to take a little time to come to the room or to bring you to an area of the place that is not public. But that they must do. They just will not tell you that.

One family member I know approached the nurses station to discuss a private matter and the matter --to be resolved--would mean extra and more work for the staff, so naturally, they did not want it resolved. The family member made the mistake of mentioning the problem at the nurses station. While five or six nurses were sitting around, seemingly doing nothing, their ears were spread wider than a happy face smile and they listened intentively. Then one by one, each interjected their own opinion, remarks and angry-looking expressions at the matter, even though they had no authority in the matter, no business in the matter and no power to resolve the problem. This family member learned the lesson the hard way. Then he had six nurses looking at him in disgust, just because they did not want to do their jobs, a little more work.

Moral of the experience, discuss everything in private, not in public, even if the staff wants to discuss it out in the open, never listen to the staff. They are out to protect themselves from more work and from other things. So protect yourself, and listen to your own inner instinct. Have private discussions in private.

FIRE THESE NURSES!

So, exactly which nurses are we talking about when we suggest, fire these nurses?

Okay, so that might be harsh. Instead of firing these nurses, let us just transfer them to different parts of the hospitals and nursing homes. Let us give them the harder jobs and then perhaps they will not be just hanging out at the nurses station minding everyone else's business.

Why do we say hanging out? This reason-- whenever you approach a nurse at a facility, most times they are busy , correct? Right. No problem. They are doing the job that they came there to do and they are doing the job they are being paid to do. However, there are some nurses that instead of doing the job that is their own assignment, will be listening with both ears to your conversation when you are obviously speaking to another nurse. As soon as they begin listening to you, instead of doing the job they are stationed there for, they are now hanging out instead of working. So you do not need them there.

You are speaking with one nurse, and that one nurse barely has time for you, so how in the world do you think that two or three or four nurses who just happen to be in the nurses station at the time, have time also--to listen to your conversation when you are not even speaking with them. They do not. So every moment they spend eavesdropping on your conversation with Nurse A, that nurse is not doing her own job since she is not Nurse A. Nurse B has stopped her own job and is now listening to you speaking to Nurse A , and then Nurse B enters her opinion when she is not being asked her opinion.

I say, transfer Nurse B to another part of the hospital where she will not have the opportunity to hang out and listen to other conversations that are not her business. Clear? Yes, clear. Transfer Nurse B--and problem solved.

So now you are informed! Keep your personal business private and keep it out of public areas in any facility.

The Value of Emergency Response Systems

The fast advancement of technology has resulted in the conception of up to date equipment and exceptional methods in the area of medical rescue and management of emergency situations. One high point is the personal emergency response system.

These developments have proven to be a blessing in disguise for elderly folks and individuals afflicted with bodily ailments. It is a fact that said people are more vulnerable to accidents. Seniors and sick persons have lost much of their strength and independence making them incapable of dealing with unpredicted dangers. It is a big relief not only for powerless and elderly persons along with their families that emergency medical alert systems continue to proliferate. This means that there will be lesser trepidation that something disastrous will happen to these susceptible old men and women.

Today, senior citizens are purely one push button away from emergency assistance. The more important piece of the puzzle is to learn fundamental operations of emergency medical alert systems through instructions given by manufacturers of such equipment. Most of these modern contrivances are two-way voice units which are connected to telephone wires. When pressing conditions take place without warning, all you have to do is to depress the button linked up with the emergency monitoring unit. There is also an option of installing portable transmitters that can be placed anywhere in the house.

The personal emergency response system has been enhanced to make it more convenient and beneficial for the aged. One of the primary reasons for the refusal of elderly people to leave their residences and transfer to assisted living facilities is the anxiety that nobody will help them in case of any emergency or accident while living alone. There are also senior folks who are apprehensive about losing their sense of independent lifestyle in a retirement home. Purchasing these unique paraphernalia will help them handle these issues. Likewise, the old people become conscious that their self-worth and independent lifestyle are kept intact.

Some companies that provide such systems have collaborated with call centers which receive calls and send them to the healthcare provider. There are various procedures. One is that operators are tasked with the responsibility of assessing an actual situation and provide callers with instructions. There is also an automated response procedure or the co-called home alarm company.

Subscribers of this personal emergency response system should find out the time of coverage of the medical alert company and all details pertaining to response time and outsourcing of calls. Costs and payment terms change so this can be discussed directly with the company. These special products are now being conceptualized and produced to deal with different types of settings such as chronic sicknesses and choices of patients. The progress has been quick but technical experts are still in the middle of introducing new to make the system more responsive and useful for users. Definitely, at the start of this year, producers of these devices will have more bright ideas and innovations that will satisfy their customers.

Should an Elderly Person Be Sent to a Nursing Home?

A lot of the health problems that an elderly encounters are often times overwhelming to their family. As such, a good home as well as health care service is very important. As most family members have work or other businesses to attend to, it becomes very hard in favour of them to appropriately take care and look after an elderly parent, or grandparent, aunt, or uncle. What's worse is that most elderly people already have grave health concerns that need regular medical awareness. This is as usual where a home care service comes enters the picture.

The ultimate objective of this package is bring back a senior citizen's "golden years" by enabling them to be independent in the best way they can, as well as increase their capacity to interact with the people around them.

At times, it's a bit difficult to decide whether the services given by a home care service would be the best option for your elderly family member. Here are a couple of questions you may enquire yourself to help you figure out whether it's time for you to bring your elderly relative to a home care facility:

o Are you losing valuable moment at work whilst trying to offer your aged family constituent care?
o How do you survey your home care giving alternatives when the family unit in call for care lives distance away?
o How do you give elderly parents who have diverse home care requests the correct care and still assure they stay together?
o How do you get home care giving for an important person who no longer qualifies for visiting nurse services under Medicare?

If you are able to ask one or more of the above questions to yourself, it means that it's time for you to seek advice from a home care facility.

Nurses specializing in Geriatric Management usually run home care facilities. They can provide you with all the information you need regarding home care service. They will also be able to offer you an array of services that are aimed to improve your elderly loved one's on the whole quality of life. Most home care facilities also have websites that indicate most of the information an interested party may need.

Before a home care facility accepts a client, they will first conduct a comprehensive interview with the prospective patient and his or her family. In this interview the client's medical condition and home care needs are assessed. The clients are also advised by the home care facility of services they would benefit from. Examples of these services would be: nursing care, evaluation and decision of problem areas, action recommendations, and review of the patient's medications, and consultations with physicians as well as specialists, and collaboration with other health professionals.

In the United States, choosing the right home care facility for a loved one can be really confusing due to the wide array of nursing homes a person could choose from. This has been a usual problem of people who are thinking of placing their aged loved ones in the care of geriatric facilities. For people who do not understand the situation of a geriatric patient or their families, it may be easy to say that choosing a senior care home is easy because they are all over the country. However, due to the varying services that senior care facilities offer, it is very important that an elderly individual be admitted in a nursing home that can properly respond to his or her health-related needs and over all welfare.

Home care facilities are practically everywhere and most of the time they have the same type of services. What's important is to make sure that your loved one is in good hands. Keep in mind that you should be doing what's best for your elderly loved one's health and well-being.

Are you sending your elderly loved one to a nursing home for the right reasons?

Different people have different reasons for choosing to place their elderly loved ones in the care of nursing homes. Most of them decide to do so because they feel that their relative, friend, or family member will receive ample care and attention in a home care facility. Nevertheless, the most important thing to remember when thinking of getting the services of nursing homes is that there should be a valid reason for making this kind of decision.

The following are a list of well-founded reasons for sending off an elderly to a senior home care. You should be able to come up with a sound decision once you review these rationales.

1. A nursing home can give appropriate health care for the elderly

Unlike placing an elderly in the care of a private nurse or a relative, a senior care facility has a team of medical professionals and the proper medical equipment that can monitor the health of your loved one. Senior care homes have in-house doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, caregivers, and physical therapists, who are always ready to respond to the needs of the nursing home's residents. For instance, caregivers and nurses make sure that the seniors take their medicines regularly, and that they get sufficient rest and sleep. In a senior care home, you can be sure that your elderly loved one is in very capable hands.

2. Nursing homes can closely monitor the patient's diet

As we all know, senior citizens should have a very controlled diet because there are a lot of foods that are no longer healthy for them. If you are taking care of your elderly loved-one at home and there are other people in the house, you might be faced with the dilemma of having to prepare different types of food per meal. This kind of situation can be tedious, time consuming, and costly. Since nursing homes are preparing food for people in the same age group, you can be sure that your loved one is eating food which is suitable for their metabolism, and digestive capacity. Also, if a resident has special dietary needs (ex. Low sodium diet) due to a medical condition, the nursing home can make the necessary arrangements for that patient.

3. Nursing homes can provide the elderly enough attention and care

The most common reason why families or individuals send their elderly loved-ones in nursing homes, is the fact that they do not have enough time to devote to them. This is especially true, if the family or companion of the elderly person has work, school, or children to take care of. Even if they want to give more intimate attention to their elderly loved one, the fact of the matter is, they are unable to. In nursing homes, the family or relatives of a senior citizen is assured that their loved one will receive all the attention and care they need.

Assisted Living Marketing Should Place The Consumer's Value On Services

Do You Fully Appreciate Your Own Services?

Management and staff members in assisted living repeatedly tell me how good they are at caring for seniors. However, their marketing often does not communicate that viewpoint in a way that the consumer needs to hear it.

For example, in a recent "Talk'in About Care" training session attended by representatives of many facilities, I asked the group if giving out medications to their senior residents was an innovative service. People hesitated and looked at one another. Finally, someone said they didn't think so, and that became the consensus of the room. The reasoning - common, expected, nothing special.

The logic seemed to be that if everyone in assisted living is giving out meds (and hopefully, they all do it very well), it would not be important to the consumer? So this "everyday" professional specialty is normally listed among services, but seldom highlighted.

The Eyes Of The Beholder

I then brought it to the group's attention that I just read an article in McKnight's Long-Term Care News that stated "Older adults make more than half of all trips to the emergency room for adverse drug interactions." My students were not surprised to hear this and agreed that it is a major concern for seniors and their family members. So my conclusion to them was that they have a target market that places a high value on a service they provide. At the same time, they feel it is a very important (but common) service and are proud of how well they provide it, yet they still undervalue this service...and neglect to claim its marketing advantages.

Common Marketing/Communication Mistakes

Assisted living companies and staff members often communicate value in their terms. This can lead to their target markets not understanding and/or relating to the message that is given or the value of the service being offered. Here are four mistakes that senior care providers frequently make.

1. Highly value what they do from an industry insider viewpoint. This tends to over value a service and/or not connect well with the consumer. Example: The salesperson raves about how their facility is just like home, while the prospect looks around and sees little similarity to their three bedroom, 2 bath home that is filled with 25 years of memories and provides feelings of comfort.


2. Undervalue what they do because they do it every day and take its benefits for granted. Example: Give out meds with set procedures that include checks and balances, but do not highlight a 10 Point Medication Management Program that is in writing and on their website.


3. Neglect to utilize a service they already provide to address an important issue of a target market. Example: Offer exercise and stretching classes, but do not relate or highlight how these services help those with arthritis to maintain or improve grip, balance and/or flexibility.


4. Neglect to package services together that they are already providing to address an important issue of a target market. Example: Sticking with the arthritis example above, do not promote an Easing Arthritis program even though they offer exercise and stretching classes, along with providing a menu and nutritional supplements that decrease inflammation, ice pack therapy, massage of stiff joints and medication management.

Speak Their Value, Increase Move-Ins

Value in assisted living must absolutely start with the management and staff. However that value must be communicated to the consumer in a way that makes sense to the end user/caregiver/decision maker and will be seen as resolving their issues. Three ways to accomplish this are:

1. Providing innovative services that are seen as valuable to your target markets.


2. Packaging services and amenities into programs that address the needs of target markets.


3. Target and serve niche markets that have specific needs that match the benefits of your innovative services and programs.

When the consumer values an innovative service (or package) that addresses their need, the providing facility gains a selling advantage. In addition, that service often becomes a measure of comparison. So in the example above, facilities who do not offer their version of an Easing Arthritis program on their website and/or on their tour are immediately put at a competitive disadvantage.

These services do not have to be new (although new services can be a huge plus). They just have to provide important benefits to those who need them. Then work hard to improve your communication of that (consumer) value...and train your staff to relate that value. By doing so, recognition and referrals will go up, decisions will be made faster, and your move-ins will increase.

Government Grants For Assisted Living For Seniors

As the country is dealing with harsh times, it's becoming harder for the elders of our society to find homes that have the ability to take care of them. Not only are many assisted living facilities deteriorating in their standards of comfort and care, the seniors who need to live in these homes are finding it harder to pay for their high costs. Fortunately there are government grants for assisted living for seniors that are intended to counteract these hardships.

The quality of a senior center and care facility is incredibly important since so many people are relying on the services they provide. The standards a person should expect to find in an assisted living facility include, but are not limited to, properly trained nurses and aids, clean rooms, healthy food, and well kept living spaces. Sadly there are many of these facilities that are not up to par since they can't afford to hire a good staff or keep up with repairs. Many government grants are available to these facilities to help them improve on their business and make their facility a better place for the people who live there.

Another problem people notice when it comes to assisted living for seniors is that there just aren't enough places that provide it. Some areas don't even have any kind of senior citizen home and families are forced to send their loved ones out of town just to get the care they need. The government has created grants to meet this problem too. There are grants at the ready for people and organizations willing to take old or unused buildings and turn them into a brand new facility.

For those people that can't afford to live in assisted living facilities, grants are available to help with costs. Please check government websites for more information.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Long Term Care Insurance

Should You Buy Long Term Care Insurance?

Most people start thinking about the possibility of needing nursing care asf they hit middle age. Many have family or family who needed home health care, assisted living, or a nursing home. At this time, people learn about the high cost of long term care, and they wonder how it gets paid for.

Consider this. Full time nursing homes can cost $50,000 a year or more. Home health care may not be that much less, depending upon the amount of services needed. Assisted living facilities cost less, but may still be a lot more than it costs to live on your own. And the government estimates that 40% of people who turn 65 will need some sort of nursing care during retirement years.

How does this get paid for? Medicare, the federal health insurance for seniors and disabled people, only pays for short term care. Medicaid does pay for nursing homes, and in fact pays for half of all of thee costs in the US. But in order to qualify for Medicaid, a person has to deplete most of their assets.

So some people purchase a long term care insurance (LTCi) policy because they want to protect their savings in case they need to go to a nursing home. There are also alternative ways to plan for this which other choose. And many people have not done any planning at all.

Disadvantages of Long Term Care Insurance

Who do some people choose LTCi alternatives? Why do many people do nothing? Look at some things that they may consider.

Insurance exists to manage risks. When you purchase an auto insurance policy, you hope you will not have to use it. With most LTC policies, it is the same. You could pay premiums for years, never need it, and get nothing out of your policy except the security of knowing you have it. Some LTC policies may have a return of premium feature but it is not common.

LTCi policies are complicated, and there are many different types. Some are more useful and flexible than others. So some types of coverage may not help you for the particular situation you are in. For instance, you may have purchased a policy that only covers a nursing home. But an illness may only require adult day care or home health care. Again, some policies will cover different types of care so you, or your family, can make a choice when the time comes.

Premiums are lower for younger and healthier people, but can go up over time. If you cannot afford to pay premiums when you get older, it will not do you any good if you have to discontinue coverage. You have to make sure that you can afford the policy.

Advantages of Long Term Care Insurance

Of course, a lot of people do think LTCi is a great choice to make sure they have protected their assets.. And some features may even help them before they ever need to use it.

Some policies are tax deductible. Tax qualified plans can be deducted when you file taxes now. This makes the real cost of premiums lower than the price a company charges.

Assets are protected. If you want to preserve a lifetime of savings for yourself, your spouse, or your heirs, long term care is one obvious way to do this. With the right policy, you will not be forced to spend down your entire estate before you qualify for Medicaid.

You will have choices. Not every nursing facility or provider accepts Medicaid. You will be able to choose your private nursing home, assisted living facility, or home health care provider without worrying if they accept Medicaid payments. Some policies even offset the cost of care that is provided by family members.

How to Shop For Long Term Care Policies

It is important to understand how various policies work, how much they will cost, and which one will be the best plan for you. An experienced insurance agent can help you. You can also start looking by using a convenient online long term care insurance quote form. This will allow you to see competitive policies that are sold in your own local area.

Computer Science Engineering or Information Technology

CSE is related with invention and development of of software and hardware whereas IT is related with effective use of already available software/hardware. CSE thinks about how can a new system be developed whereas IT thinks that how can an already available system be put for gainful commercial use. While implementing certain tasks,the CSE ask question about working of hardware & software but IT want to know about the working of office and business systems so that it can modify, improve and educate you to use existing software/hardware.

When you produce the system that control the Rockets, Machines, DVDs, Medical diagnostic instruments etc, that is called CSE and when you learn to improve, implement and manage the given system that is called IT. Computer Science is a subject in general dealing with computer hardware software. IT is a derived subject which is mainly involved in the management of information using computers.

Computer science (academically, CS, CSC or compsci) encompasses a variety of topics that relates to computation, like abstract analysis of algorithms, formal grammars, and subjects such as programming languages, program design, software and computer hardware. Computer scientists study what programs can and cannot do, how programs can efficiently perform specific tasks (algorithms and complexity), how programs should store and retrieve specific kinds of information (data structures and databases), how programs might behave intelligently (artificial intelligence), and how programs and people should communicate with each other (human-computer interaction and user interfaces). Good for jobs like software engineering, hardware engineering, computer science professor, programmer, etc.

While Information technology (IT) is the technology required for information processing. In particular the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve information from anywhere, anytime. This is really good for individuals who don't like math because it offer less math courses. You can get jobs such as database administrator, webmaster, programmer, software engineer, telecommunications, management, computer security analyst, etc. The information technology course module has been designed with more of software part in the course whereas Computer Science includes more of computer hardware part like networking, chip level knowledge etc. Although some of the subjects are same in both the streams.

Also CSE is more math intensive than IT. Information Technology is the business side of computers - usually dealing with databases, business, and accounting. The cs engineering degree usually deals with how to build micro processors, how to write a compiler, and is usually more math intensive than IT. One way to think of it is one is dealing with information - data which would be the IT and the other is dealing with the "science" or "how to make it" of computers. So there is very thin line dividing the two streams. There is a lot of overlap in the two streams. In every tough It problem, there is a CS problem.

California Registered Nurses With Out-of-State Disciplinary Records at Risk of License Revocation

A recent newspaper expos矇 of California-licensed nurses who have been disciplined for professional misconduct in other states has resulted in a California-wide effort to revoke all of those nurses' California licenses. So committed is California's Governor to this agenda, that he recently fired the head administrator and replaced all of the members of the Board of Registered Nursing. The new appointees have been given their marching orders, and more than 2,000 Registered Nurses are slated for license revocation on the basis of prior conduct in other states. It seems clear that Licensed Vocational Nurses will face similar issues soon.

Obviously, some nurses should not be practicing anywhere. But California apparently assumes that all nurses with license issues in other states should also be barred here. And nurses who are now on California's hit-list might assume that loss of their California licenses is inevitable. Neither of these assumptions is supported by logic or law.

License Discipline and Revocation in California

A nursing license-RN or LVN-once earned, is the property of the nurse. And, like any other property, such as real estate (think foreclosure) or money (think of fines imposed by courts), the nursing license cannot be taken away (revoked), even for a short time (suspension), and cannot be diminished or restricted in any way (probationary conditions) without two things: good cause and due process.

There is a vast body of law as to what constitutes good cause. But here's the take-away you need to remember: the mere fact that in the past some other state revoked or disciplined a nursing license issued by that state does not, by itself, constitute good cause for California to discipline a current California nursing license.

As for due process, that means that California cannot simply unilaterally revoke or discipline the license based on what State officials believe to be good cause. Instead, California must first notify the nurse of the State's intention to discipline or revoke the license. Then the State must offer the nurse an opportunity to deny that the license should be disciplined, and an opportunity to demonstrate why. The demonstration of why the license should not be disciplined takes place at an administrative hearing where the nurse's advocate can challenge all or any of the State's reasons and evidence in front of an impartial administrative law judge.

Also at the hearing, the nurse's advocate will introduce evidence that the nurse is competent and that there presently exists no reason to deny the right to practice nursing in California. The judge will give due consideration to the evidence put before him or her and issue (1) findings of fact that explain what evidence the judge finds credible, (2) conclusions of law that explain what laws the judge thinks apply to the case, and (3) a proposed decision. The proposed decision is then forwarded to the Board for action, and the nurse and the nurse's advocate can appear before the Board to argue in favor of or in opposition to the Administrative Law Judge's proposed decision.

Opportunities to Defeat Discipline at the Administrative Hearing

Anyone who is not familiar with the hearing process might not realize that the hearing offers many opportunities to the nurse to avoid or reduce the discipline against the license that is proposed by the State. For example, the records of prior discipline in another state may not be available. Or the out-of-state records may not meet the standards of admissible evidence set forth in the California Evidence Code (California law will apply at the hearing.) The discipline imposed by the prior state may have been based on conduct that is lawful in California. Many procedural defects may exist in the out-of-state disciplinary process.

Many more reasons exist for invalidating or reducing the State's claims. The out-of-state discipline may have occurred a number of years ago, and the nurse may have current relevant work experience that demonstrates that any previous performance problems have been addressed and resolved. The nurse may have evidence of further professional training since the time of the out-of-state discipline, or the nurse may have completed rehabilitation or received effective counseling. The nurse may be able to demonstrate a new maturity, significant changes based on life experiences (parenthood, military service, successful employment, religious enlightenment) and improvements in professional competence. Any similar facts would be compelling evidence where the State's only basis to discipline the nursing license is out-of-state prior misconduct.

These are only a few of the more obvious kinds of evidence that may be utilized to defend a nursing license in an administrative hearing. Countless others exist.

The Economics of Defending Against Discipline of the Nursing License

Some nurses (and other professional and occupational licensees) believe that they cannot "afford" to invoke the fair hearing process and defend their license against the State. But consider: what do you earn in a year from nursing? In two years? In three? A license revocation will prohibit re-application for a new license for at least three years and probably longer. You do the math: can you afford not to defend your right to earn your living?

How to Begin to Defend Against Discipline of a California Nursing License

The one certain way to lose your California nursing license on the basis of prior out-of-state professional discipline is to do nothing when you receive a notice of proposed action from the State of California. Do not let this happen to you!

Read the notice. It will give you a very short window of time in which to provide written notice of denial of the charges and your demand for hearing. Do not let this deadline pass! It is critical to submit your denial/demand before the time expires. Then, get a lawyer.

As the State will tell you, you are not required to have an attorney to defend against discipline of an occupational license, or to obtain one after the State has denied the application. But you should. The State will be represented by an experienced and specialized attorney. Because the coming R.N. cases will feature out-of-state records that may be subject to challenge on the basis of California evidentiary standards, these are not the kind of cases where it will be okay if the only party without an attorney is the nurse with everything to lose.

Your nursing license is your asset. It has value: real, quantifiable, actual value. Protect it by exercising of all of the legal rights it carries.

California may be at war with its dual- and multi-state licensed nurses, but you need not be one of the casualties.

Transitioning A Person With Alzheimer's - How To Prepare Them To Move Into A Facility

Moving an individual with Alzheimer's into a facility such as a nursing home or assisted living can be traumatic for everyone involved. A recent study by the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center has found that there are things which can be done to help with the move. The study, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, finds that prior experience in adult day care may help individuals suffering from Alzheimer's make the transition from home to facility much smoother.

In general, seniors moving from their home into any type of facility or downsizing to a smaller home need special attention and assistance. With an Alzheimer's patient, the stress of moving is far greater. Taking them out of comfortable surroundings into a totally unknown environment appears to increase the rate of cognitive decline.

This is consistent with clinical reports of increased confusion and behavior problems so common with those suffering from dementia during acute hospitalization or when traveling away from home.

The answer appears to be a gradual transition by starting with adult day care and then moving into a facility once the individual is comfortable with the change. "It makes perfect sense as we get feedback in the form of reviews from people who have put loved ones into assisted living facilities and nursing homes. After reading this study and reflecting back on comments left, it does seem to correlate that individuals who have made the transition slowly, using adult day care and home health care seem to have fewer complaints."

It appears that individuals who spend more time in day care experience less cognitive decline once they move into a facility full time. This means that if a person goes to adult day care between 3 - 5 times per week, they will not experience an accelerated cognitive decline. A person who goes less, such as 1-2 times per week will experience a faster decline, but will still get some of the benefits over a person who goes directly from a home environment to an assisted living facility or nursing home.

The best situation may be to find a nursing home or assisted living facility which also has an adult day care component built in. This way, the individual can slowly get used to his or her new surroundings and will make the transition much easier.

The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes on Aging, which leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people, including Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.

Information for this article was found on on the Science Daily June issue

Medical Billing and Coding - What is a Medical Insurance Specialist and What is the Salary Range?

If you've been thinking about going into the medical billing and/or the medical coding field you may be interested in becoming a medical insurance specialist. A specialist is usually knowledgeable in both billing and coding procedures.

A medical billing and coding specialist such as a medical insurance specialist works closely with patients, insurance companies and office staff. They handle charges, submit claims, respond to inquiries from medical insurers and do all the follow up for payments that are overdue. They know claims processing and billing regulations. They know how to appeal claims that are rejected by a medical insurance company or claims medical insurers only partially pay.

The specialist also is responsible for getting pre-authorization for certain procedures and post treatment reports.

Medical billing specialists are familiar with all the health plans that are offered in their geographic area. They can read medical bills and know what the costs are for various procedures.

Duties include discussing the patient's medical insurance coverage to determine what co pays may be due for a planned procedure, if any, or if the health insurance company or provider will pay all the costs. This is important so the patient will know what payment will be expected, if any.

The medical billing and coding specialist reviews charges, and submits claims to health insurance providers. It's important that this is done correctly. The specialist also works with the billers to make sure that the statements for services are billed correctly. If it's not done accurately it delays payment for the health care provider.

The specialist usually has good knowledge of medical coding although many times the forms will come to them already coded. This coding is standard and is used by all health insurance companies and medical billing services.

The medical insurance specialist makes sure that all the patient's medical records are accurate and up-to-date.

Medical billing and coding specialists or medical insurance specialists work for doctors' offices, billing services, hospitals, dentists, assisted living centers, skilled medical facilities, clinics, medical insurance companies and all types of medical and healthcare professionals and providers.

If you're interested in becoming a medical insurance specialist or medical billing and coding specialist make sure to do plenty of research and find the best training for you whether online or on campus. Check out what the salary range is because it may vary depending on whether you're working for a doctors' office, billing service, insurance company or hospital. Starting out it could be anywhere from $10 to $40 an hour or more depending on experience, knowledge and training.

Make sure to check the online federal money and financial aid that's available for online classes too and beware of scams. Don't sign up for classes or courses that you don't need.

Nursing Homes - Over Medication and Under Medication a Common Problem

Nursing homes are those that provide highly equitable nursing care as well as rehabilitation services to persons who suffer from injuries, illnesses, or functional disabilities. Most of these nursing homes take care of the elderly who need special attention. There are also those that provide services for the developmentally disabled, persons who need rehabilitation from using drugs and alcohol, and also persons who are suffering from any form of mental illness. Some nursing homes are operated within hospitals while others are stand alone facilities.

Nursing homes are entrusted with the care of these people and it is their prime duty to see to it that everything is in order and that people entrusted to them must be given the optimum care. Any negligence on the part of the nurses or caretakers should not be left unnoticed.

Oftentimes nursing homes are replete with cases of medical mistreatment which usher in a lot of lawsuits against them. Common cases involve over and under medication of a patient. If the patient does not have an illness that needs continuous and accurate medication, this might still be considerable, however, for those patients who are suffering from illnesses that need constant and uninterrupted accurate medication, any mistreatment may lead to a really dangerous condition for the patient and sometimes even death.

One of the most common causes of wrongful death in these homes is medication errors. At times, poor and under trained staff give either an under dose or an overdose. When this happens, patients do not get the required dosage that their body or illness need in order for them to survive, thus resulting to a greater injury or death. At times, due to the impatience of supposedly caring nurses, an elderly or a mentally ill who becomes aggressive would just immediately be injected with a depressant to suppress their physical activity. Unfortunately, a frail body could not often withstand this and therefore succumb to further deterioration.

Studies have shown that most people die within a short period after they leave the confines of their homes and transferred to nursing homes. Although most nursing homes often justify death of patients as a natural and inevitable outcome of the frailty and weakness of the patients' bodies, the high rate of deaths seem inconsiderable.

Family members who notice any abuse or mistreatment are entitled to file a lawsuit against the nursing home that is taking care of their loved ones. Negligence and without regard for a doctor's advice are often the cause why injuries and death occur. The sad thing is that, patients are often ashamed to voice out any abuse or mistreatment that these homes inflict on them. However, this does not stop any family member from taking matters into their hands by filing the proper lawsuit against these negligent and careless facilities.

Ways to Deal With Elder Abuse

Not everyone is equipped with the patience to be a nurse, yet many Americans find themselves caring for a senior at home. As a result, there are roughly 2 million cases of elder abuse each year that include emotional, physical, sexual and financial abuse, as well as neglect. Since 3/5 of the cases of domestic violence committed against seniors are from family members, it is important that you look into finding a senior care facility if you feel your stress levels and patience wearing thin.

Chances are you have already made the decision to put your mother or father into an institution that can best care for their later life needs. Perhaps you felt guilty about it, but deep down knew you couldn't handle the stress and time-consumption of being an at-home caregiver.

You want to be sure all of your parent's needs are being met and that he or she is happy, although seniors aren't always candid about being abused; perhaps out of fear, humiliation, ignorance of the signs, deep depression or the normalization of violence. Therefore, it's up to you to watch out for symptoms of abusive relationships within the nursing home.

While you are visiting your family member in the care facility, take a look around and be sure you know the people who are regularly caring for your loved one. Perpetrators of elder abuse may callously minimize the victim's complaints or sudden injuries. They may refer to the victim as "crazy," "clumsy" or "off their medication."

When you ask your loved one a question, the abusive caregiver may try to answer everything, speaking on behalf of the victim. They often forbid the victims from contacting family or friends and withhold gifts from being sent to their rooms. They might try to cover up the abuse by canceling medical appointments or taking the victim to different doctors. They may stalk, threaten or harass the victim, or they may act overly attentive or unnecessarily touch the victim often in your presence.

If you suspect a family friend is a victim of emotional, physical, financial or neglectful elder abuse, then you should call your local Adult Protective Services agency. Victims often suddenly "sign over the power of attorney" and have their homes sold for quick cash or have all their possessions given away while they are still in a care facility. Seniors may have bed sores, be malnourished or act withdrawn.

They may forget medication or miss their doctor's appointments. The abuser will try to speak for your friend and try to prevent you from speaking with him or her. Isolation is the leading factor contributing to abuse of the elderly, so play an active role in your friend's life and don't be afraid to call for help or advice.

Questions to Ask Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys

Nursing home abuse attorneys can be one of the most important professionals to turn to when your loved one is being mistreated. Though it can be very hard to pinpoint, many men and women are abused in the care of these facilities. Their family does not know about it until the evidence becomes clear. What is worse is that most elderly individuals do not want to talk about this type of poor care because they are embarrassed of it. Many feel as though they are already a burden on their family. Yet, there is help available from legal professionals.

You Have Evidence

For those who do have evidence of some type of abusive behavior; the first step in getting help is to get the individual out of that situation. Then, once they are safe, you can schedule an appointment with nursing home abuse attorneys. These professionals will work with you to look at evidence and to help you to determine if the actions took place. For example, you may have used a camera to catch incidents of abusive behavior. If that is the case, present it to your attorney to get additional information and help on moving the process forward.

You Suspect a Problem

Perhaps you do not know what is happening but you are worried about it. You may believe there is something wrong. It is a good idea to talk to a lawyer at this point, too. He or she can provide you with information and help about what steps to take to prove your case. If the situation is involving health care or Medicare-paid for coverage, it can be very hard to prove your case without any proof and sometimes this will determine if you can move your loved one. Do not waste time. Talk to the lawyer right away.

What Can Happen?

Once you get your loved one out of harm's way, the next step is to take legal action. You may want to file a claim against the company's insurance for incidents you can prove. On the other hand, you may want to take steps that are more significant in order to protect the other people who may be in that facility. This is when going to court and filing a lawsuit really makes sense. The good news is your attorney can help you to ensure this is a success.

What can come out of such incidents? Though you do need to speak to nursing home abuse attorneys about your individual case, you can count on changes being made at both the corporate and the nurse level in these situations. You can protect your loved ones and others too.

Nursing Homes and Retirement Homes

Today, you can still hear many people refer to and many people searching for "nursing homes" as well as other colloquialisms like "old folks home." "Nursing homes" are largely a thing of the past, especially in Canada's senior housing industry. In fact, the phrase evokes notions of people alone, badly neglected or under-served by staff that treats residents like numbers... or worse. In today's culture of retirement care, as with education and many other institutions, neglect and abuse are zealously being put in the past. On the other hand, residents often receive pampering like never before.

In today's retirement homes, there are a wealth of amenities and services available to residents who expect to be treated well. Many retirement homes are built with seniors' needs in mind. There are a wealth of ownership options, everything from full ownership to life leases, an option created specifically with seniors and their families in mind, to rental of units, condos or houses. In some high-end luxury retirement homes, residents may be treated to indoor golf greens, exercise classes, indoor swimming pools, spas and much more. All of this is with caring staff, ready at hand, should any assistance or care be needed.

Of course, nursing is not a thing of the past. There are many people who require assistance or daily care with activities such as bathing or cooking. In turn, today's retirement residences offer a wide variety of services that are tailored to elderly residents who have various levels of ability. The model of care offered in most long-term care homes today (the closest thing in the retirement industry to what might be called "nursing homes") goes far beyond a one-size-fits-all blanket treatment of elderly residents.

Today's retirement homes smartly offer residents a variety of care options and many homes include the availability of nursing staff, assistance to long term care and Alzheimer's patient care. Of course, that does not make these places "nursing homes." This is simply a way of accounting for people with a wide variety of needs.

The Abusive Relationship - Understanding the Difference Between Compliance and Change

Can the abuser change? The short answer: Yes.

Anyone can change. It's a matter of desire, will and motive. Healthy people are generally desirous of change when they genuinely care about how their actions affect others and will accept an opportunity to contribute to their relationships in a meaningful way.

Does the abuser really want to change? The short answer: No.

Abusers don't care if you're happy; they care if they're happy. Their control is far more important than your happiness. Therefore, on the occasion where his enabler-victim identifies an area of dissatisfaction or conflict in the relationship, the abuser will quickly attempt to squelch any discontent through verbal jeopardizing, diminishment or yelling.

However, there are times when a victim is committed to requiring that the abuser face and address an issue. It may reflect a legitimate need for additional help around the house, an increased measure of financial responsibility, or more freedom for a family member to pursue a favorite hobby, pastime or academic objective. When the abuser feels truly cornered, he may agree to accommodate his enabler's request.

But, is he committed to change? Or is what he offers merely compliance? There is a cavernous difference between them. As enablers, we are often quick to accept the abuser's smallest measure of movement toward meeting our needs as evidence of sincere change. But, what is he offering: compliance or change?

Remember, an abuser doesn't want what is best for the relationship; he wants what is best for him. With this in mind, when you confront him, often he will initially deny there is any problem at all. The problem is yours. You are wrong.

Then, he may become resentful that you are asking him to alter his behavior at all or contribute to a greater degree to the relationship. You are being selfish.

Under pressure, he may concede. You are willing to accept this concession as a sign of his deep-down love for you. You tell him how much you appreciate his willingness to help. You think he will see that such a small gesture makes you happy - and that will make him happy. In truth, he believes that you are demanding. You are asking something of him that he does not want to give. He simply wants to get you off his back.

What happens over time will begin to tell the story. Here are some clues to tell you if he is intent on changing or if he is merely complying.

• Real Change is Voluntary; Compliance is Obligatory


• Real Change is Sincere; Compliance is Half-Hearted


• Real Change is Lasting; Compliance is Temporary

These stark differences reflect attitude, motive and commitment.

Attitude In a healthy relationship, a mature and genuinely caring husband wants his wife to feel supported, fulfilled and encouraged. He wants her to know she is appreciated at home, and he is willing to help her (as she is similarly willing to help him) with the management of the household, children, finances, and the balanced fulfillment of her life's goals.

When it is understood that there is an imbalance, he will willingly commit to additional responsibility, even acknowledging some inconvenience and flexibility as he adapts to change. If the change is genuine, you will see a positive attitude. If it is merely compliance, his attitude will be one of benign or perhaps even resentful accommodation.

Motive

In the days that come, you may see a little extra effort. You embrace it with gratitude and believe that he will see that his contribution makes a positive difference that benefits the household. You are almost gleeful that he is willing to contribute to the relationship in a more meaningful way. Don't get too excited yet.

An abuser often rejects boundaries or limitations on his life, and views them as unacceptably confining or rigid. Although he may initially conform, his tendency will be to sabotage the change using any number of subtle or not-so-subtle strategies.

He will forget.

He will perform his duties poorly.

He will become frustrated.

He will make excuses.

He will complain.

He will make himself unavailable.

He will fall ill.

He will claim he is too tired.

He will claim he is incapable.

He will decide the duty is "not for him."

The abuser is determined to find a way to get you to let him off the hook, or conjure up evidence that you're nit-picky or demanding. This is not change.

Commitment Sometimes the signs of compliance may not be so overt. The abuser may initially accommodate your request. It may just be that the "change" is temporary, fading into nothingness over time. You feel obligated to pick up the slack as a means of trying to show that you can be flexible and to set an example of the give and take that is evident in a healthy relationship. You once again assume his share of responsibility, and he readily absolves himself and allows you to carry on. In fact, he seems so much happier when you relieve him of his obligation that you feel guilty asking him to share the burden when other needs surface. The gradual fading away of your original understanding could give way to frustration and anger, yet should you confront him, he will likely assert that:

You're impossible to please.

You need to accept him as he is.

He did what you asked.

It's your job, anyway.

You're a nag.

You have learned that it is simply easier to do things yourself to shield yourself from the anxiety and disappointment, even while recognizing that the imbalance remains. Best of all (for him), the abuser got what he wanted, which is not to have to do what he doesn't want to do.

My former husband was habitually late to virtually every commitment and appointment. I once asked him why he never made an effort to arrive on time, and he responded quite matter-of-factly, "Because no one is ever going to tell me when I have to be anywhere." From what I have been able to tell, that attitude is pretty indicative of an abuser's mindset. It makes no difference to him whether what he is being asked to do is helpful, cooperative, considerate, beneficial or necessary.

Unfortunately, the abuse victim may have difficulty grasping that the abuser doesn't want to contribute anything unless he is assured of a direct and immediate benefit as a result. Even though an abuse victim has witnessed - perhaps time and time again - the deterioration of what she had optimistically embraced as evidence of change, the abuser's initial effort is enough to keep her hopeful. True, the abuser didn't meet her expectations in this particular instance - or did so only temporarily. But, surely his fleeting consideration must be a sign that - somewhere deep down - he is genuinely receptive to her needs and desires, right? Or perhaps it is too much trouble to even beg for his attention. Instead, she may do her best to accommodate her abuser's every whim and live in his shadow, ever hopeful that one day he might want to change while history cautions that compliance may be all she ever gets.

Clearly, compliance and change are not synonymous. Do not confuse the two.

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved

How to Handle Emotional Abuse That Has Crushed Your Self Esteem

Q: How do you handle emotional abuse that has crushed your self-esteem? What if you suffered emotional abuse as a child? How do you cultivate a healthy self esteem? Is it possible? It seems that anything is possible if you want to change and improve your life.

A: An adult child of an alcoholic, emotional abuse was a part of my up bringing. When you're a child you don't understand why a parent would drink seven-days a week and abuse you. After all, parents are supposed to love, support, and guide you through life. Unfortunately, most parents were raised in an abusive family. If the cycle isn't broken, it continues into future generations. If you're in an abusive relationship, get out before too much damage is done. Remember, most abusers where abused.

How to Handle Emotional Abuse That Has Crushed Your Self Esteem

1. From childhood. If you suffered emotional abuse as a child, remember your parents did the best they could with the knowledge they had. If no one showed them the error of their ways, how could they change? This isn't to excuse their behavior, only to make you realize your parents were once children. How were they raised? What did they learn about love? If your parents weren't shown affection and love, how could or would they be able to show you? Also, simply believing that all women are nurturers is false. Your mom may not have been able to show or love you because she wasn't loved. The same goes for your father.

Forgive your parents because they did the best they could. You're an adult and can choose a different path. Know that you matter and are valuable. You can have a high sense of self esteem if it's what you want. Don't allow your childhood to keep you stuck in a 'victim' pattern. Break the cycle by recognizing your emotions and self-defeating patterns. Buy a journal and let all of your feelings out. Yell, scream, and shout at the top of your lungs if that feels better. You could also channel your emotions into art projects or work outs. Get all of the 'emotional poison' out of your system before it manifests as dis-ease in your body and mind.

2. From abusive relationships. If you're in an abusive relationship, get out now! You can't change your partner/spouse. Only they have the power to change. This may be difficult for you to read but it's the truth. Also, stop believing the lies you've been told. Remember, most abusers were abused. It's a horrible cycle that keeps repeating until stops its. Find the courage and strength within you to leave the relationship. If you have children, please get out. Most children would rather be from a broken home than be in home. Children learn from their parents' actions and words. What are your children learning from an abusive relationship? If you love your children, leave an unhealthy relationship and go to the nearest shelter or family member.

You may want to ask yourself "Why" you're staying (or stayed) in an abusive relationship. What did you get out of it? What did you learn from it? What part did you play in it? These questions are not meant to say you did something wrong, only to open your eyes as to "Why" you would stay with someone who didn't treat you well. Do you think you deserve love and respect? If not, why not? While painful, a little self-examination goes a long way. It won't be easy at first, but the sooner you learn and recognize self-sabotaging patterns, the faster you can break them and live a happy and healthy life.

Therapy can help

There are all types of therapy from art to spiritual and everything in between. Find what works best for you. You may be weary of speaking to a stranger about your emotional abuse, but you'll feel better once you release all of the emotions you've kept inside. Research therapists and ask questions. Listen to your intuition and select a therapist that 'feels' right to you.

No matter if you suffered emotional abuse as a child or in adulthood, you can cultivate a healthy self-esteem. However, only you have the power to increase and release your self-esteem. You won't get it from a pill or from people. Self-esteem is inside of you and it's up to you to grab a hold of and nurture it. It may not happen overnight but with steady work and perseverance, you can have a high self-esteem. It's your choice.

Business Office Administrator Diploma And What To Expect After Graduation

When someone is thinking about taking a Business office administrator diploma program, they may wonder about the results of graduation. Wondering about what kind of jobs are available after completing a program, may helps someone determine if the career path is right for them. This particular area of study may help someone work in a variety of settings which could help to take the graduate to various places. If a student wants to work in a field where their expertise can take them to different environments, then this career choice may be ideal.

Finding out what jobs may be available could begin with a job search on the net. A future student could look at the jobs that are available for that particular study. They can also search out different locations and fields to see how diverse the search can be. Someone may be impressed to see that the range of choice and location will give anyone the opportunity to pick what they want to do.

Running an office place can be a very rewarding job. Most companies have a front end office area where many of the business side of the company is run. These areas may include; book keeping, accounting, pay roll, and other administrative duties. A graduate of the program may have their choice over what area of office work they would like.

Law offices often look for people in this field. They will hire them to help run the front end of their company. They may be responsible for answering the phones, handling paper work, writing documents and managing customers and clients as they come in. These offices could be huge firms or small run companies.

Dealerships will employ business trained people to work in their departments. There are many business positions within a dealership that someone could take advantage of. These roles could include handing the pay roll, dealing with the accounting aspect or managing the books.

A corporate company may employee many people to work in these areas. They will use them scattered on several floors to help and manage different areas of the business. There may be a few positions assigned to each floor and department. Each person may have their own specific role and tasks to perform.

Running an office will have someone needing the proper training. Any training course will focus on many aspects of organizing a company. The sections of the course will help to train the right person to work in an environment that is versatile. A person can handle any job in an office administrative area, once they are properly trained.

Business office administrator diploma may train the right candidate for a variety of jobs. There are a few positions within many companies where a graduate could work. With so many places employing these types of services, any graduate will have lots of choices of where they would like to work. The best way to find out what positions are available would be to contact a few employers to see what they have available. Searches online through job banks may help as well.

Legal Limits of Care in Assisted Living Facilities

When aging parents come to the point when assisted living seems like the best choice, it is usually their baby boomer children who see it first. Perhaps the adult children live in another state. Perhaps they are unable to visit Mom or Dad often enough to feel comfortable leaving them alone.

The death of a spouse or a gradual loss of independence in self care-any of these reasons may lead to the adult child's decision to move the parent. As an assisted living facility representative is likely to tell you, it is often the adult children who first come to look the place over, later bringing their parents to see the place for themselves. These adult children are the hidden consumers of services.

Assisted vs Nursing Home

As the hidden consumers, what do the adult children of aging parents need to understand about these facilities? Very simply: what the facility can't do. Invariably, the sales pitch tells you what the facility can do, which is fine, and to be expected. But as a consumer, you must understand the difference between assisted  and nursing care. First, an assisted living facility is not a nursing home with fancy furniture. Assisted living is not licensed to give nursing care.

Typically, assisted living facilities are places where elders live in a supervised community, with some personal care services available. Meals, social activity, and help with the activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing are all usually offered at such facilities. The focus is on providing a healthy social environment and preventing social isolation. It is a worthy focus, as isolation is dangerous, and widespread among elders whose independence is declining.

If your parent is in fragile health and seems to be steadily declining physically or mentally, be cautious about choosing an assisted living facility over a nursing home (also known as a skilled nursing facility). No one chooses a nursing home first. Nursing homes are more like hospitals, as they must be to deliver skilled care to frail seniors. But if your aging parent needs nursing care, and must be watched day and night, or you believe that he or she is likely to need such supervision in the near future, it is the only choice.

Assisted living facilities are not licensed by Medicare or Medicaid to give skilled care. Some have a separate skilled nursing facility on-site or nearby, but it will have its own license to deliver skilled nursing care. That license does not apply to the assisted living component, even the two facilities are located on the same campus or are operated by the same parent company.

Doctors & Nurses Not Required

Many assisted living facilities do not have any licensed nurse on staff, and may have no nurse connected to them at all. Because they are considered non-medical facilities, having a licensed nurse is not required by law. Even if a nurse is employed by the assisted living facility, the nurse cannot give hands-on care in the form of dressing a wound, administering around-the-clock insulin, administering oxygen, or other tasks that are defined by the federal and state governments as "skilled nursing care."

Skilled nursing care may only be administered within a facility that is licensed to do so. Legally, this kind of facility is licensed as a skilled nursing facility, although it may have a different business name that it markets itself as, such as an "extended care" or "long-term care" facility. Medicare and Medicaid also designate these homes as skilled nursing facilities.

Because skilled nursing facilities bill Medicare and/or Medicaid for skilled nursing care, they must comply with many complex legal regulations and requirements. Assisted living facilities are regulated by the state Department of Social Services, not the Department of Health, which regulates nursing homes. Assisted living facilities do not have the same safety or administrative requirements as a skilled nursing facility, and they are prohibited from giving care they are not licensed to give.

Limitations to Specialized Care Waivers

There are exceptions to some of the federal and state government's licensing requirements. For example, a licensed assisted living facility may take care of residents with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, if it has a waiver to accept this kind of resident. The facility must also have certain protections in place to prevent injury to its demented residents.

However, it is still prohibited from restraining a demented resident who has a tendency to wander. There are many other limitations to what an assisted living facility can do, even with waivers. Taking care of residents with dementia can be unpredictable, and skilled nursing can become necessary as the disease progresses.

When an aging parent has to move out of the family home, or out of a long-term residence of any kind, the move can be difficult, even traumatic. If you are considering assisted living as an option for your loved one, be sure your focus is on the long run. Carefully consider what he or she will need a year down the road. Moving an elder twice within a short period can be extremely hard on both of you, so make your decisions based on the overall picture, not just on what the assisted living facility can do for him or her right now.

As hidden consumers, adult children must be fully aware of the limits of assisted care. Assisted care facilities can be wonderful and supportive environments for residents who don't need skilled care. If you are considering assisted living for your aging parent, be sure this kind of place is a match for your parent's needs.

Increasing Demand For Nurses in the Field of Special Needs

Despite the troubled economy, nursing is one field that is in great demand. The increased demand for Nurses is expected to continue, especially in the field of special needs. Nurses can be found working in such special needs areas as nursing homes, community services, pediatrics, hospices, schools, outpatient clinics, and more. Today, a career in nursing in the field of special needs is a great career choice.

People usually relate nursing to hospital care, but now opportunities in the field of patients with special needs are available for certified nursing assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners.

Areas of special needs that a nurse can be found working in include:

Pediatric/Obstetric Nurses: These are nurses who care for infants, children and mothers who have special needs.

Geriatric Nurses: The Geriatric Nurse provides care for the increasing number of elderly patients.

Community Health Nurses: Providing health care services for the increasing number of patients who require ongoing care in their homes and other community settings.

Private Nurse: Providing services to patients in their homes.

Critical Care/Medical-Surgical nurses: These nurses will provide care to severely ill patients.

Mental Health Nurses: These nurses will provide care to the mental and emotional needs of patients in clinics, acute care, and community settings.

A career in pediatric health care is one field for nurses that are growing in popularity and demand. This area focuses on young children with special needs. Nurses are involved in assisting children with such conditions as physical and emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, chronic illnesses. These nurses provide health care that helps children return to their daily activities. They also provide assistance and advice for parents who are having difficulties managing with their children's problems. Sometimes, parents of handicapped children enlist the services of a nurse so that the child receives the extra care that he or she may need.

The special need area of nursing that is growing in demand is nursing homes. As the population ages, nurses are in even in greater demand. An increase in an elderly population means more nurses are needed to help them with every day living activities. Registered nurses, licensed nurses and nursing assistants can be found working in nursing homes. As well, many elderly people are living in their own home so nurses are required for home health care. This can include bathing, feeding, administering medication, exercising, and more. As well, Alzheimer patients need constant supervision and help. In these situations, a private nurse is often hired by the family. Sometimes, the family will hire a live-in nurse or have a nurse reside close to the home.

Nurses are an important part of the health care field. Their specialized and flexible attributes make them an important asset in the area of special needs. They work with other health professionals to contribute to the well being of patients and their families. Nursing is a rewarding career that is full of opportunities such as in the area of special needs.