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7 Overlooked Tips to Get a Comfortable Home Office

7 Overlooked Tips to Get a Comfortable Home Office

By Web admin on

Do you look forward to working in your home office every morning? Or do you find yourself watching the clock, waiting for the minute you get to retire to your favorite recliner and veg out with some YouTube videos?

You spend hours working, and your home office should be comfortable. If your comfort level is lacking, try these tips to kick it up a notch.

1. Get a bidet toilet seat for your bathroom

While you’re working from home, you’ll take several trips to the bathroom. Having a bidet will make those trips more comfortable. With a toilet seat bidet, you’ll feel refreshed and clean after every trip to the restroom.

The more relaxed and refreshed you feel throughout your day, the more productive you’ll be with your work.

2. Use a monitor stand

If you strain your neck by looking up or down, you could develop a painful, cumulative neck injury. A monitor stand will help you keep your neck in the right position while you work on the computer.

Some monitors are adjustable, but they don’t usually adjust high enough for people with a long torso. Adding an extra 6” or more to your monitor will protect your neck from unnecessary injury.

3. Get an adjustable stand/sit desk

Your desk is the most important part of your home office. If your desk isn’t comfortable and ergonomic, you’re going to feel the negative effects cumulatively over time.

Getting an adjustable stand/sit desk is the ideal solution. It’s not healthy to sit all day, but standing all day isn’t healthy, either. Being able to switch between standing and sitting will help you maintain your musculoskeletal health.

There are several types of adjustable desks:

  • Manual adjustable desks
  • Pneumatic adjustable desks
  • Electric adjustable desks

Pneumatic adjustable desks are ideal since they don’t depend on electricity. Manual desks are hard to adjust without removing everything from the desk first. At least with electric and pneumatic desks, you can leave everything on your desk as you raise and lower the height.

4. Put a comfy recliner in the corner

Sometimes you just need to walk away from the computer and take a small break. Maybe you need to close your eyes, kick back, and relax a little.

Relaxing for those short breaks will be easier with a comfortable recliner in the corner of your office. With the right recliner, you could even work from your laptop. Just make sure your recliner has proper back support.

5. Install warm, fuzzy carpet

Some people say you should always dress up for work and don’t wear your pajamas or house clothes. That’s sometimes true, but not always.

If you’ve ever worked in an office, have you ever wished you could kick off your shoes and dig your feet into the carpet? You can do that at home if you install a warm, fuzzy carpet under your desk.

Digging your feet into a fuzzy carpet will make you feel good and relaxed. You can also stick your feet in warm water, sand, or soil. However, a fuzzy carpet won’t require any cleanup.

6. Get an essential oil diffuser

Essential oils smell great, but they’re also therapeutic. They have long been used to influence a positive mood and relieve stress and anxiety.

Essential oils can help improve sleep, relieve headaches and pain, improve skin, and can help with digestion.

Although many people absorb diluted essential oils through the skin, you can also disburse the oil through a diffuser. Diffusers are better than just opening a bottle to inhale.

If you don’t have a diffuser or can’t get one for some reason, add a few drops of your desired essential oil to a bowl of hot water. Place a towel over your head and lean over the bowl so the bowl is also under the towel. The steam will rise, allowing you to inhale the oil.

7. Install surround sound

Have you considered installing a surround sound system throughout your home? While it’s great to have speakers in all your rooms, you’ll thoroughly enjoy having surround sound in your office.

Imagine joining a video conference and hearing the other participants in surround sound. You’ll feel like you’re actually there. No matter how good your laptop or computer speakers are, nothing beats the quality of surround sound.

You deserve a comfortable office

You work hard enough already. Staying comfortable throughout your workday should be easy. Thankfully, if you follow these tips, you won’t have to spend a fortune to make your office comfortable.

Tips for Adopting a Remote Work Policy at Your Business

Tips for Adopting a Remote Work Policy at Your Business

By Web admin on

If your business, like many others, has shifted from a physical office setup to a remote working setup over the past 18 months, then you’re almost certainly dealing with some of the benefits and consequences of this transition.

The question is, how can you enjoy more of the former without so many of the latter? And without hopelessly simplifying the challenge, it really comes down to one word: planning.

If you have the proper plan in place – ideally in the form of a remote work policy – you’ll get much better results.

The Biggest Challenges of Going Remote

There are obviously numerous perks to working remotely – both from an employee perspective and a management point of view. However, there are also plenty of challenges that must be addressed head-on. Common points of friction include:

  • Employee engagement. When working from home, employees experience a sort of monotony in their day-to-day schedules that isn’t as pronounced in the office. It’s easy for team members to get stuck in a boring routine that lacks excitement or diversity. (They wake up, walk down the hall to their home office, and spend the next eight to ten hours in the same 500 square feet.)
  • Team unity. It’s difficult for a team to truly bond when everyone is spread out across different locations. And unless your team already has the advantage of being closely connected, it can feel impossible to initiate team bonding and healthy relationships in a remote setting.
  • Accountability. It’s more challenging to hold individual employees accountable for their time and effort when you aren’t physically present. There are certainly ways to do it, but none of them are better than being able to drop into someone’s office and do a face-to-face check-in.
  • Security risks. Security is arguably the “silent” challenge of working remotely. Employees accessing sensitive company information on personal devices and unsecured networks (like public Wi-Fi) can be a recipe for disaster.

When you’re aware that these challenges exist, it’s much easier to proactively address them and neutralize their effects. But you have to plan ahead.

3 Tips for a Smooth Transition

Whether you’ve already moved to remote working and have been struggling for several months, or you’re just now transitioning in that direction, there are ways to make this a strength of your business. Here are several tips:

1. Get Clear on the Details

You can’t leave employees to figure things out on their own. Spell out the specifics of how you expect them to work in a remote setting; otherwise, they’ll each implement their own individual plans (leaving your business fragmented and confused).

“Employees should be provided with clear instructions about how their departments, and their respective roles within those departments, will conduct business in a remote setting,” Business.com suggests. “Keep in mind that while most remote occupations can be performed outside of a physical office, some roles may not work as seamlessly in virtual spaces.”

You’re not expected to write new policies in stone, but you should implement a clear and decisive approach. Should circumstances warrant a change, you can always tweak rules over time.

2. Prioritize Communication

Good communication is one of the keys to a smooth transition. And since employees are no longer able to walk down the hall and poke their heads into their coworkers’ offices, you need to use mediums that are fast and efficient.

SMS is one great option. More specifically, consider SMS software for internal communications. SMS enjoys 98 percent open rates (compared to a paltry 15 to 20 percent for emails). Not only that, but it takes the average person just 90 seconds to respond to an SMS (and 9 out of 10 text messages are read within 15 minutes or received).

3. Emphasize Engagement

Employee engagement is vital in a remote setting. Research shows that greater engagement is linked to enhanced productivity and more loyalty. Likewise, a lack of engagement leads to higher absenteeism, high turnover, and lower profitability. The tricky part is determining how to boost engagement.

There are hundreds of ways to boost engagement, but the challenge is figuring out which ones work for your unique dynamic.  One very simple suggestion is to encourage face-to-face conversations via Zoom. By getting on camera and engaging with your team, you get a chance to look people in the eye and build camaraderie (in spite of being physically distanced).

Put Your Team on the Right Path

With the right remote working policy, you can make this a much more productive transition. It won’t always be perfect, but the upside is there. Be diligent and gather as much feedback as you can. Over time, this might become one of the more important moves your business ever makes.

Should CBD Be Allowed at Work?

Should CBD Be Allowed at Work?

By Web admin on

The use of CBD has become widespread since its legalization in 2018. But many employers are uncertain of the side effects, wondering if CBD has the potential of doing more harm than good.

Will it decrease productivity? Does it get employees high if they use it? Let’s take a closer look at how there are actually significant benefits of allowing employees to use CBD as directed to benefit their personal and professional lives.

What is CBD

It’s first important for any employer to have a proper understanding of what CBD is. Also known as cannabidiol, it is among the top active chemicals in the cannabis plant. It is derived from both the hemp and marijuana plant.

However, unlike marijuana which is high in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD does not have psychoactive effects which are commonly associated with marijuana. Because of this, CBD has skyrocketed as a trendy alternative for various ailments, both physical and mental.

Forms of CBD

CBD comes in a wide variety of ingestible forms. From tinctures to put in your morning coffee to CBD gummies, the range of products available on the market is vast and continues to grow. It’s an incredible alternative to options like smoking or vaping and can be incredibly discrete in the workplace if needed.

But now the question remains – should it be allowed in the workplace?

Allowing Use of CBD at Work

Depending on which state you or your company is in, the rules and regulations surrounding CBD can vary. But as it becomes more recognized as an acceptable alternative for other medications, there is much debate around the regular use for employees at work.

As of now, there is only one form of CBD that has been approved by the FDA as a prescription medication. Epidiolex is primarily used for people who experience seizures or certain illnesses that coincide with seizures. However, because there is only one form of FDA-approved CBD, does that also mean no other form of CBD should be allowed?

Many prescribed medications or even over-the-counter medications require multiple uses throughout the day. Because of this, some medications need to be taken at work. Supplements and vitamins are also permitted while a person is at work. And unlike prescribed medications, CBD can be purchased online as well, making others question the safety or regulation behind the products.

The argument is that, unlike Epidiolex, which has a backing of a significant amount of proven research, CBD still needs to have even more research to prove its claims in managing issues such as arthritis, depression, or anxiety. Because of this, there is no certified safety guarantee when using CBD regularly.

Current drug testing methods that many companies use when hiring their employees are unable to distinguish the difference between a hemp-derived CBD product or a marijuana-derived CBD product. The main difference is that one is federally legal while the other is not.

This means an employer does not have substantial evidence to back up someone’s claims that they are using CBD as opposed to marijuana when doing their initial background check. They only have their word.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the debate as to whether or not CBD should be allowed when hiring an employee or allowed in the workplace is not simply black or white. There are several gray areas both in personal opinion as well as federal regulation.

To maintain transparency with your employees, it may be worth setting the expectations of the use of CBD upfront. This way, there is no misunderstanding or confusion if an employee brings it to work.

Remote Employees Are Entitled to Receive Workers’ Compensation for These 8 Injuries

Remote Employees Are Entitled to Receive Workers’ Compensation for These 8 Injuries

By Web admin on

Workplace injuries can happen in any industry, even to employees who work from home. Although most workplace injuries and deaths occur in industries like construction, remote workers can develop painful, serious injuries from working on the computer.

Remote employees are legally treated as in-house employees

When remote workers are injured on the job, they’re entitled to file a workers’ compensation claim just like anyone else. However, remote workers might have a harder time proving their injuries. Like all employees, remote workers have a better chance at getting compensated by hiring a workers’ comp attorney.

Here are some of the most common injuries sustained by remote workers that deserve to be compensated:

Cumulative injuries

  1. Back and neck pain. Many things can cause back pain, including a bad chair, a desk set to the wrong height, and a computer monitor that is too high or too low.
  2. Carpal tunnel. This is a common problem not limited to remote workers, although typing all day long does increase the risk.
  3. Tendonitis. Tendonitis is painful. Mild injuries are resolved in 2-3 weeks, but it requires taking a break from using the injured tendon.
  4. Bursitis. Bursitis is an inflamed bursa. Bursas are fluid-filled sacs that serve as a cushion between bodily tissues in key areas of the body. Bursitis is most common in remote workers in the shoulder and elbow.

Cumulative injuries are easily prevented with ergonomic office furniture. However, the right ergonomic furniture will vary between people based on their height, weight, and other physical differences.

Slips, trips, and falls

  1. Slipping on spilled liquid. Any risk that exists in the home remains a risk to remote workers while they’re on the job. One of the most common causes for slips and falls is liquid. For example, it might be liquid soap, water, or spilled cooking oil.
  2. Tripping over cords or rugs. Messy, tangled cords strewn across carpet would never fly in an office. However, this is how most people have their electronics cords at home. In an office, rugs are wall-to-wall carpeting, but at home, area rugs pose a trip hazard.
  3. Falling while multi-tasking and not paying attention. Some falls occur when the person isn’t paying attention to what they’re doing. They might trip over a dog toy, one of their kid’s toys, or they might fall for another reason.
  4. Falling down stairs. Every year, about 12,000 people die after falling down stairs. Although it’s mostly older people and children who fall down the stairs, it can happen to anyone.

Remote workers need an attorney to win maximum compensation

Proving an injury was a direct result of work duties is a challenge many remote employees face when pursuing a workers’ compensation claim. While employers can maintain the safety conditions in an office, they can’t control the conditions in a remote employee’s home. Therefore, when a remote employee gets injured, their injury gets scrutinized.

It’s absolutely critical for injured remote workers to hire a workers’ comp attorney to ensure they get the compensation they deserve. It’s too risky trying to pursue a claim without a skilled lawyer.

Since some injuries aren’t the result of work, not all injuries get compensated. For example, a remote worker named Tammitha Valcourt-Williams tripped over her dog while reaching for her coffee. She sustained injuries to her knee, shoulder, and hip.

At first, her employer denied her workers’ comp claim, but the judge approved her claim. Her employer appealed, but the court found that her work didn’t cause her injury, but rather, it was her non-employment life (her dog, being in her kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee) that caused her accident.

Have you been injured while working from home? Don’t hesitate to file a claim

Every injury deserves to be compensated. Your employer is required to carry workers’ compensation for a reason. It’s an insurance policy that pays compensation to injured workers regardless of fault. Workers’ comp was created to prevent businesses from getting sued for each injury. In many cases, it also serves the employee better than filing a lawsuit.

If you’ve been injured while working from home, whether it’s a serious physical injury or a cumulative injury like carpal tunnel or back pain, don’t hesitate to file a claim. If you were sitting in an office every day, you’d still be accumulating the same pain over time, and eventually, you’d end up injured all the same.

10 Fun Ways to Explore Nature and Get Exercise

10 Fun Ways to Explore Nature and Get Exercise

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Two of the best ways to improve your physical and mental health are spending more time in nature and getting physical exercise. So why not do both at the same time?

With the right activities, you can explore nature in some new and exciting ways, getting in touch with your inner explorer and benefitting from your natural immersion. At the same time, you can get your heart rate up, work out your muscles, and improve your overall fitness.

How to Explore Nature and Exercise Simultaneously

These are some of the best nature-dependent activities you can use for exercise:

1. Paddle boarding. Paddle boarding doesn’t require a lot of existing strength, stamina, or skill – but it will require your focus and give you a thorough workout. You’ll be forced to balance your body and engage your arms as you propel yourself through the water, enjoying the scenery along the way. Plus, paddle boards are relatively inexpensive, so there aren’t any major barriers to entry for enjoying this activity.

2. Kayaking. Kayaking is similar to paddle boarding in the sense that you’ll be using your arms to move yourself through the water. The difference is that in a kayak, you’ll be using a double-bladed paddle, sitting in a low seat (rather than standing). Experienced kayakers like to tackle fast-moving rapids and rough waters, but you can start out somewhere calmer.

3. Swimming. Proponents of swimming declare it to be the best cardiovascular exercise because it requires you to use muscles throughout your entire body – and because it’s much easier on the joints than, say, running. You also have the option of practicing several different strokes. Either way, you’ll become intimately familiar with your local body of water.

4. Trail running. If you like the idea of exploring the woods and getting away from the noise of the city or the constraints of your local neighborhood, try trail running. You can have a stimulating adventure in the forest with a group or all by yourself – and get a great cardio workout at the same time.

5. Cycling. If running is hard on your joints, or if you want a smoother, faster experience, you could try cycling. If there’s a cycling trail in the parks near your city, you can take in the sights of all the natural scenery while feeling the cool wind on your face. It’s an exciting experience that’s hard to replicate – just remember to bring a spare tube in case you end up with a flat.

6. Hiking. Sometimes the simpler activities are better. They give you more time to truly enjoy the scenery, and because you don’t have to focus as heavily, you can relax a little more. Hiking can range from very easy to very difficult, depending on the terrain and the type of equipment you’re bringing. But no matter what, you’ll probably enjoy your experience.

7. Rock climbing. Rock climbing has seen a surge in popularity lately, even getting included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games for the first time in Olympic history. It’s a demanding sport, requiring you to muster all your upper body strength and find delicate points of contact to grip. But once you have some more experience and familiarity, you’ll find it to be a much more rewarding activity.

8. Beach volleyball. If you have a competitive streak, you might be more interested in sports and games than isolated exercise activities. That’s where beach volleyball shines. You can play one on one, in pairs, or in groups of people; in any case, you’ll be running, concentrating on the ball, and enjoying the local waters. Plus, the soft sand makes the sport easy on your joints – and if you happen to fall, it won’t be a big deal.

9. Circuit training. Depending on where you live, you may have access to a circuit training path; here, you can walk or run around a dedicated trail loop and take advantage of fixtures like pullup bars and balance beams to exercise your body in novel ways. If you don’t have access to a circuit training loop, you can make one of your own, doing pullups on strong branches, balancing on rocks, and so on.

10. Foraging. Though not as physically demanding as some of the other activities on this list, foraging is both rewarding and stimulating. Go look for edible mushrooms, berries, or leafy plants in your area – but be sure to verify their edibility with an expert before you attempt to eat them.

Exploring New Horizons

These are just some of the activities that can get your body moving while you enjoy everything that your local environment has to offer. Keep pushing the limits of your comfort zone and experimenting with new activities; you’ll experience more novelty in doing so, and you’ll get to work out in new and stimulating ways.

3 Reasons Supplements Aren’t The Answer To Good Health – And 3 Alternatives

3 Reasons Supplements Aren’t The Answer To Good Health – And 3 Alternatives

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While this might come as a surprise given the size of the American supplement marketplace, dietary supplements are rarely necessary. In fact, in many cases they can be more dangerous than beneficial because supplements are subject to minimal oversight.

How can you tell if you need a particular supplement or not? Barring a doctor’s recommendation, the simplest thing to do is skip the supplements, but these other guidelines can help you untangle the options you’re faced with.

Basic Biology

One of the most important tools at your disposal, when trying to make sense of the supplement market, is a little basic science. For example, one of the most popular supplements on the market today are powdered collagen products – but what do these actually do?

The packages often say they’ll make your skin and hair look younger or healthier, but what they don’t mention is that collagen isn’t exactly in scarce supply. Found in almost every part of your body, you naturally produce collagen from amino acids in your diet. As long as you’re consuming a balanced diet, your body will make all the collagen it needs.

Benefits Versus Hazards

Another factor to consider when deciding whether you should be taking a supplement is by weighing the risks versus the benefits. In most cases, unless a doctor has explicitly recommended a supplement because of a nutritional deficiency – many people have a mild vitamin D deficiency, for example, and a significant percentage of young women are anemic due to iron deficiency – the risks are likely greater than the benefits. Such supplements are usually fine, and may even be available in prescription versions, meaning better oversight, but other supplements are another story.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from something like vitamin D, calcium, or iron supplements are things like pre-workout supplements, which are popular in the fitness community. These products are little more than expensive caffeine bombs, often packed with undisclosed and possibly dangerous fillers. When you know why you’re taking a supplement, you can evaluate whether there’s a better option – say, a cup of coffee – that can replace your supplement. You may even realize you don’t need another dietary add-on at all.

Deficiency Versus Desire

As noted above, there are certainly some common dietary deficiencies, like vitamin D or iron, and it certainly makes sense to take doctor-recommended supplements as needed. But, there are other popular single-vitamin supplements that are far less likely to be necessary to your overall health, like vitamin C.

We don’t naturally produce vitamin C, and it’s necessary for a variety of bodily functions, but it’s also very easy to get enough of it from natural sources. Additionally, when we get vitamins from whole foods instead of supplements, they tend to come with other nutrients that aid in their function and absorption. Since you’re unlikely to be deficient in vitamin C given dietary consumption, there’s no good reason to take it as a supplement, since you’re likely just paying for an excess of water soluble vitamins that your body will immediately excrete.

There are few hard and fast rules about supplement use, but in most cases, your best bet is to leave them on the shelves unless your doctor tells you otherwise. This is contrary to so much else we’ve internalized about better health through modern technology, and yet, in this case it’s the right way to go on your journey to better health.

All Grown Up: 4 Items Every Young Woman Should Own

All Grown Up: 4 Items Every Young Woman Should Own

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We all come into our personal style at different ages, but whether you’re trying to hone your look in preparation for an internship or you’ve started moving up the ranks in your career, it’s always a good time to invest in fashionable but timeless pieces that will elevate your wardrobe.

Still, it’s easy to be intimidated by the options when picking out more “grown up” clothes, so it can help to know where to start.

These four pieces are particularly valuable and can help you build a strong foundation and express yourself through your clothing choices.

The Perfect Denim

Denim itself is timeless, but how we wear it is constantly changing. That’s why you want to be strategic when purchasing jeans or other denim pieces. For example, overalls are back in fashion right now, but they’ll likely land in the back of your closet again in a few months or a year.

Instead, opt for jeans in a moderate or dark shade and basic cut that you feel confident in. That way, you’ll get the most continuous wear out of them. Given how hard it is to find a great pair of jeans that fit correctly, you’ll be glad you weren’t too swayed by trends.

A Woman’s Wallet

How many cutesy wallets have you owned during your teen and young adult years? It’s perfectly normal to work your way through a number of these, purchased inexpensively at places like Claire’s, Hot Topic, or even TJMaxx.

Well, now it’s time to upgrade things a bit. Those old wallets were precious and stylized, sure, but they fell apart quickly – you got what you paid for. Now that you’re more mature, you’ll want a simple leather wallet you’ll be able to carry for years to come. It will show age, softening and creasing over time, but in terms of quality, you’ll feel the difference in your hands.

The Day-To-Night Dress

It can be hard to find a dress that’s appropriate for the office yet still elegant enough for a night on the town, but just because they can be difficult to find doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Keep it simple, in a solid color, and consider how the right accessories can shape the look.

Often, pairing a dress with the right blazer, sweater, or shoe is all that it takes to transition a piece between day and night.

Daily Wear Jewelry

Finally, the older you get, the fewer pieces of jewelry you’re likely to need. Instead, what you’ll want are a few simple, elegant pieces of jewelry you can pair with anything. It may be a few pairs of understated earrings – studs and small hoops, a nice watch, a ring or two, or a plain necklace. Statement pieces are all well and good, but for most women, they quickly start to feel more like clutter than necessary parts of your wardrobe.

When you look at the last few decades of fashion, one notable thing is that, while young people’s styles come and go quickly, adult looks tend to be much more stable. Though they may carry the mark of their times, in the cut of the blazer or jeans or other details of tailoring, the gold chain, the leather wallet, even the basic blazer itself, will never really go out of style.

8 Important Steps to Take If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

8 Important Steps to Take If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

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The very idea of nursing home abuse is both scary and concerning. All over the country, there are nursing homes neglecting the elders they pledged to care for. Physical abuse, mental and emotional abuse, financial abuse, and even sexual abuse can put elders in a vulnerable and painful situation – and you may feel helpless to do anything about it.

If you suspect nursing home abuse in any form, there are some important steps you’ll need to take.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse

First, you should understand that there are many types of nursing home abuse, each with different effects:

  • Physical abuse. Physical abuse is the most commonly understood and most noticeable form of abuse. If you notice bruises, bleeding, or other unexplained signs of injury on your loved one, they may be suffering from direct physical abuse.
  • Emotional and psychological abuse. As many as 60 percent of all self-reported nursing home abuse cases included some form of verbal abuse or emotional harm. Abusive caretakers may insult, belittle, or manipulate their patients with words.
  • Sexual abuse. Nobody likes to think about sexual abuse, but it’s a frighteningly common plight in nursing homes. STDs, inappropriate contact with staff, and bruising or bleeding around genitals may be signs of this kind of abuse.
  • Financial abuse. Elders may also be abused financially, being the victims of theft or manipulation.
  • Neglect and abandonment. Even if no one is directly harming your loved one, they may be inflicting damage through neglect. If an elder isn’t getting the care they need, they may suffer from bedsores, malnutrition, dehydration, and worsening medical symptoms.

What to Do If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

If you suspect nursing home abuse in any form, for any reason, there are several important steps you’ll need to take, including:

  1. Get your loved one to safety immediately. First, if you have reason to believe that your loved one is in imminent danger, or if they’re suffering from an advanced medical issue like malnutrition or dehydration, you need to get them to safety immediately. That might mean calling 911 for assistance or relocating them to a different nursing home. In any case, your loved one’s health and wellbeing should be your top priority.
  2. Start taking notes. If the signs of abuse are ambiguous or you’re not sure if you want to take further action, simply start taking notes. Write down what you see and what you hear, and describe your suspicions. Write down dates and times when relevant. The more information you have to work with, the easier it will be to build a case.
  3. Keep quiet (for now). After witnessing abuse or suspecting employees of wrongdoing, you may be tempted to talk directly to management or file a formal complaint. However, it may be better to remain quiet for now; if you alert staff members to your suspicions, they may be motivated to destroy evidence that could be used against them.
  4. Document any evidence you can. If your suspicions grow, or if you’re pursuing legal action, it’s important to start documenting any evidence you can. Take photos and videos of any signs of abuse you witness firsthand – and collect copies of relevant documentation.
  5. Talk to a lawyer. Next, talk to a lawyer who has experience with nursing home abuse. A lawyer will be able to help you understand your case, the context for what you’re experiencing, and the most important next steps to take. They’ll also be able to help you gather evidence, prepare a case against the nursing home responsible for the abuse, and help you through the trial (if it comes to that).
  6. Talk to administrators and care providers. If you’re not pursuing legal action, or if you want to take action as early as possible, talk to administrators and/or care providers about the abuse you suspect. Go straight to the top if you can; good administrators want to eradicate problems like these as a top priority. Sometimes, a simple policy change or a fired employee is all it takes for the abuse to end.
  7. File a formal complaint. If your complaint isn’t being heard or acted on, consider filing a formal complaint with an official Adult Protective Services agency in your state (or a similar authoritative body).
  8. Consider filing a lawsuit. In many cases, the best course of action is to file a lawsuit. You’ll not only recover damages, but also force the organization named in the lawsuit to either change or close forever.

Unfortunately, we can’t prevent all instances of nursing home abuse from unfolding. But if we notice any signs of potential abuse, we can take action to get our loved ones to safety and ensure no one else has to go through the same experience at that facility.

5 Jobs You Might Consider When Looking to Change Your Career

5 Jobs You Might Consider When Looking to Change Your Career

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We’ve all been there before. We’re sitting at our job staring off into space, wondering what it would be like if we chose another career path. It’s not uncommon to consider switching it up.

Someone might consider changing their career if they’ve reached a stagnant point in their job, are not feeling fulfilled in their day-to-day work life, or want to work in a field that makes more money.

If you’re contemplating a career change, here are five high-paying jobs you could consider based upon your skills, qualifications, and experience.

Real Estate Agent

One of the easiest jobs to get into when making a career shift is within the real estate business. No degree is required to become a real estate agent, and you can make a lot of money if you enjoy and are good at sales.

Start by searching your state’s requirements. You’ll take a prelicensing course and then take the licensing exam. Just like that, you’ll be on your way to starting a new career.

Many times, agencies will pay for your licensing and provide training for you as well. No matter the state of the housing market, agencies are always looking to add on new employees because it’s primarily a commission-based salary. The best part is that your schedule is flexible. You decide how often and for how long you want to work. In 2020, the median income for a real estate agent who worked about 40 hours per week was around $68.000 per year.

Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

If you’re good with numbers, becoming a certified public accountant (CPA) may just be the job for you. Making a career shift to becoming a CPA is an incredibly lucrative job that could pay anywhere from $70,000 to $150,000 per year. There are online CPA courses available that work with your schedule and your budget.

Software Developer

For those with a background in math, design, or engineering who are changing careers, becoming a software developer is an option you’ll want to look at. More people are finding that to make the switch, all they need to do is take a refresher course on coding, as some things have changed since they last took a class.

Becoming a software developer, especially if you have some previous experience or knowledge, can start off paying anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 per year.

Anesthesiologist

One of the highest paying jobs in the country is the work of anesthesiologists. There are several different types and it could be an incredible opportunity for someone who has experience in the medical field.

While this would require you to go back to school to meet certain requirements, it would be significantly less difficult for someone who currently works at a hospital or doctor’s office.

As the highest paying job in the United States, anesthesiologists make around $262,000 per year, even higher than the average surgeon.

Marketing Manager or Consultant

Marketing is just as much a creative job as it is analytical. Most people don’t know that no matter what industry you’ve been in, there is some level that can be applied to the marketing field.

Marketing managers can make around $81,000 per year when starting out with a new company. This is a great move for someone who may have worked in fundraising, nonprofit work, design, or advertising.

Before deciding to make a career shift, contemplate the reasons why you’d want to make the change in the first place. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone. There are career counseling services that are available in most cities with professionals that can help guide you on the right path.

You can also seek advice from a close friend or family member who knows you best. They may have insight that can help.

Mesothelioma Lawyers Are there to Protect the Rights of Victims Exposed to Asbestos

Mesothelioma Lawyers Are there to Protect the Rights of Victims Exposed to Asbestos

By Web admin on

Millions of people in the United States go to work or move about every day without realizing the danger that they put their lives in. Despite the fact that asbestos is the number one cause of people developing mesothelioma, the United States has failed to pass legislation that would ban the use of the mineral in products. Mesothelioma is one of the most dangerous forms of cancer on the planet. 

Greater than 3,000 people in the United States are stricken with Mesothelioma each year. Due to the nature of the disease, and how quickly it can metastasize, it is very important that people start treatment for their cancer as soon as possible. Anyone who believes that they were exposed to asbestos on their job, or through the use of products containing the substance, should seek the advice of an mesothelioma lawyer as soon as possible.

A lack of awareness

Most people in America know how dangerous asbestos is, however many are surprised to learn that asbestos is contained in many of the products they use. Scientists have conducted countless studies that revealed exposure to asbestos, even in very small amounts could cause a person to develop mesothelioma. People who work in industries like construction, roofing, shipyards, and automobile repair have a greater risk of being exposed to asbestos than people who work in other industries. Firefighters are also at high risk for exposure to asbestos,

In the Oddest Places

It is important to note that asbestos is still very much a part of American everyday life. Asbestos is still being used in insulation for example. At least 1% of the materials used to help regulate the temperature in buildings and homes is made of asbestos. Because asbestos can withstand an incredible amount of heat, car parts like clutches, pipes, gaskets, and brake pads are often made with the mineral. 

When people think about fire safety products, they make the assumption that the products are safe to use. Many fireproof products are made with asbestos fibers, because they repel fire. When choosing fire safety products for their homes, people should research and do their due diligence before selecting items like fireproof coating, fire curtains and fire blankets. 

If there is an emergency at home or in the workplace, and fire safety items need to be used, it is important for people to remember that heat could disperse particles of asbestos into the air. Users of these types of products should be mindful of this fact, and protect their noses and mouths when these products are in use. Asbestos is also found in potting soil, fertilizer, laboratory equipment, talcum powder and in some construction materials like floor tiles and plaster.

Get Help Right Away

Anyone who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and believes they were exposed to products containing asbestos at work, home or in their community need to secure the services of a mesothelioma lawyer as soon as they can. An attorney can help make sure that people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma through asbestos exposures get the protection and help they need. Businesses and involved in these types of lawsuits have lawyers on retainer to ensure they have the best legal representation possible. A mesotheiloma lawyer is there to even the playing field.