Celebrate National Nurses Day and Week: Next Week

National Nurses Day is celebrated annually on May 6 to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. It marks the beginning of National Nurses Week, which ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale.

What do people do?

On National Nurses Day celebrations and receptions are held across the United States to honor the work of nurses. Among the most popular activities are banquets, state and city proclamations, and seminars. Many nurses receive gifts or flowers from friends, family members, or patients.

Public life

National Nurses Day and National Nurses Week are observances but they not a public holidays in the United States.

Background

May 12, the final day of National Nurses Week, is the birthday of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). The English nurse became known as the founder of professional nursing, especially due to her pioneering work during the Crimean War (1853-1856). Due to her habit of making rounds at night, Nightingale became known as "The Lady with the Lamp."

For More and Original Article.

Start your career as a nurse by becoming a Certified Nurse Aide.

Alzheimer's and Dementia Part 2 of 4

Early-stage Alzheimer's Signs and Symptoms

The focus of early-stage Alzheimer's is cognitive decline. The Alzheimer's sufferer, as well as family, friends, co-workers, and medical practitioners start to notice the changes. Memory and concentration problems are evident and measurable by cognitive tests. Communication issues surface. Changes in personality and a few idiosyncratic behaviors begin to appear. As a result, the person's performance suffers both at home and at work. The apathy and lack of engagement that is characteristic of all three stages begins here.

Early signs and symptoms could include any of the following

• Cognitive and memory problems begin to appear
• Confusion
• Forgets names and words; might make up words, or quit talking to avoid mistakes
• Repeats questions, phrases or stories, in the same conversation
• Forgets their own history, recent personal events, and current events
• Less able to plan, organize, or think logically
• Increasing difficulty with routine tasks such as planning dinner, grocery shopping, paying bills
• Increasingly unable to make decisions; defers to others choices
• Poor judgment; decline in problem-solving skills
• Money and math problems
• Disoriented in time and place; may become lost in familiar places.
• Trouble concentrating and learning new things; avoids change
• Withdraws from social and mental challenges
• Misplaces valuable possessions; hides things or puts things away in strange places and then forgets where they are

Communication problems are observed

• May converse normally until a memory lapse occurs
• Begins to have difficulty expressing themselves
• Even if unable to speak well, can respond to what you tell them--to your emotional reactions, and to humor
• Increasing difficulty comprehending reading material

Personality changes are evident

• Apathetic, withdrawn, avoids people
• Anxious, irritable, agitated
• Insensitive to others feelings
• Easily angered when frustrated, tired, rushed, or surprised

Idiosyncratic behaviors start to develop

• Hoards, checks, or searches for objects of little value
• Forgets to eat, or eats constantly, or eats only one kind of food

When Alzheimer's has been diagnosed early, the loss of abilities is often mild, and with a little help, the individual can continue living independently much as they did before. In this early stage, some people experience minor physical compensations, such as falling asleep easily, or immunity to colds, but these positive aspects of Alzheimer's are short-lived. In fact, by the time this condition is diagnosed, some of the problems described above may have already progressed to the point where the individual is already in the middle stage of the disease, needing considerable caregiver support.

New Insights into Alzheimer's Research Learning how Alzheimer's disease begins is key to developing new therapeutics to slow or even prevent the disease. Researchers now believe that a failure in insulin processing in the brain may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Read Memory Special Report Johns Hopkins Health Alerts.

-Next week: Part 3 Mid State Alzheimer's Signs and Symptoms
Part 1

20 Signs You Are Succeeding Even if You Don't Think You Are

We all feel like failures from time to time. While this is a normal feeling, you have to find a way to see yourself and your life from a different perspective. Sometimes we ignore the “little things.” Just because you are not a millionaire, don’t live in a mansion, and you don’t drive a fancy car, that doesn’t mean you’re a failure. In fact, it’s quite the contrary.

Here are 20 signs that you are succeeding in life:

1. Your relationships are less dramatic than they used to be.

Drama is not maturity. As we age, we should develop maturity. So maybe your relationships were drama-filled in your past, but if you have moved beyond that, then you are successful.

2. You are not afraid to ask for help and support any more.

Asking for help does not equal weakness. In fact, it is a strength.
For More and Original Post.

Advance your career in the healthcare field: www.wecareonlineclasses.com

What You Can Learn from a Healthy Relationship

“Healthy relationship” seems like a clinical term. Like a tonic or a remedy, it gives the illusion of something used to cure the clinically insane and depraved.

But isn’t a relationship a sort of cure? Aren’t we all a little bit crazy? Isn’t love a medicine for our aching souls? Isn’t a healthy relationship the one tonic we can’t wait to drink?

Healthy relationships are, indeed, a type of medicine. They calm us and heal us. They teach us how to love and make us strong.

They are a healing elixir after all the placebos and toxins. They are the answer to all the unhealthy relationships we’ve been drinking for years.

So what do you learn when you’ve finally taken the right dose? When you’ve finally experienced what it’s like to be in something healthy and right for a change?

Like dying and being reborn again, you learn everything for a second time. You learn what love means and what it doesn’t.

For More and Original Article. 

Learn what it takes to become a Social Services Designee: Click HERE.

Alzheimer's and Dementia Part 1 of 4

For this Alzheimer's and Dementia four part series we'll be looking at what our Nurse Aide course has to say about these illnesses that are associated with many of our aging residents.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive fatal illness that causes areas of the brain to shrink. The resulting symptoms start with memory loss and other cognitive deficits, advancing to major personality changes and eventual loss of control over bodily functions.

While some of us experience mild memory losses with aging, people with Alzheimer's have a more noticeable and rapid decline in memory and other cognitive skills. Learn the signs and symptoms to help you decide if its time to seek help for yourself or a loved one showing symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's

When Alzheimer's disease begins to destroy brain cells, no outward symptoms are evident. After a while, small memory lapses appear and grow more serious. The afflicted individual may forget the names of familiar people or places, the words to express what they want to say, or the location of everyday objects.

As the memory lapses of early Alzheimer's become more serious, other cognitive deficits and behavior problems develop:

Typical signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease 

• General confusion, disorientation to date, time or place
• Apathy, irritability, depression, anxiety 
• Problems with language, math, abstract thinking, and judgment 
• Personality changes with strange quirks or inappropriate behaviors 
• Wandering, hiding objects, problems with eating and sleeping 
• Late in the disease, paranoia and delusions may occur 
• Toward the end, total loss of self, and inability to control bodily functions 

While these are the major symptoms of Alzheimer's, not all patients have all these symptoms. However, it is good to be aware of the most typical warning signs, as it is important to recognize problems early, and get help for them. Are people with Alzheimer's aware of their signs and symptoms?

People with Alzheimer's show a range of responses to their own behavior and condition:

• Denial (in the early stages)
• Blame others for making them look ridiculous 
• Complete self-awareness (I'm sorry, I have Alzheimer's) 
• Frustration, agitation, rage 
• Vacant despair, with no apparent recognition that they were once a different person 

By the middle stage of Alzheimer's, most victims no longer are aware that they don't remember things or aren't communicating coherently. This is fortunate for them. In a safe environment with good care and social contact, most Alzheimer's patients seem relatively free of suffering. For their friends and relatives it's a different story: the long steady decline of their loved one is painful to watch. The demands of Alzheimer's care also take a toll, over the many years before inevitable death. Depression is more common among the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients than it is among the patients themselves.

The Main Stages of Alzheimer's Disease
Early-stage Alzheimer's (Mild)	Mid-stage Alzheimer's (Moderate)	Late-stage Alzheimer's (Severe)
Memory loss or other cognitive deficits are noticeable, yet the person can compensate for them and continue to function independently.	Mental abilities decline, the personality changes, and physical problems develop so that the person becomes more and more dependent on caregivers.	Complete deterioration of the personality and loss of control over bodily functions requires total dependence on others for even the most basic activities of daily living.

Memory loss or other cognitive deficits are noticeable, yet the person can compensate for them and continue to function independently.

Mental abilities decline, the personality changes, and physical problems develop so that the person becomes more and more dependent on caregivers.

Complete deterioration of the personality and loss of control over bodily functions requires total dependence on others for even the most basic activities of daily living.

People vary in the length of time spent in each stage, and in which stage the signs and symptoms appear. Because the stages overlap, it is difficult to definitively place a person in a particular stage. However, the progression is always toward a worsening of symptoms. The stages identify groups of symptoms that reflect more and more brain decay and increasing dependence on caregivers. The end result of Alzheimer's is death, whether caused by the inability of the brain to keep the body going, or by another disease or injury along the way.

No matter what stage the individual is in at the time of diagnosis, apathy is a major problem from the beginning to the very end. More than forty per cent of people in early-stage Alzheimer's show a lack of interest, initiative, and emotional involvement. In the last stage of Alzheimer's, more than ninety per cent of people are apathetic.

-Next week we'll look at the Early-stage Alzheimer's Signs and Symptoms.

Five Foods You Should Keep in Your Fridge

Most people have such busy lives that planning meals and shopping lists isn’t very high on our list of priorities. The key to keeping your diet in check is to stock your fridge with healthy foods that are quick and easy to prepare yet also provide nutritional benefits.

It’s important to pick foods that are versatile enough to be used in a variety of dishes as well as being affordable. It’s also handy to clear your fridge of any junk food so that when you’re just in the door from a tough day you won’t be tempted.

To help you out here are The SuperFit Foodie’s top five fridge essentials.

1) Eggs

Cheap, nutritious and can be cooked so many ways. Try adding one to your oats in the morning for extra protein, put scrambled eggs in a wrap for breakfast on the go, make a veggie loaded omelette for a quick post workout dinner or mix with a banana and fry for a healthy pancake. Eggs are widely regarded as one of the most nutritionally complete foods as they contain a high quality source of protein (6g per egg) as well as an abundance of vitamins and minerals.

2) Salmon

Salmon is a fantastic source of omega 3 fatty acids which are essential for heart, joint and skin health as well as brain function

 

For More Great Foods and Original Article.

Become a Home Health Aide. Click Here.

Appetite Stimulants for the Elderly

Older adults sometimes experience a loss of appetite that may adversely affect their health. Even foods they once loved no longer seem appealing. Caregivers of seniors with this problem will certainly want to explore ways to stimulate their loved ones’ appetites and get them eating again.

Causes of Loss of Appetite

There are several causes for loss of appetite in the elderly. One may be a poorer sense of taste due to a diminishing number of taste buds as we age. Our sense of smell also diminishes, and with it, potentially, our enjoyment of food.
Disinterest in food also can be caused by physical or cognitive maladies. Those with multiple medical conditions may be particularly vulnerable to poor appetite. If they are taking medications, they may experience loss of appetite as a side effect.

Weight Loss in Elderly

Loss of appetite can lead to substantial weight loss, which is a major health concern.
For More and Original Article.

Are you a health care facility looking to offer more education for your employees? CLICK HERE

Tuition Reimbursement Winner for March

Congratulations, Calley! 

Calley is our Tuition Reimbursement Winner for March! 

She will be getting a refund from us soon. You could be next!

"My name is Calley B., I grew up on a farm near a very small town in northeast Kansas.  I am currently a student at Washburn University and I was just recently accepted into the nursing program and will begin in the fall of 2015.  I chose to receive my CNA, because I believe that the experience that I will receive while working in this position will truly help me while I continue into nursing school.  

I really enjoyed this course offered through We Care Online, it was a great learning experience and I can now say that I will be certified to help the ones in need.  I cannot explain how grateful I am for winning this chance of reimbursement. Receiving my money back will help out a tremendous amount with the cost of nursing school."
- Calley B.

Students registered for a Nurse Aide course will automatically be placed in a monthly drawing to win reimbursement of their course tuition. The monthly drawings will choose one student to win a reimbursement.

If you want to know how to get in on this Click Here for more information.

Remember, before you can win, you have to register and pay for a Nurse Aide course - See our course catalog Click Here.

Or go to our website Click Here.

Have You Ever Said: "I'm just a CNA?"

If you’ve ever said, “I’m just a CNA” or “I’m just a nurse,” then this little parable is for you! Our guest blogger, Corey Anne Rotella, CNA, shares a lovely story she wrote about the importance of acknowledging and celebrating your own worth.
The Little Dandelion
Nestled in a little town, no different from any other town, was a little house. It was old and weather-worn, with paint peeling from its siding and a porch swing that creaked on rusted chains. The house was owned by a couple who moved in shortly after they were married forty years ago.
Now, this ordinary couple in their ordinary house had a rose garden that was anything but ordinary and every year, hundreds of people made the trip to view it in all its glory.  Every variety of rose bloomed with such vibrancy and perfection that it took people’s breath away. It was an absolutely stunning sight and soon the garden had become quite famous.  On the edge of all this majesty, hidden by the shadows, stood two dandelions, one tall and the other little, who watched the endless line of visitors flooding in to view the beautiful roses.
“The poor beauties”, the tall dandelion sighed as she watched the people ohh and ahh. The little dandelion looked up in disbelief!
“Are you kidding me? You feel SORRY for them?! They’re perfect! You are a weed suffering from delusions of grandeur, friend.”
- See more at: http://www.nurse-aide.com/general/have-you-ever-said-im-just-a-cna/#sthash.pcY9Y7xh.dpuf

If you’ve ever said, “I’m just a CNA” or “I’m just a nurse,” then this little parable is for you! Corey Anne Rotella, CNA, shares a lovely story she wrote about the importance of acknowledging and celebrating your own worth.

The Little Dandelion

Nestled in a little town, no different from any other town, was a little house. It was old and weather-worn, with paint peeling from its siding and a porch swing that creaked on rusted chains. The house was owned by a couple who moved in shortly after they were married forty years ago.

Now, this ordinary couple in their ordinary house had a rose garden that was anything but ordinary and every year, hundreds of people made the trip to view it in all its glory.  Every variety of rose bloomed with such vibrancy and perfection that it took people’s breath away. It was an absolutely stunning sight and soon the garden had become quite famous.  On the edge of all this majesty, hidden by the shadows, stood two dandelions, one tall and the other little, who watched the endless line of visitors flooding in to view the beautiful roses.

“The poor beauties”, the tall dandelion sighed as she watched the people ohh and ahh. The little dandelion looked up in disbelief!

“Are you kidding me? You feel SORRY for them?! They’re perfect! You are a weed suffering from delusions of grandeur, friend.”

- See more at: http://www.nurse-aide.com/general/have-you-ever-said-im-just-a-cna/#sthash.pcY9Y7xh.dpuf

Learn more about becoming a CNA.

Chores May be Key to Raising Successful Kids

The key to raising successful children could be making sure they help out around the house, according to a new article by the Wall Street Journal.

A recent survey found that 82 percent of parents did chores growing up, but only 28 percent require their kids to help out around the house.

One reason for the shift may be an emphasis on extracurricular activities, which may have caused making the bed to fall by the way side.

But chores may still be one of the most important predictors of future success, teaching self-reliance and responsibility, as well as empathy, according to the report.

The Wall Street Journal article suggests parents wanting to give their children certain tasks can make a game of it, propose small allowances and make sure to thank their children for helping them.

For More and Original Article
LEARN MORE about WeCareOnline's Medical Transcription Scribe Program.

3 Healthy Behaviors for Working Moms

Working moms have to share their life with not just their family, but their career. A career outside of the home means more time to give and less time to spend on the things that allow us to be healthier. Regardless of why we work, whether if its' for the additional income or the professional career that is important to maintain, a healthy lifestyle is still foundational to being effective in our responsibilities.

Healthy living doesn't have to be another check list on the bottom of the to-do list but rather can be a mindset we adopt as we continue with our responsibilities. There are ways that we can be healthy as a working mom -- we just need to do things a little different.

Here are three habits that every working mom can be adopt to become healthier:

1. Use exercise as a means to be healthy, not as a punishment for bad behavior. There isn't any faster way to hate exercising than to use it as punishment. We are guilty of this behavior all the time, even in the littlest ways. Maybe you ate dessert at the office meeting and snagged a piece of candy off of a desk as you passed by. And as you took that last bite, you thought to yourself, "It's okay, I'll just hop on the treadmill tonight" or "I walked today at lunch." Or even worse -- using exercise as punishment for how you look or fit into your jeans.

For More and Original Article.

Learn more about becoming an Activity Director.

WeCareOnline April Staff Highlight - Amanda Quelland

This month we get to meet Amanda Quelland.

Amanda has worked in the healthcare field for 14 years. From a young age she knew she wanted to have job where she could help people. 

Amanda has a doctorate in pharmacy and completed a pharmacy practice residency at the University of Arizona Medical Center.  She works on the cardiac unit and cardiac intensive care as a clinical pharmacist.  

Amanda and her husband have 3 children who keep them busy. She enjoys playing the piano and reading.  As well, she likes to do Sudoku puzzles and logic puzzles.

Everyone at WeCareOnline plays an important role in helping students have the best online learning experience possible. Amanda is the instructor for the Pharmacy Technician course and also the Medication Aide course for Montana.
  
Amanda has noticed that over the years pharmacy practice has changed to give pharmacists and pharmacy technicians more responsibilities and they have become more involved with the healthcare team.  With pharmacies on every corner, pharmacists are easily accessible to the public and can give out valuable information and help people make general healthcare decisions.