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Tuesday, 19 August 2008 20:00 |
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This is the day you thought would never happen. Your roles in
life are reversing. Your trying to make decisions for yourself
and your Aging Parent. What will be best for them without
altering your life too drastically. How do you keep up the pace
and ultimately please everyone around you? You are not alone in
life, you have a family, significant other, a career to think
about. You want to balance everything to keep everyone happy and
life as normal as possible. Think again! Those once a week
visits or daily phone calls aren"t enough anymore. Your parent
needs care, the real kind.
The care includes making sure they eat, that they take their
meds, that their money isn"t being floundered away on TV
shopping. You have siblings that think Assisted Living or
Nursing Facilities are awful and they don"t want to put Mom or
Dad in one even though they also don"t want to help out. How do
you cope? How do you deal with this situation without alienating
every member of your family?
First understand, it"s not about you. What I mean by that
statement is that it is not about guilt and what some think is
the "Right thing to do". It"s not about hanging on to someone
that they used to be. They are an elderly person in need of
constant care and attention. If you need a dose of growing up,
this situation will make it happen whether your ready or not!
Start with their doctor. Have an appointment to discuss the
faltering health of your beloved parent. You can also check into
the hospital that their health care is associated. Every
hospital has an elder care group of some type. The medical
coverage will also have affiliations with elder sourcing.
Between the doctor and the medical coverage group, you may be
able to determine the types of help and living style your
parents current status requires. Keep asking until you have the
best situation for all concerned. It may be as simple as an Aide
visiting once or twice a day to help with showering, dressing,
meals and meds. Their health may need more than that and the
visiting nurse or doctor"s office is the place to apply the
concern. The best word to learn to help an elder parent is the
same as if your infant child were being cared for and that is
SAFETY. If safety is not at the level necessary, keep pushing
until you get the help you need.
It may take you time to uncover everything available to your
parent to help with this care process but trust me, it will be
worth it in the many years elder care can stretch out to be. It
is best to discuss with them all their health and medical,
financial and personal situations before that day arrives. When
they are older the best thing you can give them is you. Spend
quality time instead of stress time. Have them over for a day
and dinner instead of needing to pawn them off on someone else.
The resentment builds if you do this alone and there are many
really good care facilities to take that burden off your
shoulders.
Safety and honesty is what makes those later years a good memory!
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Thursday, 14 August 2008 12:00 |
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In this article we"re going to discuss where the money you spend
on child care actually goes.
Believe it or not, for your average American family of 3 or
more, child care expenses are 4th, right behind housing, food
and taxes. Because child care is so expensive, the parents
paying for this care think that the providers and centers
themselves are rolling in dough. The sad truth is, this is just
not the case. So hopefully this article will give you a pretty
good idea of where your child care dollars go.
The first and probably most important part of good child care is
having enough qualified people to run a child care center. The
younger the children at the care center are the more people that
are needed to take care of them because very young children need
individual attention, unlike centers with older children that
can work in groups or are even independent. It is because of
this need that personnel costs at a care center can be as much
as 50% or more of their total budget and operating expenses. The
other 50% is taken up by space, or the rent or mortgage on the
building, insurance, teaching supplies, snacks, and utilities.
Over the years these fixed costs have risen dramatically with
the price of food, oil and insurance skyrocketing because of
fraud, arson and other criminal activities. In spite of this,
the fees that the centers charge have remained pretty much the
same when adjusted for inflation. To translate that into
numbers, that means that child care teachers salaries have
dropped 25% since the 1970s.
The sad fact is, the salaries paid to child care workers are way
below what they should be making and because of that, it is hard
to find highly qualified people. In 1995 it is estimated that
child care teachers earned about $15,000 per year on the
average, which is not much over the poverty level. Assistant
teachers were only making an average of $11,000 per year in the
same time period. Even in comparison to the teachering
profession in elementary schools, these salaries are considered
low.
It is because of these low salaries that staff turnover at care
centers is so high. This should be a concern for parents because
high turnover prevents their children from getting the
personalized care that they are entitled to. With high turnover
the relationship between caregiver and child is usually very
impersonal and cold. This is not a good environment for your
child. As a result of this a child"s language and social skills
develop slower than with children who get proper care.
The solution to this problem is to work with government to get
proper funding for these facilities and also to work with the
facilities themselves. Get all the information you can about the
facility in your area. Find out if the teachers have paid sick
leave and benefits. If not, campaign for these things. Make your
voice heard. Let those responsible for funding these facilities
know that you"re not satisfied with the level of care.
You may be surprised to find out that there are people in
government who will listen, especially if they have children
themselves.
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Wednesday, 09 July 2008 02:01 |
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If you"re planning to go back to work after your baby is born,
child care is a major concern. Your childcare provider will be
spending a lot of time with your child, so it is critical that
you be comfortable with the environment and the style of care
your child will be receiving. There are several alternatives,
each with pros and cons. Spend some time evaluating each option,
so that you can make the choice that best suits your needs.
The first option is in-home child care, meaning a sitter, or
nanny who comes to your home to watch the child. This is by far
the most expensive option, but it has many advantages. Your
child will be at home, and will have the full attention of the
nanny. In addition, your child will be exposed to fewer
illnesses, and you will not have to transport her back and forth
on your way to and from work. The main disadvantage is that you
have no real backup if your nanny gets sick or wants to take
vacation. Another thing to consider is your feelings if your
child develops a very strong bond with the nanny. More than one
mother has been hurt by the sense that the baby is more
comfortable with the nanny than with her.
The second option is a small home daycare, meaning you find
someone who will keep your child in her home, perhaps with her
own children or one or two others. This is a good option if you
want your child in a home atmosphere, but can"t afford the full
time nanny. This option shares the same disadvantages of having
a nanny in terms of no backup plan.
The third option is a traditional daycare center. Traditional
daycares are affordable, and there is no need to worry about a
caretaker getting sick or wanting to take vacation. A daycare
might also be more of a learning environment than home care,
which will become more important to you as your child gets
older. The main disadvantages of daycares are that your child is
exposed to all the germs of all the children. Be prepared for
the both of you to be sick for a year. The other disadvantage is
the numbers of children being cared for. For example, in most
states, the law requires one caretaker per eight babies. Now, I
don"t know about you, but I could not effectively care for eight
babies alone. So, if you decide to use a daycare center, be sure
to ask their caretaker to child ratio. Look for one with about
five babies per caretaker.
Choosing your baby"s childcare arrangement is one of the most
important decisions you"ll make. Even after you"ve chosen a care
option, be diligent about ensuring that your child is receiving
the best care. Drop in unannounced at odd times of day to see
what"s going on. Don"t be afraid to ask questions, and let the
caretaker know what"s important to you. It"s critical not only
to your child"s well being, but to your own piece of mind.
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