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Saturday, August 31, 2019

Kelley School of Business Essay

Business has had a captivation over my intellectual interests ever since my freshmen year of high school. I chose to be independent and wanted to make my own path in my field of my interests and hence chose finance. I wish to make an impact on the business world and also be a successful entrepreneur. I have started early and taken the steps to ensure my success in the field. I have always liked subjects like mathematics, accounting and management and this is why I chose to major in Business. This is my 2nd semester at Kelley and I started off with my intention to major in Finance. But after exploring more opportunities I plan to major in Accounting and Finance with a minor in Economics. I then plan to work in a financial institution for couple of years and prepare for GMAT simultaneously. I want to get into the best Business school for my MBA. Furthermore, I plan to work at a good position in a good institution and reach the top level management of that institution. My goal is to bec ome a CFO of a company. I have always been involved in a lot of intra-collegiate and inter-collegiate festivals in high school. I have performed duties of a Division Representative, Contingent Leader, etc. and represented my high school/junior college in city-level festivals. I have managed to win one of Mumbai’s (India) biggest inter-collegiate festival. I am an active member of the International Club, Indian Students Advisory Council (ISAC), Indian Students Cultural Association (ISCA) and Student Activities Programming Board (SAPB) at IUPUI. I have performed a dance and walked the ramp for ISAC’s biggest festival here on campus. Additionally, I have volunteered to walk the ramp for International Club’s biggest event of the year, ‘International Fashion and Cultural Show’. I also plan on applying for the Advertising Officer position for International Club and Cultural Secretary position for ISAC. I love volunteering and I think it’s a really good way to serve the community. I have volunteered for 5 medical camps back in Mumbai and have also been a part of a NGO i.e., Once again green. We basically looked for the greenery in the city and planted new trees every weekend. At IUPUI I have volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis which was my best experience so far. Also, I have volunteered for IUPUI Flag corps. Recently, I volunteered for MLK day of service and felt attached to the community. Furthermore, I have registered to volunteer for the Kelley Career Fair on Feb 12th, 2012. Well, I am taking 18 credit hours this semester. I do have a scholarship of $4,000 every semester but my dad still ends up paying $14,000. Being an International Student our fees is much more than the In-State students it becomes really expensive. My dad also pays for my rent and personal expense which comes to about $1000-1200 every month. Hence, I am applying for various scholarships and programs which can help me pay my tuition fee and reduce the burden on my dad. Furthermore, I am looking for more job opportunities to get hands on experience and get my personal expenses covered. I am a direct admit to the Kelley School of Business. I have also been awarded Dean’s Recognition Scholarship of $32,000 for 4 years. I successfully secured a GPA of 3.614 in my first semester of my freshman year and hence I was fortunate enough and gain recognition to be admitted to Kelley School of Business, Dean’s Honor List. In addition, I have been invited to be a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). I have been dedicated to Kelley school throughout. I have also been asked by my Kelley Academic Advisor to be interviewed for a video and printed material to recruit other International students.

Friday, August 30, 2019

My Name

As per the Chinese tradition, I was named by my grandfather after the Princess of Wales, Lady Diana Spencer, who was well known for her grace, beauty, and generosity of spirit.   I was born in America, although my origin is Chinese.   My grandfather felt that it was necessary for him to give me a name that sounds American (or European) in origin.   The name, Diana, felt appropriate also because it is a popular name among the Chinese (â€Å"Chinese Culture†). This name was derived from an old Indo-European root with the meaning, heavenly or divine (â€Å"Diana†).   Perhaps this is the reason why I am never offended when my friends often call me â€Å"Dee† or â€Å"Di.†Ã‚   I know that Lady Diana Spencer, too, was often referred to as Lady Di.   All the same, it is perhaps the sacredness of the meaning of my name, Diana, that saves me from feeling insulted when I am called, â€Å"Di† (pronounced as â€Å"Die†). In short, I have never had a problem identifying with my first name.   It is only my last name, Ng, that has given me some trouble, seeing that it is almost impossible for a person with American (or European) origin to read it correctly, unless of course he or she has conducted some research on the pronunciation of Chinese names.   Hence, unfortunately, there are few people I know outside my family that pronounce my last name correctly. Chinese last names are patrilineal.   In other words, they are passed from fathers to their children.   Chinese women are also typically known to retain their birth surnames after marriage (â€Å"Chinese Surname†).   Although I may or may not retain my last name after marriage, the mere fact that the last name is traditionally known to be significant enough to be used throughout one’s lifetime, gives me the reason to respect my own last name unconditionally.   This is despite  the fact that many people mispronounce my last name, Ng, as â€Å"Nig† or simply call me Miss N- G.   People have additionally made fun of my last name by remarking that NG stands for either â€Å"no good† or â€Å"not given.†Ã‚   Even so, I continue to honor my traditions and my family name. I understand that Ng is an unusual last name in America, and difficult to pronounce because it lacks a vowel.   Moreover, I have felt annoyed at people’s mispronunciation of my last name, and their mockery of it.   Ng was translated from Cantonese, and in Mandarin it is Wu.   The name has various other dialect variants such as Wone, Wong, Bong, Huynh, Hoang, Hwang, Oei, Oi, Ooi, Uy, Wee, and Ong (â€Å"Family Name: Wong†). Unsurprisingly, all of the dialectical variants are transliterated and pronounced differently.   Furthermore, because of the different pronunciations and romanizations, it is generally easy for the people of Chinese origins to tell whether a person using a different dialectical variant of a last name is from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Southeast Asia including Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia (â€Å"Chinese Surname†). Many of my cousins in America have changed the last name to Eng in order to make it easier for others to pronounce.   I do not change it because I am quite attached to the idea of preserving good old family traditions.   According to Scott Edward Harrison, Chinese names in the original script are relatively problem free only for those who are familiar with the written language. But when those names are transliterated based on established standards of transliteration, some intelligibility may be lost.   This is certainly true with my last name.   So, even though my last name is often mocked or mispronounced, I do not overreact to the insult because I have perfect understanding of the nature of the problem. Had Chinese writing been popular in America, nobody would have had a problem saying my last name.   What is more, I have firm trust in the  fact that Americans do not mean to harm or humiliate me by saying my last name incorrectly, or using it inappropriately.   I do believe that the people I know respect and honor me as an individual.   Fortunately, in America one’s personal strengths are more important than one’s origins or name.   Hence, I have never really felt like a misfit, or suffered maladjustment in any way. One variant of my last name, Wong or Huang, is known as the seventh most common last name in China (â€Å"List of Common Chinese Surnames†).   The name is also used by many people in Vietnam, and almost one million in Korea.   Moreover, approximately two million Chinese people settled overseas are known to be using at least one dialect variant of my last name (â€Å"Family Name: Wong†).   According a 1987 study, there are more than four hundred and fifty surnames in use in Beijing (â€Å"Chinese Surname†).   Knowing that my last name, including its dialectic variants, is among the most popular Chinese names, makes it even easier for me to feel at ease with respect to my last name. Works Cited 1Chinese Culture. â€Å"Diana.† Retrieved from http://chineseculture.about.com/library/name/female/blna_diana.htm. (14 February 2007). 2.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Chinese Surname.† Wikipedia (2007, February). Retrieved http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_surname. (14 February 2007). 3.â€Å"Diana.† Behind the Name: The Etymology and History of First Names (1996). Retrieved from http://www.behindthename.com/. (14 February 2007). 4.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Family Name: Wong.† Retrieved from http://www.generasian.ca/roots_wong.html. (14 February 2007). 5. Harrison, Scott Edward. â€Å"Chinese Names in English.† Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Volume 15, Issue 4 (1993, February). â€Å"List of Common Chinese Surnames.† Wikipedia (2007, February). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_Chinese_surnames. (14 February 20

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Exploring Proper Use of APA Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exploring Proper Use of APA Style - Essay Example All the sources and works used in certain writing must be cited to acknowledge the authors (Bloch 210). Citing the sources of the information written by a student in an assignment depend on the style that a person wishes to use for the assignment. The styles include MLA, APA, Harvard and others and all of them are cited differently (Pecorari 324). All of them require citations after each phrase or sentences that are taken from other sources. In a paper or assignment cited in the APA style, the students must include the author’s sir name and the year of publication in the in text and in the references, details of the books, articles or other sources used should be included (Currie 15). Determining where to put the citations has been a problem to many students in higher learning institutions. Students should have knowledge of all types of citation styles to avoid skipping on important areas which requires citations. Author’s sir name should be included in the in text of all citation styles. Students should do lots of tests to enhance their knowledge on places where they should put their citations (Bloch 219). To effectively avoid plagiarism, students must be fully aware of what is plagiarism and the effects it can bring in their academic lives. Students can avoid plagiarism by taking careful and organized notes during lecture times and when they are reading from books, articles and other sources. They should be sure to include citations after each phrase or sentence taken from those sources (Hall 34). Students should manage their time effectively so that they can have enough time to do their assignments. It is clear that students who do their assignment in the last moment have the tendency to plagiarize so that they can meet their deadlines. Time management helps the students to finish their quality assignment without plagiarizing. A person must be aware of when and

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Case Study - Essay Example Considering the weaknesses of the intervention of the government, it is seen that the political conditions of the country have a strong impact on the operations of the railways in UK. Hence with the intervention of the government there are high chances for the country to face issues in terms of the regularity and efficiency of the trains. The biggest opportunities that the railways face with the intervention of the government is the fact that higher levels of funds will be available for them to operate and thereby the technology used as well as the services provided can be improved to a great extent. Considering the threats that might be faced by the company y, it is clear that the companies will not be able to compete within the industry and chances are that the British Railways might loose out on a major chunk of its customers due to limitation of the government intervention. Hence in terms of the public benefit it is better for the government to intervene in the operations. However if considering this from the view point of the companies then it would be best for the government not to interfere in the operations. Every decision made by a company has a number of affects on the financial position. Similarly considering the British railway on a SWOT basis and the possible effects on the financials of the company if they offer reduced fares to the students it has been understood as discussed below. Firstly, the major strength of this action is that a higher number of people would travel in the trains. Since the student population is high, it will prove to be very beneficial for the company as it would be working on economies of scale. However considering the possible weaknesses it has been noted that the reduced prices for the students would means that much of the profits being reduced. Hence if the number of remain the same and the prices

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Economic Downturn Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economic Downturn - Assignment Example Therefore, in this paper, we will first look at the type of economic recessions that are determinable and then we will try and extrapolate the mechanisms which can be implemented by businesses I order to cope with the downturn. We are also of the opinion that budgeting encompasses a major part of any business's planning and forecasting activities, and takes a doubly important role in the time of recession, therefore, we would like focus on that aspect of business in our paper by providing a case analysis of a business and its budgeting process in times of recession which would help it recover from the murky economic conditions. We believe that this portion of survival mechanism is as important, if not more, than any other mechanism of survival which we will discuss in this paper. A large of number of bankrupt firms and work-outs have beset the financial market, yet the market has been able to soak up these fatalities and stronger limits on credit has quickly been able to restore the credit reserve to its original levels. This outcome will be a small period of decreased growth, maybe a negative GDP in a quarter and numerous volatilities in the credit and the financial markets in the way. It is pivotal to note that the decline in stock market prices was nearly 20% in 1998 but the recovery was as fast and strong after the decline. [1] In this case, our framework is simi... [1] Conventional Recession: In this case, our framework is similar and in fact has some aspects influenced by the structure programmed by the Resolution Trust Corp; which was created in a bid to ascertain homeowners were not thrown out of their abodes as well as allow the balance sheets to restore to normal for all the banking institutions that are in place, similar to the actions of 1990 in the aftermath of the oil crisis at that time. The outcome was decreased growth for 2 or 3 quarters in the doldrums and a more profound unconstructive effect on the economy. A gold rush for the better assets in the bond market and the poorly performing equity market would ensue. Assets sensitive to interest rate i.e. with large asset duration would perform exceptionally well in this time period and a depreciation in dollar will increase the likelihood of better returns on investments made in other currencies. This is the most likely scenario in our opinion. [2] Recession like the one seen in Japan: The worst possible scenario and what we consider to be the more unlikely is the current is the one the global economy becomes a model of the Japanese economy of the past whereby the whole economy would keep struggling forward at a snail's pace all the while unaware of which assets are not profitable and which institutions have been contaminated completely. The result would be slow yet steady decline in growth for a number of years with a steady decrease in housing valuation, smaller spending by the population and national investments and businesses in jeopardy. Value of national assets would reduce gradually and the dollar would decline in value. Assets in currencies other than the dollar and

Monday, August 26, 2019

Care of the patient having Cytotoxic Chemotherapy (GM50Z8) Essay

Care of the patient having Cytotoxic Chemotherapy (GM50Z8) - Essay Example To think that patients are already in a very critical condition, they still have to deal with problems of comprehension. Many are confused especially on the technicality of their disease or treatment. Not everyone can easily understand a doctor’s intellectual explanation. The emergent proliferation of Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) has become an immediate solution to this problem. Leaflets are free consultation take-outs from a trusted doctor; it is an instant consultation. Whenever you forget some details about a disease or a treatment, you can always refer back to your leaflet. The leaflet must contain answers to most frequently asked questions. It can save time and consultation fees. However, the issue at hand is, are they effective? Do patients/relatives/supporters do actually read them. The challenge is to make them read and understand leaflets. Specifically, the main question of this paper is, is the leaflet on Cytotoxic Chemotherapy a helpful guide and preparation for cancer patients and a good source of information for relatives and supporters of these patients? The following paragraphs will be a critical review of â€Å"A Patient’s Guide to Chemotherapy†. The leaflet is aimed to guide adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, their families and supporters as evidently mentioned in the first section of the leaflet. Definitely, they are the target audience of the leaflet and not the patients suffering with any other disease or illness. It would be useless to distribute leaflets to those who will not use them. It is very important that these leaflets must go to the hands of the target audience. Leaflets as mentioned earlier are answers to most frequently asked questions, and the leaflet on chemotherapy should answer a cancer patient’s questions on his or her own chemotherapy treatment. It should clarify any gray areas on the said topic. After reading it, the patient or the patient’s supporter must greatly understand the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The Outbreak of World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Outbreak of World War I - Essay Example 231). The German guilt stance was subsequently supported by the absolute majority of non-German historians. During the 1920s, a special department of the German Foreign Office - the War Guilt Section - published full compilation (39 volumes) of Germany's foreign policy documents. The compilation was supposed to demonstrate that Germany was not guilty of the outbreak of hostilities. Other European states also published the same collections of pre-war documents. These documents provided historians with massive data that suggested a revision of the view of solely German responsibility for the war, but did not lead to any major change of views among the historians. Furthermore, the Second World War only reinforced the traditional point of view. As a result, European and American historiography overwhelmingly supports the Germany guilt stance. Thus, Luigi Albertini (1952) believes that although part of the blame for the outbreak of World War I rests with the failure of dipl... In a similar vein, Steiner (1977) argues the German drive for power threatened British interests and British Foreign Minister Sir Edward Grey had no choice but respond defensively to an inevitable German aggression. However, this point of view is not in line with that of David Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister who seemed to accept the blame in his War Memoirs (1934) saying that "We muddled into war" (Price, 1981, p.27). Lieven (1983) also claims that Germany's inability to control its militarism was the major factor that the blame for war must "unequivocally rest with the German government" (p.85). And even, Taylor (1969) who is widely known for his famous argument which puts events beyond the control of diplomacies believes that the breakdown of the balance of power due to a self-aggrandizing Germany was the key factor for the First World War. Although remoteness of the event, coupled with the alleged desire of many participants to hide at least part of the truth makes it too difficult to find out what country or who was primarily responsible for the outbreak of hostilities the German guilt still seems to be the most reasonable. International and domestic policy conducted by the Germany leaders convincingly demonstrates that taking the responsibility for the war off her shoulder would be a highly imprudent and unjustified step. Main Discussion The major causes of World War I are often referred to as 'MAIN': Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism. The German build-up of its naval forces was the main reason for deterioration of Anglo-German relations. During only four years after Great Britain, France and the Russian Empire formed the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Multimedia Report Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Multimedia Report - Article Example I wondered how parents find joy in parenting a child who does not grow intellectually and socially; is unable to interact with parents and siblings; does not exhibit sensory and conscious awareness, communication and personality factors associated with personhood. I wondered how parents of anencephalic children find joy in parenting. I found an answer in a North Carolina News 14 video about a Charlotte family invited by an organ donor organization to ride a float in the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade. The video was well-done, with still shots of the baby, family, and footage of parent comments, and information. During Shannon’s pregnancy, baby Skylar, a girl, was found to be anencephalic. She had a brain stem and open neural tube, said by our book to sometimes be caused by a lack of folic acid in the mother’s body (Page 36). They decided to carry her to term. They did this in order to donate her organs (her liver cells), to give meaning to Skylar’s life, to help anoth er family (the mother explained), to keep from â€Å"focusing on the dark side† (as the father said). Skylar lived for 99 minutes, after birth, surrounded by family and friends, and died in her mother’s arms. The photos clearly show love and compassion and parenting joy in this child. The mother commented, â€Å"She really changed our lives†. ... 5 video clip and article, together, about a Colorado boy with anencephaly (brain stem only, open neural tube) who has miraculously lived for his first birthday celebration. Most babies with anencephaly do not live even until birth, and even then not more than minutes, usually. His mother and grandparents clearly love him. He is cuddled and held. Mom explains that he cannot see, hear, suck, crawl, sit, and has no teeth. She expresses pain that she will soon have to bury him, yet she brags about how he smiles sometimes and how they once â€Å"got him to laugh† (Vanderputte, 2009). They celebrate every milestone, not knowing if there will be another. Mom says, â€Å"He’s a miracle. He’s changed so many people’s lives†. Because I am captivated by this theme of the joys of parenting, and how it overcomes difficulties as great as a lack of apparent personhood and consciousness, I am impressed by her courage in finding parenting joy. In this particular art icle, however, I am most intrigued by the mother’s statement that they â€Å"got him to laugh†, and the excitement in her report of his smiles, and their ability to â€Å"celebrate every milestone†. It is possible, though unlikely, that modern medicine is mistaken and that children without a brain can express emotion, consciousness and learning. If not, the mother is projecting hopes onto a child incapable of fulfilling them. Yet she does so and feels joy. If we are â€Å"programmed to respond positively to babies† (Brooks, 2010, p 3), is parenting joy simply parental projection, in this case? Two among six reasons that people reportedly take on the parenting role are to feel excitement at children’s growth and development and to feel accomplishment in helping children grow (p 4). If growth and development are lacking,

Friday, August 23, 2019

The impact to the London from the preparative for Olympic Gme in Essay

The impact to the London from the preparative for Olympic Gme in London 2012 - Essay Example There are several parameters which will come across direct impact of the 2012 London Olympics. The impacts of preparation of London Olympics are described as follows: The London Olympics and Paralympics 2012 will use both the existing facilities as well as the latest new architectural wonders such as 'Olympic park' and 'Olympic stadium' (Construct UK, 2005). The whole process is developed keeping in mind that no 'white elephants' are created while carrying out 2012 Olympics projects. This is also called as '2012 legacy'. The Olympic park(Newman, P. 2007) is being developed on a wasteland near Stratford, which is claimed to be the biggest engineering and construction project in Europe. Significant cleaning up of the 2.5 sq. km contaminated land is already in progress. After the Olympiad is over , the Olympic park will be transformed into an urban park which will be the largest in Europe. The other venues such as aquatics centre, hockey centre and the multi sports arena will lead to the overall development of sports infrastructure in UK. Some of the sports facilities like ExCeL in Newham (which will host Weightlifting, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling, Tae Kwondo and Table Tennis competitions), O2 in Greenwich (Gymnastics); Greenwich Arena (will host Badminton and Rhythmic Gymnastics), Horse Guards' Parade (Beach Volleyball) and Wimbledon (Tennis) already exists and need only some renovation. While developing the new venues and infrastructure it was necessary to purchase and demolish some business and private sites and properties. This has led to some controversy as the proprietors complained of inadequate compensation. Thus the overall infrastructure development taken place is really beneficial in the long run for the development of UK Impact on transport: The need to get the entire Olympic family as well as the spectators safely and on time to the venue has led to the proposal of improvement in the existing transport system. The main aim is to complete the games related transport improvement work well before 2012 so that people can enjoy the benefits before, during and after the Olympics. The Lower Lea Valley will be transformed into one of the best connected areas in the capital, in accordance with the transport improvement plans, thus bringing economic and social benefits. East London will see long term benefits as a result of this. Rail lines, stations and platforms are being upgraded which will serve the public interest in the long run even after the games are over. The London Underground's East London Line is being expanded; the Docklands Light Railway and the North London Line are being upgraded. The new "Javelin" high-speed rail service, using Hitachi 'bullet' trains is being introduced for the fastest surface transit. Buses: The 'iBus' with automated vehicle control systems and a comprehensive communication system will be introduced by end 2008. These buses are particularly helpful to aged, disabled and foreign tourists who have language problems as these are equipped with audio visual systems for information on upcoming bus stop, live information on board the buses. River transport: The inland

Shared sacrifice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Shared sacrifice - Essay Example But staff left behind has had to absorb workloads or do without support from which they previously benefited, so unless they had previously been underemployed or were enabled to approach their work in a different, less labor-intensive way, these were definitely cuts. This is no way to approach efficiency savings. Efficiency requires a mindset that focuses on improvement, an emphasis on quality, a genuine concern to do the best for the customer. Cuts come from a manipulation mindset, a style that could be described as command and control. While cuts involve zero-sum thinking, in which it is assumed that there is a game to be played, in which if I win you have to lose (and vice versa), efficiency needs abundance thinking. This takes as its starting point the assumption that if we work together to try to meet all our aims we will probably find a way of doing so, or at least get much closer to it than if we fight. Efficiency needs a good understanding of the processes of providing a service and of the way costs are structured. Cuts just need a change in a budget. Cuts are much easier, but ultimately self-defeating. Efficiency is hard work but yields long-lasting positive results. It is a tragedy that, in my opinion, many politicians and managers in the 1990s could not tell the difference, and that it has led to alienation of clinical professionals in a way that was quite unnecessary. Managing resources, then, requires you to understand processes, understand the way costs change with different levels of activity and understand the dynamics at play between people within the system. It also requires the courage to prompt people of high status to think constructively about changes they can make in the ways they work – not at all an easy thing to do. We will start by looking at what we can learn from the strand of thinking that

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Electronic Gadgets Like Apple iPod - A Boon or Bane Essay Example for Free

Electronic Gadgets Like Apple iPod A Boon or Bane Essay It has become a necessity. But like everything in universe, electronic gadgets too have two sides to them. I am a house wife. I remember very clearly that evening when my husband came home, beaming from ear to ear. He had got a hefty refund on filing his income tax return. And my first reaction was buy me a washing machine. And I was on cloud nine when my first ever washing machine was delivered. Because I must confess that I hate washing even a small hanky with hands. Over the years I surrounded myself with various electronic gadgets. Latest models replaced old ones. I had the same excuse every time that this one works better. Microwave, toaster, griller, refrigerator, vacuum cleaners, dishwasher, geyser, air conditioner, and room warmer the list is endless. No household today is complete without these. They are no longer considered luxuries. They make our life easy. It was ok when mistress of the house stayed back and looked after the house. But today 99% of women are working. They have to balance both home and office. These gadgets are any home makers friends. Electronic gadgets have brought entertainment right inside our living rooms. Today we could see the majestic full solar eclipse taking place in Kabul while sitting in India. Television and Internet has brought the world together. We all are citizens of a large global village. Computers and laptops are now part of commercial life at all levels. Corporate offices, business houses, railways, banks, post offices are dependent on computers. Work, which used to take hours to complete are just done with a click of mouse. And you can carry your office with you where ever you go that is if your spouse has no objection. Cell phones, iPod, digital cameras, the list is endless. Technology has made our life comfortable rather too comfortable. And this is a cause of concern. No I have nothing against electronic gadgets. I am against our dependency on these gadgets. We fail to perform in their absence. They are meant to serve us and not to rule us. Today we can watch solar eclipse taking place in Kabul, but fail to hear cries of distress in our neighborhood. Our children are turning computer savvy, but they have not experienced the simple pleasure of climbing up a tree. We have become so used to of air conditioners that breathing in fresh air makes us sick. This dependency is making us physically sick. See the obesity rate in the world all over, especially the developed countries. List of diseases are also endless like endless gadgets. Lets not make them our masters.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Qualitative Study Review: Triggers for Self Abuse

Qualitative Study Review: Triggers for Self Abuse Title: executive summaries of specified papers Triggers for self abuse; A qualitative study, Mary T Weber, Archives of psychiatric nursing, Volume 16, Issue 3, June 2002, Pages 118-124. This paper is essentially a qualitative study of a small cohort of 9 self abusing women. It was constructed using an analysis of a total of 42 semistructured interviews and attempting to draw out common themes. It has to be observed that this is a very specific cohort and probably cannot be extrapolated to reflect the trends in the general population, as this particular group were all in a locked psychiatric ward in the USA. The paper is essentially divided into three sections. The first is a resume of the background to academic studies of self injury, the second is a justification and explanation of the methodology used in the study and the third is an analysis of the data which ends with a discussion of the findings. An analytical overview would have to observe that the observational viewpoint in this paper is that of the social constructionist feminist. Although the paper sets out to be semi structured in its intervention, it appears clear that the interviewer is overtly active and sets out the parameters of the topics to be discussed and observes the fact that the â€Å"reality †¦.is jointly constructed.† (Parker and Lawton 2003) The author clearly has an agenda in this paper and, to some extent this is presented in the discussion section. She believes that women who self harm are often considered to be manipulative and do not evoke sympathy from healthcare professionals. The author puts the point that it is by the examination of the aspect of â€Å"hope† in their lives that these women can be optimally helped. This is clearly not a quantitative examination of the issues and might reasonably be considered more of an essay on the subject rather than an investigation into it. Although the outcomes presented are probably both laudable and admirable, the use of this paper as an evidence base for practice is effectively limited to consideration of this particular author’s opinion. (Henriksen et al 2003) We could contrast this paper with the excellent monograph on the subject by Isacsson G and Rich CL (2001), two professors who offer their opinions (backed up with appropriate references to academia) on the management of the self harming patient. In essence their overview sums up their views that: Patients who deliberately harm themselves should be assessed as comprehensively and thoroughly as possible, including the risk for suicide A multidisciplinary team approach to assessment and management is optimal A psychiatrist should be involved in the evaluation Management should be individualised on the basis of the assessment; mostly treatment for associated psychiatric disorders and assistance with precipitating circumstances Patients accepting offers for help should be followed up quickly. We would suggest that this latter paper provides a much better evidence base for practice in the nursing profession. Psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for deliberate self harm {Review} Hawton k, Townsend E, Arensman E, Gunnell D, Hazell P, House A, van Heeringen KThe Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews 2005 Issue 4. This paper is effectively a meta analysis of 23 studies in the area of self harm. It takes a wide database of papers published prior to 1999 from as far back as 1966. This paper is completely at the other end of the spectrum to the first one considered. It is both valid and relevant to everyday clinical practice. The construction of the analysis is rigorous and methodical. It divides the various studies considered into 11 different subsets depending on the outcome variables declared. This reduces its ability to generalise, but equally increases its ability to be statistically valid. In terms of an evidence base. The first half of the paper is little more than an explanation of the search and inclusion strategy for the analysis The overriding finding of the paper is that there is still insufficient research on the subject of self harm to allow the healthcare professional to feel confident of a secure evidence base (Mohammed, D et al 2003) and it calls for more large and well constructed trials to be done in the area. It points to the fact that a great many of the trials published did not have a sufficiently large entry cohort to allow strong statistical analysis to be made. One of the benefits of a meta analysis is the fact that it can gain statistical validity from the assimilation of many smaller trials, but in this case, because the authors subdivided their considerations into 11 different subsets, this benefit is greatly reduced. (Grimes DA et al. 2002) As for conclusions, the authors make a very self effacing statement that even their meta analysis does not provide a sufficient evidence base for effective forms of treatment of deliberate self harm. The implication of this statement is that, if this analysis cannot add to the evidence base, then the smaller, less statistically significant trials that it considered cannot do so either. This view is echoed by another meta analysis paper (Healy D 2002) which we can present in support of this particular paper Cognitive-behavioural intervention in deliberate self-harm, Anthony Joseph Raj M, V Kumaraiah, Ajit V Bhide, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Volume 104, Issue 5, Page 340, November 2001. This paper is entirely different from the preceding two. It is a randomised controlled trial with a small entry cohort of 40 patients split into a treatment and a control group of 20 patients each. Clearly this is a very small sample and the site of the trial is in India so it may not have a great relevance to the UK culture. (Veitch RM 2002) The first part of the paper gives an excellent overview of the evolution of various treatment strategies together with an indication of their relative efficacy. A noticeable strength of this trial was its robust measurement strategy with ten different measurement scales being employed to minimise observer bias. (Cochran and Cox. 1957) A major shortcoming of this trial is that it attempted to contrast a number of different intervention strategies within the already small intervention cohort. The results therefore cannot really be seen as having any great generalisable significance. It may provide useful information, but as being suitable for inclusion in a firm evidence base, it could be considered sadly lacking. If we contrast this with the paper by Soomro, (Soomro GM 2004) which considers the efficacy of various aspects of cognitive behaviour therapy in the self harm group we can see that the latter’s entry cohort of nearly 500 has a much greater statistical significance and therefore a much greater relevance. Methodological issues in nursing research, Nurses attitudes towards clients who self-harm, McAllister A, Creedy D, Moyle W, Farrugia C, Journal of advanced nursing Volume 40, Issue 5, Page 578, December 2002. In many respects, this paper is a combination of many of the elements that we have discussed in the preceding three papers. It is designed to explore the attitude that receiving nurses have in the AE dept, when they deal with patients who have self harmed. Paper 1 (Weber M 2002) made the unsupported statement that nurses are less than empathetic when dealing with the self harm patient. This paper presents the evidence base behind this assumption. There is a section which reviews previous work in the area and comments on the rather counter intuitive fact that mental health professionals (who might be expected to me more empathetic and understanding) tend to be less tolerant and supportive as they typically see this type of patient as being primarily manipulative. (Anderson M 1997) The professed aim of this study was to allow the development of a suitable tool in the form of a questionnaire. It was structured with three distinct elements. Firstly was the literature review (which we have already alluded to). Secondly they canvassed the opinions of a group of 10 post graduate nurses to set the baseline of nursing attitudes. This was used as the basis for the third element which was the construction and evaluation of a questionnaire. This was drafted in the form of the ADSHQ questionnaire. We should note that only 35% of the questionnaires were returned which is a major source of bias, since one might assume that the few respondents were those that felt strongly enough to respond and therefore their views, by definition, may not be typical. A strong point in this survey’s favour was the fact that those who did respond had an average of 17 years of nursing experience. The results of the paper were rather disappointing with no significant correlation being found between attitudes and the many variables investigated. The only statistically significant finding was that staff in larger units tended to be less empathetic than those in smaller ones. It should be noted that a negative finding, although superficially disappointing, can be just as significant as a positive one as the implication here is that there was no discernible predictive factor in a nurses’ attitude towards self harming patients. This paper can be contrasted with findings in similar studies House A (et al. 2000) supports the findings of negative attitudes of staff but is more of a discussion document than a study of enquiry. Wilhelm K et al 2000) is primarily a paper which explores the efficacy of the interventions for self harming patients but makes considerable academic comment on the relevance of the nurses’ attitude to the efficacy of the treatment. We should also note that, like the original paper, it also originates from Australia. Mckinlay A (et al 2001) takes the issue and looks deeper into the reasoning and rationale behind the negative attitude and makes a number of positive suggestions relating to the mechanisms of corrective action to remedy the situation. References Anderson M 1997,  Nurses’ attitudes to suicidal behaviour,  Journal of advanced Nursing 25, 1283-1291 Cochran and Cox. 1957,  Experimental designs. New York: Wiley, 1957. Grimes DA, Schulz KF.2002,  Cohort studies: marching towards outcomes. Lancet 2002;359: 341-5 Healy D 2002,  SSRIs and deliberate self-harm,  The British Journal of Psychiatry (2002) 180: 547-548 Henriksen and Kaplan 2003 Hindsight bias, outcome knowledge and adaptive learning Qual. Saf. Health Care, Dec 2003; 12: 46 50. House A, Owens D, Patchett L,  Deliberate Self harm,  Qual. Health care 2000. 8: 137-143 Isacsson G, Rich CL 2001,  Management of patients who deliberately harm themselves,  BMJ. 2001 January 27; 322(7280): 213–215. Mohammed, D Braunholtz, and T P Hofer 2003 The measurement of active errors: methodological issues Qual. Saf. Health Care, Dec 2003; 12: 8 12. Mckinlay A Coulston M, Cowan S 2001,  Nurses behavioural intentions towards self-poisoning patients: a theory of reasoned action, comparison of attitudes and subjective norms as predictive variables,  Journal of Advanced Nursing Volume 34 Page 107 April 2001 Parker and Lawton 2003 Psychological contribution to the understanding of adverse events in health care Qual. Saf. Health Care, Dec 2003; 12: 453 457. Soomro GM 2004,  Deliberate self harm (and attempted suicide): Manual assisted cognitive behavioural therapy,  Psychol Med 2004;33:969–976. Veitch RM 2002,  Cross-cultural perspectives in medical ethics,  Jones Bartlett 2002 ISBN: 0763713325 Wilhelm K, Schneiden V, Kotze B 2000,  Selecting your options: A pilot study of short interventions with patients who deliberately self harm, Australasian Psychiatry. Volume 8 Page 349 December 2000 ############################################################# 13.2.06 PDG Word count 1,989

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Effects of Access to Parks

Effects of Access to Parks The Greater Wilshire/Hancock Park/Koreatown area is densely populated, so there are few parks within proximity to childrens homes- most of who live in apartment buildings. The largest green area in this neighborhood is for upper class adults only and photos of the nearest parks depict adults utilizing all the amenities. Accessibility to parks as well as the ramifications for the lack of availability has been researched in numerous scopes. How does a city go about allocating new parks and what is the process to place one in a particular location- especially in densely populated areas with little or no vacant lots? There are numerous studies that explain the correlation between well-being and green spaces. Inequality in the dispersal of funding for parks and recreation between lower and middle class neighborhoods can hinder this relationship and in turn contribute to discriminatory and undercurrents of superiority due to social status and wealth (Byrne, 2009). Consequently, children su ffer as obesity rates and lack of exposure to nature are at an all-time high (Franzini et al., 2009, Rigolon et al., 2014). Lorne Platt conducted a case study in 2012 that examined the way children use the space in their neighborhoods. Children aged 10-12 shared their experiences accessing parks and other public spaces within their community. Platt used this method to observe the insight of a certain group of people living in an urban area. His subjects did not care whether a park was too far, but rather focused on whether it felt safe to play in a park or if the existence of alternate play area was of greater significance. His study determined that a lot of these kids looked for vacant lots, sidewalks and alleys which were abundant as a substitute to the traditional park (Platt, 2012). Wolch, Wilson, and Fehrenbach found that areas with predominantly Latino, Black and Asian-Pacific populations have less access to parks than areas with populations that have a white majority (2013). The areas dominated by people of color are areas that mostly have apartment buildings where children and adults alike do not have access to a space where people can play and/or relax outside. Moreover, they do not have the money to go to a gym, or have the luxury to go play golf at the Wilshire Country Club for example or utilize their other amenities such as the swimming pool or tennis courts. Their study indicates that Los Angeles must think of innovative methods of using spaces to address the unequal accessibility to parks. These spaces are not just limited to vacant lots and alleys, but also include spaces owned by utility companies, streets that take up more space than needed and even riverbeds that are no longer utilized. Pascale Joassart-Marcelli states that physical activity is not just correlated to access to parks, but also the quality and the number of parks (2009). Funds from local, state, as well as non-profit entities unequally favor spending on middle-class neighborhoods over low-income areas that have predominantly minority populations. The disproportion in the distribution of resources for parks and recreation has been a consequence of transfer of federal funds, increased delivery of services on a local level with limited allocation of funds between local, state and federal programs. This ultimately affects the health of certain populations resulting in increased risk of weight gain, heart problems, and diabetes. Moreover, Jason Byrne found that the imbalance in the dispersal of funds for parks and recreation contributes to the conception of discriminatory and elitist undercurrents (2009). Minorities felt that if they went to a park frequented by white people, their presence might be frowne d upon or they may experience some sort of racist encounter. They were afraid of being picked on for being lively, dissimilar, or simply for being themselves. Minorities also have preconceptions regarding other ethnic groups based on distrust and cynicism, deterring them from using certain parks. Byrne says that park managers need to attempt to make parks more culturally and ethnically diverse by including signage in different languages and adding people of different backgrounds on their websites. Additionally, Alessandro Rigolon and Travis L. Flohr studied how exposure to nature promotes both not only physical, but mental well-being (2014). Unfortunately, childrens contact with nature has been gradually declining over the past 20-30 years. They also determined that white, middle-class children have greater contact with nature than lower-income minorities. They suggested creating green spaces in areas that would not normally be taken into consideration in lower-income areas, and forming community gardens for example. The gardens would be maintained by the local residents, while non-profit organizations, universities and community members could help out with raising money to not only to build new spaces, but also build initiatives that would raise the childrens sense of security and well-being. Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, impacts, controls, and moderates many of the changes in the body in response to stress such as blood sugar levels, blood pressure, metabolic rate, and the immune system. Catharine Ward Thompson, Jenny Roe, Peter Aspinall, Richard Mitchell, Angela Clow, and David Miller studied whether cortisol found in saliva can specify levels of stress related with different levels of contact to green spaces (2011). They concluded that weighing cortisol levels in saliva suggests great potential for exploring links between welfare and green space and debate how this procedure can be established to confirm and encompass findings in underprivileged city areas to show why the establishment of green spaces within proximity to homes could improve health. The rate of obesity has risen dramatically for adults as well as children (Franzini et al., 2009). 632 parents of 5th graders were surveyed and asked to observe the patterns of growth and change in their communities. Their study determined that minority neighborhoods had similar accessibility to parks/green spaces. Although poorer neighborhoods that were predominantly populated with minority groups reported that their communities were easily accessible, they also reported that their neighborhoods were not very safe, not as comfortable, and not very enjoyable to spend outdoors. Also, the patterns of growth and change favor physical activity less than white communities. Disproportions in health arise as a result of income inequality and is quickly becoming a worldwide health epidemic (Jennings et al., 2014). Green spaces provide environmental amenities that are important to public health. This research discussed the associations between green spaces and some of the nations leading heal th issues. Heart disease, illnesses related to heat exposure, excessive weight gain and mental health are debated in terms of key demographic elements liable to change- ethnicity, origin, and salary. As our cities are becoming more densely populated and contaminated, green spaces not only promote physical and psychological well-being, but also provide services to a community of living organisms and their environment (Wolch et al., 2014). Although there has been an increased effort to create more green spaces in urban areas, the approaches have been self-contradictory. Other studies have shown that increasing the number of green spaces causes neighborhoods to gentrify, causing dislocation of the very people these green spaces were meant to help (Wolch et al., 2014, Rigolon et al., 2014). Therefore, the focus needs to shift to the support of long-term ecological balance and creating areas that encourage well-being, while taking into consideration what people need at home and at work by creating an equal, diverse, and democratic community. Feasable efforts of growth in urban areas often place an emphasis on consideration of factors that affect all features of well-being and welfare (Larson et al., 2015). As previously mentioned, research has indicated that public parks and green spaces offer a number of communal, bodily and mental benefits to urban populations. The effect of parks on an all-encompassing scope of welfare was studied based on personal feelings, tastes, and opinions. Well-being was calculated based on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5 tool, which measures five interconnected foundations that studies have shown to have the greatest influence on a persons welfare: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. Lo and Jim (2009) argue that people expect different things of parks and green spaces depending on the community. Older public housing residents go to parks to look for common areas where they can make social connections and did not care too much about how the park looked. Older homeowners visited the parks most often, but were susceptible to the undesirable features of green spaces related to urban decay. People living in suburbs perceived parks as a way to spend time with the family and appreciate the beauty of nature. The newer public housing residents visited parks the least as a result of having less sense of community, and partial assimilation of people coming from other countries. References Platt, L. Parks Are Dangerous and the Sidewalk Is Closer: Childrens Use of Neighborhood Space in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 22:. Wolch, J., J. P. Wilson, and J. Fehrenbach. 2005. Parks and Park Funding in Los Angeles: An Equity-Mapping Analysis. Urban Geography 26:4-35. Joassart-Marcelli, P. 2010. Leveling the Playing Field? Urban Disparities in Funding for Local Parks and Recreation in the Los Angeles Region. Environment and Planning A 42:1174-1192. More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: Evidence from salivary cortisol patterns. a. Landscape and urban planning. When green is White: The cultural politics of race, nature. c. Geoforum. Abramenko, P., and K. S. Brown. 2008. Access to Parks for Youth as an Environmental Justice Issue Access Inequalities and Possible Solutions. New York, NY: Springer. Neighborhood characteristics favorable to outdoor physical activity: Disparities by socioeconomic and racial ethnic composition. b. Health place. R. Wolch, J., J. Byrne, and J. P. Newell. Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice:The challenge of making cities just green enough. Landscape and urban planning. Lincoln R Larson, Viniece Jennings, and Scott A Cloutier. 2016. Public Parks and Wellbeing in Urban Areas of the United States. PLoS One 11:e0153211. Jennings, V., and C. J. Gaither. 2015. Approaching environmental health disparities and green spaces: an ecosystem services perspective. International journal of environmental research and public health 12:1952-1968. Y.H. Lo, A., and C. Y. Jim. Differential community effects on perception and use of urban greenspaces.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Shakespeares Othello - Abnormal Psychology and Iago Essay -- Othello

Abnormal Psychology and Iago in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   When the Bard of Avon created the evil Iago in the tragedy Othello, he entered into the area of irrational behavior and abnormal psychology. This essay will examine this branch of science as it relates to the play.    David Bevington in William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies describes the irrationality and self-destructiveness of the ancient’s behavior:    Emilia understands that jealousy is not a rational affliction but a self-induced disease of the mind. Jealous persons, she tells Desdemona, â€Å"are not ever jealous for the cause, / But jealous for they’re jealous. It is a monster / Begot upon itself, born on itself† (3.4.161 – 163). Iago’s own testimonial bears this out, for his jealousy is at once wholly irrational and agonizingly self-destructive. â€Å"I do suspect the lusty Moor / Hath leaped into my seat, the thought thereof / Doth , like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my innards† (2.1.296 – 298). (223)    Blanche Coles in Shakespeare’s Four Giants affirms the Bard’s commitment to abnormal psychology, and his employment of same in this play:    That Shakespeare was keenly interested in the study of the abnormal mind is commonly accepted among students. [. . .] The suggestion that Iago may have been intentionally drawn as a psychopathic personality is not new. [. . .] Even a casual scrutiny of a book on case histories of psychopathic patients will find Iago peeping out from many of its pages. Still more, Iago’s name will be found appearing occasionally in bold print in books on abnormal psychology.(89-90)    Evidence of his psychopathic personality is seen early in the play. He manipulates the wealthy Roderigo into awakening the senator Brabantio (â€Å"Ro... ...hall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Till that a capable and wide revenge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Swallow them up. (3.3)    Iago is so in control of the general’s contorted mind that he specifies how the Moor should kill Desdemona: â€Å"Strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated.† And the general dutifully responds, â€Å"Excellent good!† The enthusiastic answer causes one to suspect that the ancient’s psychopathology has taken possession of the Moor.    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Macbeth-Tragic Hero :: essays research papers

Macbeth-Tragic Hero   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I finished reading Macbeth by William Shakespeare I realized the true reason that Macbeth is considered a tragic hero. Like all other tragic hero’s he had many good things going for him in his life before he messes with self- destructing things and threw it all away.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth had a great marriage, he was Thane of Glamis, the people and the king respected him and he was well liked. He was a generally happy person without much greed or jealousy in his life. This was until evil and the devil overcame him. He started getting greedy and wanted more. Once the thought of being king entered his head and once he shared that with his wife, there was no turning back. He was bound to destruction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth was weak because he allowed his wife saying that he was not a true man get to him. He had to prove to his wife that he was a man and his only way of doing that was through murder. Even though he had hesitations and second thoughts about it, he did it out of love for his wife and the possibility of his triumph; he may actually become king. He allowed this to become an obsession and he did end up killing Duncan, his king. This started him down the road of doom. He suddenly had a very evil streak that was never there before and this was revealed more often than ever. He began letting the evil take over and murdering more and more people thinking that he was only saving himself. What he did not realize was that he was only harming himself in the long run. He was driving himself mad and he was no longer himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth was just like other tragic hero’s such as Elvis Presley. Elvis had much going for him and he thought that the drugs and alcohol were helping him deal with his stress and fame but in the long run it killed him.

The Great Depression Essay -- essays research papers

The Great Depression not only affected the United States but the world in general. In my estimation some the reasons for the depression was the combination of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920’s and the debts not paid back from WWI.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The distribution of wealth in the 1920’s, â€Å"roaring twenties,† was done with despair between the very wealthy and the lower classes, between industry and agriculture within the United States, between the U.S. and Europe. This imbalance of wealth created an unstable economy. The excessive assumption in the late 20’s kept the stock markets artificially high, which eventually lead the large market crashes and the American economy to turn over.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The â€Å"roaring twenties† was an era when the U.S. prospered immensely. The nation’s total income was rose tremendously, but not equally. The â€Å"Coolidge Prosperity† of the 1920’s was not evenly shared among Americans, which led the rich to become richer, by not having to pay such high taxes, and the poor to not prosper. This widened the gap of disparity even more. In this period of time there was an increased manufacturing output, which made more money for the manufacturing plants and the people who invested in it, but not for the workers. There came to be an oversupply of goods and not enough buyers. During this time credit sales became a big thing for people to use to buy products. The government made it easier to just put i...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Drinks that Influenced History and Civilization Essay

The author describes the origin of six drinks that greatly influenced history and civilization around the world: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. He explains how each drink was the defining drink during a historical period from antiquity to present day. The fluids are vital because each had a role of shaping the modern world. They have been used as currencies, in religious rites, as a political symbol, sources of philosophical and artistic inspiration. Some have served to highlight the power of the elite, and appease the downtrodden. They connected world cultures by impacting trade, economy, religion, and politics. Beer was discovered through different methods of cooking and storing cereal grains. When the ice age ended, lands such as the Fertile Crescent provided abundant cereal grains. Such grains provided a reliable source of food, and the ability to store cereal grains began to encourage people to stay in one place. This resulted in permanent settlements as societies transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming. Although the residents of such villages continued to hunt, skeletal evidence suggests that they subsisted mostly on plant-based diets. Beer was shared, and it was symbol of hospitality and friendship. To Neolithic drinkers, beer’s ability to intoxicate and ferment seemed magical, and it was concluded that it was a gift from the gods. Beer-drinking cultures tell stories and myths of how it was discovered. Mesopotamians and Egyptians saw beer as an ancient, god-given drink that supported their existence, formed part of their cultural and religious identity, and had great social importance. It was consumed by anyone regardless of status, age, or gender. Beer impacted the growth and diffusion of the earliest civilizations greatly. The emergence of complex societies, the need to keep written records, and the popularity of beer all followed from the surplus of grain. It was also used as a form of currency and payment. Beer also had a direct link to health. Mesopotamians and Egyptians used it medicinally. The Egyptians used bread and beer in funerals. Without the discovery of beer, the earliest civilizations of Southwest Asia and Egypt would not have been as prosperous.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Leadership and Human Behavior Essay

As a leader, you need to interact with your followers, peers, seniors, and others; whose support you need in order to accomplish your goals. To gain their support, you must be able to understand and motivate them. To understand and motivate people, you must know human nature. Human nature is the common qualities of all human beings. People behave according to certain principles of human nature. Human needs are an important part of human nature. Values, beliefs, and customs differ from country to country and even within group to group, but in general, all people have a few basic needs. As a leader you must understand these needs because they can be powerful motivators. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Unlike others researchers in the earlier days of psychology, Abraham Maslow’s based his theory of human needs on creative people who used all their talents, potential, and capabilities (Bootzin, Loftus, Zajonc, Hall, 1983). His methodology differed from most other psychological researchers at the time in that these researchers mainly observed mentally unhealthy people. Maslow (1970) felt that human needs were arranged in a hierarchical order that could be divided into two major groups: basic needs and metaneeds (higher order needs): * Basic Needs are physiological, such as food, water, and sleep; and psychological, such as affection, security, and self-esteem. These basic needs are also called â€Å"deficiency needs† because if they are not met by an individual, then that person will strive to make up the deficiency. * Metaneeds or being needs (growth needs). These include justice, goodness, beauty, order, unity, etc. Basic needs normally take priority over these meta needs.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Retribution Theology

God delivered the children of Israel out of the Egyptian’s abusive hands and gave them the Ten Commandments. These rules were given to live by and form an everlasting relationship with their God. But, if they failed to keep their end of the bargain, God would have to punish them. Retribution theology is the belief that those who are obedient to God are called righteous and will be blessed, while those that are disobedient are wicked and will be cursed (Tullock 2006). From the beginning of Exodus and beyond the Babylonian Exile, retribution theology was prevalent in the lives of Israel. The Old Testament writings reiterate God’s faithfulness towards Israel. â€Å"The Old Testament indicates that God’s law was specially revealed to Israel in the context of His redeeming and delivering His people from bondage,† (Bahnsen 1980). But before Moses, God established an unconditional covenant with Abram when he obeyed Him. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and told him that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan forever. â€Å"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. † (Genesis 12:2, NRSV). These descendants became known as Israel and after 500 years of being God’s chosen people, they became the slaves of the Egyptians. Since God is faithful and Israel was His people, He had to remove them from the oppression of Pharaoh. In a theophany, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and commissioned him to deliver the children of Israel. Once God freed them and provided them an escape route, under the leadership of Moses, He endowed them with the law and His blessings. â€Å"Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. (Exodus 19:5, NRSV). After freeing them, God provided them with the means for remaining freed and receiving His provisions. In spite of their deliverance, the Israelites’ problems did not end with their exodus from Egypt. They suffered many trials and tribulations, but from the hand of the God who had promised to bless them (Deffinbaugh 1976). Because of their murmuring, com plaining, and unbelief, God allowed Israel to walk around in the wilderness for forty years. This was literally only a three day journey. In addition, God never intended for Israel to have to fight their way into the Promised Land; He wanted them to have faith and obey Him. Again, because of their disobedience, God allowed them to suffer the consequences of sin. God called Israel to be righteous before Him. Righteousness was what the people were to be and to do because of God. It meant to be in the right relationship with God, and to act accordingly in the world based on that moral relationship. He blessed Israel out of His love and cursed out of His righteousness or holiness (Deffinbaugh 1976). To be righteous was to have the teaching of God in one’s heart, to know and to understand the things of God. While the term could be used to describe ethical actions in the world, the primary focus of righteousness was toward God, what the people were in relation to God. Righteousness was the people’s relationship to God based on the fact, that â€Å"I am your God. † Therefore, God felt that He had every right to curse them when they were disobedient to His covenant. The first commandment God gave Israel was to have no other gods before Him because He was the one true God. Clearly, God knew and acknowledged that there were other gods or objects the people in that time worshipped. But He had proven to the Hebrew people that He was their deliverer, provider, and their God. The second commandment said not to make for themselves any type of idol, that God was jealous, and that He showed mercy to those that loved Him and kept His commandments. Now, He revealed His nature and how He was to be honored. It was only right, just and honorable that they worshipped and obeyed Him. There did not seem to be any secrets or mysteries on what God expected from Israel. But, Israel just could not stop worshipping idols. They continued to worship Baal, the god of sun, rain, thunder, fertility, and agriculture despite the prophets’ warnings. Many prophets such as Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, and Micah warned Israel of their wickedness and the consequences. When Israel became a nation, God’s law of righteousness did not change. He still expected them to obey His word. God’s national blessings and cursings were conditional as well. If a nation repented of its sin and turned to God, its threatened judgment could be prevented. If a nation turned from God, its promised blessings would be taken away. Many forms of divine retribution can fall on a human life which is worse than immediate death. In fact, Jeremiah made just such a complaint about the punishment inflicted on Jerusalem (Lam. 4:6, 9). One might think also of King Saul, whose last days were burdened with such mental and emotional turmoil that death itself was a kind of release. 10:30-31. No one should regard such a warning as an idle threat. God Himself has claimed the right to take vengeance and to judge His people. In saying this, the author quoted twice from Deuteronomy (32:35-36), a chapter which most vividly evokes the picture of God’s people suffering His retributive judgments (cf. esp. Deut. 32:19-27). Those familiar with this text, as well as other descriptions of God’s wrath against â€Å"His people,† agree: it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Not only did God operate in that manner of retribution theology, but Israel believed that if you obeyed the law, you would prosper. If you didn’t obey the law, you would suffer.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Family Assessment and Nursing Process Essay

According to Stanhope & Lancaster (2001), a family nursing assessment is considered to be the cornerstone for family nursing interventions and is used in a systematic fashion for the identification of the family’s developmental stages and risk factors. There are many tools available that provide guidelines for how to best get to know a family and to determine their strengths and weaknesses. One such tool is the Friedman Family Assessment tool which provides a guideline for nurses to interview a family. Theory is also a necessary tool when assessing a family because it is theory that most powerfully explains clinical situations and provides guidelines when working with families (Friedman, Bowden, and Jones, 2003). The theory that will be applied to family assessment in this paper is the structural-functional theory. The structural-functional theory recognizes the interaction between family members within their internal and external environment (Friedman et al., 2003). Once a co mprehensive family assessment is complete and health issues are identified, the nursing process is implemented in order to render care that is imperative for assisting each family member to achieve an optimum level of wellness (Gilliss & Davis, 1993). In compliance with HIPPA regulations of strict confidentiality, the fictitious name of Listo will be used to identify the family that is assessed in this report. The Friedman Family assessment model will be followed as a guideline to discuss the family’s identifying data, the structure-function of the family members, and how the family handles stress, coping and adaptation. Lastly, key assessment data will be used in the nursing process in order to assess, diagnose, plan, intervene, and evaluate a family member’s diagnosis. The Listo family is an extended family that is composed of a marital dyad, their two adult sons, the maternal grandmother and the son’s girlfriend who is in her second trimester of pregnancy. The husband and wife have been married for 30 years and their sons are ages 23 and 26years old. The husband identifies his ethnicity as Italian. His primary language is English and he  was born and raised in California. His parents migrated to the United States from Italy in the early 1940’s. Because they migrated at such a young age, his patents have acculturated to the American way of life, but still feel strongly about their cultural heritage (McCallion, Janicki, & Grant-Griffin, 1997). The wife identifies her ethnicity as Caucasian. She was also born and raised in California. Both husband and wife grew-up in the Catholic faith and attended church primarily on holidays. In their mid-thirties, they accepted Christ as their personal savior and became born again Christians; first the husband and then a few months later the wife. The husband owns a painting business for residential properties and the wife sales residential real estate and works for a local real estate company. They are considered a lower-middle class family. The major distinguishing characteristics of the lower-middle class family are respectability, achievement, hard work and honesty (Friedman et al., 2003). Neither husband nor wife has a college degree. Both are hard-working and are proud that they have provided financially for their sons who have both received a college education. Previously, the 25 year old son and his girlfriend were living together and were a dual income household. They both moved in with his parents when the girlfriend had to quit her job because of complication she suffered during the first few months of her pregnancy. They plan to marry once they are financially stable. The son is currently working as a physical fitness coach for a college football team and contributes financially to the family. In June of this year, the 22 year old son graduated with a Bachelor’s degree and moved back home. He is currently looking for employment and hopes to move out within the year. The grandmother is 76 years old and has lived with the family for the past year due to the progression of her COPD. FAMILY STRUCTURE According to Friedman, Bowden and Jones (2003), the concept of analyzing the structure of a family refers to how the family is organized, how the components are arranged and how they relate to each other. The four main structures of the family are roles, values, communication processes and power and decision-making. The role theory is the structure that is the focus of the Listo family. Family roles play a critical part in the organization of the family and because of this the family nurse must understand role relationships in order to be able to promote healthy role behaviors and identify role problems (Friedman et al., 2003). According to the role theory, a family member will play many roles in a family. There are both formal and informal roles within the family structure. Formal family roles include the more obvious roles such as mother-wife, father-husband, and father-son. The less obvious roles are that of encourager, harmonizer, initiator, scapegoat, compromiser, etc. Informal roles are more likely to be based on personality than age or sex (Kievit, 1968). Within the Listo family, the husband-wife dyadic relationship is complimentary exhibited by a contrasting relationship (Friedman et al., 2003). As the formal role of wife, Mrs. Listo is the leading dominant personality and makes most of the decisions in the family including decisions about the children and the household finances. She is also the main source of income for the family. As the formal role of husband, Mr. Listo is more of a follower, a position he appears to be content with. According to Friedman, Borden, and Jones (2003), there is a strong element of dependency between the husband and wife in a complimentary relationship. This is true for the Listo family; they have a close bond and seem to be comfortable with their husband-wife give and take relationship. Assessment of the Listo family revealed numerous informal family roles. The grandmother takes on the informal role of recognition seeker. As explained by Friedman, Bowden, Jones (2003), the recognition seeker goes to great lengths to draw attention to self. When questioning the grandmother about other members of the family, she continued to turn every conversation back to a subject that involved her as the center figure. The two Listo boys have the informal role of caretaker. During the interview the grandmother continued to ask the boys to get her purse, find her glasses, and bring her some tea. When the boys were out of the room, the grandmother complained about how lazy the boys are and that they don’t understand her condition and what she’s going through with her COPD. The husband has the informal role of  follower. He goes along with the wishes of the family and if there is a dispute over how or what to do, he just listens and only participates in the conversation if he is directly asked a question. The wife has the informal role of Initiator-Contributor. She motivates the children with ideas and ways to accomplish goals and solve problems. According to Kantor and Lehr (1975), the Initiator-Contributor causes movement in the family and is characterized by the initiation of action. The girlfriend has the informal role as the encourager. She gives compliments freely and often. She appears to be genuinely interested in listening to others and she rarely draws attention to herself. â€Å"The greater the perceived clarity of role expectation the higher the quality of role enactment† (Friedman et al., 2003, p. 324). When evaluating the quality of each role, it was determined that the family members clearly understand their roles and are content with the expectation that is attached to each role. The exception was the 23 year old son, who exhibited role conflict with his duties as caregiver for the grandmother. After having the freedom of college life, it has been difficult for the 23 year old to be living back at home and having specific expectations put upon him. According to Friedman, Bowden, and Jones (2003), the youngest son is experiencing intersender role conflict, which happens when there are conflicting expectations regarding the enactment of a role. FAMILY HEALTH FUNCTION According to the Structure-Function theory, a function is an outcome or consequence of the structure. Function is described as being what the family does. Friedman, Bowden, and Jones (2003) describe 5 specific functions: affective, socialization, reproductive, economic and health care. The focus of the Listo family assessment is the function of health care. The Friedman Assessment Model was used as a guide. According to Friedman, Bowden, and Jones (2003), health practices and health care services are extremely varied from family to family. Families are diverse in the way they conceptualize health and illness and when to seek health care. The Listo family prides themselves on how healthy they have been. Until recently, the family had what they described as â€Å"catastrophic† medical insurance. The mother and father are both independent contractors and do not have insurance through their place of employment. Their insurance policy carried a $1,500 deductible. This high deductible deterred the family from visiting the doctor for regular check-ups. The Listo family falls under the umbrella of â€Å"underinsured† which has prevented them from receiving comprehensive health care. With the wife’s real estate doing so well over the past couple of years, the Listos now have an insurance plan that covers standard check-ups and dental care as well. The 25 year old son receives health coverage from his employer and the girlfriend has private insurance. With so many years without health care access, the Listo family has not participated in health management. According to Friedman, Bowden, and Jones (2003), the family needs to be in direct partnership with health care providers. Clients also need to be the ultimate decision makers and managers of the health issues that affect their lives. Health education is needed so that the Listo family can feel empowered to direct their own health care (Friedman, et al., 2003). The 2 sons exercise regularly and eat a well-balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables and grains and are in good health. The girlfriend takes charge of her health and the health of unborn child by keeping all of her scheduled appointment, asking important questions, and following the guidelines agreed upon between her and her physician. The husband is overweight and has hypertension and hyperlipidemia. The hypertension and hyperlipidemia are controlled with medication. The husband is not consistent with getting his check-ups and having his blood The wife is slightly overweight which she attributes to a bad diet and lack of exercise. Generally, the Listo family is in good health. In the case where the family is healthy, health promotion is the goal of family nursing (Friedman, et al., 2003 p. 436). One goal for the Listo family is health promotion. The one member of the Listo household that is chronically ill is the Grandmother. She admits that her COPD was caused by 40 years of smoking 1-2 packs of â€Å"Camel† no filter cigarettes a day. Each year in the United States,  hundreds of thousands die prematurely due to living unhealthy lifestyles (Friedman, et al., 2003). As the caretakers for the grandmother, the Listo family is at risk for role strain. The grandmother’s condition is progressive and as time goes on she will become more dependent on the family members for care. Orem’s self-care model is applicable to this family. According to Orem’s self-care theory, nursing care is required when an adult is no longer able to care for themselves. It also states that nursing care may need to be directed toward the caretakers (Friedman et al., 2003). FAMILY STRESS, COPING, AND ADAPTATION The Listo family is resilient and they have recovered, adjusted, and adapted to stressful situations in their family. This is why The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptions Model best describes the way the Listo family deals with stressors. According to this theoretical framework, there are four basic assumptions about the family: First, it’s a natural part of life to encounter hardship and changes. Second, families develop strength and capabilities that cause them to grow and develop as a family unit. Third, the strengths and capabilities gained during a stressful event provide protection for the family and allow the family to adapt to the new situation. Fourth, families benefit from the contribution they make to the network of relationships and community during times of family stress (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1991). The stressors that have caused the Listo family to gain strength and capabilities and to grow as a family are many. Some current stressors are caring for a chronically ill family member, unmarried son’s girlfriend is pregnant, son and girlfriend moving in with the family, financial insecurity due to self-employment, and youngest son is unemployed. SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL COPING STRATEGIES. According to Friedman, Bowden and Jones (2003), there are two types of coping strategies; internal and external. Internal family coping strategies are when the family becomes reliant on their own resources such as pulling together and creating more structure and organization in the home, whereas with external coping strategies the family relies on community, extended family, neighbors and friends. Most often, the Listo family uses an internal family coping  strategy. They have restructured their lives so that each member can contribute to the care of the grandmother since she moved into the family home. They have also pulled together and reorganized their home to accommodate the son’s girlfriend. When business is slow for the parents, the eldest son contributes financially to assist with finances. The husband and wife also use external family coping through spiritual strategies such as having faith in God and prayer (Friedman et al., 2003). The Christian faith is where the husband and wife draw comfort and peace in times of stress. Their faith in God is strong. They believe that the Lord will guide them during a crisis and will not allow them fall. â€Å"Numerous studies have shown the clear linkage between spiritual well-being and an individual’s or a family’s enhanced ability to cope with stress and illness† (Friedman et al., 2003, p. 486). The Listo parents believe that their enhanced ability to cope with stress and illness comes from their personal relationship with Christ. DYSFUNCTIONAL COPING STRATEGIES. According to Friedman, Bowden, and Jones (2003), Dysfunctional families most often unconsciously choose to use coping strategies that have been passed down through the generations. These defensive coping strategies usually do not relieve stress nor eliminate the stressor. The Listo family’s dysfunctional coping strategy is authoritarianism. This happens when the family members submit to a dominant, ruling figure. The husband and sons are very submission to the authority of the wife-mother. They sons are adults in their twenties, but they constantly call their mother prior to making any relevant decisions in life. The husband also defers to his wife for any family decision. The dominant figure, Mrs. Listo, is also dependent on her subordinates because it satisfies her need for power and control (Friedman et al., 2003). The family adores their mother and the husband also speaks very kindly of her. She is domineering, but very loving and often lavishes the family with gifts. INTERVIEW NOTES BASED ON THE FRIEDMAN FAMILY ASSESSMENT MODEL IDENTIFYING DATA 1. Family Name: Confidential (Listo is the fictitious family name) 2. Address and Phone: Confidential 3. Family Composition: see Family Genogram (Figure 1) 4. Type of Family Form: Extended Family Father – Painter, Mother – Real Estate Agent, two unmarried adult sons Grandmother, Son’s girlfriend 5. Cultural (Ethnic) Background: Caucasian American and Italian (English Speaking) 6. Religious Identification: (Born-again Christian) 7. Social Class Status: Lower-middle class, family works hard to pay the bills. Income sources: Painting business – father, Real estate business – mother, Sports Trainer – son, grandmother – social security Father and mother have high school education Two sons – first generation to receive a college degree 8. Social class mobility: stationary at this time. Limited income and live paycheck to paycheck. The parents are supporting the grandmother, 2 sons, and son’s girlfriend. DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE AND HISTORY OF FAMILY 9. Family’s developmental stage_: Stage VI: Families launching young adults_ 10. Extent Family is Fulfilling Developmental Tasks: parents were empty nesters until 1 month ago when the eldest son moved back home with his girlfriend who is 5 months pregnant, the youngest son just graduated college and moved back home, and the grandmother moved in less than a year ago. The parents are adjusting to having children back in the home. 11. Nuclear Family History: both father and mother come from traditional nuclear families. 12. History of Family of Origin of Both Parents: Both husband and wife come from nuclear families in which the father was the provider and the mother was a homemaker. ENVIRONMENTAL DATA 13. Characteristics of Home: home is a little crowded with all the members currently living there. The youngest son shares a room with his grandmother. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a medium size kitchen with attached family room. The home is clean and well organized. 14. Characteristics of Neighborhood and Larger Community: The neighborhood has similar single family homes that were all built around the same year. The lawns are well maintained and the streets are clean. The neighbors participate in a neighborhood watch group to keep the area safe. Children can be seen riding the bikes and skateboards on the block. The city is in the Foothills, not far from Los Angeles and the home is in walking distance to the market and other shopping. 15. Family’s Geographical Mobility: The family lived in a more affluent area when the boys were growing up. At that time, the husband had steady work as he was partnered with a contractor who built estate homes. Approximately 10 years ago the partnership broke up and the husband found it difficult to market himself. The house went into foreclosure and the family borrowed  money from family to help them purchase the home they’re in now. The family is stationary in their current geographical setting. 16. Family’s Association and Transaction with Community: The mother and father are involved in the local church. They attend regularly and volunteer to help with special events. They know some of their neighbors, but they don’t get together with them socially. The younger son volunteers at the YMCA working with youth. There are 4 vehicles in the family, so the family is not dependent on public transporation. FAMILY STRUCTURE 17. Communication Patterns: According to Mrs. Listo, a majority of the conversation between the father and the sons revolve around sports and is void of any discussion of an intimate matter. The father tends to be quiet until the subject of baseball comes up and then he sits up straight and gets enthusiastic about the conversation. Mrs. Listo often interrupted the conversation of other family members to make an announcement about subjects she feels are relevant. The grandmother doesn’t seem to have an audience when she’s trying to communicate to family members. She continues to converse even when it’s obvious no one is really listening to her. Mr. Listo appeared to get annoyed with the grandmothers complaints, but he didn’t verbally communicate his feelings. There were some obvious gender differences in communication. 18. Power Structure: The mother is dominant and the father is passive. This marital relationship would be considered complementary. When asking each member of the family who the dominant figure was, each stated that it was the mother. The mother also said that she was the dominant figure in the house. No one in the family seems to be discontent with where the power lies. 19. Role Structure: The formal roles are father-husband, mother-wife, son-brother, grandmother, and girlfriend. Informal roles: follower- father, initiator/contributor – mother, family caretaker – mother /sons, encourager – girlfriend, grandmother- recognition seeker 20. Family Values: Respect, honesty, hard-working, college education, Christianity, giving to help others (volunteering), helpful commitment and trust. FAMILY FUNCTIONS 21. Affective Function: The husband wife relationship is close and the mother and eldest son seem close. The relationship between the youngest son and mother seems to be strained due to the 23 year old wanting his independence. See Family Attachment diagram 22. Socialization Function: The father and mother have been married for 30 years and have raised their 2 sons. The mother stayed home with her sons until they were both in elementary school. The mother is a homemaker/real estate agent. Attending church was mandatory when the children were growing up. Once they reached the age of 18, the parents didn’t require that their sons attend church. The boys are now adults, but are currently living at home. They show respect for both parents and authority and appear to be well-adjusted. The father and mother are excited about the upcoming birth of their first grandchild. Health Care Function: The father has controlled hypertension and hyperlipidemia. The wife is slightly overweight, but has no medical condition. She admits to eating too much sugar and fried foods. The two sons are healthy. The pregnant girlfriend had difficulty in her first trimester, but she is doing well now. The grandmother is in poor health. She has COPD that is progressing to the point where she is on constant oxygen. The family has not been consistent with regular check-up until recently when they upgraded their medical insurance coverage. FAMILY STRESS, COPING, AND ADAPTATION 24. Family Stressors, Strengths, and Perceptions: stressors: financial struggles, sons that don’t practice the Christian faith, eldest son is  unmarried and expecting his first child, youngest son doesn’t have employment and will be moving out of the home as soon as he does, grandmother has COPD. Strengths: Mother and Father have a strong faith, the children are respectful, the eldest son helps financially, they have paid down their debt and are building credit, the family is managing their health 25. Family Coping Strategies: There number one source of peace and comfort comes from their relationship with God and their faith – external source of coping. The family members help each other out financially and emotionally- Internal source of coping. 26. Family Adaptation: The family is resilient. They take one day at a time and face the challenges as they come. They readjust their lives when stressors come along and they seek God’s plan to help them learn and grow through the stress of circumstances. Overall, the family adapts to the stressors that come their way and become closer as a unit as a result. NURSING DIAGNOSIS RELATED TO MANIFESTED BY KEY ASSESSMENT DATA & RATIONALE FOR RANKING (1) Ineffective self Health management (father) Lack of health care access. For the past 25 years, the family has had inadequate insurance and does not qualify for state assistance. They have avoided doctor visits as much as possible due a high deductible and out of pocket expense Uncontrolled hypertension & hyperlipidemia, obesity, sedentary life-style, poor diet, inconsistent medication adherence, infrequent check-ups This is ranked first because the father’s lack of maintenance could lead to Cardiovascular disease and Myocardial Infarction. Although the grandmother’s disease (COPD) is incurable and progressive, it is the father who has the capability to change the outcome of his condition with health maintenance. If the father’s condition deteriorates, he will not be able to run his business and the family will suffer financial strain. (2) Risk for caregiver role strain Caring for the grandmother who has a progressive disease (COPD) Physical exhaustion, frustration, emotional fatigue, isolation The mother works full time and runs the household. She is exhausted by the end of the day, but still needs to make time to care for her mother. There are multiple doctor appointments every week than she or her son the grandmother to. Most days the mother has nothing left over for herself and is too tired to socialize or go out. The youngest son is frustrated that he is expected to help care for the grandmother. He is looking for work so he can move out and get away from the situation (3) Dysfunctional Family Communication Wife and husband, Husband and sons, Grandmother and family Husband does not voice his opinion to his wife. Husband and sons only communicate about impersonal information. No one listens to the grandmother and the grandmother only discusses negative issues and complaints. The husband is submissive to the wife. He doesn’t voice his opinion or challenge decisions that he disagrees with. He avoids any kind of confrontation. The Father and the son’s keep the conversation on the surface. They don’t talk about feelings or ideas. The grandmother has gotten into the habit of complaining and possibly doesn’t know how to show care or concern for others. She is overwhelmed by her condition. (4) Ineffective family coping The youngest son’s frustration over his caregiver role The youngest son’s outbursts and his threats to move out as soon as possible. The youngest son is 23 years and has just moved home after having the freedom of living in a dorm at a university. Because he is the one member of the family that is not currently employed, he has the responsibility of caring for the grandmother during the day and taking her to all of her doctor appointments. His way of coping is closing himself in his room and threatening to leave the house forever. (5) Risk for complicated grieving Potential loss of significant person (grandmother) Inability of the family members to discuss the course of the grandmothers COPD. The youngest son verbalizes anger over caring for his grandmother. The family does not discuss the end result of grandmother’s COPD. When there is a decline in the grandmother’s functioning or an exacerbation of her condition, the family refers to it as just a temporary set-back. The youngest son refuses to be social with the grandmother because he resents  that he is needed to care for her. It is likely that he will have some guilt feeling and more difficulty with grieving after her death. FAMILY NURSING PROCESS The word â€Å"process† refers to a deliberate and conscious act of moving from one point to another toward goal fulfillment (Friedman et al., 2003, p. 174). The nursing process moves systematically from assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation and is said to be interrelated and continuously cyclical of thought and action (Friedman et al., 2003). After a trusting relationship was established, the first step in the Listo family assessment was gathering information in a systematic fashion using the Friedman Family Assessment Model. The information was then classified, and analyzed to interpret their meaning. The following document outlines the nursing process as it relates to the Listo family. MAIN DIAGNOSIS PLANNING (GOALS) INTERVENTION (IMPLEMENTATION) RATIONALE FOR INTERVENTION EVALUATION Ineffective self Health Management (father) Short-term goal: The father will discuss his fear and inhibition to implementing a health regimen prior to the end of the nurses’ visit with the family. (1) Assess the client’s feelings, values, and his reasons for not adhering to the prescribed plan of care (2) Assess the father’s family patterns, economic issues, and cultural patterns that may be influencing compliance with a given medical regimen. (Ackley, J. G., Ladwig, G. B., 2011). Change theory is applicable to the Listo family: According to this theory, the nurse works with families to facilitate change. These changes can include structure as well as health behaviors. (Friedman et al., 2003). (1) Evidence Based Practice: assessment of an individual’s preferences for participation in health care decision making encourages involvement in decision making at the preferred level. (Ackley, B.J., & Ladwig, G.B., 2011) (2) Evidence Based Practice: Adherence to a treatment regimen is significantly influences by the family’s culture, spiritual beliefs and family norms (Ackley, B.J., & Ladwig, G.B., 2011) Short-term goal achieved: the father discussed his reluctance to manage his health. He admits that his own family was proud of how healthy they were without involving health care professionals. Another reason he explained for his lack of involvement in his own care is his fear that a regular check-up would reveal something serious. He verbalized his understanding that it is better to discover an illness early for prevention. He expressed a desire to be more involved in his own care. Long-term goal: The father will visit his health care provider within the next 30 days in  order to decide on a therapeutic regimen that is congruent with health goals and lifestyle. (1) Help the client to choose a healthy lifestyle that will address his condition and to encourage appropriate diagnostic screening tests (2) Review how to contact health providers that are listed under his insurance plan and how to address issues and concerns regarding self-management. King’s Theory of Goal Attainment is applicable to the father in this family. In King’s model, the nurses’ goal is to help the client maintain their health so they can adequately function in their role. (Friedman, et al., 2003). (1) Healthy lifestyle measures, such as exercising routinely, maintaining a healthy weight, eliminating smoking and limiting alcohol intake can help to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses. (Ackley, B.J., & Ladwig, G.B., 2011) (2) Evidence Based Practice: people with chronic illnesses need to know how to obtain interventions that are needed to address issues and concerns regarding self-management. (Ackley, B.J., & Ladwig, G.B., 2011) Recommend: Revisit the family in 30 days to follow up on the fathers visit to his health-care provider. Evaluate the father adherence to his therapeutic regimen and his lifestyle goals. Conclusion The Friedman Family Assessment Model served as a guide to complete a comprehensive assessment of the Listo family. Nursing theories, including  the structure-function theory, helped to analyze the data collected. 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