Taking Your Family to the Hospital: How to Take Care of Them in Time of Need

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Hospital Bed

When a family member has a medical condition that requires hospitalization, it is a time of stress for the patient as well as the family. However, it is in the best interest of the patient and family to be aware of the patient’s needs and of the care being received, and to make the effort to see that the facility giving the medical attention is not negligent and has the procedures in place to earn the patient’s and family’s trust.

Medical Team Response

Monitor the concern of the emergency or admission medical staff to the patient. Response time for taking vital signs, X-Rays, and any other necessary procedures for an accurate diagnosis should be performed in a timely manner relative to the gravity of the patient’s condition. This is the time to be assertive on behalf of your family member and ask questions to assure yourself and the patient that the diagnosis is reasonable and appropriate.

Patient Care Admission

Once the diagnosis is made and is agreed upon by the patient, family, and medical staff, it is important that the patient gets the proper care upon admission.

Care would consist of continued vital sign monitoring, proper medication at the correct time, surgery if required, and the medical staff notifying the patient’s designated family member of any changes to or concern for the patient’s care.

Family Visitation

When a family member is admitted to the hospital, the primary concern is for them to receive the proper care but also for them to rest and recuperate.

A family visit can lift the patient’s spirits, but it is also an opportunity to check the patient for possible bedsores and to view the care and response of the medical staff assigned to your family member; if it is noted the nursing staff is not as quick to respond to medication requirements or other care required, then this is the time to voice your concern and ask for the situation to be corrected.

In conclusion, the best patient advocate is the designated family member, and they have the right and duty to question medical staff that is in authority for changes to care and any other concerns that arise during the patient’s duration of care. Assertiveness by the family member can avoid malpractice and egregious errors by the medical staff and is one way to feel confident the patient will receive the proper attention and an easier recovery.

Author Bio:

Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing about home and family and spending time with her dog, Max. Information credit to Gittens & Associates, lawyers specializing in personal injury law and car accident in Newfoundland.

Note: I was compensated for this posting this sponsored article. Any opinions written above are the author’s and may differ from yours.

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A brief history of the American prom

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I’ve always loved history and learning more about things around me. The past is fascinating! Did you know that although many other countries have a celebratory end-of-school party or ball, the “prom” itself has been distinctly American? I spent some time researching the origins of prom, but quickly found that there’s a great deal of speculation surrounding its beginnings and development, which isn’t surprising for a tradition.

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The word “prom” comes from promenade, defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as to “walk in a public place for pleasure” and the “ceremonious opening of a formal ball consisting of a grand march of all the guests.” Although it’s unsure when proms actually began in the US, by the 20th century many high schools were holding formal co-ed events where attendees would dress up in their Sunday clothes and dine together.

Prom, as we know it, didn’t become a grand affair until after the Great Depression and World War II. A better economy meant families and schools could put more money towards events like school banquets and dances, that may previously have been thought superfluous. It’s also possible the growing Middle Class saw proms as their own version of the debutante ball.

Whatever its beginning and reason for growth, schools across the States hold a prom, or their version of a prom, every year. One thing that is well known- the expense involved. Last year, a Visa study reported the average prom costs each student (or their parents, anyway) $1,139. Crazy, isn’t it?!?

The truth is you don’t have to spend several hundred dollars (or more) on your daughter’s dress. Check out JJsHouse for affordable prom dresses, most costing between $100-200 USD. If that still makes you cringe a little, JJsHouse has a section on their site just for dresses under $100! I spotted numerous cocktail dresses for $65-90 that I would love to have hanging in my closet.

Here are some of my favorites (many of them available in additional colors, other than what’s shown). You may notice that none of these dresses show a lot of cleavage. That’s my personal preference. JJsHouse does have a wide variety of styles available.

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Which one is your favorite? What do you see at JJsHouse that you’d love to have hanging in your closet?

Sources:

  • BBC America: http://www.bbcamerica.com/mind-the-gap/2013/04/30/a-brits-guide-to-high-school-proms-in-america-2/
  • Los Angeles Times: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/25/business/la-fi-mo-prom-costs-20130425
  • Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/promenade
  • Random History: http://www.randomhistory.com/1-50/004prom.html
  • Time Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1987594,00.html

Note: I was compensated for this post. All photos courtesy of JJsHouse.com.

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CampusBookRentals partners with Operation Smile

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Campus Book Rentals

As a college student, I hated buying textbooks at the beginning of each semester. For one, it seemed like half my instructors updated their course requirements to a new textbook version every year. I always felt like it was a giant conspiracy, forcing us to buy new books, instead of borrowing from a friend or purchasing a used book.

And then there was the sell-your-book-back option. Sell your $50 textbook for $8 or your $100 book for $15 (okay, it’s been a few years, so maybe that’s not quite accurate, but it’s something ridiculous like that, right?). Then the school, bookstore, or company turns around and sells the used textbook for at least twice what they paid you for it.

E-books are cheaper (in my experience) than traditional textbooks, but I do not like using an e-textbook. To save money in grad school, I did purchase a couple, but I found it much hardier to study and research. Maybe it’s because I’m “old school,” but I like having my finger in one chapter, my thumb in another, and my pinkie in a third.

CampusBookRentals is a company I’ve heard a lot about in recent years. I’m not sure if they existed when I was in college, but I never heard about them back then anyway.

At CampusBookRentals, students typically save 40 to 90 percent off bookstore prices. Shipping is free, both to and from the student. Rental periods are flexible, and (this is a big one for me) you can highlight in the textbooks.

They also have a new program called RentBack. Basically, you ship your no longer needed textbooks to CampusBookRentals. They will rent your book to a student, and then another, and so on. Every time someone rents your book, you get paid.

One thing that always stands out to me about a company is how philanthropic they are. For each textbook you rent, CampusBookRentals donates to Operation Smile. CampusBookRentals has committed to donating a minimum of 80 additional surgeries between June 2013 and June 2014.

If you’re unfamiliar with Operation Smile, it’s an international charity that provides what are often life-saving surgeries to children born with a cleft palate. Across the globe, a child is born with a cleft palate. One in 10 of those little ones will die before his or her first birthday, and the children that survive have difficulty eating, socializing, speaking, or even smiling. Some cultures shun or reject them. Operation Smile has provided more than 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults.

Have you heard of Operation Smile before? Would you consider renting your textbooks instead of buying?

Note: I was compensated for this post; however, any opinions stated are mine and my alone.

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