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Healthcare For Elders: Issues And Decisions

admin » 04 August 2009 » In Elderly Care » No Comments

There are many things to consider when caring for an elderly loved one. Now that people are living well and living longer, elder healthcare has become very important. This relatively new area of healthcare and provider services is often referred to as elder care. It encompasses a wide variety of issues which include: choosing an appropriate physician or physicians to care for an aging patient, setting up home care is possible, and making decisions about moving the patient from his or her home to a residential care setting. Persons age 65 and older are the fastest growing segment of America’s population. Many in this population are living a healthy, active, independent life; however, as more and more people reach their 80s and 90s, the number of people who need assistance with daily living is increasing, as are the responsibilities of those who are providing the care. The statistics on elder healthcare may surprise you.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, the elder population, (those age 65 and older), numbered more than 35 million Americans in recent reports. Since people are living longer, these numbers are constantly increasing and not expected to dip any time soon.

Also reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, the number of elders increased 12 percent since 1990, , compared to a 13.3 percent increase of the population under 65 during the same time period. Today, persons who reach age 65 have an average life expectancy of an additional 17.9 years. This calculates out to 19.2 years more for women, and 16.3 more for men than what was estimated in the year 1900.

In 1900, the average life expectancy was 49.2 years, whereas today, it is 76.9. As you can see, this has dramatically increased. While this is greatly attributed to the advances in modern medicine, it is also in part because people are taking an active stance in their own lives and taking better care of themselves. Still, it is crucial to plan for the time when a great health insurance plan will mean good care and improved quality of life.

One of the biggest problems facing many seniors today is their inability to afford medication. Since many people over 65 take medication on a regular basis, most often more than one type simultaneously, it has become necessary in recent years to address this issue. Many healthcare plans won’t cover various medications, while others cover only a small part. This often means choosing the medications, or in some cases medication, the individual can afford, and which one or ones he or she can do without. This can be met with negative results, since it is presumed the person wouldn’t be taking the medication if it wasn’t necessary. There are, however, companies who have begun addressing this problem by offering prescription plans and insurance targeted for the elderly.

While there are many important aspects of elder healthcare to consider, there are steps that are being taken to help make it easier and more affordable. Legislature is addressing some of these issues and trying to come up with solutions to suit a variety of needs. Perhaps one day, seniors can look forward to retirement without having to worry about how they’ll pay for it.

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Co-parenting: How to be a Parenting Team When You’re No Longer a Couple

admin » 11 June 2009 » In Parenting » No Comments

Co-parenting may not come naturally to you, particularly if you’re a high-conflict couple or you’re still recovering from the nastiness of a divorce. Divorced parents need to make a concerted effort to keep their conflicts with each other separate from their relationship as co-parents to their child.

Every year, 1 million U.S. kids become children of divorce. In settling child custody issues, their parents are likely to hammer out co-parenting agreements – committing to working together to raise their kids in spite of a divorce or separation. But co-parenting has its challenges. In the second part of our series of occasional articles on co-parenting, we look at how to make the transition from separated couple to parenting team.

Working together to help your child grow into a happy, confident and well-adjusted adult is something that all parents should aspire to. But it’s not something that comes easily to newly divorced or separated parents, or even to parents who were living apart in the first place.

It takes hard work to craft a “”co-parenting”" relationship that enables parents to cooperate in a way that benefits their child. As separated or divorced parents, you choose to live apart because you can’t see eye to eye on many things, and it’s unreasonable to expect that you’ll be able to immediately step away from all of that and become a cheery, friendly, co-parenting couple.

It can take months or years to forge a new relationship as parents together. But no matter how long it takes – or how difficult it is – finding a way to cooperate together as parents ultimately does pay off.

Keep your child uppermost in mind

Divorce or separation is devastating for children. It’s normal for them to experience anger, sadness, helplessness, fear and withdrawal.

8 cardinal rules of co-parenting

In order for co-parenting to succeed, there are some important rules that all co-parents should follow:

1. Do not use your child as a go-between.

2. Do not discuss your feelings about the other parent with your child.

3. Always remember that your child needs time with both of you to grow up healthy and happy.

4. If possible, never argue in front of your child.

5. Be flexible whenever possible.

6. Think of parenting time as benefiting your child, not you or the other parent.

7. Envision yourself and the other parent as a team.

8. If you are the residential parent, include the other parent as much as possible.

It is impossible for you as a parent to fully protect your child from the impact of the divorce. Your family has changed, and you have to expect that your child will need time to adjust. But the way that you and the other parent handle the change of a divorce, and the years following it, has a huge impact on the kind of experience it is for your child.

The purpose of your divorce was likely to end the fighting, to improve how you both feel, and to create happier lives for everyone. If you go through the divorce, only to continue arguing and fostering unpleasant feelings toward the other parent, you haven’t made a lot of improvements in your family’s life.

You can’t give your child proper support and attention if you and the other parent are always focused on what the other is doing wrong, or if you continue to dredge up bad feelings from your relationship as a couple.

Developing a new relationship that is low-conflict, pleasant on the surface, and routine will help your child relax and begin to feel more comfortable with the new arrangement. You will be able to focus more directly on your child’s needs. Your child will function better if she knows that there are two parents united behind her.

Learn how to think

Learning to co-parent means making a mental shift in the way you think about the other person. This is a person who has undoubtedly hurt you, let you down, insulted you, or worked against you in your relationship. It may seem like a tall order to set that aside and smilingly co-parent together.

You need to mentally compartmentalize your relationship with the other parent. In one room, put all of your feelings about him or her as your partner or spouse. All the hurt and anger from a divorce goes behind that door. You can go into that room whenever you need to, to work through those feelings.

In another room goes your relationship with this person as a parent. In this room, there is a table where you can sit and work together to create a good life for your child. On the walls are photos of your child in happy moments. This is the room you must place yourself in mentally when you are dealing with the other parent in a parenting situation.

This compartmentalizing is something you must commit to doing. It may be hard to sit in one room in your mind, while you know that the other room is next door. But you must direct your attention to cooperating and welcoming the other parent into your child’s life so your child can have the benefit of two parents who are reasonable, pleasant and accommodating to each other.

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Famous Interior Designers – Who Are They

admin » 19 April 2009 » In Interior Design » No Comments

Despite what you may think famous interior designers are not thin on the ground, and there are a great many of them gracing the halls of celebrity today. Another words, there are plenty of them who are making an excellent living at designing. We just haven’t heard of them and may never hear of them. They might not be as well known or as prolific as some artists and fashion designers are, but they do exist nevertheless. The reason for this almost unheard of fame can be solely attributed to the fact that interior design didn’t truly take off until the latter half of the 20th century.

In fact until the 20th century there weren’t necessarily any famous interior designers per se. Yes, there were famous interior designers for dissimilar era’s but fame as we infer it didn’t come until very newly when there was a flock of interest in all things DIY. And for those of us to don’t know what DIY is – it is short for Do It Yourself. And specifically refers to the TV Network. Hence, since interior decorating and some of its off shoots, can be reasoned to DIY that’s when the world really became aware of interior decorating. And it wasn’t until a few years after that that dissimilar interior designers started to make a name for themselves amongst the ecumenical public. Just like many things in our society it takes a while before it hits main stream. Things of this nature usually start with the rich and wealthy and then move on from there.

For the most part these famous interior designers gained their fame through the usual means of achieving fame, through the TV. They appeared in numerous Television home improvement programs, and they held numerous, televised DIY (Do It Yourself) programs and fundamentally got their face well recognized to the public. And that’s how famous interior designers of the last decade of the twentieth c achieved more than a meek fame.

There are of course more famous interior designers than the ones you see on TV. Others who might be television camera timid. And could very often be just as good as or even better at what they do than the more media savvy interior decorators. As I said earlier, there are sure to be a bundle in this category and we will never know about them. Ones who decorate the famous, such as George Clooney, Jerry Rice and the like.

Then there are the famous interior designers who have been about for what seems like forever and a day and who have made a family name for themselves through their relentless efforts. Yes, it isn’t all play, many times it is long hours to get to that place of fame.These interior decorators are much lauded in their world and are the pundits from whom the new generation of interior decorators learn their craft. Many of these “Old School” decorators if you will are now teaching their trade.

So as you look for the names of famous interior designers you need to understand and accept that you won’t be able to find all of them just because you look through interior magazines. Sometimes these famous interior designers like to keep their celebrity under raps. Working behind the scenes, so to speak, and enjoying life without all the paparazzi.

Famous interior designers aren’t host, but there are a sizable number of them, and they all have gifts of talent and one thing in common. They have a good eye for design and decorating and they can put together a room to make the very best out of all its features. Ok, so that was two things they all have in common! Just remember, you could one day walk right past a famous interior designer and not even know it.

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