Saturday, October 5, 2013

When Someone Spreads Lies About You


Social media is a major gateway to connect and relate with people. The introduction of social media sites smoothed the way for faster communication and easier information dissemination which have led to development of new businesses, promotion of public individuals and business products and the like. But with all these positive points that sprang from these social media sites, there were also negative things that came out in relation to their success, and one of these is the increase in defamation cases worldwide. Social media sites are not to be blamed for this trend. Instead, individuals who use social media to spread false allegations about a person, group or a business entity should be the ones apprehended.

In the US, defamation is a specific type of personal injury inflicted upon a victim. It means spreading false remarks about another person. It has two forms: libel and slander. When a person spreads false and negative things about you through written and published media, it is considered libel. Slander, on the other hand, is when a person spreads lies which hurt your reputation and cause you injury by way of speech. However, not every negative thing said about you can be considered libel or slander. It has to meet a few criteria before it can be deemed as one. These criteria are: that the hurtful assertion must be false, that it was heard or have read by other people who were influenced by it, and that your reputation is harmed and you are injured by the same hurtful assertion.

If you are faced with the same situation, a personal injury lawyer who is an expert in defamation cases may help you file a case against another individual and seek settlement. What your lawyer needs to do is to prove that there is no truth to the allegation, establish that the other person knows that he or she is spreading false remarks against you and ascertain that offender failed to verify the truth behind his or her false remarks. If your lawyer successfully proves that you have been subjected to a cruel accusation whether in print or speech, then you may be qualified to seek compensation for your case. Be prepared, however, because if the offender and his lawyers prove that there is some truth as to what was said about you, then you will less likely be awarded compensation.

Compensation for this type of personal injury depends on a number of things. Prior to the defamation case, if you are a reputable person and it was found out that you were truly wronged by another, then you may seek compensation for the losses that you have incurred when lies were said about you. Your lawyer may also want you to be compensated for the torment, humiliation and anxiety that you have felt during the time that you were maligned. To sum it up, do not let other people get away with spreading false rumors or remarks about you. It is hard to rebuild a reputation out of all those drama and most of the time, false rumors even if they were proven wrong, will be associated to your name or business for a long time. It is best to seek a personal injury lawyer who could help you win the right amount of compensation that you truly deserve.

How Much Do I Stand To Recieve?


The amount of monetary compensation you stand to receive if you win a personal injury lawsuit is an important consideration when it comes to deciding whether or not to sue. There are many factors that can affect the size of the settlement. It may be a good idea to consult with a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer before proceeding with legal action. A legal professional will be able to assess your situation and determine the best course of action. The size of your monetary compensation may depend on several factors. To help estimate the potential financial compensation, answering the following questions may be helpful:

How much did you incur in medical expenses due to your injury? The negligent party responsible for your injury may be liable for compensating you for all the medical expenses you had shoulder as a result of your injury. It is important that you properly document everything concerning the treatment of your injury. Receipts for medication, doctor's visits, transportation back and forth between your home and the hospital, etc. Obtain a written statement from your doctor if possible, attesting to the nature and severity of your injuries. Your attorney can use this information in the building of your case.

How much did you have to shell out in other expenses? If you were in a car accident, the negligent party (or their insurer) may be liable for all repairs to your vehicle, and if your vehicle is totaled, for compensating you with the market value of your vehicle. Again, keep all receipts, and properly document expenses such as towing services, auto shop bills, replacement auto parts, etc. Sometimes, the negligent party's lawyer may claim that damage to your vehicle was not due to the accident, and was preexisting. To combat this, try to obtain records that detail the condition of your vehicle prior to the accident. A mechanic may be able to assess your vehicle, and determine whether or not specific areas of damage were due to the accident or were sustained prior to it. Your lawyer can help you figure out which expenses you should report.

How much pain and suffering did you experience? The negligent party, if proven to be at fault, may be liable to compensate you for your pain and suffering. It is important to prepare a detailed, written account of the timeline of events pertaining to the accident. Document your injuries even after the accident. If you feel pain in your arm two weeks after the accident, write it down. No matter how small an ache or pain might seem, it might be an early sign of a more serious injury that may manifest itself in the future. A personal injury lawyer can help you put together your account of the event and build your personal injury case.

Coping With Temporary Disability: Senior Care As a Solution for Loved Ones With Mobility Problems


Hiring a temporary senior caregiver can make a huge difference in the lives of elderly individuals who have suffered from a fall or other disability. If your parent, aging loved one, or family member has recently suffered a disability or other mobility problem and is recovering, he or she may require a lot of care and supervision from you until mobility is restored. If you don't have the time to devote to your loved one or if he or she prefers to remain in the comfort of his/her own home, hiring a elder care provider can make recovery easier for your loved one.

How Senior Care Can Make a Difference For Your Loved One

Some parents enter assisted living facilities, others move in nursing homes, and others move closer to or in with a child. Should your loved one prefer the comfort of his or her own home, or if he or she lives alone and requires transportation or help of any kind, a elder care provider can help. Whether your loved one is recovering at his or her home or yours, it's a good idea to hire a senior care provider who can assist your parent with shopping, cleaning, cooking, daily household chores, bathing, and any other necessary tasks that have become difficult and in some instances dangerous to carry out. A elder care provider is still available to help if the situation is ongoing and if the disability is long term.

A senior care provider can also help parents and loved ones with mobility problems who fear they'll fall again by evaluating your parent's home to make sure it's safe. Your senior care provider will make sure to:


  • Remove clutter from the floor (and do so regularly to prevent trips and falls).

  • Clearing the hallway and space between your loved one's bed and the bathroom.

  • Ensure that all floor rugs are fastened down, or replaced with safer options.

  • Install or help choose proper grab bars for the bathroom, i.e. near the toilet and shower.

  • Improve lighting near staircases, doorways, and hallways.

  • Ensure all steps have handrails next to them.

When recovering, your parent, spouse, or loved one should not carry heavy loads (this includes laundry, garbage, etc...) as they could lose their balance and become destabilized. A elder care provider can help with everyday tasks such as these, and help prepare meals, run errands, and provide means of transportation. Even if your loved one has been lucky enough to avoid a mobility limiting disability, he or she may still suffer from arthritis and any other minor injury that could limit movement.

Your loved one may be at risk for falls while recovering from a temporary disability. This is especially true if he or she has difficulty walking or getting up from chairs or out of bed, difficulty maintaining balance, or feelings of dizziness and weakness. Loved ones with Alzheimer's sometimes forget limitations and are at an increased risk for future injuries. Prevent a fall or injury from occurring during recovery period with help from a elder care provider.

Senior care is one option for aging parents and loved ones with temporary disabilities as it allows them to remain safely in their homes as long as possible and recover safely-caregivers visit as needed and take care of everyday tasks and services, including cleaning, running regular errands (cleaning and stocking the refrigerator), managing doctor's appointments, and accident proofing your loved one's home-this includes checking rugs to prevent slips, adding safety bars to the shower, and anything else to prevent falls and ensure a safe living environment. These small steps of senior care can really ease the burden on your loved one and make a big difference in their quality of life during his/her period of recovery.

Most individuals aren't sure if they need help or don't know the next steps to finding senior care. Proper planning is one way to alleviate future stress-contact a compassionate senior care provider and learn more about services and options.

Financial Help Available for Senior Military Veterans


Veteran's Day just came and went, and although it is wonderful to take full notice of our veterans for a day, it really doesn't seem good enough. Is there any demographic more worthy of our very best than senior citizens who fought for our country? I don't think so. I believe we owe these amazing not only our honor, but our attention and care. Far too many veterans leave the military only to be forgotten by their country. They live their lives, struggling to stay healthy, often battling ailments and injuries sustained in the days of their service. When they finally decide to retire from their careers, they sometimes need financial help to get the type of care they need, but cannot afford it, and they do not know of any way out of this predicament.

But there is good news: help does exist for these senior veterans. In fact, it has existed for many years, but hardly anyone knew about it. According to the Department of Veteran's Affairs, the Aid and Assistance benefit exists for senior veterans who are in need of daily assistance for their health care and daily activities. This includes seniors who need to move into a nursing home or assisted living community, or those who need a caregiver at home.

How much assistance can they get? A substantial amount. A veteran and spouse can receive as much as $1900 per month through this fund. For single veterans, that figure is over $1600, and even widows of veterans can receive more than $1000. And since many assisted living and nursing home facilities cost between two and four thousand dollars, these funds could be a Godsend!

Although the benefit has been obscure for years, it has experienced a resurgence since being promoted by blogs all over the internet, including the New York Times blog. There are veterans all over the country who could use this help.

For more information about this benefit, and find out about qualifications visit the Department of Veteran Affairs.

How to Become an Assisted Living Entrepreneur


Why an Assisted Living Facility is a Timely Business

Assisted living facilities, a healthy, safe and independent lifestyle for its residents, provide a combination of housing, personalized supportive services, transportation, meals, housekeeping, 24 hour supervision, and health care designed to meet the needs of people who require assistance with the activities of daily living. In the current financial crisis, healthcare businesses have emerged as one of the global top dependable business opportunities. Consequently, owning an assisted living facility is a good practical business opportunity as well as a chance to help others in need. This article will discuss why it is a timely and financially beneficial business, the population it serves, funding sources for residents, proprietors and types of assisted living.

A Timely and Financial Beneficial Business

Currently, more than one million Americans live in an estimated 20,000 assisted living residences. The Assisted Living Industry today, for the most part, caters to the top affluent 10% of the senior population of the country. This field has expanded rapidly from 1990 until 1997; then, overbuilding occurred in the field in 2002 and again in 2005. In 2007 the field started to expand again and in 2008 the field has expanded by individual entrepreneurs with smaller facilities that are in the 15-50 unit range. Niche, facilities continue to thrive and expand.  Another need which makes an assisted living facility a timely and beneficial business is the ageing Baby Boomer population. The average Baby Boomer is 65 years old today. According to the United States Census Bureau report,  We The people: Ageing In The United States - a special Census 2000 report authored by  

Yvonne J. Gist and Lisa I. Hetzel, "In 2000, the 65-and-older population comprised 35.0 million people. Within this group, 18.5 million people or 53 percent were aged 65 to 74, 12.3 million or 35 percent were aged 75 to 84, and 4.2 million or 12 percent were aged 85 and over. Women outnumbered men in this group: 20.6 million women compared with 14.4 million men. The age groups 65 to 74 years and 85 and older each had nearly 2 million more women than men, and the 75-to-84 age group had nearly 3 Million more."

Further, according to the United States Census bureau the total population of people 65 years and older in 2007 make up 12.6% of the total US population. With Florida, West Virginia and Pennsylvania making the top three states where these residents reside. The Baby Boomers, who will not fully impact the assisted living market until 2010, are starting to enter the assisted living market. The senior citizens' market has expanded beyond any previous experience in American or world history because of the Baby Boomer phenomena. These individuals, whose unprecedented multiple numbers will now become senior citizens, and because of the modern medical community's efforts, and our population in general living a healthier life style, a senior citizen market that we have not prepared for nor anticipated is developing. Consequently, it is a beneficial business opportunity to own an assisted living facility due to the shear statistics of a developing older population, advances in medical technology leading to people living longer and the federal and state governments looking to reduce costs utilizing assisted living facilities and adult day care centers as a continuum of care for the elderly.

The Population an Assisted Living Facility Serves

The typical assisted living resident may be young or elderly, affluent or low income, frail or disabled. A typical resident is a woman in her eighties and is either widowed or single. Residents may suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other memory disorders. Residents may also need help with incontinence or mobility. Assisted living homes are not for people who need constant professional nursing care. As we gaze into the future to prepare for the Baby Boomers, some industry insiders agree that it is difficult to predict what this new age group will look like, while others are advising providers to prepare for an onslaught of demands for convenience, luxury and location. This current group will have a significant discretionary spending capacity. They have more money to spend on travel, cars, appliances and toys than anyone else. Also, the long-term care industry will have residents who have been presidents, CEO's, CFO's and vice presidents of large corporations, extensive computer knowledge, financial independence all of which will lead to a higher-acuity of care. Service development, innovative facility design, product design, personalized social and memory care activities and high functioning care facilities will be things to consider no matter the size of your facility.

These facilities will provide services which include meals, housekeeping services, transportation, health promotion and exercise programs, personal laundry services, social and recreational activities, on-site salon, memory care or dementia services.  Further, these facilities may provides access to health and medical services such as emergency call systems, bathing, dressing, medication management and needed assistance with eating, walking and toileting. Some of these services are not usually paid for by health insurance or the Medicare or Medicaid programs. Not all residents of facilities need significant care or assistance. Many are there because they want a simpler lifestyle without the worry of maintaining a home and they seek the companionship of other people their own age. They also may need some minor help such as taking medication or they desire a secure environment or they may require some supervision

COSTS AND FUNDING

Resident Funding: Costs will vary depending on the level of care and services provided. Assisted living care may be paid for by a long-term care insurance policy, but most individuals pay the cost themselves, which is referred to as the term, private pay. There are still more assumptions than known facts about where the money to pay for assisted living comes from. A recent study conducted by the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industries, reports that more than a third of residents receive some outside assistance, in the form of Supplemental Security Income (8.9%), Medicaid coverage (7.2%), payments from private insurance (3.2%), state assistance (2.8%), Veterans Administration supplements(.5%), or payments from Social Security, Medicare, Prisoner of War benefits, worker's compensation, state aid, pensions, and the military. Meanwhile, federal, county and state assistance programs are shifting more Medicaid funds from home health and skilled nursing to assisted living. Further, the survey indicates that residents receiving financial assistance have longer lengths of stay than private-pay residents, and that residents receiving state assistance stay the longest, on average 4.13 years.  

Business Funding: There is a variety of funding available for individuals starting an assisted living facility.

1.      HUD (Housing and Urban Development)
2.      USDA (United States department of Agriculture) for facilities in rural areas.
3.      SBA (United States Small Business Administration)
4.      OWBO (The Office of Women's Business Ownership)
5.      Non-Profit Organizations such as The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
6.      Community Block Grants
7.      Private Investors

  Facilities Vary in Size and Nomenclature

While assisted living is the most common term used in the nation both by industry and state regulatory agencies, assisted living settings may be known by different names, including, but not limited to, residential care, personal care, adult congregate care, boarding homes, adult congregate living, community based retirement facilities, retirement residences and domiciliary care. The difference in licensing is usually based on size of the facility or the services they offer.

Residential or board and care is usually a converted home or small facility with six to ten beds where the caregiver is a homeowner or single proprietor with little or no support staff. These facilities typically are not allowed to offer much care beyond bathing, dressing, providing meals or helping residents move around. Some of these homes however, may contract with home health agencies, home visiting doctors or nurses to provide care for their residents.

Newer facilities look more like apartment buildings with private rooms or suites with locked doors. Instead of a nurse's desk, there is a help desk. And instead of a hospital-like lounge area and sterile cafeteria, assisted living has gathering areas with couches, fireplaces, gardens, atriums, etc. Central dining areas look more like banquet rooms and often offer entertainment during or after meal times. Meaningful activities and chats with neighbors in pleasant surroundings, keep residents active and stimulated.

More and more assisted living facilities specialize in the care of Alzheimer's patients or individuals with memory care issues. An Alzheimer's patient typically does not require a lot of medical attention but often requires supervision, confinement, quite calm surroundings, gardens with pathways, and locked entrance doors to prevent residents from wandering.
In conclusion, the assisted living business is continuing to grow and expand services to a escalating population which in turn lend itself to a vertical market with positive potential and growth for a business venture.

It's Time For a 21st Century Health Revolution


The cost for ObamaCare has many Americans trying to understand how we can foot the bill. It will connect millions more Americans to a sickness industry gone wild. States are realizing that the mandates within the legislation will force them to spend money through the Medicaid program that they do not have - and unlike the federal government states don't have a Monopoly-style printing press. States are now making the effort to fight ObamaCare in court on points of constitutionality. I have an additional idea for the states that is certain to work: disband all the medical licensing boards. At once the runaway costs of the current health system as well as ObamaCare would be stopped, the quality of care would improve, the suppression of health-option competition would be eliminated, and a new Golden Era of healing would be ushered in.

Those clutching desperately to undeserved power and profits will cry fowl and warn of danger to the public health. Their arguments are shallow and worn. Truly criminal behavior by doctors, such as sexual abuse, can readily be dealt with by the regular court system. Standards of training and competency for the most dangerous of medical procedures, such as surgery, can be maintained by an alternate system of certification.

The fact of the matter is that medical licensing boards have forced a brand of Big-Pharma medicine on the American public that does not produce the result of health for a majority of people participating. To the contrary, millions are injured every year while costs skyrocket. It should come as no surprise that President Obama struck special deals behind close doors with the key players involved: Big Pharma, hospitals, and the AMA. Yes, the states do have the power to change everything by freeing themselves of the monopolistic rules and fraudulent practices behind the excessive use of drugs that is costing so much money. The federal government can do absolutely nothing to stop them. Without the licensing boards the whole fraudulent system comes tumbling down.

The Failing Paradigm of Western Medicine
Every American appreciates the ability of Western medicine to help them in a time of true need. Accidents, injuries, surgeries, acute illnesses, and other aspects of health will always be assisted by Western medicine - as appropriate. And wouldn't it be nice if your doctor was actually free to help you with your health concerns rather than cram drugs down your throat.

The drug-based theory of Western medicine fails miserably in the prevention of disease and in the treatment of many common health problems faced by Americans ranging from depression to obesity, bone health, diabetes, and heart disease. There is a reason Americans pay twice as much for health care with far less to show for it compared to any other economically advanced country: our system is riddled with rampant fraud in the day-to-day practice of medicine.

The highly profitable Big Pharma-promoted scheme of an endlessly prescribed cocktail of over-priced drugs is all but dead - taking with it several hundred thousand Americans every year that are killed by its reckless application. Millions more are seriously injured requiring emergency treatment. Tens of millions find themselves consuming an ever-expanding list of dangerous drugs that do little more than suppress some of their symptoms, change numbers, and cause new undesired symptoms and health problems. As aging baby boomers look more critically at a system of health their parents trustingly accepted, the glaring lack of results casts a cloak of suspicion over a profession once revered.

In the early decades of the 20th century the quick-fix invention of antibiotics sealed the fate of the naturally-minded eclectic physicians, setting back principles of natural health an entire century. Today, 48,000 Americans are killed every year by superbugs that have resulted from the overuse of antibiotics.

In the past decade numerous high profile medication disasters have irreparably ruined the image of the Western medicine brand. The first tremor to shake the foundation occurred in August of 2001 when the statin Baycol was pulled from the market after it was found to be injuring and killing excessive numbers patients.

Then, in July of 2002, a major magnitude earthquake rocked Western medicine. It was found that doctors had been seriously injuring and killing their patients with estrogen extracted from horse urine and synthetic progesterone. Data coming from the Women's Health Initiative showed that this abnormal hormone drug combination increased the risk of invasive breast cancer by 26%, strokes by 41%, heart attacks by 29%, blot clots by 100%, and total cardiovascular disease by 22%. Based on the 6 million women taking these drugs in 2002 (2 billion in sales), the data suggested that during only one year there were an extra 4,800 cases of invasive breast cancer, 4,200 heart attacks, 4,800 strokes, and 10,800 blood clots - including 4,800 life-threatening blood clots in the lungs.

Numerous aftershocks followed: the painkiller Vioxx was estimated by FDA safety expert and whistleblower Dr. David Graham to have killed at least 55,000 Americans from heart attacks and strokes. Bayer's heart bypass surgery drug Trasylol killed at least 300,000 people around the world including more than 20,000 Americans after the FDA knew it was a killer (while Bayer lied point blank to the FDA to hide dangers). A widely prescribed diabetes drug, Avandia, was found to increase heart attack risk by 43% in a patient population already at high risk for heart attacks (and still remains on the market).

The common use of antidepressants was found to be based on a fraudulent portrayal of benefit, when the facts show they are no better than placebo for the majority of people taking them. In fact, their use has been linked to an increased rate of heart disease and was recently linked to a 67% increased risk of death. The blatant poisoning of disadvantaged children, elderly in nursing homes, and now our military personnel with the off-label use of atypical antipsychotics has caused early death, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes while placating stress-related symptoms. It's also worth billions to Big Pharma at mostly taxpayer expense and state Medicaid.

The recent ACCORD trial has now shown beyond any doubt that the aggressive use of medications to change numbers in Type 2 diabetic patients so as to reduce cardiovascular mortality is a complete failure, either resulting in increased rates of death or far poorer health. In other words, the paradigm of Western medicine is unable to fix a problem at epidemic levels in America.

Bone drugs given to prevent osteoporosis are now shown to cause spontaneously breaking bones with long term use. And the statin drugs, the true kings of fraud, continue to speed accelerated aging and health decline in the tens of millions of Americans gullible enough to take them.

These are just some of the drug debacles, there are many others. At this point in time there is no reason for any person to trust anything a doctor tells them to take on a long-term basis in the name of health. Indeed, it is common knowledge that the FDA, which has failed to demand after-market safety testing on approved drugs, has no accurate idea of the true risk profile or effectiveness of any medication, including every blockbuster drug in regular use.

The common thread in all these situations is FDA blessings of the treatments by FDA bureaucrats, typically ignoring the warnings of FDA safety scientists. The dysfunctional FDA culture is often in a revolving door with the industries it is supposed to be regulating - to the extreme detriment of the health of Americans. Furthermore, all of the above mentioned drug scams include blatant illegal marketing activities by drug companies using a variety of strategies including ghostwriting studies, making up fictitious studies, bribing doctors, blacklisting naysayers, manipulating research universities, and major promotion of off-label use. The American Medical Association (AMA) is responsible for enforcing the drug sales through its licensing boards, which ensure doctors do the prescribing or else their livelihood is threatened with license revocation. It is a known fact that most doctors live in fear of their licensing boards.

A Brief History of Medical Licensing Boards

The roots of the AMA trace back to a meeting held in New York City in 1846. Twenty-nine elite doctors of the time wanted to establish a monopoly for their brand of medicine - what was to become Western medicine. Of course, the best possible monopoly is one enforced by the government. By the 1870s the AMA was having success within states at setting up medical boards under the fa癟ade of consumer protection. Their actual agenda was to eliminate all competition. AMA members manned state boards with police powers to enforce their decisions. This way they could exclude any practitioner from their group who didn't practice their way as well as legally go after any practitioner doing anything other than their approved concepts.

By 1912, a complete medical monopoly was in place as the AMA, state boards of medical examiners, and a Federation of State Medical Boards to coordinate their activities was established. In essence this created a fascist merger of state and health-delivery power. Over the next several decades this abuse of power was wielded against the eclectic physicians, shutting down all their medical schools and wiping them out. Today it is wielded against homeopaths, midwives, chiropractors, nutritionists, and alternative health practitioners of all types. And very importantly, the power is used to keep all their members in line - which means prescribe costly and dangerous drugs in ever-increasing dosages to an ever-expanding target list of patients or lose your professional status and ability to earn a living. Who suffers? You - and now with ObamaCare the states are in real trouble.

Resurrecting Medical and Health Freedom
In order to restore health freedom and healthy competition in the health-care marketplace we actually need to remove police-force control, which is an impediment to the free market finding health options that actually produce the result of recovered or maintained health. Oddly enough the primary barrier to such improvement is the medical licensing boards of the states.

The first states to take action in this regard will be the big winners as doctors from around the country will flock to those states, like our founding patriots fleeing the tyranny of Great Britain. They will begin to practice medicine based on getting results and openly compete and cooperate with many other healing modalities. Other states will quickly follow as both doctors and people move to the states with the best system of healthcare - the system that actually makes people healthy.

States need to get a better handle on what is going down in America. State Attorney Generals and Governors need to side with the people of their state and strike a blow to the vast array of organizations that rely on the police power of the licensing boards to maintain an unhealthy and costly health business in America. In case you are wondering that includes HMOs, health insurance companies, Big Pharma companies, large pharmacy operations, chains of hospitals, along with the AMA. Rest assured the powerful lobbies of these groups will fight tooth and claw to keep their corrupt system in place.

If doctors are to be spared the indignity of appearing as little more than drug-pushing puppets squeezed by government-run health care, then we must remove the shackles from their hands - and from the hands of all other health practitioners.

States can control their own financial destiny while improving health care. They can do it by shedding the monopoly rooted in the medical licensing boards. All it will take is a few states to blaze a path and then the floodgates will open. Health freedom should be the rallying cry for any American interested in reducing health care costs while improving health care quality.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Healthcare Management Associates Degree May Open Door To A Rewarding Career


Healthcare is without a doubt a rewarding industry. It is also one that is growing fast. New developments take place daily changing the challenges for professionals in the field. You do not have to be a doctor to be part of this world. You may want to get involved in the management side of things. If so, a Healthcare Management Associates Degree can open the way to a very lucrative and satisfying career.

This qualification is aimed at the business side of health care. After all, healthcare can only exist if there are facilities to provide it. That facility, unless funded by government, will probably be run along business lines and on business principles. This means that they will need people qualified in the field of business as managers. Some understanding of other aspects of the medical industry is also required. This degree is ideal to equip the professional for such a career.

Management is all about leading an organization. This involves taking care of organization and implementing strategies and measures. A person who wants to cope with these challenges must have some knowledge of medical procedures and be able to understand medical terminology. His or her main duties however, will center on business and keeping the facility profitable.

Individuals studying to obtain this qualification will take subjects such as ethics, business management and humanities as well as those aimed at establishing and developing organizational skills. They will learn leadership and how to give guidance. In the process they must teach others. They will be trained to be office leaders and provide direction for those involved in administration.

Math and accounting skills are vital in this field. You will also have to know how to work with a computer and sometimes complicated software. The manger in the job description is a giveaway that the salary you will earn is a good one. There many positions available for this line of work, but you will have to be flexible as to where to want to work.

Professionals in healthcare management do not have to stop at associates level. They may go on to a Bachelors or higher degree. As qualifications improve, more and better opportunities will open up bringing better financial rewards.

The Associates degree is a good level to be at when you take on your first job. It will help to give you a good background for maybe bigger challenges once you get more and better qualified. If you aim at a job as hospital administrator or hospital director, the initial experience you gain will be invaluable.

Other opportunities open to you with an Associates degree are those of clinical accountant or hospital accountant, probably in a managerial capacity. As you improve your qualifications, your managerial duties will increase with more people reporting to you.

A Healthcare Management Associates Degree will help you establish yourself. You can get promotion through hard work. Everything will depend on the skill you display as manager. You have to develop your leadership qualities, because you will be in that role. If you are a born leader with a head for numbers, this degree may just open up the career you have always wanted.

What You Need to Know About Helping Senior Citizens


Introduction

The baby boomers is the population which haven taken birth after second world war till 1965 when there was a tremendous increase in birth rate due to the social and economic development in the USA. Now this population is going into the old age and thus bringing a burden to the nation as the country has to take care of not only the food and shelter but also the medical care. Rather medical care is in a way more important as they are prone to many diseases not only infectious because of their lowered immunity but also non -communicable ones such as Diabetes Mellitus, Myocardial Infarction, Stroke, etc. not to speak of those other mental disorders such as Depression, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc.

Current problem

There is more than 35million population in USA that is more than 65 years as per the latest Census Bureau report. This is nearly 12 % of the whole population and this is supposed to more than double in the next 50 years or so requiring the nation provide for their well-being. At present, it is said, that the disabled and elderly account for only around 20% of Medicaid spending but they account for more than 75% of the Medicaid spending on the prescription medicines. There is yet another set of problems. There is a progressive decline in the renal function of the elderly. The enzymes needed to metabolize the drug are less and have they have sensitivity towards certain drugs. They also have lesser free fluid volume. These and many other factors make the elderly especially susceptible for drug toxicity. Also adverse drug reactions are much more common in the aged population than others.

Buying cheap drugs

There are certain federal and other non-governmental plans available that help the senior citizens to buy the drugs cheaper. These are:

1. Medicaid

When president Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare and Medicaid act in 1965 it marked a new era for the health care in USA. For a minimum amount, which is called a co-payment or some deductions, one can avail this facility. Nearly all states provide this facility to their population. You just have to fulfill certain their requirements.

2. Drug store discounts

Certain seniors are allowed a discount on their prescriptions, which can help them majorly.

3. Medicare drug discount cards

This is available for that elderly population who are not entitled for benefit under the Medicaid program.

4. Medicare prescription assistance programs

This type of program is available in nearly all states although they may differ in the eligibility requirements.

5. Online buying

People may buy the drugs online through the Internet but the only drawback is that they have to rely on the seller and in that process they may get duped by getting second grade items or by their money.

6. Buying from Canada

Some people prefer to buy their medicines from Canada, which has health policy a bit different from that of USA and hence provides a market for cheaper drugs. FDA does take it seriously if one buys them in small amounts.

7. Charities

There are certain charitable institutions, which help the elderly and the destitute in having their medicines, which at times they, give free of cost.

8. Others like state prescription fund, LCD, prescription drug credit program, subsidies, PAAD, PACENET,

Options available besides drugs

Besides the above options available for getting cheaper drugs there are other options like living in an extended health care facility or long term care facility or assisted living where people can not only live a normal healthy life but also get treatment if the need arise.

The Defense Base Act - Scheduled and Unschedule Injuries


The Defense Base Act ("DBA") provides workers' comp benefits to civilian employees and private military contractors injured while working outside the U.S. on bases or working for a company under a U.S. Government contract for national defense or for public works. The majority of claims today result from injuries sustained while working overseas in Afghanistan or Iraq.

There are two types of injuries under the Defense Base Act: 1) Scheduled Injuries and 2) Unscheduled Injuries. Scheduled injuries provide a set number of weeks of benefits when particular body parts are injured. Below is a listing of the scheduled injuries under Section 908 of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act ("LHWCA"), as extended by the Defense Base Act:

Scheduled Injuries:

(1) Arm lost, 312 weeks' compensation.
(2) Leg lost, 288
(3) Hand lost, 244
(4) Foot lost, 205
(5) Eye lost, 160
(6) Thumb lost, 75
(7) First finger lost, 46
(8) Great (big) toe lost, 38
(9) Second finger lost, 30
(10) Third finger lost, 25
(11) Toe other than great (big) toe lost, 16
(12) Fourth (ring) finger lost, 15
(13) Compensation for loss of hearing in one ear, 52
(14) Compensation for loss of hearing in both ears, 200

All other injuries are considered to be unscheduled injuries under the DBA, for example herniated disks, brain injuries, PTSD, hip injuries, shoulder injuries, etc.

The formula to determine the number of weeks of benefits available is determined by your doctor, by way of his impairment rating based on the AMA Guides. Here is an example:

James, an employee of DynCorp, sustains an ACL tear of his left knee after falling off a HESCO barrier in Afghanistan. After ACL reconstruction surgery and physical therapy, your orthopaedic surgeon rates your injury at 25% of your lower extremity (leg) based on the AMA Guides. As noted above, the total amount of weeks available to you is 288 weeks.

25% X 288 weeks = 72 weeks of benefits.

72 weeks of benefits X 1,100 Average Weekly Wage ("AWW") will amount to a settlement of $79,200.

Unscheduled Injuries:

Unscheduled injuries (such as herniated cervical disk, a rotator cuff tear or a brain injury) results in monetary compensation measured by the difference between an employee's pre-injury wages and wages an employee is deemed capable of making following an injury after an employee reaches maximum medical improvement (meaning, when an employee's injury stabilizes). It is also best explained by way of an example.

Stan, a private military contractor with Xe, sustains a herniated disk to his neck when his head hits the roof of an armored SUV when it hits a pothole while on a rocky road in Afghanistan. Stan earned $4,500 per week from Xe for the year before he was injured. Stan undergoes surgery back home and completes his physical therapy. Because of his injury, Stan cannot return to the work he did in Afghanistan. Stan obtains a job with a local GMC dealership selling trucks. He earns $1,000 per week, leaving a difference of what he earns at the dealership and Xe of $3,500. The maximum the DBA insurer has to pay is $1,256 per week. The $3,500 difference is more than the $1,256 maximum compensation rate, therefore, Stan would receive the maximum compensation rate even though he earns $1,000 at the dealership.

Potential and Requirements of a Nursing Home Administrator's Job


Looking out for a nursing home administrator job? Keep in mind that it's not going to be 'smooth sailing' all through. It can turn out to be a decently remunerated employment opportunity and the chances of getting into a good health care organization are also good because as you will see, the turnover in this profession is quite high. This is solely due to the greater demands in this field. In fact you can rightly call it a 24hr responsibility resting on your shoulders.

First of all there is the need for adequate qualification on your side to ensure that you get the position of a nursing administrator. Of course graduation is a must in addition to a degree in health care administration plus some experience of working in a medical environment is a must. A thorough understanding of medical coding and terminology is an essential factor. Some countries require you to take a test and obtain a certificate before they take you in for a Nursing home administrator job.

The nursing administrator is vested with numerous responsibilities covering almost areas of management in the organization. Right from providing counseling services to clients as well as staff, he/she is expected to run the institution within budgetary constraints, see to the staff training and patient welfare programs and fulfill the role of a supervisor in totality. All the staff recruitment is done by the administrator. Cleanliness, upkeep and maintenance of the nursing home come under his/her duties and patient grievances and suggestions are to be handled as well.

Most of the inmates of the nursing home are likely to be there for long term care, therefore the administrator sees to it that their stay is rendered comfortable and pleasant and charts interesting programs for them to stimulate and motivate their unsettled minds. Occupational therapy, physiotherapy, consultation with a psychologists etc are activities that can provide some alternate indulgence for the inmates.

A great deal of patience and discipline is required in carrying out a nursing home administrator job. Every management will run a background check on the applicant before qualifying him for the position because a person with 'questionable' reputation may not be suitable to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the job. Work experience in a hospital environment and a clean conduct certificate can certainly qualify an applicant.

Mostly, the nursing administrator will be expected to board at the nursing home or else in close proximity since the demands of the job are such that he might have to be summoned at odd hours. Therefore only those who can afford to contribute such hours need take up such a job.

What Is Expected Of a Certified Nursing Assistant?


With so many different nursing programs and degrees on offer it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Registered Nurse (RN), and a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Quite simply, a CNA is someone who helps patients with healthcare needs under the supervision of an RN or an LPN. Issues of liability and legality prevent the CNA from performing certain procedures.

Role and duties of a certified nursing assistant

A nursing assistant's duties will vary depending on where she works. Laws vary from state to state and what is allowed for a registered nursing assistant in one state may not be allowed in another state.

CNAs have the chance to work in a variety of settings such as nursing homes, adult day care centers, assisted living facilities, personal residences, and act as liaisons between the RN or LPN and the patient.

The CNA in many cases serves as the RN or the LPN's ears and eyes.

Some of the CNA's duties include providing basic needs for patients of any age, gender, ethnicity and work under supervision. As they have close contact with patients they provide vital information about the patient's condition to their supervisors.

The workload can become intense and stressful, but many CNAs state that the job is rewarding and that they have a desire to care for people.

A successful CNA is one with good people skills and one who engages well with patients. Being a team player is an especially valuable trait.

Training programs are offered by the Red Cross, community colleges, online nursing schools and medical facilities. Many schools offer training within medical facilities as part of the course program. This allows the students to stay focused and also gives them hands-on training. All CNAs are required to take an examination before they can start work.

The demand for CNAs is high among institutions which provide quality care for the elderly. People at health care facilities recognize the importance of a qualified and compassionate CNA and how it can positively affect patients.

A CNA can find support through organizations such as the National Association of Health Care Assistants. Remember every state is different as far as the amount of time required for training and the type of environment where you would like to work. Before starting your CNA training, contact the State Nurse Aide Registry and/or State Licensing Board to enquire about their requirements - especially about the state in which you want to work.

Finding a college where you can train for a CNA is easy. Go online under the heading nursing colleges and fill in your degree subject and other details and a list of colleges will come up for you to browse and choose from. They all have similar nursing programs although the titles might not all be the same. Have a notebook and pen ready to make notes. Check out the eligibility requirements. Check to see what paperwork and documents you need to fill out your application. Remember to check out programs in your own state.

Learn From a Registered Nurse How to Advocate For Your Self in the Health Care Setting


Are you interested in advocating for yourself in the health care setting? Then you will want to read this article. In this article, we will discuss the fact that only YOU can advocate for your health. Before your next Medical Visit start by having a list of all the medications you take, name, dosage amount and how many times a day you take it. Write down any side effects such as diarrhea or decreased energy or if your appetite has changed. It also helps to note when the side effect occurs, for instance right after you take the medication or later on. Also write down any allergies you have to either food or medication. Keep a copy of this information on your computer and a hard copy in your wallet or purse. You can even down load it to a "thumb or flash drive", then the physicians office can open it up and print a copy for your medical chart so it will be readily available for the clinician. Lastly, write down any questions you may have for the clinician regarding either medication, treatment or maybe the lab results previously completed. Perhaps you have questions about an upcoming test that you are going to be scheduled for.

Years ago it was very common not to question your health care provider. After all, he was the Doctor right? Not any more, with the advances in health care and access to knowledge and education, it has really become our responsibility to advocate for our health care. If you put this information to use you should feel confident you are receiving the health care you need.

Only you can advocate for your health, as a Registered Nurse I listen to what my patient is telling me. If he or she is saying something is wrong I listen to them, ask questions and help solve the problem. A wise clinician always listens to their patients, I learned this early in my career. Advocating for yourself in health care is essential because you know yourself the best. Even though the clinician has the education to put the information you are providing together, they still need the what only you as the historian can provide. You are the main piece of the puzzle.

It is also important to know what to do if you or a loved one is Hospitalized. If you feel that either something is wrong and needs to be corrected or your loved ones health is deteriorating and it seems like no one is listening to you. Then you need to use what is referred to as the "Chain of Command." First you would start with the staff RN or LVN that is providing care for your loved one. If they do not resolve the issue, or you feel like you are not being heard or they are too busy, then go to the next person in line. That would be the charge nurse on the floor and so on until someone listens to you.

For example, your loved one needs to have the bed linen changed, the hospital staff is busy. How long do you wait before saying anything? Not long, first let them know. You can start with the CNA or certified nurses aide, if they are too busy then ask the primary care nurse, either RN or LVN. I would think that the staff RN would provide help immediately. As a staff RN I would always help my CNA's change my patients position or help change their linen, it was a part of my job. I wanted my patients taken care of. If that does not get results the next person in line is the Charge RN on the floor, still nothing? Then you could either ask to speak with the House Supervisor if it is a weekend, or either the Director of Nursing for the facility or administrative person in charge. This could be the Hospital administrator or someone who has the responsibility to take care of customer service issues. Some hospitals even have a specific position for this, a patient service ambassador.

Does this seem like how a hotel or airline would handle problems? In fact, it is similar. Now days you can go online and find out how individual hospitals are rated. Good or bad. Believe me, hospitals are aware of not only customer service issues but the fact that happy people do not sue as often as unhappy people. That is the bottom line. Additionally, I worked for a small community hospital that had a problem with people being exposed to hepatitis through contaminated scopes used for endoscopys. What did they do? They immediately called the media and the chief of staff addressed the issue, reassuring the community that they were acting responsibly by communicating to the public what had happened. I believe that was the smartest thing they could have done. Not only that, I was proud to be a part of a health care system that was responsible enough and cared enough to address the problem first. I know the community appreciated it too. Yes, there were a few people that were upset, understandably so. They were all offered testing and to my knowledge there were not any reports of people contracting hepatitis.

Again, before your next medical visit take the time to write down any questions you have regarding your treatment, medications or something you may need to have clarified. Advocating during your medical visit is vital to your health care. Just as it would be if you were charged for something in error. Most health care clinicians welcome patients that ask questions. It gives the provider an excuse to educate and as a Registered Nurse, I love to educate. Even people that do not want me to educate them, I do, for example smokers. I educate them, then tell them I am a nurse and they usually appreciate it. They usually also agree with me and tell me they know smoking is bad for their health.

You can be assured your receiving the health care you need when you are an active participant. Your concerns should be important to your clinician, if not find a new one! One that will take the time to listen to you, you deserve it. Would you keep the same mechanic if every time you took your car to be repaired he just did what he thought was needed? No! It should not be that way with your health care provider either. Advocating for Yourself in the health care setting is possible and again, usually welcomed. Only you can do what it takes to safeguard your health and the health of your loved ones. So start today, you will feel confident you are receiving the health care you need.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

How Maritime Lawyers Evaluate Cruise Ship Crew Member Injury Cases Under the Jones Act


When a cruise ship crew member is injured while working aboard a vessel, they may and often do qualify for Jones Act compensation for their maritime injuries.? For a cruise boat crew member to qualify for compensation under the Jones Act, either the injured party must be American, or the vessel must be an American-flagged vessel. When our cruise injury lawyers first speak with an injured cruise employee, we will need to know the following information:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?



  • The name of the cruise ship on board which the crew member was injured



  • The date of injury and the details of how you were injured



  • The name of the employer



  • How many contracts the crew member has worked for this employer



  • The position/title of the injured party while working aboard the vessel



  • The home country of the employee



  • If the injured employee is currently receiving medical care and if so, where



  • Whether or not the injured party is receiving maintenance and cure



  • In your own words, please tell our cruise ship injury lawyers what was the negligence of the cruise boat that caused your accident

An injured crew member?is entitled under maritime law to receive both maintenance and cure.? Maintenance is a daily amount paid to an injured seaman for cost of living including food and lodging.? Cure is payment of?reasonable medical expenses result in from the injury.? An injured cruise ship worker is also entitled to receive unearned wages to the end of their contracted sea voyage or contract for employment.?

General maritime law also provides the tort remedy of unseaworthiness, strict liability for the ship owner with regard to its non-delegable duty to insure its cruise ship is reasonably safe and fit for its intended purpose.? To recover under this theory of liability, an injured crew member must prove the cruise line failed to provide a "seaworthy" cruise ship.?

Each year, cruise ship employees are injured or killed due to cruise ship negligence. Inadequate vessel maintenance and failure to inspect equipment on board the vessel that the crew might use frequently contribute to serious injury and death. The Jones Act , a federal statute encompassing a considerable portion of maritime law, is the applicable law for the maritime law personal injury claims of ship crew members injured while working on the ship. ?Jones Act claims are a very complicated and?specialized field of law.? When you speak with injury lawyers, please be sure to ask them how many maritime cases they have handled in their career. ??Experienced maritime lawyers will have handled hundreds, if not thousands of cruise ship crew member injury cases.?

Hidden Cameras - Some Amazing New Uses


You probably know what most people use spy cameras or hidden cameras for: nanny cameras; home security; to catch a cheating spouse, partner or boyfriend; to catch a cheating employee; or to keep an eye on that workman in your house. Those are the main uses for spy cameras or hidden cameras.

Here are some amazing new and unusual uses for hidden cameras that we thought we'd share with you.

The first is as a training tool, especially in sales, where a presentation is important. Often a script is needed. When variations from that script can jeopardize the sale, if the sales associate and a manager can watch the presentation of a new salesperson to discover flaws in the presentation, a hidden camera can serve as a valuable management tool.

In the area of human resources, two of the more difficult problems to document are bullying and sexual harassment. Often it is a "he said, she said" situation with no witnesses. That is where a hidden camera can provide first class evidence. With both verbal and audio documentation of what happened mysteries are solved.

And last but not least is the area of documenting elder abuse. Elder abuse is much more prevalent today than you would imagine. A government study recently showed that 60% of all nursing homes experience some kind of elder abuse. Often the victims have dementia or Alzheimer's and have a difficult time verbalizing their problems. A hidden camera may be the only way to document that.

One of the things that make hidden cameras or spy cameras so effective is that they are hidden inside objects that are commonly seen around an office, home or business. As a matter of fact they are so common that people don't think twice about seeing them. Items such as wall clocks, alarm clocks, air purifiers and clock radios are some examples of the more commonly used items that house spy cameras.

A great example is the Coke Can DVR Spy Camera. Everything gets recorded better with coke!

Many hidden cameras these days not only have the camera inside but have a recording device like a DVR. Some "body worn" hidden cameras even have a tiny microphone to record audio in addition to recording video.

The DVRs most commonly use an SD card to record the audio and video. The SD card can then be inserted into a computer's SD card reader for easy playback.

So those are some new uses for hidden or spy cameras that you may not of thought of before; to document sexual harassment or bullying, as a training tool for employees and to catch elder abuse.

A Short Speech Before Filing A Medical Malpractice Lawsuit


Nursing home is the place where extra attention is taken care of by the highly skilled nursing and care unit to ensure that the patients get that extra attention and care they needed the most in order to get cured at a faster pace.

But, my friends, in this word where taking care and helping the ones in need is considered as an extra burden, several nursing homes don't show of the proper care and affection that are seriously required from them.

So many news and events do come out at the newspapers that show and ensures us about the medical negligence occurring at the nursing homes and abusing of patients by the nursing home units and staffs.

It has also been observed that the maximum number of malpractices and medical negligence always occur the most in these privately owned nursing homes. Wrong predictions of diseases are a very frequent thing that occurs at these so called the most capable places to get cured.

Most of the times, wrong predictions happen not because of the doctors don't have sufficient knowledge to handle the case but due to the fact that they don't want to predict for the right disease.

So, a definitive question occurs, "Why will the doctors do such thing?"

The answer is due to sheer greed for money. For example, suppose a patient has been affected with a disease that doesn't require enough tests and expensive medicines. But, unless prescribed the patient with expensive medicines and encourage the patient to do some expensive tests, the doctor will not get the big commission amount that if prescribe will be at the doctor's desk in no time at all.

This is purely a case of nursing home abuse and medical malpractice. Several patients from all over this entire so called beautiful world fall victim under this dangerous medical malpractice services offered by the medical bodies.

However, the time has come to rise up from your seat and join hands to protest against these ill deeds shown by the medical bodies and practitioners.

The most obvious thing you can do to show these evil people that you are ready to protest is to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against this medical bodies or nursing home units.

But you are required to proceed through the proper steps while filing the lawsuit against medical bodies that are quite influential or may have a lot of added knowledge of handling and facing these cases with ease.

So, you need to consult some professional as well highly experienced medical malpractice attorneys about the proceedings and steps required to handle the case. The best option is to appoint one such experienced attorney for handling your case of injustice.

These medical malpractice attorneys know the proper steps that are highly required to move through the proceedings after filing the lawsuit against the medical bodies and will try their level best to bring back the justice, which you truly deserve, before you.

Celebrities Endorse No Texting While Driving Campaign


Everyone knows that it's dangerous to drive when you're distracted. Cell phone usage should not occur while driving and that includes texting. Unfortunately far to many people do not practice safe driving.

This is a very real and scary habit of teenage drivers. Whether you've been driving for 5 days or 50 years you should never talk on your mobile phone or text while driving.

In an effort to raise awareness about the issue some celebrities like Justin Bieber have started supporting campaigns that encourage people not to text and drive. Bieber is supporting an application for your cell phone that locks the keypad of your cellular phone when it senses that it is inside a vehicle that is going over 10 mph.

In addition, Allstate has a campaign out now called "X The Text". And LG has filed public service announcements that speak out against the use of cell phones while driving.

Allstate's campaign has the support of stars like the Jonas Brothers and American Idol alum, Jordin Sparks. LG has filed public service announcements featuring Jane Lynch from "Glee".

Cell phone usage while driving has been getting a lot of attention because it presents a very serious danger.

Using a cell phone while you drive decreases your reaction time. Someone who sends text messages while driving is 20 times more likely to get into an accident than a peer who is not texting while driving.

Some believe that when the talk on their cell phone while driving but use a hands free device they are being safe. This simply is not the case. Carrying on a conversation on your cell phone even if you have two hands on the wheel is a distraction and can increase your chances of being involved in an accident.

In addition to cell phone usage there are other actions that distract drivers. Eating while driving, holding a pet in your lap, applying make-up or looking in the mirrors are all forms of distractions that can lead to a very serious accident.

When you are involved in an accident and you believe the person responsible was distracted by cell phone usage or something else it's important to know that a Chicago cell phone accidents attorney may be able to help you. After an accident medical bills can spiral out of control. It's important to hold the person responsible for the accident. Your Illinois car crash lawyer can help you file a claim.

How to Spot Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect


Quite often, when a loved one is no longer able to care for themselves, the only viable option available to the family is to place them in a nursing home. However, once the transition has been made to a nursing facility, how do you know if your loved one is being properly cared for? What do you do if you suspect your loved one is suffering from abuse or neglect at the hands of the doctors, nurses or other staff members at the nursing home? As a family member it is important to know some common signs of abuse and neglect that may occur in a nursing home.

Bedsores - According to the Mayo Clinic "...bedsores are injuries to skin and underlying tissue that result from prolonged pressure on the skin." Bedsores are most often associated with patients who are confined to a bed, but they can also develop on the heels, ankles, hips or buttocks of people who have restricted mobility, such as patients confined to a wheelchair. Bedsores can be avoided by frequently changing the position of patients that have restricted mobility to avoid constant pressure on areas of their body which comes from not being able to move themselves. If your loved one is suffering from bedsores it could be a sign of neglect.

Broken Bones - Elderly people can be more susceptible to broken bones and fractures due to diminished bone density, but these types of injuries can be caused by abuse or neglect as well. If a nursing home resident is not being properly monitored or cared for and falls or experiences some type of traumatic injury which results in broken or fractured bones, this may constitute neglect. If a broken bone is directly caused by an action of an employee of the home, it is most likely abuse. It is important that you contact the proper authorities immediately if you suspect abuse or neglect.

Malnutrition - Malnutrition can be caused by an illness that the patient or resident of a nursing home suffers from, but if no such illness has been previously diagnosed and documented and malnutrition is evident it could be due to neglect or abuse by the nursing home staff. The person suffering from malnutrition may be experiencing intentional refusal by the nursing home or staff to the proper amount or quality of food they require on a daily basis. It may also be a case that they are being intentionally starved in order to "punish" them, or some other form of extremely inappropriate and dangerous behavioral abuse committed by the staff. If you believe that your loved one is suffering from malnutrition you should consult with a doctor outside of the nursing home in order to receive an independent appraisal and diagnosis of potential malnutrition. If the doctor feels that the patient is not receiving the correct nutritional support they require and malnutrition is evident, contact the authorities immediately, and then contact an attorney as well.

Making the life-altering decision to place a loved one in a nursing home can be a phenomenally difficult and emotional task. You shouldn't have to worry about their safety and well-being once they have been entrusted to the care of a nursing facility. Be watchful for signs of abuse and neglect, and if possible, visit your loved one often. Show-up on different days at different times so you can observe and get an idea as to what kind of treatment and support they are receiving during different days and times of the week. If you observe any of these signs of nursing home neglect or abuse in a loved one who it is important that you contact the staff and administration of the facility immediately. If you do not receive the answers or attention you feel are required then notify the proper city, county and health authorities, and immediately contact an attorney that can provide the best assistance in legal support and representation for your loved one during their time of need.

Careers in Healthcare Administration


The thought of a career in healthcare may conjure up images of doctors, nurses, and other direct healthcare providers rushing in their scrubs from one emergency situation to another.

While there is little doubt that these direct patient care providers are the key to healthcare delivery, many others are working behind the scenes to ensure the entire process is smooth and seamless throughout the system.

Among these healthcare professionals are health services managers, also known as healthcare executives or administrators.

Healthcare Administration: The Profession

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the primary job of a healthcare administrator is to plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of health services in a healthcare facility. A healthcare administrator may manage:

  • An entire healthcare facility

  • A specific clinical department

  • The medical practice of a group of physicians

  • Typically, a healthcare administration degree is required for the job. Depending on the level and type of degree they have, health services managers can find career opportunities in any of the following positions.

  • Hospital administration: The job of a hospital administrator is to make sure the hospital they manage runs smoothly and healthcare is efficiently delivered to those who need it. They coordinate day-to-day administrative activities such as creating work schedules, handling finances, maintaining records, managing inventory, etc. to ensure the business of healthcare continues uninterrupted.

  • Nursing home administration: Nursing homes are residential facilities for people who require constant nursing care. The challenges of managing a nursing home are quite different from those of managing a hospital. Part of a nursing home administrator's duties is also to take care of the resident patients in addition to managing staff, finances, admissions, and the property itself.

  • Clinical administration: The responsibilities of a clinical administrator depend on the specific medical specialty department he or she manages. They are responsible for formulating and implementing policies for their clinical department, monitoring the quality of care provided to patients in that department, creating budgets, and preparing reports.

  • Health information management: Health information managers have the important task of maintaining and safeguarding patient information from unauthorized access. They work with the latest technologies in information management and security to handle hospital databases. It is, therefore, vital for health services managers in this field to keep themselves updated on evolving technologies.

Healthcare Administration: Training

Individuals interested in this profession are typically required to have a Bachelor's in Healthcare Administration degree for entry-level assistant roles. Bachelor's degree programs in health information management are also available for individuals interested in managing this aspect of healthcare.

Some employers, however, may insist on a graduate healthcare administration degree for the role of health services manager. A Master's in Healthcare Administration degree may also be required for advancement from assistant roles to positions with more responsibility and a higher salary.

For healthcare administrators seeking advancement without having to take a sabbatical from work, an online Master's in Health Care Administration program may be an ideal fit. An online healthcare administration degree can provide them the flexibility to continue their education and while still working full time.

Healthcare Administration: Compensation

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual income of health services managers in May 2010 was $84,270, depending on position, location and education.* Find out about more healthcare administration degrees at schools near you right now!

Sources:

* bls.gov/ooh/Management/Medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-1

Finding a Career as a Nurse


Nursing a patient is viewed as one of the noblest work. Today, a profession of or a career in nursing has become the most popular segment of health care industry. According to government reports, registered nurses account for more than 2.4 million jobs in the US. A registered nurse career provides excellent job opportunities in hospitals, clinics, or trauma centers, and intensive care units.

A certain degree of medical qualification is imperative to apply for a career in registered nursing. Several nursing programs are offered for those interested in pursuing this as a career. Degree courses are for Associates, Baccalaureate, Master's and Doctoral qualification. Diploma courses are also offered for registered nursing. The students have to clear the National Council Licensure Exam for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN) to obtain a nursing license.

Registered nurses can specialize in particular fields like pediatrics, neonatology, gerontology, trauma care, etc. Certain nurses prefer to specialize in the treatment of particular body organs like heart, lungs, kidney, uterus, and eyes, among others. For example there are specialized registered nurses to deal with patients suffering from coronary heart disease.

Certain nurses specialize according to the place of work. Summer camps and military locations are two such places which need specialized nurses to deal with certain situations. Traveling nurses are another separate category of registered nurses.

A nurse is generally supposed to help ailing patients to recover by taking proper care of their medication. If the patient has external injuries, then dressing the wounds is the nurse's job. A nurse is also expected to keep a record of the patients' medical history, symptoms, diagnosis and allergies. A regular record of several factors like blood pressure, body temperature, pulse rate, etc. has also to be maintained.

It is the duty of registered nurses to educate the patient and his relatives about his medical condition. They also support the patients and his relatives emotionally and psychologically by creating a positive atmosphere as to the patients' recovery. They provide the essential advice for the patient which would be required post treatment.

Registered nurses work in conditions which can pose great threats to their own health. This is especially in case of nurses taking care of patients suffering from infectious diseases. They also must take care to protect themselves from needle pricks, radiation, chemicals, etc. The nurses are generally paid well in return for their services. They are also provided with insurance cover and health care benefits.

A registered nurse career can be pursued either as a part time or as a full time option. Though highly flexible and well paying, a career in registered nursing can be very demanding. However, excellent future prospects and growth potential has made this profession very attractive.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Earth Day Senior Citizen Activities Using Plastic Water Bottles


Earth Day will be celebrated April 22nd around the world- as it has been since it was founded on April 22, 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. This year I am planning a few special "Earth friendly" Earth Day projects for the Horticultural Therapy and Crafting classes I teach to Seniors- although we reuse and recycle household items in our programs year-round.

Most of my students are still pretty frugal since they lived through the Depression and learned to make do with very little during that time. I've been told stories about how their Moms would make their underwear out of flour sacks, home gardens that provided most of their food during the war and how their Mothers would take a look at a formal gown in the store window and create an exact replica by hand when they did not have the money for store-bought clothes.

As part of my ongoing classes I already reuse and recycle a lot of commonly discarded household items including plastic water bottles, paper juice and milk cartons, gallon milk jugs, 2 liter plastic bottles, paper and plastic egg cartons, egg shells, paper towel tubes, brown paper bags and newspaper to name a few.

This article will focus on projects that reuse plastic drinking bottles. Plastic drinking bottles have a profoundly negative impact on our environment and are becoming a bigger problem each day. The World Wildlife Federation states that 1.5 million tons of plastic is used in bottling 89 billion liters of water each year. This process assists in the draining of the world's fossil fuels and creates tons of trash that will take 70 to 450 years to degrade in our landfills. So every bottle we keep out of the landfill helps future generations. And we can all feel good about that!

Here are a few of the fun projects my classes have done in the past year to reuse all or part of a plastic drinking bottle:


  • Game Board Markers- Drinking bottle caps can be used as game pieces for home made Bingo game markers. I created Butterfly Garden Bottle Cap Bingo that used bottle caps as spot markers on the Bingo cards. The Bingo Cards were printed on 8.5 x 11 sheets and were laminated using shelf liner vinyl- so they are reusable. Bottle caps were decorated with fun flower and bug stickers. Seniors love their Bingo so this was a great way to teach my students the names of the different plants that grow well in our area that will draw butterflies to their garden.

  • Paper mache vases-This activity actually reuses two common items that go into the landfill every day- plastic bottles and newspaper. We covered the plastic drinking bottles with several layers of strips of newspaper dipped in liquid starch (you can also use watered down glue or a flour mixture). Then we painted the bottles with acrylic paints and a coat of Modge Podge and decorated them with yarn, beads, buttons, glass beads and other materials. The vases are waterproof so they can be used to display fresh, dried or silk flowers.

  • Seedling or Cutting Starters- First cut the Plastic Bottle in half. Punch a few drainage holes in the bottom of the bottom half of the bottle then fill with soil and plant cuttings or seeds to create inexpensive mini greenhouses. Use the top half of the bottles as small plant cloches to protect tiny seedlings you have planted in seed beds.

  • "Grass Head Guys"- Cut plastic bottle in half. Use the bottom half of the bottle as the base for your "Grass Head Guy" project - later it will be filled with water so the grass will grow. This is a homemade version of a Chia Pet where you fill a knee high stocking foot (can also use recycled pantyhose) with grass seed and soil and it kind of looks like a little potato-head when it is decorated. The Bottom half of the bottle can be decorated in lots of fun ways as the body of your "Grass Head Guy".

These activities are great for Seniors who live in Assisted Living or Memory Care Residences- although many of my Independent Seniors also enjoyed making the Paper Mache Vases and Seedling Starters. And some of the activities would be great multi-generational projects for children and Seniors to do together.

Dietary Needs of the Elderly


As people get older, they may begin to lose the physical and mental strength to take care of themselves. In the kitchen, this can mean forgetting to eat or not having the strength to lift heavy pots and plates for cooking. Sadly, this forced starvation can lead to malnutrition, which can make an elderly person sicker and weaker.

During a person's lifespan, his or her dietary needs change many times. For instance, children need an increasing amount of calcium between ages 1 and 18. However, when someone is 19-50, the recommended daily intake of calcium drops by 300 mg. This is because you are building bone mass up to age 18, and after that, you only have to worry about maintaining that mass. After 50, though, the recommended daily intake amount raises to its highest point to help the elderly battle common problems like osteoporosis.

Thus, even though the elderly may not have the energy to work off extra calories, it is still important that they consume vitamin- and mineral-rich foods in order to prevent malnutrition. This can come in the form of nutrient-laden foods so that the older people do not have to eat as much while still gaining the vitamins and minerals they need. An older person can also consume supplements in order to get their daily intake of nutrients.

Once an older person loses his or her interest in food or the ability to cook, it is important for a caretaker to make sure that their charge receives the necessary nutrients. This may require the older person to move to a nursing home or assisted-living facility.

Frustratingly, however, not all nursing homes take good care of their residents. In fact, recent studies have found abuse in the form of beatings, the "silent treatment," and even malnutrition. Malnutrition causes both physical and mental suffering, and it can seriously shorten your loved one's lifespan.

If your elderly loved one has suffered from nursing home abuse, you should not let this terrible negligence go unpunished. To fight back, contact an experienced Danville nursing home abuse lawyer from Spiros Law, P.C., today.

Creating Appropriate Activities for Seniors


As an Activities Professional working with Seniors living in Memory care residences, Assisted Living and Independent Living residences I am always looking for age appropriate ideas and resources to use when creating unique projects for my students to enjoy. I have not been able to find many sources specifically targeted to people working with older adults in- especially older adults with Alzheimer's or dementia living in Memory Care Residences - and that is why I have decided to share my process, projects and tutorials with other Activity Professionals and people interested in working with Elders.

The lack of information surprised me since the Senior market is the fastest growing segment of our population due to Baby Boomer s beginning to retire in large numbers. And the Baby Boomers have already changed the Senior Care industry significantly because they are demanding better services for their aged parents. The Boomer generation is expected to live longer, be active longer and have a better lifestyle than any retirees before them. And they are going to expect engaging and interesting creative activities to participate in as they grow older and begin to need more assistance in their day to day lives.

As I have searched websites, blogs and books, I've found a lot of great information about children's creative projects and wonderful arts and crafts projects for adults as well- but many adult focused projects are too difficult for Seniors to complete without a lot of assistance- especially Seniors with Alzheimer's or Dementia. And since 1 out of every 8 Baby Boomers is expected to develop Alzheimer's as they age, appropriate activities for this segment of the population is going to become ever more important in the future.

So how do you go about creating age appropriate projects suitable for students that are both interesting for Independent Seniors and can also be completed by Memory Care Residents as well? I suggest you create several versions of your project so the project is appropriate for different ability levels of your elder population. This may just mean doing additional prep work- using pre-cut materials, templates or simplified designs for your Memory Care students. A good portion of my art projects are adapted from crafts originally meant for children- but I only choose projects that look appropriate for adults. Craft sticks, tempera paint and Elmer's glue just won't do! When adapting adult crafts always consider making small changes so that less dexterous older hands or Memory Care residents will be able to complete them with minimal assistance.

For example: I recently taught a class for Independent Seniors and we were making hand knotted fabric wreaths. Although it seemed like a very simple project to me (I had pre-cut the fabric strip in advance-)and had completed it without any problems, many of my students tired quickly because they had severe arthritis in their hands and it was difficult for them to tie lots of knots. My solution was a modified fabric wreath design where students had the choice of creating the tied knot wreath or a wrapped fabric wreath using the same fabric strips. With this slight modification everyone was able to participate and create a nice looking wreath for their door.

A Few Rules of Thumb for creating projects for Memory Care Residents:

1. When creating activities for seniors who have Alzheimer's or dementia it is important to make sure the activity is simple with easy-to-follow steps and directions, but at the same time yields a nice looking final product that the student can be proud of.

2. Projects should be completed within 30 minutes to an hour. A 30-45 minute project is ideal for this segment of the Senior population because attention spans are short and occasionally residents can become agitated or confused- even physically combative when they are stressed.

3. Don't be too ambitious with your art project. Allow each resident to complete their own project with as little assistance as possible. If you are doing 90% of the work- the project was either not executed properly or not appropriate for the population.

4. Always consider hand strength and dexterity, hand/eye coordination- and sometimes even the ability to hear instructions clearly when working with Seniors.

5. Families like to see what their parents have been doing while they have been away-and they like to see that their loved one has been engaged and stimulated in mind and body- so make sure your residents go home with a completed project.

Next time we will talk more about the difference between projects for Assisted Living Residents and Independent Seniors. In the meantime, if you would like more information about the type of projects I create, please check out my blog at http://elderlife.blogspot.com.

The Big Questions: If God Isn't God, Then Who Or What Is God?


If God isn't really God, who is God? Well, IMHO, God isn't God, since God is a flesh-and-blood extraterrestrial (ET)!

There are two variations to that possibility.

Here's one of those variations. What if God were in reality a very 'flesh-and-blood' extraterrestrial computer programmer, a computer programmer who has written a software package called, say "Planet Earth"? Maybe it's a computer or interactive video game - maybe a homework assignment for a smart extraterrestrial student.

Anyway, computer software easily explains all the Biblical miracles (virgin births; the resurrection, etc.); or anomalies (like where did all the rain come from vis-?-vis the Biblical Flood, and where did all that water eventually go; how did Jonah survive inside a large fish, etc.) or inconsistencies (like Cain's wife; the discrepancies between Biblical time and geological time). Regarding the Biblical flood, no humans actually died; no animals suffered and drowned, and so on, because the humans and animals were never real to start with, just as you and I aren't real, just part of - for want of a better analogy - a computer game simulation.

Let's suppose, for argument's sake that in the real physical Universe, there exists some tens of thousands of extraterrestrial civilizations which have evolved technology our equal or better (even more advanced). The odds are high that most would have invented computers - hardware and software. Any one civilization, such as our own, have (to date) produced multi-thousands of computer programs, many of which simulate life forms - think of the hundreds, indeed thousands of computer/video games. No doubt these programs will grow, over time, ever more complex and lifelike.

If one advanced civilization produces multi-thousands of individual computer programs that simulate an actual, or imagined, reality, what are the odds that we aren't one of those thousands vis-?-vis being that advanced civilization that actually exists? How could you know if you were real, or imaginary? I maintain there's probably no obvious way of you knowing.

Even if there's only a relatively few actual extraterrestrial civilizations, but untold number of created false realities - what odds we are one of the real ones and not one of the imaginary/simulated many?

Is the idea really so way out in left field that there's not a snowball's chance in hell that it could be right? We have to look to advances in our own terrestrial computing power to determine that. Computer generated simulations are already realistic enough that they are used to train astronauts, pilots and MDs and other humans in professional activities where mistakes in training, if done in real situations, could be disastrous. Our cinema industry has already produced computer generated virtual reality films, bypassing real actors and real scenery. It's entirely possible (legal issues aside) to bring back in a sense dead actors to star again in new productions. We've all been awed by computer generated special effects in films that are so realistic that if you didn't actually know better, you'd swear were real.

Walk into any DVD store and you'll find thousands of video (computer) games and/or simulations that you can run on your PC. Most have 'humans' in various role-playing guises that are software generated and which you interact with. The reality factor is increasing by leaps and bounds. At what point will the software become complex enough that these simulated 'beings' are advanced enough to have self awareness? What happens when the software programming these virtual 'humans' becomes equal to the software (brains) that program us? What happens when the computer software complexity exceeds that of the human brain? Is this far-fetched? Methinks not. Now just replace our virtual 'humans' with ourselves, and maybe, just maybe, we're the virtual reality in somebody (something) else's actual reality.

If we, Planet Earth, and our observable universe are nothing but a simulation, that can explain (or at least rationally account for) any and all anomalies (miracles?) that you care to bring up. Software (be it of the wet-ware [brains] or of the computer variety) can create any sort of simulated reality - it doesn't even have to be logical or explainable. Here are just a few Biblical examples off the top of my head.

Biblical One: Explain the parting of the Red Sea in the Bible! It's easy to do in the movies, on a computer, or in your head.

Biblical Two: Then there's this Biblical bit about Joshua commanding the sun to stand still (at least that's the way I recall it). That's either a tall tale or a myth or the result of a simulation. Whatever, it can't be a physical reality.

Biblical Three: In the Bible we have this tale of the multiplying of loaves and fishes out of virtually nothing. Again, you can imagine it, but that's about it. Likewise with any sort of miracle it's easy to visualize the event, but infinitely harder to explain it. But, as in the case of loaves and fishes, it's easy to write a software package that can do this multiplication feat as a simulation exercise.

Biblical Four: Heaven and Hell can be created as easily as any other sort of place, complete with either fluffy white clouds and pearly white gates; harps and haloes, or devils and pitchforks; fire and brimstone!

Biblical Five: If someone (or something) is calling the simulation shots, you could obviously and easily be resurrected or reincarnated or just allowed to cease to be (that is, deleted from the program).

From the examples above, I conclude that it almost seems as if someone (something) is ultimately responsible for aspects of the Biblical part of the Universe, but he / she / it / they didn't quite think things through sufficiently. Methinks an all knowing, all powerful supernatural God type being wouldn't have stuffed things up. If the Bible isn't a stuffed up piece of literary work, I don't know what is because it was either authored by flawed human beings and thus has nothing to do with the infallible word of God, or it was created stuffed up it's because the creator was a flawed flesh-and-blood extraterrestrial entity, and hardly an all-knowing and all-powerful God. Our flawed creator created a simulated Universe, including all the Biblical baggage we have to try to reconcile with a perfect creator God (who, in my version, doesn't exist).

Could there be an afterlife without a God? I suggest that if there is an afterlife, there has to be a natural as opposed to a supernatural mechanism, and that we'd be hard pressed to come up with one. While I can't think of a completely natural explanation to account for any plausible transition from life to afterlife, I can think of a non-supernatural one, albeit it's not totally natural. Just as it's within the realm of possibility that we exist as software in a computer program called "Planet Earth", so too might there be another computer program with associated software called "The Spirit World" or "The Abode of the Afterlife". When you reach your termination as a simulated living being in "Planet Earth", you get resurrected in "The Spirit World". Of course in that sense there's still a god, but a 'god' who just happens to be an extraterrestrial computer programmer, who could be flesh and blood, or maybe an artificial intelligence in its own right. Either way, it's not 100% natural, but it's certainly not supernatural. Of course for all I know there maybe other software programs with names such as "Hell" and "Heaven" or "Valhalla" or maybe dozens, hundreds even thousands of others we've never even conceived or heard of. I mean the virtual beings in one of our terrestrial computer or video games wouldn't be aware that there was thousands of other computer or video games in existence with dozens more being produced and brought out each and every month.

It all makes a sort of sense albeit in a weird or strange sort of sci-fi way. I mean, to paraphrase a rather famous observation, "the universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we can imagine". If there's anyone who can give a definitive proof that we're not a creation of someone's (something's) virtual reality (computer simulation) then I'd like to hear it so I can cross the scenario off my list of things to have to worry about!

That specific aside, if there is any historical evidence for a god, gods or The God, then that evidence could just as easily be equally interpreted as evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence(s), whose purpose(s) or objective(s) may not be all that benign.

So my second and more likely possible answers to 'if God isn't God, then who is God?' are summed up by the well known phrase 'ancient astronauts'. God is, or was, an extraterrestrial, but not in this case the creator of a simulated universe. Rather, a being within a really real universe. Recall (the late) Arthur C. Clarke's third law, "any sufficiently advance technology is indistinguishable from magic", or in this context, an advanced extraterrestrial technology and alien being welding same is indistinguishable from the supernatural or a supernatural God.

If the above argument is valid, then I conclude that it's easy to explore the nooks and crannies of our galaxy, and seeing that we have no place to run and hide, that then we indeed have been discovered by extraterrestrials. Since one or more extraterrestrial technological civilizations have already done their boldly going exploring thing, it stands to reason that at various times in our geological and historical past we would have received visitors from the stars. If one or more such occurrences happened in our historical past, there might be some suggestive evidence of same; and thus the concept of the 'ancient astronaut' has come to pass.

Erich Von Daniken, including those of a similar point of view who came before and after him, collectively had the germ of a good idea, but he, and they, IMHO got rather carried away with the concept and started seeing ancient extraterrestrial astronauts behind every pyramid and megalith in existence. Now I don't believe for a moment that aliens, or humans assisted by aliens, built the pyramids or the statues at Easter Island or any other type of archaeological monument. Evidence suggestive of ancient astronauts will probably best be found in myths and legends, including the myths and legends central to our major religions, perhaps in advanced human knowledge of scientific concepts out of sync with that particular culture so hosting that knowledge, or in art works, or other archaeological works that are suggestive of an awareness of sky beings.

Firstly, nearly all cultures have stories and pictograms about or of sky beings, including the Australian aboriginals and American Indians. Myths and legends surrounding, say, the Greek / Roman / Norse gods can be interpreted in an ancient astronaut context (ditto for other religious beings or gods), or perhaps the Biblical 'Wheel of Ezekiel' is suggestive. While the etchings on the Plain of Nazca were certainly not runways, for flying saucers, they can easily be interpreted as mammoth human constructions designed to be viewed by sky beings. Why go to the trouble if sky beings weren't really around to appreciate your efforts?

Then there's a whole pot-full of mythological creatures - the Centaur, unicorns, the Sphinx, the Griffin, Pegasus, the Minotaur, mermaids, dragons, etc. which might be non-humanoid extraterrestrial life forms. Or, more realistically, perhaps in light of the UFO abduction and Roswell greys, are the myths and legends shared by many cultures dealing with elves, dwarfs, gnomes, the fairy-folk, the wee-people, and other smallish beings that aren't quite human. It strikes me as more logical that these 'wee folk' actually exist, and that's why all the references to, and belief in, them, exist. That is, they are really real vis-?-vis references to, and belief in them, because there is some psychological, sociological or cultural necessity to invent imaginary beings, calling it mythology (as opposed to literary fiction), or perhaps calling it religion.

In conclusion, the 'ancient astronaut' field is a subject ripe for detailed academic study, and the concept of the 'ancient astronaut' shouldn't be dismissed by scholars are readily as it has been. Unfortunately, it's unlikely any academic would put his or her career on the line by pursuing such a controversial, 'pseudo-scientific, topic because of the 'giggle' factor - Pity that.