What is an Eldercare Mediator and Do I Need One?

Elder care mediation is a relatively new profession and one that will be increasingly needed as more boomers care for their aging parents and also as they become elders themselves. This article assumes that care of the aging parent is a new consideration, and that there is no on-going litigation or charges of abuse within the family.

In a study reported by Deborah B. Gentry, it was determined that nearly 40% of adult children acting as caregivers had serious conflicts with one or more siblings regarding the care of their parents. Many times, this was due to the lack of participation of one of the siblings, arguments over finances or disagreements on where Mom or Dad should live. With a help of a mediator, these issues can be sorted out in a private, non-threatening setting where the family (including the parents) meets together.

Eldercare mediators have taken classes in this type of mediation. They may be nurses, social workers, gerontologists or they may also be attorneys themselves. (If they are attorneys, they do not practice law during the mediation service.)

What does an eldercare mediator do?

they are a neutral 3rd party who helps with decision-making processes
they help clear up misunderstandings within the family by knowing the right questions to ask
they provide for expression of feelings and yet, keep the family on tract
they help the family heal hurts, avoid blame and self-pity
they help the family consider as many options as possible
they provide for future modification of the decisions made
all discussions in the process are confidential

Mediators do NOT:

Make any of the decisions themselves
Provide family therapy
Practice law

Who is involved in the meeting?

Parents and siblings should be present. The meeting may also include spouses, grandchildren, other close relatives, close family friends, caregivers, medical providers, pastoral leaders and lawyers.

What is discussed at the meeting?

This is up to the family members but some ideas for discussion include living arrangements and possible assistance for the parent(s), driving ability, end-of-life provisions, financial concerns, trust and estate issues, division of responsibility among the siblings, etc.

The advantages of hiring a mediator are that parents (or spouse) must give permission for the meeting to take place, thereby maintaining their dignity and autonomy by being involved as much as possible. Also, if help is needed, financial and task responsibilities can be divided up equally among the children (siblings) or a care contract for a sibling that volunteers to be the primary caregiver can be discussed. Obstacles are more easily overcome when using a mediator who can keep the family focused on the goal of caring for the parent (or spouse) in the best possible way. Family relationships are also improved because everyone is kept in the loop. Those siblings who are unable to attend due to physical constraints can participate by telephone or even on the internet.

The cost of an eldercare mediator is about $100.00 – $300.00 per hour but is a good investment in maintaining or building family unity and working to provide a good outcome for your aging parent(s) or loved ones.

Eldercare mediators can be found through state and local Area Agencies on Aging, attorneys specializing in elder law, geriatric care managers, Alzheimer’s Association (especially support groups) and the health department.

Finding Home Furniture Discounts

After you’ve spent most of your life savings on a new home you are then faced with the unenviable task of furnishing your new home with a very tight budget. Unless you have unlimited credit and six-figure bank accounts you will probably want to be thrifty when shopping for home furniture including dining room and living room sets, kitchen islands, outdoor patio chairs and entertainment room bars and game sets. However, finding high quality discount furniture is never easy. Either the quality is too low or the price too high to make for an easy shopping experience but when you know what your budget is, what your criteria are for home decor and where to find affordable furniture you have a much better chance of finding home furniture you will enjoy.

You want your new home to look inviting and comfortable but you also know you don’t have an unlimited budget to spend. Your best bet for getting started is to figure out which rooms are most important in terms of furnishing first. Some rooms you will just have to wait on and those are the rooms you probably won’t be spending a lot of time in for the first few months in a new home. However, the kitchen, living room and bedrooms will be used immediately so when you are figuring out your furniture budget, start with the rooms that make the most sense and worry about the game room, study and outdoor patio for another day.

When you know your furniture budget you can then start to narrow down your selections based on cost. This doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style or quality but it does mean you need to be more selective with materials and brand names. Genuine leather isn’t cheap and buying a full living room set that features leather will surely cost you so in some cases you may want to look at a cheaper alternative such as leatherette. Now is a good time to pick out the designs and styles you like and start searching online for discount furniture suppliers who may carry the pieces you are looking for.

As with any product, when you buy in bulk you end up saving in the long run. So, instead of looking for separate tables, chairs and sofas consider shopping entire sets that include all the furnishings you need for full living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms. Buying furniture sets is often much cheaper than individually selecting pieces from different collections. It also makes matching furniture much easier since you are buying from one designer’s collection. When you move in to a new home there’s no reason to wait to furnish it. Just keep an eye out for discount furniture that fits your budget and your personal tastes.

Civilian Jobs in Law Enforcement – Do They Exist?

Does community work run in your blood and you want to help your community in a civilian capacity? It is a common misconception that when you want to do some work in the community especially in law enforcement, you need to be a uniformed personnel. Well this is not true.

Now is the time to break that false conception; there are civilian jobs in law enforcement as well. And for sure you have noticed and you are aware of these civilian jobs in law enforcement. But the only problem is that most of these jobs aren’t seen front and center. It’s because these civilian jobs in law enforcement are often done in the sidelines. These are the jobs that are tasked to do support roles for the front liners- they do mostly police support roles. And though they are at the sidelines, still they are essential to the overall operations of the police force and law enforcement. And thanks to these civilian jobs in law enforcement, the enforcement of law for every state always becomes effective and efficient.

Majority of these police and law imposition support jobs are focused on assisting the police officers and the visitors during office hours. These support jobs also include manning the emergency phone numbers of the police, preparing the necessary papers that can be used in prosecuting criminals, helping in the development of the infrastructure and the IT systems of the military and police and acting as neighborhood watches. These are just some of the roles that can be played as support by the civilian jobs in law enforcement. Remember that the jobs are numerous, if you just know where to look. Want to know more about the civilian jobs in law enforcement? Here are some of the major categories for these jobs;

· Support in investigations

· Intelligence research

· Statement takers

· Drivers

· Investigative assistant jobs and many more

Of these major categories, perhaps the most common are for statement takers and for investigative jobs. These are civilian jobs in law enforcement that you can also get if you are interested to dip your fingers into enforcement of the law. When you say investigative jobs, these jobs will refer to activities that may require you to work with different law administration agencies. These jobs are tasked to provide a number of clerical assistance jobs like doing clerical and routine jobs like filing reports, doing some administrative works and gathering much needed evidence needed in the prosecution and investigation. If you are into police work when you were a kid, then you can practice that skill on a job like this. Another common police enforcement support job is that for permanent or even temporary taker of statements. Your interview skills will be practiced here, and you will be required to work with officers and investigators. Who said that you cannot work in the military or in the enforcement of law as a civilian? Yes you can; take a look at these common jobs and decide for yourself!

7 Best Online Travel Communities

True, Tripadvisor, Frommer’s and the Lonely Planet are some of the best online travel communities going, but they’re far from the only ones amongst the greats. So go on, expand your travel community horizons and check out our 7 Best Off The Radar Travel Communities:

1. Travelistic

From YouTube to Hulu to Yahoo, were a video obsessed bunch. Travelistic has cleverly taken this to head and created a travel community wholly centred around video.

Log on and you’ll find over 10,000 user submitted travel videos, to view, comment on and inspire your future travels. Want to visit the Great Wall? Journey to the top of Everest? You can do it all on Travelistic, without ever leaving home.

2. Igougo

A masterful all in one travel community, where you can plan your trip, compare flights and hotels and share your travel experiences with the world.

Just type in a destination and you’ll be instantly connected to a plethora of photos, reviews and users who have traveled or reside there. When you’re ready to go, create your very own trip journal and give back to the community by sharing your own travel experiences.

3. Trip It

Less of a travel community and more a travel service, Trip It is perfect for the organization nut in all of us. Just enter your flights, hotel stays and destinations and let trip it create an optimized travel itinerary for you in seconds. Never miss another plane or train again.

For those who truly want it all, upgrade to the pro version and Trip It will automatically alert you if there are changes or delays in your travel plans. That means less time at the airport, and more time at the beach.

4. Dopplr

Create a map with the dates and location of your travels; share it with the Dopplr community, check out other’s maps, then meet up with those whose travel plans overlap with your own. If you’d like to keep your location a secret from some (mom, dad, a raging x), don’t worry, you can control who can and can’t see where you are.

Along the way you’ll get a wealth of location specific travel information, so you’ll always know where to stay, where to eat, and what to do. Taking the thinking out of traveling, we like that.

5. Travbuddy

Travbuddy’s got all the ingredients that make for a killer online travel community; helpful forums, honest reviews, stunning travel photos and a dedicated membership 1.5 million strong.

Travbuddy ups the ante by giving you your very trip blog, allowing you to easily post your stories, pictures and reviews as you go. There’s even a built in mapping feature that builds a map of your travels as you venture across the earth.

Wherever, you’re headed, this is one buddy you don’t want to leave behind.

6.Travelers Point

Besides being a great place to plan, book and share your next trip, Travelers Point has hands down one of the best travel resources on the web; wiki travel guides.

These 100% user created and edited travel guides, give you the collective wisdom and travel experiences of over 250,000 members, right at your finger tips. From country and city guides, to travel health and safety information, you’ll find everything you need to get in the know, before you go.

7. Travel DODO

Travel DODO takes travel reviews and puts them into a fun, easily digestible format, Travel Do’s, and Travel Don’t.

Want to find out which restaurants, hotels and attractions are best avoided in France? Just click on the location on the interactive map, and you’ll be given a list of places to cross off your list (travel don’t), so you spend your valuable vacation time wiser.

Frankly, you’d be a DODO, not to check up here before you GOGO.

Finding Your Own Fashion Style

In a world extraordinarily focused on outward appearance, we need only to open a magazine or turn on our televisions to see the latest and greatest fashion trend; it walks the red carpet, checks out a movie premier, and heads out nightly to the hottest restaurants. And we, as a society always mindful of what’s popular, follows dutifully along, eager to purchase the “must have” item of the season. But, ultimately, the fashion style that works best for us is that which looks good on our particular body and reflects our very individual personality.

As anyone who follows the fashion industry will tell you, trends come and go. What is one year’s hot item is the next season’s fashion “don’t.” Designers present their newest lines and before you know it stores are carrying these clothes in every conceivable variation. And then, just as quickly, they’re gone. It’s almost impossible to keep pace. Luckily, the fashion style that makes the most sense on an individual level is the fashion style that reflects who we are as people; and that never goes out of style.

The most important thing to remember is that just because a particular fashion style is popular at the moment does not mean that it will look good on your particular body. Wearing something just for the sake of wearing it ultimately goes against the principles of fashion. A fashion style that you choose to wear should be something that accentuates your positives, downplays your negatives, and complements the overall line of your body.

Take the time to get to know your body and what styles work best with it. Assess your body objectively; if you have trouble spots, look for cuts and fabrics that camouflage what you need them to camouflage; if you are on the shorter side, look for a fashion style that elongates your body; and always choose colors that complement your skin tone.

Once you find a style that works – stick with it and add your personal touches to reflect your personality; that is the best fashion style you can possibly wear.

Dos and Don’ts When Completing Individual Health Insurance Application

If you do not have access to a group employer plan then the other option you have is to apply for individual health insurance plan. Individual health insurance application require more information from you then group health insurance plans that you might have had through job. The reason for that is that individual, and that applies to family health plans, are medically underwritten. That means that a person called medical underwriter will go over your medical application and decide if you are a good risk for the insurance company. The main reason for medical underwriting is to keep over all cost for every one low. The more insurance company has to pay out in claims the more they have to charge every one for health insurance to keep the average cost down.

If you have already had a chance to take a look at individual application then you probably know that it can be long. How much of the application you have to fill out depends on your previous medical history. If you are in perfect health then there is not much that you can write on your application other then some basic information. If you are some one who has been to the doctors for lab work, test or takes prescription medication then you would have to include that on your application. Most individual application require you to provide information of your doctor or the last doctor you have been to. If you are not sure of the name of the doctor you can always include the hospital name, clinic name or doctors practice name. When it comes for the dates of your last doctor office visit or any other dates. If you do not remember exact dates, just put down your best estimate.

The most important thing to keep in mind when filling out individual or family application, especially if you do have some medical issues, is to understand this. Until there is a permanent change to health care system and health insurance is not medically underwritten. Insurance company will consider every condition that you have and every medication that you take. The reason for that is that in most states in the US health insurance companies require to cover everything once you are approved. That means that all of your medical conditions and prescription drugs have to be cover by law once you have been approved for coverage. That is if you are approved. I hate to use this analogy because we a talking about human lives, but the simple way to explain health insurance is to compare it to car insurance. For example lets say you get in the minor car accident and you do not have car insurance. Your car is still derivable and it looks like you will need a new bumper and some paint. The next day you go out and purchase car insurance to cover your accident. Well we know it does not work like that. If you could just go out and get car insurance only after you had an accident then no one would pay for car insurance. Why pay if you can just get it after you had an accident. No one would pay for car insurance and car insurance companies would not exist. Then you would be fully responsible for all the damages out of your own pocket. I know I would rather pay that $100 a month just in case something does happen.

Most people do not recognize that health insurance works in the same way. Health insurance companies are not going to approve some one who requires immediate medical assistance. That includes pending follow up visits to the doctor, recent surgery (after a surgery a lot of complications can arise), prescription drugs and anything that is known upfront that could potentially be covered expense. Insurance companies use a “actuarial tables” to underwrite individual applications. If based on what you have put down on the application could potentially cost insurance company money, chances are your application will not be approved.

If health insurance companies automatically approved all the application then it would be the same scenario as with car insurance example, that no one would pay for health insurance. I know I would not, why pay for insurance if I can get it when I get sick. If no one would pay for insurance then there would no insurance companies to cover us for unforeseen large medical expenses. I am certainly not prepared to pay $400,000 or higher for medical emergency.

Getting approved for health insurance could take some preparation. If you are currently taking prescription drugs, find out how to can slowly get off them. I am not a doctor and certainly would never tell anyone to not take drugs that were subscribed by their doctor. I think sometimes great health starts with us, with small daily choice we make. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. When completing application sometimes being too honest can cost you also. That does not mean lying. Going to chiropractor and writing on the application that you have had back pains and you will need to see a specialist. On top of that is that you have not has any health insurance previous is just way to suspicious. It looks like you are trying to get health insurance to get medical care for something that you do not want to pay yourself. Do not make it worse then it is and always phrase everything in the positive. Instead of you writing that you are having back pain, taking Advil and going to chiropractor. Phrase it that you went to chiropractor for maintenance just to realigning your back. I see a lot of people get declined for coverage even though they are in perfect health just because how and what they wrote on the application.

Real people will be looking at your application if you are making it worse then it is or you are volunteering too much information then it is only your fault if you get declined. Your answers should be, everything is fine, just a check up, results were normal. Also before you know that you might be looking for health insurance do not go see your doctor until you do have coverage. If you go to the doctor and they find something “wrong” with you then bye, bye health insurance. Now you are stuck. When at the doctors office, again, be careful what you tell your doctor because it will end up in your medical records. When self diagnosing your self do not volunteer that information to your doctor, it is your doctors job to find if there is an issue. If you have been declined for health insurance there are options available to you so is having or not having health insurance. Having any health insurance plan is infinitely better then not having anything at all. It is a know fact that you will get a better treatment if the hospital knows that you have some way to pay for your medical care and that they are not just working for free taking care of you. The one and the most important thing that you can do is to take care of your health. Eat your broccoli.

Debts to Society and Crime Victims

In the twentieth century, the U.S. Supreme Court greatly developed criminal constitutional rights favoring the accused. A backlash ensued, and the campaign for victims’ rights followed. Advocates for crime victims supported increased incarceration by encouraging three-strikes habitual offender and mandatory sentence legislation. This was a good attempt to refocus upon people other than the offenders. Some believe victims’ rights went too far by putting too many people in prison. In actuality, victims’ rights did not go far enough. Prison labor to pay restitution is rarely allowed, required or encouraged by the laws, special interest groups and systems in place. The way to serve a determinate sentence (i.e. one for a set term of years) in prison is to wait. While prisoners kill time, prisons deprive most prisoners of a major part of life, namely work, while prisons also deprive victims and the state of the benefit of the prisoner’s labor. Convicts often walk out of prison with heavy debts for child support, court costs, legal representation and restitution, most of which they cannot discharge in bankruptcy. After release, restitution collection prospects turn dim. Most convicts never fully pay their debts to society, their victims or their own families.

The shallow statement we hear that ex-convicts have “paid their debt to society” is completely false and very misleading. All they’ve done is wait, age, sleep, eat, shower, obey, suffer, receive benefits and cost money. The words “paid their debt to society” are lip service to our failed correctional regimes. Prisoners have not worked for, honored or paid law-abiding folks. The “payment” they supposedly make does not help anyone, and in fact, it harms society. While in prison, prisoners are on expensive and comprehensive welfare that pays for everything they consume or need. Prisoners unfortunately believe they have “paid up” when their sentence is concluded. Prisoners deserve their punishment, but law-abiding citizens do not deserve the expense, collateral social costs, recidivism and weak deterrence value of prison. It’s time for law-abiding people to be paid in cash, not empty phrases. Part of a new movement should be the right of victims to receive the benefit of their guilty perpetrators’ labor.

To produce economically and generate a cash flow for their victims, prisoners must be allowed to work in private prison industries, operating freely in prison. Prisons made money in the 1800’s and sent their profits to the state legislatures. Over 100 years ago, free labor and businesses were afraid prisoners would put them out of work and business, so prison industries were suppressed with various laws. Under current laws, most prisoners can only make things for the state and there are not enough prison jobs to go around.

Today, most consumer goods are made overseas. Manufactured goods can now be made in the U.S.A. without harming, and actually helping, free American labor and businesses. If American laws were changed to permit vibrant prison industries, prisoners could earn money to compensate their victims and society. Then prisoners can truly pay their debts to society and to the victims of their crimes. Under equitable laws, crime victims should receive the benefit of their guilty perpetrators’ labor.

Great Designer Fashion Styles

There are quite a few varieties of fashion shoe and handbag styles, but some are better known than others. Coach shoes and handbags are among the more well-known, and some of the other famous brands include Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Jacobs. Status handbags are more expensive than others, but designer handbags are something that many women like to splurge on, to make themselves feel good.

Marc Jacobs tweed bags show that the 80’s can still be fun if we remember them fondly. This company truly understands the retro influence on fashion, and each creation is proof that Jacobs is a quirky genius as a designer.

Muse bags are made by Yves Saint Laurent, and they make many accessories as well, for women looking for a chic flair. Muse merges different styles into feminine and unique bags and accessories that are sure to compliment women’s active lifestyles. These bags are playful and a little sexy, and they make handbags in many different sizes.

Coach is possibly the best known designer of handbags and shoes. Coach heels and Coach boots are among the most highly favored of the designer shoes available, and this brand combines logic and magic to create shoes and handbags that are obviously made of quality materials with good value and an American style that is distinctive and inspirational. Each pair of Coach sneakers or Coach heels reflects the attributes of the Coach brand.

Coach shoes are not normally available at discount prices, because they are top sellers without needing to lower prices. They offer excellent service that will make sure your needs as a customer are met. They treat customers buying Coach shoes like guests, and they like to establish relationships for the long term, based on satisfaction and trust.

Designer shoes like Coach heels are symbols of design and luxury in one. Amid the many brands available, it’s no mistake that so many people clamor for Coach shoes. Seldom seen at a discount, they are nonetheless snatched up at a fast pace.

The success of Coach shoes and Coach boots, as well as their well-known handbags, shows off their devotion to fairness and honesty, as concerning their own business as well as the communities they are located in. The company stands behind Coach shoes, Coach sneakers and handbags, because they realize that their reputation is reflected in everything they make.

You can find Coach boots and Coach heels at retail stores and sites online. Originally their handbags were made from the same leather used for baseball gloves. Now there are so many styles of Coach shoes, too, that you are never at a loss, regardless of the occasion. They use other materials in addition to leather now, to craft their fine Coach boots and Coach shoes. Available in every fabric and style you might want, Coach shoes are the toast of the town. While their most current collection tends to show off many casual espadrilles, flip-flops and sandals, you can also find the Coach name on excellently-designed sandals and stilettos. You’ll never go wrong wearing the Coach name.

Eco Travel World Wide

Although the words Eco travel have been popping up a lot more over the past few years, its definition is often misunderstood or not known at all. Possibly you have also heard the word Eco tourism and they are used interchangeably because of their common definition. So what do they mean? Eco travel is planning a responsible vacation to places that conserve the environment. They also contribute to the well being of their community while practicing ethical policies.

The amount of interest in Eco friendly travel has soared, as people become more and more aware of environmental issues. Recycling and reducing vehicle emissions. Lowering the use of energy all makes a difference. Now your Eco travel vacation can also make a difference.

There are different things to look for to know if the vacation your are planning is environmentally and socially friendly. Let’s say for an example you went to a resort. You would check if they use environmentally friendly, recycled products? Are they committed to preserving their wild and marine life and the environment? Increase knowledge of local community and benefits socioeconomically and affordability? Not using wasteful products to make the area more attractive? Do the profits go back into the community? Do they employ local people and pay them fair wages, which is referred to as fair trade? These are all things to consider before deciding on your destination

Government and local communities are starting to work together to conserve their environment while providing much need employment in the area. There are many programs now available to help people in the tourism industry and program directors increase their knowledge of Eco travel, Eco tourism. Consumers that are ethically aware of fair trade have drastically increased sales in the tourism industry by over 50% on any given holiday.

There are now a wide variety of areas in different Countries that offer Eco travel vacations. The industry has grown so much over the past few years that it has become difficult to choose which one. From Costa Rico to Hawaii to Antarctica the choices are endless. Be aware of conservation of our environment and make Eco travel part of your next vacation.

The Perfect Wood For Home Furniture

The most popular and durable wood for the furniture is pine wood. This wood has many unique qualities. It has the style, comfort and the durability of lifetime. This wood is very stiff and can easily bear sever climatic conditions. If you want to buy new furniture for your home then the pine furniture is an ideal choice to go.

This is very easy task for you to modernize your residence and will be very cost effective way to get a fresh appearance to your home. The wooden furniture is a better choice to renovate the house. The wood will last for many years and only the color will fade that can be fixed very easily whenever needed.

This can be easily identified by having a look at the furniture edges. If you notice that the edges of the furniture are faded due to some sort of wear and tear then you should think of recycling the furniture.

The wear and tear may be the result of some daily cleaning or the sun light effect. But, this is not any issue and don’t waste your furniture just get it painted again.

First of all you should take the loose fragments of the item away and then scrap the edges that are needed to be coated again gently with a good cement scraper. Then re-coat the item again and you will get a new piece of furniture again with the original shine.

Then the damp cloth piece can be used to remove the extra pieces from the wooden surface.

The sand paper can make the surface ready to paint and remove the splinters off. You can now coat the item with the varnish or the wood stain whatever you like. You can also give it a new look by painting it with the desired color.

The whole process is very easy it will not affect the furniture at all. You might have understood that the pine furniture can be the best choice to buy.