Quality of Life

Quality Time - How to Neglect Your Child and Get Away with It

By Jack Wilson

One of the most widespread terms in recent history is �Quality Time�. The speaker of this phrase is indicating that he plans to cram meaningful and memorable activities into the short period of time he is willing to allot to his child, spouse, parent, relative, friend or associate. Since he is unwilling to provide quantity, he will substitute intensity.

Sample email from father to son:

�Hi there little feller. I have set aside 2 hours on Tuesday the 14th for visiting with you. I'll pick you up at 10:00 a.m. on the dot. My executive assistant will meet with you 15 minutes earlier to see that you have packed all the necessities and used the bathroom, eaten whatever you must, etc.

This will be quality time, son. So everything we do in the two hours will be extreme. See the attached agenda my secretary has prepared and be sure you have all the equipment and supplies ready to go. I'll see you then,

Your really, really sincere father. (You can call me Dad)�

Time itself is quality time. Just being together, side by side, doing nothing, not talking is as rewarding as riding the Big Flop at a theme park or any other exciting activity. Unrushed, unplanned time, just together. It is the �together' that counts.

Another set of remarks that suggest the opposite of what they say are; �to tell you the truth�, �I'll be perfectly honest with you�, and �let me be frank�. The only reason I can think of for anyone to say those phrases is that they usually lie and now are going to be honest, or they are getting ready to lie through their teeth.

I understand the voices that say �hey, quality time is not the worst euphemism of the century. How about �we're all going to go to the showers now'? Okay, okay, it may not qualify as the worst, but it legitimizes neglect and is immensely reprehensible and should by eliminated from everyone's vocabulary.

Jack Wilson is a writer and artist in Tempe, Arizona

http://www.geocities.com/galimatio/jackwilson.html

Local Businesses Serving Seniors Prove Commitment to Quality Care

By Barbara Mascio

1f6e

Good news! You no longer have to risk chance when it comes to selecting a reputable elder care service for yourself or for a loved one. Senior Approved Services has certified a select number of businesses in our area serving the elderly and disabled populations.

Senior Approved Services was founded as a method to actively advocate for the right of all seniors to receive excellent quality care and most importantly, remain safe in the receiving of that care. Rather than report and warn senior citizens of known unsafe services (products and resources), they take the positive approach of highlighting businesses that are willing to prove that they deliver what is promised.

�No one should have to risk the safety of their loved ones when it comes to selecting a service,� states founder and president of Senior Approved Services, Barbara Mascio, a devoted advocate for seniors.

Families that want to secure an in home care service, an elder-law attorney, financial planners, long-term care health insurance representatives, bill-paying services, general handyman and cleaning services, adult group homes, adult day services, assisted living facilities, specialized Alzheimer's and dementia care services, self-help books, health care directives and living will services, alternative healing practices (including stop smoking programs), elder mediation, home medical equipment, and so forth - can now select the best of the best through the exclusive network of Certified Senior Approved Services.

Seniors and those searching for verified excellent services access this valuable program free of charge by visiting www.seniorsapprove.com or by phoning 216-883-3163 during business hours.

Businesses that offer a product, resource or service for the senior citizen (or those with disabilities) may apply for certification. It is proof that they indeed put the client first. �We're responding to three years of research and focus group studies,� offers Barbara, referring to results that clearly show the consumer of elder care services wants an unbiased third-party entity to verify the history of care and service.

In the last twelve months alone, Senior Approved Services has received nearly 3,000 inquiries from families that have asked to be connected with a Certified Senior Approved Service. �I only hope that other business owners serving this precious population will respond and request certification so that we may continue helping seniors avoid services that are known to be less than desirable,� affirms Barbara Mascio.

Businesses may request Senior Approved Certification by first visiting www.qualityeldercare.com/seniors

Senior Approved Services advocates for the right of all seniors to receive excellent care and most importantly, remain safe in the receiving of that care. We are building a national network of products, resources and services endorsed by seniors and their families.

How to Improve the Quality of Institutional Care

By Lynne Taetzsch

How can you ensure that your loved ones (let's call them parents for the sake of this article) are getting the best possible care at a nursing home or assisted living facility? The first step is to pick the best institution you can afford, if you have a choice in the matter, but after that you can't simply sit back and relax. It's a fact that most nursing homes and assisted living facilities are understaffed, and even when they aren't, you need to be sure the staff are doing everything they are supposed to do.

There are several things you can do to improve the service your parents receive:

Get involved with the institution on a regular basis. Going in person is best, but if you can't manage that, keep up with frequent phone calls. Learn who is in charge of which services and who to call if there is a problem. Make sure you understand exactly what services will be provided, and talk to your parents regularly to find out if their needs are being met.

Naturally, the better your parents are functioning, the less you need to do, but no matter how capable they are, it's still a good idea to help monitor the quality of their care. My father had severe short-term memory loss when he lived at an assisted living facility, so it was very important for me to be actively involved.

Get to know the staff on a first-name basis. The aides in assisted living and nursing homes work very hard for little pay, yet their attitudes can determine how satisfied your parents will be with their care. It was fortunate for me that my father always got along well with staff. In spite of everything, he kept his sense of humor, and went out of his way to be friendly.

Sometimes a resident is unhappy and difficult, which makes the staff's job harder. One woman I knew always complained about everything and was sarcastic to the aides who were trying to help her. They still tried, but the job of caregiving was made more difficult because of the way they were treated.

No matter what job they are doing, people like to be appreciated. When you take an interest in the staff, you acknowledge that the quality of your parents' lives is important to you, and that you recognize the contributions staff are making in this regard. Very often a small token of appreciation, like a box of candy at holidays, will go a long way in gaining staff support.

Finally, follow up to make sure promises are kept. I had a very difficult time getting my father's laundry taken care of at his assisted living facility. Most residents put their laundry hampers outside their door on laundry day, and put the clean laundry away themselves when it was delivered. But my father was not able to keep track of his laundry at all. He didn't know when it needed to be done, whether the clothes in his hamper were clean or dirty, or how to put the clean clothes away in his closet and dresser.

After talking to the director of the facility, she said she would ask the aides to pick up Dad's laundry when he wasn't in his room, and then put it away when they delivered it, again when he wasn't in his room. But I had to follow up several times before this procedure was actually done on a regular basis.

By following up on requests, showing appreciation for staff, and getting involved in the day-to-day care of your parents, you can make a significant difference in the quality of their lives.

Lynne Taetzsch is an artist and writer who became the primary caregiver for her father when he was 93 years old and had severe short-term memory loss. She is the author of The Bipolar Dementia Art Chronicles, a memoir about her experience which is available at Amazon.com. She also writes a blog on Caregiving, Aging and Alzheimer's at
http://artbylt.blogs.com/caregiving.

Quality of Life

By Peter Jaystore

A new hobby can improve your quality of life. Think of it. A hobby is a recreational or leisure activity outside of you career or work place. It is something YOU are interested in, some YOU want to pursue. Would it not improve your quality of life to do the things that you enjoy? You should not be selfish in pursuing what you want, what you want can actually benefit others around you as well. You can think of activities to which you can invite others to come along. You can find activities and hobbies that not only improve your own quality of life, but others as well.

People need a purpose in life, a reason to do things. I am not saying that hobbies are the ultimate purpose for living, but I think that people should be happy and if they pursue hobbies that they enjoy, it can improve their lives and the lives of others. I think wholesome leisurely and recreational activities with family and friends are very important to having a good quality of life. It improves relationships, by providing good experiences together, it also just gives people the opportunity to get out and do something that they enjoy. It gives them the opportunity to feel like they have accomplished something and done something constructive.

I heard once that happiness is the culmination of small successes. Is the quality of life not improved by small success, whether it be success in your career, success raising your family, success improving your life in some, or success in mastering some hobby or other interest that you have? A hobby or new interest can be something that you can quickly and easily master, or at least just enjoy learning to do it. It can give you a feeling of accomplishment, which will inspire and encourage you or others.

One specific hobby that can increase your quality of life is music. Music is relaxing. Different music can stimulate different reactions of thought processes. They even have university undergraduate, masters, and doctorate degrees in music therapy. Learning to play a musical instrument or just listening and getting to know good music can be a way for you to improve your quality of life. It can be a hobby that is leisurely, relaxing, and can be a means for you or others to feel like they have accomplished something that makes a difference. If you can play a musical instrument, think of the good you can have in others' lives. Musicians are often the life of the party. It seems everywhere I go, if someone can play the guitar, by the end of the night they will be entertaining everyone with their musical talent. The same goes for the piano or many other musical instruments. I myself played the trumpet for seven years, I also taught myself to play the guitar. I taught myself to play the piano a little bit, but I am not as good at it yet as I am at the guitar and the trumpet.

Many hobbies can improve your physical health and stamina as well. Would it not be great to have a hobby, something you enjoy, that also keeps you physically fit? Many people play sports or participate in athletic events as hobbies to keep in shape. One of my favorites is to play tennis. I actually have never taken a class or learned to play tennis, I just taught myself and as I began playing I gradually got better. Now it is something I can do as leisure activity outside of work that will keep me in shape as well. Another hobby I just started is running. I ran the marathon over the weekend, I still cannot walk well, my feet and legs hurt, but I am sure I will get better. The pain will go away, but now I will be a marathoner forever. Find your hobby at the online hobby store and more.

Peter Jay is the Owner/President and CEO of Variety Access - Your online hobby store and more. For more information about hobbies, hobby products, or Variety Access, go to VarietyAccess.com.

Are things really going "south"?

A new study just released evaluates the quality of life for home owners in the Queen City. The study looks at each neighborhood separately, and it reveals more areas are now on the decline.

According to the map that accompanies the study, currently most of south Charlotte and the outlying areas are considered stable, the areas closest to uptown are considered at risk and those just outside uptown are transitioning.

Ann Sanders lives in College Downs, an area the city believes is going downhill.

"A lot of these houses are rentals, so if the landlords would go and make sure some of their tenants would keep up the property it could maintain and go higher," she said.

The city's Neighborhood Development Department uses the phrase "transitioning" to describe the area. It and 59 other neighborhoods are all not keeping pace with the city's average quality of life. That number is 46 percent higher than it was in 2002.

You'll find 24 other neighborhoods where quality of life is classified as "challenged", meaning crime, school drop-out rates and poverty are well transcending the average. That number is fortunately declining, however. It is 25 percent lower than it was in 2002.

Stable neighborhoods have decreased by 11 percent though. One neighborhood in the "stable" category, which includes 89 of the neighborhoods evaluated, is Myers Park. It's stable because violent crime, juvenile crime and property crime are below the city average, and most people there own their own homes, and more and more houses are going up everyday.

Frank Larsen moved to Myers Park because of the perks of the small community.

"The neighborhood is family-oriented, the proximity to retail restaurants and just the charm of the neighborhood," he explained.

But home owners all said there's one thing that makes all the difference, it's their neighbors.

"The people keep up their yards, keep their houses up," Larsen said.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/9792880/detail.html