3 Steps to Better Nurse-Patient Communication

Nurses are busier than ever with both the routine tasks and the increasing roles of facilitating medical teams and fostering better communications. Coordinating tasks and relationships is a challenge, so to that point, what are three best practices for making your life easier and your service more satisfying?

I (Margery Pabst) like to find easy ways to remember tools that work. When I think of communications, remembering the tools as the “3 C’s” is a great way to be mindful of what works. The “3 C’s” are:

• Confirm feelings and thoughts.
   
• Clarify information.
   
• Collaborate to evaluate healing.

What is so profound about the “3 C’s” is that, when one “C” is missing, effectiveness diminishes. For example, if I forget to confirm a patient’s current state (feelings and thoughts), and jump to the clarifying of information, I may come across as unfeeling or disinterested to that person. If I skip clarify, the person may find me a great, collaborative person but may have the wrong information. And if I skip collaborate, then I won’t have the ongoing picture of how the patient is doing and how to best improve our medical practice and treatment.

All of us intuitively know when communication has gone well or when it hasn’t. The “3 C’s” are an assessment for what was left out.

To Read More at Nursetogether.com. 

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What Mental Health Practitioners Need to Know about the Elder Justice Act

Mental Health Practitioners should take note of two realities about elder abuse: a large majority of elder abuse is perpetrated by family members, and the average victim of elder abuse is an older women between 75 and 80 who is living alone, and as a result of isolation and loneliness can entrust the wrong individuals with responsibility for their finances or care. When that trust is violated, elder abuse occurs.

The landmark Elder Justice Act of 2010 (EJA, an amendment to the Affordable Care Act) provides America an opportunity to engage the federal government’s resources and resourcefulness in the fight against elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. The law’s premise is that only a coordinated and comprehensive federal commitment, working with existing state and local entities, will allow us to promote elder justice by reducing elder abuse.

To Read More.
 
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Stay Fit This Season

The holidays are a chance for you to kick back, relax and spend time with your loved ones, laughing and just enjoying each other’s company. It can also be a time that you indulge just a little too much when it comes to eating. Don’t let food and drink temptations ruin all of the progress you’ve made towards your health. There are little things you can do to make sure you are staying on track while still enjoying yourself.

You shouldn’t be so focused on staying fit and healthy that you don’t have a good holiday, but you can incorporate small things that will help make a difference on the way you feel after all of the festivities are done.

Try signing up for a 5K that takes place on the holiday. There are “Turkey Trots” all over the country on Thanksgiving day. Ask your friends and family if they want to join you, chances are someone will think it’s a great idea.

To Read More.

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Stuff the Bird, Not Yourself

According to research from the Calorie Control Council, the average American may consume more than 4,500 calories and a whopping 229 grams of fat from snacking and eating a traditional holiday dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. And these figures don't even include breakfast or the late evening munching on leftovers!

The average holiday dinner alone can carry a load of 3,000 calories. And most of us nibble our way through more than another 1,500 calories downing dips and chips and drinks before and after the big meal. Combined, that's the equivalent of more than 2 1/4 times the average daily calorie intake and almost 3 1/2 times the fat. The typical holiday dinner can be loaded with 45 percent of calories from fat. In fact, the average person may consume enough fat at a holiday meal to equal three sticks of butter.

Many of us will figure that we've blown our diet and the holidays are to be enjoyed, so why worry about weight? But even if you start the holiday season off with gastronomical excess, you can quickly get back on the right track.

Reducing the amount of fat and calories in your snacking and main holiday meals can help prevent the average weight a person will gain over the holidays (from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day). And instead of crashing on the couch after eating, you can lessen or ward off weight gain by burning off that eggnog or pie.

Also, try these "Low-Fat Holiday" tips from the American Heart Association:

• Eat lower-fat and reduced-calorie foods for days in advance of the holiday feast, and for days after.
• Prepare for handling your worst temptations; if you want both pecan and pumpkin pie, take a tiny slice of each, instead of an average serving.

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We Care Online Staff Highlight - Patsy Cline

This month we meet Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline has been in the healthcare field for 25 years.  She was originally attracted to the field by her love of working with patients and her desire to make a difference in people's lives.

Patsy lives in Wichita, Kansas with Jack, her husband of 51 years.  The Clines have 3 adult boys and many grandchildren.

Patsy and her husband attend church on a regular basis.  Patsy also enjoys making cards, scrapbooking, sewing, and home decorating.

Everyone at WeCareOnline plays an important role in helping students have the best online learning experience possible.  Patsy works in the business office and is responsible for making deposits and receiving payments from students and facilities.   

Patsy also approves Hardship Grants and states that “WeCareOnline offers between   $5,000.00 to $6,000.00 per month at no cost to the student except for the price of the textbook.  This is so rewarding.”  

Since WeCareOnline is an online company, Patsy knows that people don’t get to see her face to face or to see her workspace. She has a wall plaque that hangs in front of her desk and reads:
 

        If you can talk...You can SING!

        If you can walk...You can DANCE!

Patsy comments that this message “… inspires me to be the best I can be, and maintain a positive attitude.”

Top 10 Reasons to Shop at a Farmers Market

Why shop at a farmers market?

10. Farmers markets are easy to find.
Use the USDA Farmers Markets Search to find one near you. Due to their flexible locations, some community farmers markets provide fresh, healthy foods when other sources aren't as easily accessed. Learn more about how the USDA helps to expand healthy food access through the development of local food systems.


9. SNAP and WIC cards are accepted at most farmers markets.
Click here for more information on food assistance programs.


8. You can try a new fruit or vegetable!
Have you ever tasted gooseberries or rhubarb? Many farmers markets offer lesser known fruits and vegetables, providing a variety that can be both tasty and nutritious. Learn how to select the best quality, how to store, and about the nutritional values of these rarer fruits and vegetables (and some common ones, too) in the Fruit Nutrition Database and Vegetable Nutrition Database.


7. Farmers often have good recommendations on ways to prepare their products.
For more inspiration, visit Fruits and Veggies More Matters to see recipes using fresh fruits and vegetables.



To Read More of this article at Nutrition.gov.
 
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Why Sharing Meals in Senior Living is Key to Wellness

Food is more than fuel. The enjoyment of dining with friends and family offers social benefits that are essential for holistic health. Sharing meals is an especially important aspect of wellness for seniors, because loneliness is “one of the most serious obstacles to good nutrition,” according to this press release from Home Instead Senior Care.

Though not all senior living communities are the same in terms of what dining options are available to residents — some may have different meal plans and menu offerings available, others may have multiple venues from which to choose for daily meals — all should be based on this foundation of fostering social engagement in the dining room. Whether the dining areas are formal or informal, whether they use tablecloths and fine china or place mats and paper plates, whether you can order from a menu or partake in meals served family style doesn’t matter… as long as residents can interact with friends or invite family members to join them as guests.

 Read More Here.

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What Going Back to School Can Give Moms

Women with kids are often such great students because of their life experience. They enhance the college environment more than they know. Moms also have a lot to gain from going back to school.

Sense of Identity
We moms spend so much time giving to our families, to our jobs and to our friends. It's very easy to lose ourselves and forget who we are as individual women. Going back to school is often something that women do for themselves, for a sense of fulfillment that learning something new can bring. Pursuing a passion that may ultimately be for the betterment of your family, but for now is just your own, is so empowering. Choosing a course of study and exploring various venues brings women a sense of identity that helps shape who they are.

Independence and Critical Thinking
Just as college can add to a woman's sense of identity, it can also foster an independent spirit that may have been lacking. So often, women begin to fall into a routine that fails to challenge them. This everyday rut may offer little opportunity for critical thinking or independent choices. Going back to school shakes things up a bit. It exposes you to new circumstances that may challenge your thinking and push you to make independent choices you ordinarily wouldn't be in a position to consider.

Friends and Networking
College also exposes women to a whole new group of people.

To read the rest of Working Mother Blog.

Have you been thinking about going back to school. We Care Online offers classes in several career in the health care industry. Click here for more information.

Low on Fuel? Three Ways to Fill Up Your Tank

Feeling tired, nurses, even after you’ve had your coffee? Wish the weekends were three or four days long so you could catch up? Resenting time spent at work?

Fill up your nurse health tank!

If your low fuel indicator is illuminated, then try a RenewalSHIFT™.

Here are three steps to boost your energy at home and work. Start today and see results immediately! That’s the great thing about a SHIFT- you increase your energy and get better results right away!

1.   Breathe deeply

• Each deep breath sends oxygen to your brain and forces you to slow down. 
• Try breathing in through your nose and out through pursed lips right now. Close your eyes to really focus on how good this feels.
  
• As you breath in, think of something good (i.e., a loving child) and as you breath out, let go of something annoying (i.e., the difficult patient).
• Enjoy the calm feeling that has taken over.
   

2.   Do something nice for someone else

• When you see someone who needs a hand, offer to help.
• Do it with a smile and say “you’re welcome” when they thank you.

Read the rest of the Nursetogether.com article.

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