Saturday, October 5, 2013

Cruise Line Assisted Living Facility


The aging process for many seniors often leaves them feeling frustrated because what was once an easy task can often become difficult to manage on their own and their independence often comes into question during these times. For many their loved ones may have to think of placing them in assisted living or the senior may decide that this is the next step in their life.

The idea of assisted living to someone who has been independent most of their lives can be a shock, but there is an alternative that can make this transition both easier and more tasteful than in the past and does not cost much more and allows the senior to continue to be independent.

The cruise line industry has been the hardest hit by recent economic events and while many still travel by car, air, train or bus the cruise lines have been viewed as a cumbersome way to travel and is just too expensive compared to other methods of transport.

That is why the cruise lines have been busy looking at other options in new niche markets available to them that will help them maintain their revenues and stay a viable travel option for many. The idea they have been considering is becoming an alternative assisted living service for seniors.

The cost of the two options is comparable and one does not cost any more than the other, either the cruise or multiple cruises compared to living in and assisted living facility.

The medical facilities aboard ship are the best services available and many perform geriatric medical services to the seniors who do take cruises and travel this way. The food is also prepared each day so it is a viable option for seniors.

Instead of a stagnant one room apartment in an assisted living home, the senior has the benefit of living aboard a cruise ship and seeing the world at large with all the comforts of home and all the luxury they can handle. They can experience different worlds and cultures during their travels. Something that being on land cannot offer them.

For these reasons one should consider placing their loved one on a cruise line's assisted living facility as an option and benefit to the senior.

IP Camera Video Surveillance For Hospitals


In hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities, it cannot be stressed enough how important video surveillance is. It not only increases the security within the facility, but also controls costs. The patients are protected, the employees are protected, and the administration can keep an eye on the employees in order to increase productivity. To make this possible, Internet Protocol cameras, or IP cameras are being utilized in many healthcare facilities due to the fact that remote video monitoring is possible.

Benefits of Hospital Video Surveillance

Security and safety is increased - Crimes, break-ins, and injuries to patients and employees are prevented or documented if they occur within the hospital. This also allows the hospital personnel to monitor patients and watch out for unauthorized visitors.

Productivity - If employees know they are being watched, their productivity will increase. Communication can improve, the administration knows what is going on, and more will get done.

Prevent dishonesty - There are times when a visitor or a patient may state that they were injured on the hospital's property. When there is visual evidence through IP cameras, these claims can be proved either way. This can save the hospital from being sued, which can save them money in their insurance premiums.

Take care of employee disputes - If two employees are in the middle of a dispute, the visual proof can put an end to it. It is amazing what surveillance cameras can do in this instance.

Monitor in real-time - There is no having to go back and watch a recording of footage. You can do that if you wish, but you can also watch what is going on in real-time.

Storage - IP-based surveillance systems can take advantage of digital storage. The footage is recorded on network servers, on hard drives, or on NVRs. This makes the footage easily accessible to those who have authorization to view it. Searching is also made easier through digital recordings.

Remote monitoring - Remote monitoring is an important aspect of IP cameras for the fact that what is going on within the hospital can be viewed from a remote location. If an administrator needs to view a particular area of the hospital while they are vacationing in Mexico, they can. If they want to check in while they are at home, they can. All they need is access to the IP camera's network via the Internet.

An Assessment of the Risks

As with anything, there are risks associated with monitoring a hospital through surveillance systems. Those risks include:

Relying too much on the video surveillance system because physical security is also very important.

Making sure patient privacy is respected. The IP cameras should monitor those areas that are open to the public and nothing more.

Tampering is a risk with any security system. The video signal can be lost if there is any tampering with the system. There should be alternatives put in place in order to make up for a signal that is interrupted. This includes vandal resistant IP cameras or installing the cameras in areas out of reach by intruders.

Setting Up Your System

Make sure there is a view of all entrances and exits so everyone going in and out can be seen.

Monitor the hallways to keep watch over visitors and the overall flow of activity.

Make sure fire escapes and elevators are covered.

Make sure the parking lots are within view, as well as loading areas.

Restricted areas need to be monitored.

Copyright (c) 2009 Wes Fernley

General Scope of Health Care Administration


It will not be wrong if we say that this is challenging time for health care administration. Increase in world's population, high rate of diseases and increased pollution has over loaded the facilities and it is a real test of administrators.

To cater for such a rush there is a terrible need of professional administration staff, who can handle the ongoing situation efficiently. This high demand of professionals has made this filed a lucrative one; therefore more people are rushing towards institutes in order to gain knowledge and degrees related to health care management or administration.

MBA in Health Care Administration is the most popular masters degree program these days. An effective MBA program in this field should offer following training parameters.

• How and where it is to be delivered?
• Who can provide these services?
• How it is financed?

The above mentioned parameters are the basics upon which the complete MBA in Health Care Administration is normally planned.

With a rapid increase in health facilities all around the globe, administrators are required in following setups.

• Hospitals and Clinics
• Mental Hospitals
• Public Health Organization
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Health Consulting Facilities
• Nursing Homes
• Children Hospitals
• Pharmacies

MBA in Health Administration is a full of opportunities degree. According to a careful survey more than 1 million people are connected to this profession all around the United States of America. They are serving as department heads and chief executives of several health organizations.

In fact, health care organizations are in need of dedicated, professional and effective administrators who can understand their problems and concerns as a doctor. Keeping this particular point of view this special MBA program has been designed.

Mental and Emotional Injuries


When you suffer from a personal injury or a traumatic event, it may not be just your body that has ill effects. Your mind can be just as harmed as your body. Mental or emotional injuries can be complex and can take a long time to heal.

While some people may think of mental injuries as oversensitivity and as weaknesses, there are some things that are out of your control. People who suffer from this type of harm may not be able to control the way they feel about a traumatic event, and treatment for mental injuries can include coping methods to help you deal with them.

Probably the most well-known mental injury is posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Studies estimate that 7-8% of the population will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives. Although we most often associated PTSD with military or combat experience, any traumatic or emotionally taxing event can contribute to this problem. Physical or sexual assault, natural disasters, serious accidents, divorce, and loss of employment can also cause PTSD.

Not only does PTSD cause emotional withdrawal, but it can also contribute to things like irritability, withdrawal, phobias, and hypersensitivities. Additionally, one of the three main symptoms of PTSD is intense flashbacks, nightmares, and memories. These can cause blackouts that may interfere with your ability to carry on a normal life.

Acute stress disorder is another mental disorder than stems from experiencing, witnessing, or confronting a traumatic event. Like PTSD, acute stress disorder can cause flashbacks and hypersensitivity to people, places, or things that remind a person of their traumatic event. Also, acute stress disorder can hinder someone from his or her regular lifestyle due to the feeling of being in a daze and the loss of awareness of surroundings.

Another example of emotional injury is verbal abuse or neglect. Verbal abuse, where one person degrades another by calling him or her stupid, ugly, incompetent, etc., can destroy a person's self-esteem and make it difficult to function normally. Suffering from verbal abuse can cause someone to "escape" by picking up self-destructive habits like binge drinking and drugs.

Neglect, such as nursing home neglect, can also degrade a person's self-respect. In a nursing home, neglect can not only cause physical damages, but it can wrongly teach a helpless elderly person that he or she is so unwanted and unloved that they do not warrant attention and care.

If you or someone you know has suffered from mental anguish stemming from nursing home malpractice, such as neglect or verbal abuse, these mental and emotional scars can be hard to heal. To help you fight for your rights, check out the Law Offices of William K. Goldfarb today.

Interview Questions to Ask of a Home Care Provider


Finding a good, qualified caregiver is important, and we were very fortunate to find the woman who is helping us with our elder. Having spent some time doing elder care as a teenager, I had an idea of what might be important. Here are some of the questions we asked.

1) What training have you had? Most agencies look for caregivers with at least some training, and they continue training during the course of employment. Look for someone who is a nurse's aide or a certified nursing assistant. Higher skill levels are also available, but tend to be more expensive.

2) How many years of experience? I'm not against someone fresh out of school, but I am very happy that our elder's caregiver has been in this field a long time. If this is the caregiver's first job, ask if he or she was an intern prior to leaving school. This experience is very valuable.

3) What do you know about fall prevention? A caregiver should know how to walk with a patient in order to prevent falls. He or she should also be able to look around the house and point out areas that could be tripping hazards. Falls in the elderly can be devastating.

4) Have dealt with dementia patients before? You can actually insert any major (or minor) medical condition in this question. In our case, we wanted to know that first and then about our elder's other medical conditions. Prior experience can ensure that there are few surprises for the caregiver.

5) Can you cook according to dietary needs? Caregivers are often required to cook for the elder involved. Most elders have dietary restrictions due to medical conditions. A caregiver that can work around these limitations is ideal. If he or she hasn't had the experience, the willingness to learn is also important.

6) How is your driving record? You may think this question is too personal. It's not. The caregiver will probably be driving your elder to the supermarket and other locations. A clean driving record is vastly preferred.

7) Are you familiar with this area? Our elder lives in a suburb that is surrounded by other suburbs. Knowing how to get from point a to point b can be confusing. Prior knowledge of the area indicates that the chances he or she will get lost are smaller.

Each individual may have other concerns when it comes to interviewing potential caregivers. The answers to these questions may encourage others. Make a list of what's important to you so that the caregiver you hire is perfect for the job.

Irrevocable Income Only Trusts: A Valuable Medicaid Planning Tool


The Irrevocable Income Only Trust is an important planning tool

It is no secret that the high cost of long term care can be ruinous. Everything you worked for -- lifetime savings, even your house and retirement accounts -- can all be wiped out in a matter of months to a few years. That is why advance planning, including Medicaid planning, is so important. It is critical for most families that a loved one needing long term care qualifies for Medicaid assistance.

Among the planning strategies used to qualify for Medicaid, one of the most important is transferring assets into an Irrevocable Income Only Trust ("IIOT"). The purposes of the IIOT include (1) to preserve a source of income, (2) to shield and manage assets, (3) to ensure Medicaid eligibility, and (4) to avoid the costs and time associated with probate. IIOTs allow individuals to transfer their assets into a trust as protection in lieu of making outright transfers to their children. Under the terms of an IIOT, the transferor ("grantor") will receive all of the income produced by the assets in the trust for the grantor's lifetime. By transferring assets into an IIOT, the grantor will still reserve some control and retain some interest in the transferred assets -- advantages that are not available when transfers are made outright to individuals. If the grantor places the grantor's home into the trust, then the trust agreement can specifically provide for the grantor to continue to reside in the home for the grantor's lifetime. Because IIOTs are irrevocable, the grantor cannot revoke the trust and reacquire the assets; therefore, the assets are deemed unavailable (and, therefore, not countable) for Medicaid eligibility purposes.

The IIOT can be used to qualify for Medicaid

Under current law, Community Medicaid (i.e., the kind applicable for care at home or at many Assisted Living Facilities) may be available within a couple of months after the assets are transferred into a trust. Institutional Medicaid (i.e., the kind applicable for care at a Nursing Home) would be available after the look-back period expires. The look-back period is the time window within which Medicaid can look to see if assets have been transferred. It is also the period prior to the Medicaid application during which Medicaid will penalize an applicant for transfers within such period. Under current law, the look-back period is now five (5) years.

Assets transferred into a trust more than five years prior to the filing of a Medicaid application will not impact Medicaid eligibility. If, however, a person who set up such a trust ends up needing Nursing Home care before five years elapse, a penalty period would be assessed and some other planning technique would likely have to be employed. If a penalty is imposed because of a transfer to an individual or a trust within five years of a Medicaid application, the period of ineligibility begins when the individual enters a nursing home and is otherwise eligible for Medicaid.

The IIOT can save taxes

IIOTs also offer tax advantages. The grantor is treated as the owner of the trust for income tax purposes. This is valuable because the trust's income tax rates are usually higher than the grantor's income tax rates. Additionally, the IIOT can be drafted to include a special power of appointment for the limited purpose of including the trust assets in the grantor's estate for estate tax purposes. A special power of appointment will also permit a grantor to change his or her beneficiaries. Upon the grantor's death, the trust assets obtain a "step-up" in value. This means that when the assets are distributed to the grantor's chosen beneficiaries, the beneficiaries' bases in the assets for income tax purposes will be the value of the assets as of the grantor's date of death. As a result, the beneficiaries will avoid any capital gains taxes on the appreciation of the trust assets between the date of acquisition and the grantor's death if the property is sold after the grantor's death.

An Irrevocable Income Only Trust can be a valuable tool. It is complex and has many potential pitfalls, so a knowledgeable Elder Law attorney must be consulted.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Information About Taxi Cab Accidents


For a person living in a smaller community, riding in a taxi cab may be a foreign activity; but to those that have lived or visited big cities, using a taxi for everyday transportation is like second nature. Each day, many people use taxis as a mode of transportation without thinking twice about the possible risks of being a passenger. Unfortunately, taxi cab car accidents occur on a daily basis and yield many different types of injuries as a result.

Some of the most common types of injuries seen in taxi accidents include whiplash injuries, cuts and bruises, broken bones, and trauma to the face and head. While some taxi drivers will enforce the seat belt laws (varying state by state), many taxi companies and drivers are lenient in regards to the regulations on passengers wearing their seat belt in a taxi cab. When a taxi is involved in an auto accident and the passengers were not properly buckled into their seats, the injuries may drastically increase.

In the last reported year of auto accident statistics and fatalities by the United States Census, approximately 10.8 million motor vehicle accidents were recorded. Many accidents that involve taxi cabs are caused by the cab driver themselves or an external force, such as a drunk driver, distracted driver, or a person who was speeding, among other causes of cab accidents. If you have been involved in an accident while riding as a passenger in a taxi, it is important for you to understand your rights immediately.

Suffering injuries in a taxi accident will be extremely difficult to manage, especially if you are attempting to heal from your injuries and pursue a personal injury settlement simultaneously. These types of accidents are often more difficult to deal with than car accidents involving passenger vehicles because a cab company will immediately become involved. At the time of their involvement, the cab driver may be instructed to rid of any evidence that may link the cause of the accident back to the cab company or driver, as they do not want to be held financially accountable for the damages caused. It is important that you involve an attorney on your case right away to ensure that the investigation into the accident is prompted immediately.

If you were injured in an accident caused by a reckless driver, now is the time for you to pursue justice. Your injuries may range into the thousands of dollars just for the first treatment, and if you are out of work due to your injuries, it may be nearly impossible to keep up with the hospital bills. Don't let yourself get dragged down by an injury sustained in an accident; speak to a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Today's Seniors Influencing Change in the Retirement Communities


Baby boomers started turning 65 in 2011 and studies are finding that less than half of those that are now retirement age are actually leaving the workforce. Many are choosing to work part-time, others are starting their own businesses with the expertise they've gained in their field but the bottom line seems to be that they are not as ready to retire today as their parents were at 65.

Who are today's seniors? The baby boomers are a generation of adults that have led an active lifestyle and are showing no signs of slowing down. When they do retire, the golfers look forward to spending more time on the course, those that spent their vacation time exploring the world will be traveling even more and a big area of influence will be in the look of retirement communities. Seniors of today are staying in their homes longer and what that means for retirement communities is that they'll need to be in tune with the changing lifestyles and expectations of this new generation of seniors. Boomers are more likely to consider relocating to an active lifestyle community rather than a senior's community, or to attend an event at an active lifestyle centre over a seniors centre.

Seniors are engaged in lifelong learning. The Tapestry community at UBC in Vancouver BC immediately comes to mind when I think of how traditional retirement is changing. When they chose the Vancouver location, just a short walk from the UBC campus, they definitely had the quest for lifelong learning in mind. Last time I looked in on the community, more than 10 percent were attending classes on campus; even more than that were actively participating in lectures and seminars regularly held in the Tapestry building lecture hall. What a brilliant way of redefining the stereotypical retirement community.

Seniors are also tech savvy. Studies focusing on trends in seniors and technology show steady increases in the 65+ age group with their use of not only PCs but also tablets, book readers and smartphones; and on the topic of smart phones, seniors are even jumping on the texting bandwagon!

The Tapestry Community at Village Gate West in Toronto gets everyone involved in brain fitness in computer labs, informative computer classes and the Creative Arts Centre. If golfers can't get to the course, they can enjoy a high definition Golf Simulator in the Virtual Golf Centre. Like at the Vancouver community, the founders of Tapestry retirement living have considered the skills, interests and changing demands of the upcoming generation of retirees.

One of the keys to the success of future independent living and assisted living seniors' communities will be their ability to adapt to the lifestyles of today's seniors. Residents won't want to be restricted to dinner at the same time each evening but have the flexibility to be out on the town all day and come home when they're ready. They will want the option to be social and the flexibility to pursue leisure choices of their own. They'll want the freedom to make choices, such freedom was a normal part of life while growing up and while raising families; in retirement they'll expect that choices will also be a standard of everyday life.

4 Reasons Why It's Essential You Make A Work Accident Claim


When it comes to injury claims there's one category which sees a surprising number of people choosing not to claim, even though they are entitled to, and it is recommended that they do. Work accident compensation claims are amongst the most necessary claims, often because the injury is caused through pure negligence, greed or laziness, and the injuries sustained in a workplace can often be severe. The fact that employers and businesses have liability insurance means that any claim for compensation will be paid for by the insurance company, rather than the employer, so why do people choose not to make a claim when they both deserve it, and more often than not, need it?

The answer is that often people are afraid if the consequences. They are afraid that if they make an accident claim for compensation against their employer that they will find their employment jeopardised, or their working relationship harmed in some way.

Whilst understandable, this doesn't hold up to practical scrutiny, and in fact there are four very good reasons why if you have been injured in an accident at work which wasn't your fault, you should definitely consider making a work accident compensation claim as soon as possible.

1. Financial compensation for expenses incurred & income lost. If you have been injured at work in an accident that was not your fault, and for which liability can clearly be placed with your employer, it simply doesn't make sense to suffer the inevitable financial hardships when you don't have to. If you have been injured you may well need to take time off work, and this can result in a loss of earnings, which your employer is unlikely to voluntarily recompense you for.

Not only that but medical bills and expenses can add up, as well as other things such as the cost of any care and travel. The money you need is waiting for you to submit your claim, and frankly if you're trying to recover from an injury, worrying about money isn't going to help.

2. Specific risk resolved, safeguarding injured party & all other employees. Whether your claim for compensation is successful or not, it is almost certain that your employer will address the cause of the injury, and rectify this, implementing safeguards which should ensure both you and all other employers are better protected in future.

3. Increased probability that other potential risks are addressed, increasing safety & welfare for all. Once an employer realises that their negligence, cost cutting or laziness has resulted in an injury, and a subsequent compensation case, it is highly likely that a more thorough analysis of all health and safety issues will be undertaken, ensuring that overall the workplace is a good deal safer in future, for everyone who will work there.

4. Solicitors in discussion with employer to ensure sound working relationship. Most solicitors will ensure that as part of their service discussions are held with your employer to ensure that there will be no on-going issues or disputes in relation to the claim. Remember, your employer will not have had to pay a penny of your compensation, as their insurance policy covers your payment.

By not making a work accident compensation claim you could well be letting your employer get away with putting your safety and the safety of all your colleagues on the line. The next accident could be even more serious, and may well be preventable by taking the right action now.

Wills, Living Wills and Health Care Power of Attorney - What Is the Difference?


Many people don't know what all of these are, and, with my experience in health care field and consulting for legal services, I thought I'd elaborate on the differences and needs. Wills, also known as last will and testaments, are VERY different than living wills and health care power of attorneys. The main similarity is they all have to do with what YOU want under difficult circumstances. They all let family know what you want, as well as hospitals, courts, etc. know your desires.

To begin with, a will is a legal document stating what you want happening to your assets and children after you die. This document is very involved and having the help of an attorney is definitely preferable to doing it yourself, especially if you can get it done at low cost or no cost. For parents, having a will is essential especially so you can have one of your most precious responsibilities accounted for. Since all of us will die at some point, having a will is crucial to ensuring that your desires are enforced. The last will and testament is a way to voice your opinions when you no longer have a voice to let others know what you want.

Secondly, a living will is most recently known as advanced directive. This is a legal document to let your family know what you want while you are still living. What do I mean? If you are only able to breathe with a machine, do you want to live on a ventilator, or do you want them to pull the plug? Personally, after working with people on ventilators, I would choose to live on one, but many people do not, since it can cost $30,000 a month. Many family members struggle with pulling the plug, feeling that if they do, they killed their loved one. However, if they know that's what you wanted, in many cases it would be an easier decision for them to make. There are also things called full code and DNR. If you want to be full code, that means that you want health care professionals to do anything they need to in order to keep you alive. DNR, Do Not Resuscitate, means that if you are not breathing and don't have a pulse, you don't want health professionals to try to continue to keep you alive. These are very different interests and family members need to know what YOU want.

The last of the three I will explain is a Health Care Power of Attorney. This is the person you want deciding where you go if you can no longer make the decision. The health care power of attorney will decide whether you need to stay with a family member, go to a nursing home, assisted living facility, have home health come to take care of you, have a live-in caregiver live with you or the like. The good news is that you can choose a person you trust to make these decisions for you should your health drastically decline. This is a hard decision to make but one that, if you can, you should tell family what you want if you cannot decide anymore.

There are many choices that are yours to make regarding your care toward the end of your life and after you are gone. You get to choose how you want things, while you're still healthy. However, you don't have to do it alone. You can get help from attorneys to help you know the pros and cons to each decision you make regarding legal matters. If you don't know what choices to make, get informed to know what you want. Find help to help you make the best choice for your family by letting them know what you want or not.

Financing Your Franchise


Franchise businesses are a great way for would-be entrepreneurs to easily and quickly enter the business world and secure their financial future.

First, franchises usually provide a proven business model meaning that many franchisees do not have to struggle during a start up period in ensuring the feasibility of their products, their market and their processes.

Second, brand. Many established franchisors have already spent the time and effort in educating the consuming public or your potential target market to the benefits of the products and services the franchise offers.

And, lastly, economies of scale. One issue that almost every new business owner faces is the ability or power to negotiate price reductions with suppliers or vendors. But, with the buying power of an entire franchise system (compared to a single business unit) franchisees are able to realize huge purchasing discounts from the very day they open their doors.

Over the last two years, many franchise concepts have struggled in this economy just as other traditional, stand alone businesses have. However, not all franchises are made the same and, as a result, not all have suffered the same. In fact, according to an October 2009 press release from FRANdata, the world's largest repository of franchise information and data, "The home health care industry is rapidly growing... What's more, demand for in-home care service is only expected to grow over the next decade as baby boomers continue to age and require assisted living services."

The bottom line is that while many franchise concepts have felt the same economic pinch that nearly all other businesses have, overall, as an industry, it seems that many franchises found it easier to weather the storm based on some of the particulars outlined above. In fact, according to Jason Daley (an Entrepreneur Magazine Contributor) 2010 and beyond is expected to see a modest recovery in franchise businesses such as fast food, tax prep and home repair not to mention the staples in the industry like pet care and products related to children.

But, while purchasing a franchise may be the best path for many would-be entrepreneurs, actually finding the financing for that purchase still remains a very high hurdle to overcome.

Many well known franchisors relied on preferred lender programs with national or international financial institutions. Here, the franchisor would essentially pre-sale its business model to banks and other national lenders. Thus, when a strong prospect for a new franchise appeared, the franchisor would simply send that person to their preferred lender or lenders.

However, many of these same preferred lender partners were the ones that got hit hardest during the financial crisis and as a result have either pulled back or stopped these preferred lending relationships.

Today, just like any business owner seeking financing, the capital or credit pool for franchises remains very shallow but it has not completely dried up.

Here are five potential avenues when seeking the financing to purchase or grow a franchise business:

1) Always start with the franchisor. Your franchisor only succeeds as the number of units they sell increase. And, if financing is a common problem, look to the franchisor to help you (the franchisee) solve that problem. There are still a few preferred lending programs with some of the largest, most well known franchise concepts. And, while these relationships have tighten, your franchisor will be a great source in helping you determine if you are a strong candidate for these programs - before you waste any time and effort in applying directly.

Moreover, many franchisors that have lost their preferred lender partners have turned to in-house financing programs - making approvals much easier as your lender (the franchisor) already understand the overall benefit and potential of the business as well as its long-term revenue generation ability.

2) SBA loans. The SBA loves franchises. First, they understand that the model is proven to work, second, that you, the franchisee, are not alone in business and have tons of resources at your disposal and third, the SBA knows that many franchisors will step in and either help the franchisee or take over the franchise should the individual business owner not be able to overcome its own obstacles.

When seeking either SBA or conventional loans, contact community or region banks first. Many of these financial institutions were not hurt by the financial market break down as they just simply did not have large amounts of toxic home mortgage loans in their portfolio. But, these same organizations, not having a lot of experience in funding franchise businesses, will need to be educated about your particular franchise and its potential in paying back a loan. This means more time and effort on your part in selling these lenders the business's ability to service the requested loan.

3) Franchise loan brokers. Brokers can be a great method in securing funding for your franchise. They understand the market and keep up with the latest trends; who's lending and who is not. Further, they can pre-approve you under certain programs as they understand both your situation and which program would serve your business best; saving you both time and trouble. Look at brokers like FranFund, Franchise Direct or FranChoice Inc.

4) Non-bank lenders. Most non-bank lenders receive their capital pools (the money they in turn lend out) from private investors. And, while these investors did pull back a bit during the recession, non-banks lenders seem to be recovering much faster than their traditional counterparts. Companies to look at are WingFinance, CIT or Diamond Financial Services.

5) Bootstrapping. A common practice of finding any way possible to scrap together the funding you need to either purchase or grow your franchise. Possible bootstrapping techniques could be loans from friends or family, finding local, private investors (think local Doctors, Lawyers, CPAs or other business owners who want to invest in their own communities), or using personal assets like home equity or the sale of a second home to get the financing you need.

In general, while franchises are great ways to jump right into business quickly and easily with proven products and tons of potential customers, franchisees are still facing the same financing hurdles as every other business. But, by knowing which avenues to approach for a franchise or business loan will not only save you time and money but may just get you that elusive 'Yes' approval; moving you one step closer to your dreams.

The Importance of Home Health


In Miami home health care is becoming more prevalent because of the overcrowding of hospitals. While that's not a bad thing, elderly care in Miami is beneficial to those who have very limited mobility. The specialization for elderly care professions range from nurses to speech pathologists. Where elderly care in Miami is especially important are for members of assisted or retirement communities.

Make no mistake about it, senior citizens need the deepest amount of healthcare and regardless of where they live. Imagine the benefits of having elderly care. There is no risk of an emergency in the transportation of patients from the home to the hospital.

Home health is becoming more prevalent because of the flexibility that if affords patients. It's also cost effective for hospitals and other health professions.

When living in an assisted living center or retirement community, it becomes especially beneficial because of the resources that are already there.

Home health professionals are trained to be aggressive and understanding the needs of every patient. More and more retirement communities are employing home health professionals because they are realizing that there are many benefits to it and structurally it makes sense for the retirement community.

Healthcare is a delicate thing today and you need the best care at any moment's notice. Home health is definitely a way to do so. Getting care at any point in the day is something that will benefit everyone. Allow home healthcare in Miami work for you. It will be the best decision for you and the family.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Old and Single With No Place to Turn - What is a Person To Do?


What is an old, single person to do, when their health is failing, income is limited, and they cannot afford to stay in their apartment or house any longer? They find themselves in a very difficult position which makes them dependent on others for their care. These are some of the people who can fall through the cracks of the "system", because they have no one to advocate for the as they navigate the system.

I have three questions that I find very difficult to answer.

1) Who are these single people?
Single people are all over the place and often we never think about them. They are the widows, widowers, divorced men and women who never remarry, and the men and women who never married. Often times they live very quite and unassuming lives. Invisible to many of us because, for the most part, they never bring attention to themselves. They go about their business not wanting to draw attention, always paid their bills, worked for years, probably at the same company. For years single people have been vital members of our community, paid rent, taxes, and never wanted to be a burden on anyone.

Then all of a sudden they find themselves old! There income is limited and fixed. Retired with either a little pension or no pension, most live from month to month on their social security. Any savings they might have are slowly being used to keep up with monthly expenses that their social security does not cover. Health insurance is minimal and not always the best quality. Rent, food, medicine and daily cost of living exceeds what they receive on a monthly basis.

The lucky single senior have a family who are close by and are active in their lives. These families can be advocates for them and assist them to navigate the bureaucracy. Ensuring that they receive the services that are available for them, and when necessary the family members will assist the single senior financially, in order to help keep the senior living in the quality of life they deserve and want.

2) What happens to the single old person who have no family to watch over them?
They tend to become invisible. Disappearing from the main stream of life, buried in their apartments and homes, until one day there is a medical emergency. When that happens they come on the radar screen, a case number, and someones' responsibility to deal with them. Usually that someone is overworked and bogged down in a maze of rules and regulations that guide their every action. Very rarely do they get to know their clients as the person they were before they became old and ill. They are only looking at the current facts

These singles, are passed through the system and unless they are physically and mentally capable of standing up for themselves they just exist. They will more than likely need to move from their homes into public senior housing. Living day to day, going in and out of hospitals until the end of their life. What a sad existence.

3) How can this happen in the United States?
These people are our responsibility. Why should they be warehoused in dreary public senior housing? Why is their no housing vouchers available for seniors to live in pleasant and airy assisted living facilities? They have lived and work their whole lives and this is not the rewards they deserve. Congregate and shared housing is a viable possibility for single seniors. There has to be a reasonable and more pleasant living arrangement that can be made for people in this situation.

The problem is here and now, and the solutions available at this time are not really acceptable. The challenge for the Baby Boomers and the X and Y Generation is to come up with a cost effective housing arrangement to accommodate all seniors no matter what their economic situation is in life. We are all entitle have a clean and pleasant home to live and be cared with dignity and grace.

Helpful Tips in Finding a Good Nursing Home


Finding a good nursing home is not easy, and often people are under a lot of pressure to react quickly due to a recent relatives hospitalisation or deterioration in a loved ones condition. The more information you can get, the greater chance you will have in finding a suitable nursing home.

Here are some useful tips to help you find a suitable nursing home:

Consider the medical needs you require

Different nursing homes may have more expertise in different areas. Are they experienced in dealing with the areas of care required, such as for Alzheimer's or a stroke? Or short term rehabilitation? for example. Factor in distance. In general, the more closer the home, the easier it is for family and friends to visit. Once you have narrowed down a list of nursing homes you think maybe suitable, it's now time to make a visit. With all nursing homes it is the people that make a good environment, you will have to consider both the staff and current residents. You will also have to make sure that the kind of care you require is being given on a regular basis and appropriately.

Take a look at the staff!

Look at the staff roster. What is the staffing level at different times of the day?
Does the staffing level change on weekdays, weekends or evening?
Do the staff have time to speak to you or the patients or do they feel rushed?
Do you see them interacting warmly with current residents?
Do they show a compassionate nature with current residents?

Residents and their families

Do the residents appear to be happy?
Do they appear to be well dressed?
Do they look well groomed and clean?
Do they smell? If you see a family visiting ask them their impressions. Find out how often social gatherings and activities are arranged.

Cleanliness and Hygiene

Does the Home appear clean?
Does it smell?
Does it smell of over powering deoderisers? Check the toilets are clean and have good hygienic standards.

Activities

All good care homes will have an activities programme. Do the activities involve keeping you fit physically? Do the activities involve keeping you fit mentally? Are the activities fun and enjoyable? Check if outside activities can be arranged.

Referrals

Start by asking your family doctor or specialist if they have any recommendations? Find out from friends or family who have first-hand experience and have used different homes in the past? Search for nursing home listings on reputable websites or directories, these often have write-ups and testimonials etc.

Beating Burnout In Helping Professionals


Helping professionals have a high risk of burnout. This is due to the intensity, significant responsibility, lack of control and decision making powers, and a culture that has unrealistic expectations of nurturing and self-sacrifice from helpers.

Burnout is defined as physical and emotion depletion caused by an intense involvement in a situation in which the person has little control and recognition. Burnout is most likely to occur in situations where an individual perceives little effect from his or her efforts. Burnout can be caused by unrealistic expectations and demands from an outside source, or from idealistic goals, perfectionism and unreasonable expectations of oneself.

Common Symptoms of Burnout

Those working in a high stress environment may experience many of the warning signs of burnout. Some of the most common symptoms are:


  • Increased absenteeism

  • Avoiding or rushing through patient care

  • Rigid rules and "by the book" approaches

  • Dehumanizing patients

  • Anger and emotional outbursts

  • Increasingly cynical attitudes

  • Boredom

  • Stress from work interfering in social and family relationship

  • Physical symptoms of stress such as headaches sleep disturbance and tiredness.


Organizational Steps For Prevention of Burnout

The system itself is often not conducive to self-care. Administrators and supervisors don't always recognize or concern themselves with the level of stress experienced by nurses. They are often under tremendous pressure themselves. If you are lucky enough to have a supervisor/administrator who is concerned with the needs of the nursing staff, here are some suggestions that they might consider adopting to support the staff.


  • Rotate staff as much as possible in order to distribute difficult patients and assignments

  • Include staff in discussions of rotations, and stress reliever suggestions

  • Build group cohesiveness by regular trainings, discussions, in-services

  • Let staff suggest topics

  • Encourage peer support

  • Offer recognition for success, and excellence

  • Vary professional responsibilities

  • A monthly newsletter with updates and kudos is always appreciated

  • Let staff know it is all right to ask for a "stress break"

  • Watch for signs of significant stress in staff, and offer them help.

Asking for and accepting help must be part of the culture within the organization. Admitting to being stressed must be accepted and not viewed as a sign of weakness. It takes time to build the attitude required for this level of openness to occur. Although administrators at first might see these suggestions as daunting, they will soon see their efforts rewarded with lower staff turnover, fewer days of absenteeism, a more productive and satisfied staff, and improved patient care.

Helping Ourselves Prevent Burnout

If you work in a situation where support from administration is not forthcoming, you must do what you can both as an individual and with your colleagues to prevent burnout. In situations where administrative support is lacking, there is often a high turnover of staff. This creates increased responsibility and more stress on the remaining helpers. It makes it more difficult to build a supportive cohesive group, and increases staff burnout.

Helping professionals must learn to take care of themselves; this is much easier to say then do! Although there are more men in the helping professions today, in nursing the vast majority are still women. Womens' sense of self is often one of caretaker and nurturer, and our society perpetuates this view. Nurturing and care taking have long been associated with women in general and nurses in particular. Empathy is a mainstay of the helping professions, particularly the "womens' professions" such as nursing and social work. Nurturance has historically been intertwined with, and seen as a major function of nursing. Nursing has been called the "practice of professional nurturing".

When a woman must choose between caring for herself and caring for another, social pressure fosters the choice of nurturing of others. Women often experiences conflict when faced with what may seem like a continual choice of caring for others or caring for themselves. It is not unusual for women to have difficulty saying no or setting limits thus end up doing more than they really want to. They frequently nurture everyone but themselves consequential feeling conflicted, unappreciated, resentful, and burned out. As women, nurses already struggle with these issues, which are then further exacerbated by the nursing role of nurturer.

Some important reminders for all those in the helping professions are:


  • Take care of you, it will relieve some of your stress and allow you to better take care of others

  • Learn and use self-empathy and self-nurturing techniques

  • Try understanding and treating yourself with the same care you give your patients

  • Allow yourself to say no, offer alternatives, or even avoid situations if you feel unable to say no

  • Increase your self-awareness

  • Plan for a routine to help ease the transition from work to home. (Do not use alcohol to unwind)

  • Do not expect all your feelings of self-esteem to come from your profession.

  • Develop outside interests that have nothing to do with helping others!

  • Try to avoid over-identification with patients

  • Recognize and allow your own feelings

  • Develop relationships outside of work where you can talk about your feelings

  • Practice stress reduction techniques (exercise, relaxation, meditation, distraction)

  • Plan for regular breaks, conferences, and vacations

  • Talk with colleagues to not only complain, but also to also make plans for burnout prevention, take charge where you can

  • Know when to say "enough", consider transfer if necessary

Burnout can and must be prevented. Recognition of your own level of stress and self-care are the keys to stress reduction and burnout prevention. When self-care is a priority, helping others can be the rewarding successful career it is meant to be.

Burnout can also have an unexpected positive influence in your life; it can act as a catalyst to make a much-needed change. It can be the impetus to move on to different more rewarding careers. Caregivers in search of something more have become entrepreneurs (the writer included) and have developed many ways of working as a helper that allow them more reward both financial and personal, and more control over their careers and their lives.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!

Where to Find the Best Nursing Jobs


Looking for a great job that you can make into a career? Nursing jobs are in so much of a demand, that you can find some of the best careers there are in this field by just doing your research a little. Nursing careers these days have some of the best salaries and great benefits that jobs have to offer. The thing you have to keep in mind is where to find these amazing jobs. Whether you are going to nursing school, or are already an R.N., C.N.A, or another specialty nurse, knowing where to go for the best jobs is key.

When looking for the best nursing job, you have to know whether or not you want to do some traveling. There are jobs that have you doing home health care, meaning you would check on your patients at their own home. Some hospitals will offer traveling for them to give services wherever you are needed. These hospitals have travel agencies. These hospital travel agencies will offer incentives plus higher pay wages, and offer lodging assistance. You will be doing vitals, and checking the patients for whatever they need your services for. Traveling nurses are usually on the road anywhere from thirteen weeks in length to fifty-two weeks in length, depending on the contract. This job is great for seeing all over the United States and sometimes even the world.

If traveling isn't your forte, you can go for the hospitals, retirement homes, or nursing homes. Many great states have the best nursing programs and jobs. Here are just a few of the best states to find great nursing job opportunities, whether it is for the amazing pay or for having the best hospitals and teaching hospitals.

For the highest paying salaries in the nursing field, you will need to look into California. California offers nursing jobs from twenty-five dollars per hour to forty-two dollars, depending on experience. This is mainly because California is such a large state with a large population and has some of the best hospitals in the United States.

New York also has some of the best hospitals. Since this state has so many great hospitals, there are also great nursing opportunities. The average hourly wage for a nurse is just around thirty-five dollars an hour. This is one of the highest pay rates for nursing in the United States.

Another large state that offers some of the best hospitals to work for is Florida. Florida is one of the largest retirement areas and has some of the highest paying nursing jobs. Florida offers anywhere from fifteen dollars an hour to thirty dollars an hour, depending on the field of nursing you are in. Having tons of nursing and retirement homes, Florida also offers one of the best hospitals in the United States. This would be Shands at the University Of Florida. It features world-renowned doctors and is a very popular teaching hospital. This hospital needs a large nursing staff and has many positions for them.

Going to school to be a nurse, or if you are already a nurse, can be very rewarding. With so many career opportunities, you can find a job with great pay, and they offer some of the best benefits and retirement around. Whatever state you live in likely has many jobs in the nursing career. However, these states listed offer some the best chances for work.

Stop Nursing Home Abuse With The Law


Because so many people have waited until later in life to have children, we are facing a generational dilemma - known as the sandwich generation. These people are still raising their own children, while also becoming responsible for the care of an aging parent or parents. As many people are aging, their families are turning to residential care facilities to assist them in caring for their loved one.

Many of these facilities, and the people that work in them, are fully equipped for and dedicate themselves to caring properly for the elderly. Unfortunately, however, some people and facilities fail to properly equip themselves and the result is abuse. The abuse that occurs in a nursing home is tragic, and the abused is powerless to stop or control it. Add to this the health complications that come with aging, many abused patients are unable to communicate with their family that something bad is happening to them.

Conditions that can contribute or lead to abuse within a nursing home facility include, but are not limited to: understaffing, over-capacity, dangerous or unsafe conditions within the facility, inadequate maintenance of the facility, and more. When these conditions lead to negligence and/or abuse of a loved one, there are several things you should do. The most important is to take immediate action, because abuse and/or neglect can have a lasting, negative affect on your loved one, your family and yourself.

Nursing home abuse is considered personal injury in a court of law, and compensation can be sought. Seek an attorney with experience in personal injury law, along with nursing home abuse. The attorney will be able to answer your questions, and guide you as you seek compensation. This compensation does not reverse the negative effects of abuse, but it may help with medical expenses, transfer costs, pain and suffering, and other expenses incurred due to the abuse.

Oftentimes, an attorney can reach a settlement agreement with the nursing home without taking the case to trial. Once you and your attorney have collected, gathered and assembled all of the evidence, your attorney should be able to fully answer your questions and guide you in making the right decisions for your case. Ensuring that your loved one does not continue to endure abuse or negligence is a priority. With the guidance of an attorney, you will be able to move your loved one to a facility that will care properly for them, and seek the compensation that you and your loved one deserve. No one should be abused, whether young or old, male or female, abuse must be stopped.

What Is A Standby Generator?


Most people get their power from the local electric grid. While this is quite useful, it is not always dependable. A particularly bad bit of weather can easily knock out the power to your home or business, and even a mistake on the lines might leave your home dark for days. While this is an annoyance for most, it is far more dire for those who need to have power twenty-four hours a day. Whether you are worried about keeping an oxygen machine going for a loved one or you do not want to risk losing the food in your refrigerator, you may want to look for a standby generator to alleviate such power problems.

A standby generator is a handy product that makes sure that loss of electricity from the utility company does not mean that electricity will be lost to your home or your place of work. Rather than depending on the traditional electric grid of power, most of these devices make use of some form of gas power, generally through natural gas, propane or even diesel power. These generators can often work for several hours at a time, and the only real limits on the power of these generators is their source of fuel. Though not meant to be a replacement for electricity, these generators can be quite useful in an emergency.

The average standby generator differs from other emergency generators due to the fact that its activation is usually an automatic process. The generator itself is hooked to an automatic switch, a device which can sense whether or not power is still flowing in from the electric company. Once the power goes out, the switch is triggered and the standby generator will kick in. When power returns from the utility, most generators will likewise be powered down by the same switch. This leads to less time with power lost during emergencies and less fuel usage when the generator is not needed.

Most standby generators are used by those who are required to have them. Hospitals are the most common owners of such equipment, as are nursing homes. Other required owners are those who own high-rise apartment buildings, as the elevators are generally required to have power even in an outage. There are many others who simply choose to make use of the generators, though, noting the sheer utility of the products. Many major food chains keep standby generators available to make sure that their refrigerated units do not lose power, and even some homes make use of standby generators to keep important appliances or even life-saving equipment online.

RN Jobs - What You Will Be Expected to Do


RN jobs entail providing direct care to patients, from generalized to specialized practice, in numerous areas of health care. When working in a hospital, an RN is often required to assign tasks to others, and might even supervise nursing staff who have a lower level of seniority, including nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses.

Besides working in a hospital setting, registered nursing jobs are available in public health agencies, home health care services, nursing care facilities and physicians' offices. Depending on the setting worked in, registered nurses might even receive specialized on-the-job training in order to prepare them for a specific type of care, such as paediatrics, oncology or women's health.

Long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes or chronic care hospitals require RNs to work long hours, weekends and nights. However, other health care settings do not expect so much from their registered nurses; an example may be a registered nurse working in a physician's office. This entails standard 8 hour shifts during regular hours - the same schedule as the doctor worked for.

RN Jobs Overview

Duties

The most common duties which registered nurses are expected to perform on a daily basis are as follows:

- Provide treatment for patients suffering from chronic medical conditions, injuries and illnesses
- Observe and record symptoms of patients
- Administer injections and medications
- Help physicians carry out examinations and in surgery
- Assess the progress of patients based on their treatment plans
- Dress wounds and incisions
- Offer support to patients and their families to help them cope with the diagnosed illness
- Educate patients on how they can improve their health
- Assign and supervise nurses as they carry out patient care plans

Required Skills for RN Jobs

In order for a registered nurse to obtain a job and excel at it, a few skills are required. These include:

- Compassion
- A high attention to detail
- The ability to deal with stressful situations
- Very good communication skills
- A decent level of physical fitness

Is Becoming a Registered Nurse Right for You?

As I am sure you are already aware, health care is one of the few industries which is able to enjoy a high level of employment growth despite the bad economy - job stability is usually a good enough reason for many people to enter into the field of nursing. However, you will also need to be compassionate, want to make a difference to other people's lives, and be prepared to work long hours. If this accurately describes you, you can start you career as a registered nurse by obtaining an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in nursing.

RN Jobs are available in a range of settings; therefore, you can either work in a traditional health care facility or explore non-traditional options. For example, you can become a travel nurse, where you are free to choose your assignments and the duration of these assignments. In addition, you can receive free housing, a signing-on bonus and relocation costs. Whatever you decide, I am confident that you will find working as a registered nurse, both a rewarding and satisfying career.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

5 Ways to Ease the Stress of Caring For an Aging Parent


It's hard enough managing the to-do's in our own lives. Add to that the responsibility of in home care - managing every aspect of someone else's life too - and it can be overwhelming. Yet that is exactly what millions of people do each year providing senior services for their aging parents, and it is taking its toll. According to a study by the National Alliance for Caregiving, more than 50 percent of those providing assisted living services for their parents experience increased levels of stress and strain, often to the point of being detrimental to their health.

In other words, it does your aging parent little good if you run yourself down to the point of exhaustion while providing for their personal care, companionship or homemaking needs. It is critical that while looking after the mental, emotional and physical health of your loved one that you take precautionary steps to preserve your own.

Follow these 5 steps to ease the stress of caregiving in your life:

1. Maintain a healthy diet. You know how important eating well is to your aging parent. Well, it is equally important to you, so do yourself and your loved one a favor - make it a habit of eating at least three balanced meals a day.

2. Exercise. You need all the strength you can get when caring for an aging parent, especially if they need assistance moving around, so staying physically fit is critical. Equally important, physical activity is a great stress reliever - the perfect way to re-energize yourself so you can be at your best, for your loved one and for yourself.

3. Get plenty of sleep. As exhausted as your body may be from running around all day caring for yourself and caring for your loved one, that often doesn't stop your mind from working overtime, especially at night. Worry is inevitable, but find a routine that helps ensure you get plenty of rest, whether that means a hot cup of chamomile tea before bed or taking naps throughout the day whenever you have an opportunity.

4. Go in for regular medical checkups. When you're caring for someone else, it can be easy to dismiss signs of your own ill health. Or there may be things going on that you're not even aware of. Just to be safe, it's important that you see a doctor on a regular basis, as stress is one of the number one causes of physical illness.

5. Consider professional in home care. Whether you're helping your aging parent just a few days a week or 24/7, you and your loved one can benefit from in home care with a professional caregiver. For instance, Synergy HomeCare is widely known as the most trusted name in home care, providing senior services throughout Arizona, including:

- Personal care services
- Homemaking services
- Companionship services

In home care can be especially beneficial to those whose aging parents are living with Alzheimer's or dementia, as helping a loved one with these conditions can be particularly challenging. You not only need help for them, but respite care for you so you can get away for a while to avoid burn-out.

Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse FAQ's


Sadly, people do not realize that many claims are made against nursing homes for abusing their mother or grandmother, or that compensation can be arranged for improper treatment. It is terrible that things like this go on in today's world, but it is something you should take responsibility in being aware of. If you notice that your loved one is being neglected or mistreated, the first thing you should do is bring it up to the nursing home. Be sure to document everything that you believe is considered a mistreatment, and make the nursing home aware that you are documenting everything, and make a professional threat that they need to address the situation.

If the establishment disregards your threat, and continues to practice in ways that you believe are neglectful, immoral, or simply wrong, then what you will have to do is file a complaint to the State Department of Health that is located in your area. In the complaint that you file to your department of health, you should include basic information like your name and address, the relationship you have to the person or persons being mistreated, their address, and detailed information about the problems that are in question. You should even include people that work at the nursing home if they are involved in the situation in any sort of way. Medical records or other forms of proof would also be helpful to your case.

After you have made several complaints with no response from the nursing home, you should then decide to contact an attorney for professional help in the manner. This can equate to a speedier process with the State Department of Health, and can mean that the home will take a different attitude towards you. When you are being represented professionally, they will see that you are serious about your threats and concerns. Many things are considered abuse worthy when talking about the treatment of people in elderly homes, so chances are if you are concerned about your mother, grandmother, or whoever you have that is related to you in the nursing home, you might have a case.

Things that have been at nursing homes that practice immoral ways and mistreat the people that stay there are things like giving the people who live their improper diets. Physical and emotional abuse has also been very common, and should be stopped immediately. You should not hesitate to take a stand to try and help your loved ones and hire professional help to ensure the health and safety of your loved one.

Lack of Regulations Causes Increase in Bounce House Injuries


Families gathering on a sunny, cloudless day for a youth soccer tournament in Oceanside, N.Y., soon found their fun-filled outing becoming an unbelievable nightmare as gusts of wind sent three giant, inflatable bounce houses careening across the field, lifting their occupants and colliding with participants and bystanders. The accident resulted in multiple injuries, sending 13 children and adults to the hospital for treatment, including one mother who was critically injured when an inflatable crash-landed on her.

The inflatable amusements were set up for the event to provide entertainment to young people who attended. Like other bounce house accidents, what began as an innocent fun turned into serious danger when the houses unexpectedly became airborne. As the inflatables began to lift off the ground and scud across the field, tossing and tumbling the children trapped inside, parents, coaches and other onlookers attempted to grab and hold the giant structures, only to find themselves knocked flat. Others attempted to "pop" the houses with pocketknives in an attempt to deflate them.

Mike Perniches, one of the fathers at the event, told the Associated Press, "I never thought there would be any serious issues, any concerns with safety - but now, I'm like, forget it."

Although they may appear "lighter than air," bounce houses are actually heavy structures that can cause considerable injury when not properly installed and supervised.

Unfortunately, injuries are not uncommon: In April in just over a week, nine children were injured when two inflatable slides collapsed in events in California; in 2010, a Pennsylvania man died after he was pinned by a collapsing slide; and in that same year, a five-year-old boy died when he fell from an inflatable, landing on a concrete floor.

A 2005 report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission examined accident rates involving inflatables and found there were 4,900 bounce house injury cases in 2004, a significant rise compared to accident data from 1997 which linked the structures with 1,300 injuries.

The increase in bounce house accidents is likely due to two primary factors: an increase in the popularity of the portable play areas and an alarmingly spotty record of industry-wide safety regulations and bounce house operating instructions. As a result, many injuries occur due to lack of proper installation and management. Often, bounce house companies and renters allow structures to be overseen by individuals who have not received proper training. The installer may also have very little, if any, guidance in proper anchoring.

Individuals who are injured by inflatables can have serious injuries and incur considerable costs; even minor injuries can end up requiring thousands of dollars in care. Hiring a lawyer with significant experience in handling bounce house liability cases is the first step in ensuring adequate compensation. In addition to renter liability, a qualified attorney can determine the existence of both operator liability and supervisor liability, helping make sure those injured receive payment for their ordeals. The attorneys of Baird Law Group have the experience needed to ensure victims' rights are fully protected. Learn more about bounce house injuries and the rights of those injured at http://www.bouncehouseinjuries.com.

Pressure Ulcers: What Are They And How Do You Get Them?


Pressure ulcers are more commonly referred to as bedsores. Most of us have heard of them before but few really understand what they are or how you get them.

A pressure ulcer or bed sore occurs when a person who is inactive and has difficulty moving easily isn't moved regularly. Bedsores are not something everyone can expect to get as they age. In fact they are completely avoidable and directly caused by inadequate care. If pressure ulcers go untreated they can cause serious infections and eventually even become fatal.

Bedsores will be found on the more bony areas of the body. This is because the person's body weight has decreased the blood flow in that area. The most common places to find pressure ulcers are the tailbone, lower back, hip area and heels.

It is possible to get a bed sore from a single incident of a lack of blood flow combined with pressure however it is much more likely to get them from prolonged or repeated incidents of a patient being left prone. Ultimately a patient who gets pressure ulcers is being neglected.

The patients who are most inclined to suffer from bed sores are likely to have the following conditions:


  • Poor diet or dehydration

  • Difficulty controlling bladder or bowels

  • Decreased mental state or awareness

  • Confined to a bed or wheelchair

  • Immobile or incapable of changing positions without help

In the early stages of a pressure ulcer you can reverse the sores simply be relieving pressure and moving the patient again. However once bed sores are present the patient will need to be moved or rotated every couple of hours. This is important to relieve the pressure in the areas of the bedsores and to allow the wounds to begin to heal.

There are four stages of bedsores and if they get to the later stages surgery may be necessary to treat the bed sores and if nothing is done pressure ulcers can eventually be fatal.

The problem with pressure ulcers is that if a patient develops them it typically means they are not being cared for correctly. This also means they are not likely to receive the treatment they need to heal.

If your loved one has pressure ulcers you need to take action immediately. Understand that this is not normal and your loved one is not receiving the care they need. In a nursing home, a patient with bedsores is being neglected. Monitor the situation and try to catch neglect in the early stages. Nursing home abuse can be a big problem and bedsores are a clear warning sign.

If you believe someone you love is being mistreated in a care facility talk to nursing home neglect lawyers to better understand your options and how you can fight for the rights of your loved one.

Perfect Gifts for Seniors Living in Assisted Living Facilities


It's no secret that finding the perfect gift for a senior citizen is a bit difficult, but shopping for a present for someone living in an assisted living facility is a little more tedious. Individuals in long-term care facilities may not need much more than the everyday necessities. However, when it comes birthdays or Christmas presents, they deserve something a little extra special too.

Keep it simple. There's no need to go overboard with the gifts you buy for an individual living in assisted living facility. In many places, the seniors' rooms remain unlocked, so you will want something that isn't extremely valuable in case it gets broken or misplaced

Gifts for Seniors in Long-Term Care Facilities

Here are some gift ideas for those living in nursing homes or other types of long-term residential facilities:


  • Soap, lotions and other toiletries

  • Tissues with decorative holders

  • Box of miscellaneous greeting cards with pre-stamped envelopes

  • Filled picture frames and photo albums

  • Homemade treats (if allowed)

  • Decorative hand towels

  • Lap blankets

  • Phone cards

  • Homemade arts and crafts (from grandchildren)

  • Favorite music on CD

  • Large-print books and puzzles

  • Housecoat and slippers

  • Bed jacket, shawl or nice cardigan sweater

  • New shirts and pants

  • New blanket or afghan

  • Pads of paper and pens to write notes

  • Hats, scarves and gloves

  • Stuffed animals

  • Large dial watch or alarm clock

  • Costume jewelry and hair accessories

Gifts That Keep Giving

There are also many gifts you can give to someone living in an assisted living facility that don't cost anything more than time. Most often, these mean more than items purchased from a store:


  • Acknowledgement:Just smiling and saying hello to other residents gives them a feeling of reassurance and respect

  • Compliments: Taking notice of a resident's new haircut or sweater will boost his or her self-esteem.

  • Conversation:Many residents enjoy talking especially to someone new. Spend a few minutes chatting with several residents; it will make their day.

  • Teach a skill: Knitting and crocheting are pretty popular at senior housing facilities, so if you have these skills, spend an afternoon with residents who enjoy these crafts too. If possible, bring in some extra yarn and needles or hooks so others can get involved.

  • Reading: Spend a few hours each week or month reading to those who can no longer see well enough to read.

  • Bring on the music: If you are musically inclined or know someone who is, spend some time each month conducting sing-a-longs with the residents.

  • Activity helper: Call out numbers for a bingo game or help players with their game cards

  • Raise money: Organize a community fundraiser to help raise funds for an assisted living facility; money raised can purchase crafts and other activities.

Final Note

Don't buy gifts that are heavy or take up a lot of space. There isn't much room for them. Also, many residents of assisted living facilities don't have families or friends who visit, so you may want to add them to your shopping lists for birthdays or Christmas. They will certainly enjoy and appreciate being remembered.

Why Do So Many People Think That Making A Personal Injury Claim Is Wrong?


If you bring up the subject of injury claims or compensation in a conversation often people's reactions and responses suggest that this is a negative thing to do. Often people seem to have the impression that there is something inherently bad or wrong about making a personal injury claim for compensation.

Most of us have heard the phrase 'compensation culture' banded about, and again this is usually used in a negative way. But what exactly is wrong about making a claim for compensation if you have been injured through no fault of your own, and where the blame for your injuries lies squarely with another party?

If you were driving your car perfectly safely down the high street, and another driver suddenly shot out from a side road without looking, slamming into your vehicle, and causing injuries, it is hard to understand how anybody could then decide that it would be wrong of you to claim compensation from the other driver.

Presumably these people would be more than happy to accept the fact that they would be unable to work for several weeks or months, leaving them massively out of pocket, facing overwhelming debts, and quite possibly at risk of losing their home. They would be happy to accept the cost of care, or medication, and the many other costs such as paying for transportation whilst unable to drive themselves, and all the while knowing that the other driver was paying an insurance company to cover just those expenses and costs. It simply doesn't make sense.

We all pay insurance, and that money is there specifically to pay the costs involved should an accident occur. Some of those costs will be in repairing cars or other property, but most of the costs which arise from a road traffic accident are medical costs, or costs which arise from a loss of earnings.

Some people claim that because more people are claiming the compensation they both need and deserve that all of us are having to pay more for our insurance. But when you stop to consider the fact that the costs incurred will be rising as more of us are driving newer cars, as earnings rise, and as costs increase, as well is the fact that there are more cars on the road, and therefore more accidents, it is hardly surprising that we would be expected to pay more for our insurance.

As costs are only ever going to increase, it is unreasonable to expect insurance to drop. Usually the people who claim that making a personal injury claim for compensation is somehow wrong are people who have never themselves been involved in an accident and had to bear the brunt of the financial implications.

Making a personal injury claim will always involves professional medical diagnosis and the gathering of evidence, all of which is subsequently examined and evaluated by professional, experienced and qualified solicitors, as well as being scrutinised by an increasingly cynical insurance company. This means that compensation is only awarded to those people who genuinely need or deserve it.

If you or anybody you know has either been involved in an accident, or is unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident in the future then it is important not to heed the erroneous advice put forward by those who would recommend that you deny yourself the compensation you will inevitably need, and instead contact a personal injury solicitor at the soonest opportunity.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Using Public Records To Investigate Nursing Home Employees Prevents Abuse Cases


"Families turn to nursing homes to give the elderly the care and attention they need, but a congressional report out Monday says 1,600 U.S. nursing homes - nearly one-third - have been cited for abuse." This in a report from CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker.

Some 5,283 nursing homes were cited for abuse violations, according to a review of state inspection records requested by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. These homes were cited for nearly 9,000 abuse violations from January 1999 to January 2001.

"We found examples of residents being punched, choked or kicked by staff members or other residents," Waxman said.

It was indeed a sad day when the time came around to place my mother in a nursing home. Even though the director was understanding and explained that almost everyone that was forced into sitting in her office and having the conversation we were having felt the same way. I could not help thinking about the first day of school when I cried and wailed and just wanted to go home with mother as she headed down the hallway and out to the parking lot. I know that I couldn't hear her footfalls over my own crying, but to this day it seems somehow that I could. I still remember the look on her face clearly now some 40+ years later. I imagine my face looked a bit like that as I sat listening to the practiced monologue of the nursing home director. A mix between mind numbing guilt and stoic determination.

My mother has always been the rock of our family, even before dad passed she was the one you took your problems, any problems to first. She was the one who found shoes, and managed to always know when and what you were hungry for, many times before you did. Now the rock is crumbling around the edges and I just can't leave her alone anymore. Mom has always been independent and has never needed to depend on others for her daily needs; she is the one everyone depended on and so I made good use of online background check services when I finally decided on a Nursing home for her.

I made it a deal breaker to get a list of the nurses and nurses aides that would be attending my mother, the management objected softly but in the end I got my way, and a good thing too. In the first attempt at being an from home detective I found 4 nurses aides with criminal records at the home, 2 had felonies, one for assault. I took this to the managers of moms home and threatened to sue if something wasn't done. They now do intensive background checks on all employees. So if you really love your loved one, I advise you to join a background check website the cost is very affordable. My service gave me a 3 year unlimited search membership for only $29, it has proven its worth several times already. I can also use it to check license plat numbers and telephone numbers even teachers and new neighbors, anybody. It is proving to be the best 20 dollars I have ever invested.

Personal Care Contracts: How It Makes Sense to Pay Your Kids to Take Care of You


Amazingly, more than 1-out-of-4 American adults provide uncompensated care for their aging or infirm loved ones, including parents, relatives, and friends. This percentage is expected to increase as people live longer because of advances in medical technology.

Family members usually make the best caregivers, often assisting with personal care that the elderly or disabled may not feel comfortable receiving from strangers, such as bathing, dressing, and toileting. Of course, the responsibility of being a caregiver can become quite difficult, when you consider how hard it can be to balance caregiving responsibilities with job and family responsibilities. After all, family caregivers provide more than 20 hours of care per week across approximately 4.3 years, on average. Some caregivers are forced to reduced their work schedules or even quit their jobs entirely in order to provide the necessary care for a family member.

The personal care contract as a planning tool

The personal care contract (also known as a personal service agreement) is a Medicaid and estate planning tool that can accomplish quite a bit under the right circumstances. First of all, it creates a mechanism for money to go from the care-recipient to the caregiver in a way that avoids having the transfer be deemed a gift or uncompensated transfer. It does so by giving recognition to the value of the care being given -- after all, paying a third party to give the same care would be very costly. By treating the payment to the caregiver as compensation for the specific services provided, this protects the money that passes as a lump sum from the care-recipient to the caregiver in the following way: Without the use of a care contract, if the loved one were to need nursing home care, all of his or her money would be considered an available asset that could be used to pay for care, making the care-recipient ineligible for Medicaid until all of the assets have been depleted, and any amounts transferred to the caregiver would be deemed gifts, which Medicaid would penalize by imposing a period of ineligibility. However, with a care contract in place, the payments to the caregiver will not be considered gifts, and will reduce the care-recipient's assets and count towards the care-recipient's "Medicaid spend down" when the care-recipient applies for benefits.

This is why more and more families use such formal caregiver contracts in which adult children or other relatives are hired to provide certain services to the loved one for a specified amount of compensation. Services may include such tasks as cooking, cleaning, outdoor maintenance, running errands, transportation, and are often classified as bookkeeping, nursing assistance, and care management. While many people may already be aware that Medicaid allows care contracts for caring for loved ones living at home, they may not be aware that payments made via personal care contracts for providing care services for nursing home residents are also an allowable spend down.

The basic requirements for a care contract

There are three requirements for these types of contracts: (1) the agreement must be in writing, (2) the payment must be prospective -- in other words, for care to be provided in the future, not already provided in the past -- and (3) the compensation for the care must be reasonable, which means it has to be what would be paid to a third party to provide the same care. Local home-care agencies or geriatric care managers can assist in determining the fair market value of those services in a given area.

A personal care agreement should include the following information: It should specify the start date and the duration of the contract; it should detail the services to be provided by the caregiver; it should contain a formula setting forth the average number of hours per week for each service and the expected duration during which the caregiver will provide the care; the compensation to be paid to the caregiver; and that the agreement can only be modified by a written agreement of the parties.

Let's consider an example

Daughter agrees to provide certain services for Mother, including cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands, bookkeeping, nursing assistant-home health aide services, geriatric management, transportation, and interfacing with health care providers. Daughter enters into a written agreement with Mother to provide such services to Mother for her mother's lifetime, in exchange for a lump sum of $75,000. The duration of the contract is determined by looking up Mother's life expectancy using actuarial tables. The $75,000 is paid by Mother to Daughter at the inception of the agreement, when the contract is signed.

Other potential benefits

Personal care agreements help reduce the size of an individual's estate. They can also be used as an alternative to leaving uneven bequests in a Will by rewarding caregivers for the significant time, effort, and money they spend in providing care for an elderly or disabled relative. In doing so, they may prevent conflicts between siblings and other family members, but to be effective in that regard, it may be wise to discuss the arrangement with other siblings or relatives ahead of time.

Consult with a knowledgeable Elder Law Attorney

Families looking to enter into a personal service contract need to be aware that some states require caregivers to be state-certified home care aides. Also, each locale has its own rules and safe-harbors when it comes to these arrangements. An attorney who is familiar with Elder Law issues should be consulted to discuss whether this type of agreement is appropriate under the circumstances, and assist with the preparation of the contract. While a personal care contract may not be appropriate in every situation, anyone caring for a loved one at home or in a nursing home should consider consulting a knowledgeable Elder Law Attorney to discuss this and other Medicaid and estate planning issues.

5 Different Types of Health Care Facilities


Depending on the nature and severity of your injuries, you may end up in a health care facility that is more specialized than a regular hospital of health center. Here are some of the types of specialized health care facilities you may be transported to, depending on the nature of your injuries.

Trauma Center
A trauma center is a hospital that is equipped to provide extensive emergency medical services to patients suffering from traumatic injuries. The injuries that a trauma center treats are ranked from Level I to Level IV, with the most serious cases at Level I facilities. Because trauma centers are expensive to run and not very common; patients outside major cities have to be airlifted to one. Washington State's main trauma center is Harborview Medical Center which is located in Seattle, Washington.

Rehabilitation Center
A rehabilitation center is a facility where patients work to reestablish or relearn abilities they lost because of a serious injury through therapy. Physical therapy helps with movement or previous loss of movement, which occupational therapy might focus on relearning activities of daily life or finding ways to perform them despite a new disability.

Burn Center
A burn center focuses on patients with serious burns. They not only treat burn injuries, but work to help patients return to everyday life often with therapists, social workers, psychiatrists and other professionals who are not conventional doctors. Many hospitals have burn areas in them but the Specialized Burn Centers in Washington are located at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, Tacoma's St. Joseph Medical Center and Spokane's Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Assisted Living Facilities
These facilities may be appropriate for injury victims who need long-term physical or occupational therapy and help with everyday living. This might be true of someone with a severe brain injury or spinal damage. In addition to providing meals and housekeeping, as at a nursing home, the staff at an assisted living facility works with patients to help them regain independence and abilities. Some patients are able to return home eventually; others may need to remain in a facility throughout their lives.

Home care
Home care is an option for patients whose injuries do not require full time hospitalization. A nurse or other health care professional might visit everyday or a few times per week. Depending on the injuries, the professional might do anything from changing bandages to administering a treatment with an IV to helping with personal needs.

Top 9 Emotional Issues You'll Deal With When Moving Your Elder to a Nursing Home


Hopefully you are never faced with a decision that far too many are. Those who are forced to deal with the terrible nursing home placement decision normally do so for one of several reasons:

Your elder becomes too frail to live at home on their own

Your elder becomes too confused with his or her surroundings and become a danger to themselves

Your elder suddenly has become violent with others - striking out at them for no apparent reason

Your elder has just had a major medical issue that requires full time care

Having to make a sudden decision on a nursing homes for a loved one can easily be one of the most difficult decisions a person will have to face in their entire life. One way to help with this situation is to make a plan for such an possibility far in advance of ever needing to make such a decision. This way, even if you are faced with an urgent situation, you'll be able to refer to the plan you put together that was based on sound judgment and plenty of research, rather than letting your emotions drive the decision. Any plan should be discussed with your elder and should adhere to their wishes as closely as possible.

Unfortunately, even if you have a plan, you are very likely to run into several significant emotional issues when the time comes to finalize long term nursing home care. You certainly won't be alone in this situation - any caring person will run into at least some of these feelings. Hopefully by knowing what you will expect when or if the day ever comes, you'll be better prepared to deal with these emotions.

1. A strong sense of relief

Now that you don't have to worry about the responsibility of caring for your elder, you'll likely feel a strong sense of relief.

2. Guilt

Once your feelings of relief begin to subside, feelings of guilt will likely set in - because you feel relieved.

3. Selfishness

You'll feel selfish because you are looking forward to your life returning to normal.

4. Self-reproach

Because you were not able to live up to the promise you made to your elder that they would never have to live in a home.

5. Remorse

Because you feel that you abandoned your elder.

6. Embarrassment

You'll feel embarrassed that you couldn't afford a better nursing home than the one that your elder ended up in.

7. Anger

That the costs of long term nursing home care are such a financial drain - on your or your elder's finances.

8. Fear

That the nursing home administrator will call you one day and tell you that you need to take your elder home because things aren't working out at the nursing home for any number of reasons.

9. Guilt

If #8 happens, you'll feel guilty because you don't want to bring your elder home to live with you.

It's very important to realize that all of these emotions are completely natural. It's also important to realize that having to place your loved on in a nursing home is not your fault and is something that simply can't be avoided. The later years in life can be very cruel to both elderly folks and family members alike - and none of us have a choice in the matter. You simply have to do the best that you can to deal with your emotions and not let them interfere with what's best for both you and your elder.

Do You Have a Family Member That Is A Victim of Nursing Home Abuse?


Every day, people are faced with the issue of having to put a loved one into a nursing home. While people do this with love in their hearts, and the best of intentions, their intentions are often dashed with reports of nursing home abuse.

Of course no one wants to see their loved one harmed, so when allegations or evidence of abuse are present, family members often feel as though they are to blame. The fact of the matter is, only the people providing the care and carrying out the abuse is to blame.

Since many nursing home patients are in poor health, and many are limited in their ability to speak, it can be somewhat difficult to determine if abuse is taking place. The best way to determine this is to carefully monitor your loved one and look for key warning signs.

The most common types of abuse include the following:

• General Assault
• General Battery
• Rape
• Sexual Assault
• Sexual Battery
• Physical Restraint to an Unreasonable Degree
• Deprivation of Food or Water for Prolonged Periods of Time
• Chemical Restraint by Use of Medication Not Prescribed by A Doctor for the Patient's Medical Condition
• Overmedication
• Under-medication
• Injuries That Cannot be Explained
• Cuts, Scrapes, Bruises, Welts, or Open Sores
• Reports of Mistreatment
• Evidence of Pushing, Beating, Slapping, or Shaking
• Forcibly Keeping a Patient in Their Room

If you suspect abuse, it is important that you look for the following signs:

• Medical Neglect - A lack of medical care, or a lack of daily medication.
• Physical Neglect - A lack of general care, or a lack of basic daily needs.
• A failure to provide adequate nutrition or hydration
• A failure to assist with general grooming, or personal hygiene
• Infections
• Unsanitary conditions
• A lack of cleanliness
• A failure to provide protection from general safety or health hazards

In addition to physical abuse and neglect, it is also important to look for signs of verbal and/or emotional abuse. This type of abuse degrades the patient and destroys their self-esteem. Warning signs for this type of abuse include:

• The patient appears to be very upset or agitated
• The patient does not want to speak and appears to be withdrawn
• The patient is exhibiting abnormal behavior such as biting, rocking, or muttering
• The patient wants to be left alone all the time
• The patient is ignoring or being insulting, threatening, or humiliating toward friends and family

There are also other warning signs of negligence or abuse that should be noted when visiting patients in a nursing home. These include:

• Injuries that require hospitalization or emergency medical treatment
• Broken bones that cannot be fully explained
• Unexplained medicating or sedating
• Unexplained or unexpected death
• Repeated illnesses that are not reported to the primary care physician
• Patients injuring other patients
• Episodes of wandering where the staff does not notice the missing patient for an extended period of time

It is important to understand that neglect and abuse need to be stopped and there are many state and federal laws in place that have been designed to protect the rights of nursing home patients. Patients also have distinct security, privacy, and other civil rights that should never be violated.

If you believe your loved one may be a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, there are steps you can take to verify your concerns, and take action if necessary.

First, try to visit as frequently as possible, and vary your schedule so the staff does not know when to expect you. Try to visit both night and day, weekends, and holidays, to assess the care that is being provided by the different shifts.

Next, talk to the nurses and the aids about your concerns and judge their reaction. If you do not feel as though you are being heard, or if your fears are somewhat confirmed, speak to the nursing director, the staff social worker, and the nursing home administrator. If after doing this you still do not have the answers you need, or you feel as though your concerns are not being addressed, move on to speak with the doctor. Keep talking until someone listens.

Finally, call the agency in your state that oversees nursing home care. Usually the Department of Health and Human Services will be the guiding agent and is in charge of enforcing nursing home laws and regulations. This agency also will conduct a yearly survey of each nursing home in the state and must investigate every complaint filed. You can also contact this agency prior to placing a loved one in a nursing home in order to verify their standing and complaint history.

Any time you believe someone is being abused or neglected while in a nursing home, you should take action and file a complaint. If your claim is substantiated, the agency who oversees the nursing home will take swift action in the form of citations, fines, and will require immediate action to remedy the situation and ensure it does not happen again.

In addition to taking the above mentioned steps, you can also pursue legal action. One course of action is to file a civil lawsuit against the nursing home with the court of law in your jurisdiction. Each state has different criteria to file, as well as various statutes of limitations, so it is best to consult with an attorney to verify this information. An attorney who specializes in this area will also be able to provide you with a great deal of guidance on the legal process, as well as the best way to proceed in order to help your loved one.

You should always take prompt action when filing a nursing home abuse lawsuit. An attorney will work hard to protect your loved one, while acquiring damages to help pay for future care and medical expenses.