Being a social philosopher and thinker, Confucius has been at the forefront in establishing knowledge on the issues of justice, morality, sincerity, and correctness in governmental, personal, and social relationships. His ideas and values on the concepts of morality and justice have impacted on many generations.
All the values highlighted by Confucius have gained abundant prominence across China and the world in general. One of the most outstanding philosophies offered by Confucius is in the quote, the strength of a nation derives from the strength of the home.
In this passage, Confucius addressed the role of the family in the growth and development of a nation. Confucius had strong regard on the family as the sole origin and foundation of the nation. In his opinion, Confucius stated that the stronger the family values, the stronger the nation would be. This is possible by embarking strong moral values to the family units.
According to Confucius, it is impossible for one to teach others what he can not teach his family. Being the smallest unit in the nation, the family plays a vital role in ensuring the stability and progress of the nation. The moral values advocated by Confucius can be best adopted in the family. Since the family members are more close to one another, teaching them moral values ensures a stronger family.
The principle adopted by Confucius that, people should not do to others what they dont want to be done to them is best applicable in the family level. By adopting this principle, a stronger and more united family will be established. It is notable that by ensuring strong families guided on integrity, the nation as a whole will be stronger since it is composed of families.
The issues of love and sincerity have also been identified as key pillars in the family. This is also a core aspect in Confucius philosophy which advocated for a united society governed by good human relations. By ensuring order and harmony at an individual family level, it becomes automatic that the nation as a whole will have the order.
This is so because a nation is a combination of homes which are built of different family members. Its only by cultivating love among family members that the nation can demonstrate love. This entails respect within the family, love of children for their parents and love of parents for their children.
If people are raised with high moral values, they will grow up with the same values thus leading to harmonious coexistence at the national level. It is notable that parents have great concern about their children affairs. This is always on the positive side whereby the parents help their children to develop good morals. In this regards, it is evident that the family plays a crucial role in preparing children as well as parents to be responsible members of society.
Conclusion
In light of the discussion, it has been established that Confucius has played a vital role in the development of world philosophy. His contributions to justice, morality, sincerity, and correctness in personal, social, and governmental relationships will live to be embraced.
The quotation on the impact of the family on the nation is very authentic. As observed in the discussion, the family plays a crucial role in modeling its members to be responsible members of the societies. Good moral values are also taught in the family thus ensuring a harmonious nation.
Home and being away from home have been constant preoccupations in literature over the ages. The old English literary works portrayed warriors and seafarers who were involved in adventurous feats. The old English poem The Wanderer, written by one of the earliest English Poets Cynwulf embodies the old English spirit for travel and adventure. Medieval literature was characterized by the spirit of romance and chivalry, according to which the Knights set out on quests and engaged in mock encounters. In the Elizabethan and Neoclassical periods, this remained a recurrent theme but with deeper sociological and intellectual associations. The Romantic novelists like Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte too engaged this binary: the home as a private space and the society as a public space. Meanwhile, the poets of the period presented this theme from a different paradigm. Quite characteristic of their age, the Victorians too were perplexed by this question. This paper proposes to analyze how the notion of being away from home or moving away from home has been dealt with in different genres over the ages in English literature.
The old English or the Anglo Saxon literature abounds with poems that are written with the theme of travelling or wandering from place to place. The Anglo Saxons were a fierce wandering tribe and their literature also embodies this spirit of adventure. The SeaFarer and The Wanderer are poems that express this spirit of adventurous travel. The Anglo Saxon epic Beowulf presents the royal palace as a place that offers protection to the subjects. The monster in the poem Beowulf may be an external enemy and Beowulf who embarks on this monster is valorized as a national hero. Thus, in Anglo Saxon literature, this movement away from the security of the palace is treated as an adventurous deed. Similar was the medieval chivalric notions. Those warriors who moved out of their palace with altruistic missions were honored with Knighthood and they won the respect and love of people.
During the Elizabethan age, the theme of moving away from home was a topic both in plays and travel writings. In travel writings, the concept of moving away from home sprang from its sociological context while the Elizabethan dramatists engaged this topic from a philosophic and intellectual perspective. The Elizabethan literature could be seen as an offspring of English Renaissance. Travelers, merchants and explorers left their home country in search of greener pastures. Some of these travelers wrote about their voyages and they were read with great enthusiasm and amazement. Richard Haklyut, Samuel Purchas and Walter Raleigh are some among these travelogue writers. Their writings valorized this movement away from home and home country in the light of the colonial aspirations.
The Elizabethan dramatists, however, presented this topic from more of a philosophic and intellectual perspective. The Elizabethan drama was an offspring of both Renaissance and Reformation. Renaissance marked the birth of humanism which resulted in a paradigm shift from a God-centered universe to an anthropocentric universe. This resulted in an explosion of knowledge in secular subjects as different from the medieval times. The society and its religious structures were skeptical of this new learning. The home was a symbol of this old order, which was built on questions of faith and superstitions. The new learning was often associated with universities, especially Wittenberg where the high priest of Reformation Martin Luther had been a professor of Theology. A movement away from home symbolized the movement from this old order to a new order. Shakespeares Hamlet could be seen as a representative text that encapsulates this movement away from home. Prince Hamlet walks out of his fathers palace to enter the University of Paris. The palace is a place that represents the old order with its belief in ghosts and spirits. Hamlet has been away from the palace and does not subscribe to their beliefs. He refuses to believe the ghost stories:
Be thou a spirit of health or a goblin damnd Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy interests wicked or charitable, Thou comest in such a questionable shape That I will speak to thee. (Shakespeare, 25-26, Line: 40-44).
But when in the palace, even Hamlet shares this belief and it is for this reason that he hesitates to kill Claudius while he is at prayer.
In poetry, Spensers Faerie Queen embodies this spirit of adventure. The Red Cross Knight in the poem is a Renaissance spirit inspired by the new learning and the promise of a new world it offers. Here, the world is symbolized by home and the movement is from this world to another philosophic world from where he is unwilling to return:
adowne he looked to the ground, To haue returned but dazed were his eyene, Through passing brightness, which did quite confound His feeble sense and too exceeding shyne,
So darke are earthly things compared to divine.. (Headlam Wells, 39). In the Greek poem, The Odyssey , Homer tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus. Odysseus is a young king who is called away from his island kingdom, Ithaca, to the war between the Greeks and Trojans. The war with Troy draws on for ten long years and ends with the victory of the Greeks. However, as they leave Troy, the Greek break the boundaries of right moral action and vandalize the temples of the gods. As a punishment the Greek heroes are fated to find horror at home or spend a long-lasting and dreadful journey from their homes. The Odyssey is the story of the additional ten long years of journey on the seas that Odysseus makes. Lord Alfred Tennysons poem Ulysses is Tennysons view of what happens to Odysseus after the close of Odyssey . Tennysons poem selects the peaceful close of Odysseuss life, with Tennyson thinking this powerful man could no more sit still for his final years of his life than he could decide not to fight for twenty years to return home. Ulysses find bored and disappointed with his life. As he and his wife Penelope were old he finds no joy out of administering justice to the people of his kingdom who he calls Savages. Ulysses remembers his life as it was before he settled into kingship. He had enjoyed his life by travelling far and wide and now he wants to continue experiencing life in just this way.
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees: all times I have enjoyed. (Thomson, 67). Ulysses wants to experience life to its fullest, to drink it to the bottom. Ulysses does not think that breathing alone makes life. For him, resting is the same as getting rusted. In fact, life piled on life is not enough for him.
To strive, to seek, to find, and to yield (Tennyson, Line.70)
Ulysses is hungry for travel on and on, even beyond the sunset, for the sake of knowledge.
In Christopher Marlows Dr. Faustus one can see that the main character Dr. Faustus is a professor in theology at Wittenberg. As he was dissatisfied with his limited knowledge, he exchanged his soul to the devil, thereby attaining unlimited knowledge and power which any other human being can attain. After that, he along with the devil servant Mephistopheles travelled whole over the world by leaving his own native place. They both travelled all over the world, and by his supernatural power he makes some tricks over the poor people and even towards the pope. He undertakes a journey in the air by travelling on the back of a dragon to gain knowledge about the geographical lines of the earth. And, Faustus, all jointly move upon one axletree whose termine is termed the worlds wide pole. (Marlowe, 26). Faustus is a voyager who finds no limits to human enterprise. He is of the opinion that human beings can do anything they wish, and for gaining more and more knowledge he makes this long lasting journey. Here one can see that Faustus, for his thirst for knowledge, left his home land and travels throughout the whole world. And by his misdeeds, at the end he lost his life. But he enjoys his life by travelling the whole world by doing every mischievous activities.
In Shakespeares romantic comedy The Twelfth Night , there is also a portrayal of the trend of leaving home. In this drama, the main characters, especially the two egged twins Viola and Sebastian leave the home by giving up all the luxuries and later they faced a lot of problems which even results in their separation from one another by the ship wreck. The situation again and again becomes very complex as the two of them find their own way to survive in the land they reached. Viola disguises herself as a page boy and serves the Duke Orsino while Sebastian wanders around the land he reached. Both of them faced a lot of problems in their life while living in Illyria as Viola happens to be a messenger of love and Sebastian had to live in pretension. Even after the twins united together they continue to live in the land they reached and find that they were not interested to return their home. Both of them were happy and satisfied with their new life and did not want to return their home. Thus the drama presents the characters that rarely stay in home and leave their home in an early age forced by some reasons.
Mark Twains The Adventure Of Tom Sawyer is another work which represents the main character leaving the home in order to live independently. The hero Tom and his brother were forced to live in their Aunts house soon after the death of their parents in their childhood itself. Even though Toms aunty loved him very much, she was very strict and always restricted him from everything which made him feel distress to her. He was not interested in going to school and also he wanted liberty from all obstacles which blocked his way. As Tom and his friend feared by seeing dreadful incident in the grave yard they decided to move from that place and as they wanted freedom from all impediments, he left the home with his friends and they reached in other island. He convinces Joe and Huck that they should become pirates, and they steal a skiff and sail to Jacksons Island, down-river from St. Petersburg. (Twain). Even though they faced many problems they were happy and enthusiastic. Though Tom enjoyed a lot at first, later he was fed up with it and thought of his happy life he had in his home and this made Tom to return back.
In Wordsworths Tintern Abbey, there can be seen that the poet is frustrated by world-weariness and returns to natures lap. Wordsworth considered the nature as mother, God and everything. The poet roamed in many places and during the journey he visited the Way valley and also the river Tintern Abbey and it influenced him greatly. After twenty three years he returns with his sister to the valley to lie on the lap of nature. Both of them feel immense relief from all burdens while experiencing the sublime divinity of nature. Wordsworth realizes the fact that though he lost enormous time along with innocence but had an opportunity to turn back and receive the consolation in the bed of nature. And this notion can be seen through these lines,
Nor wilt thou then forget, That after many wanderings, many years Of absence, these steep woods and lofty cliffs, And this green pastoral landscape, were to me More dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!. (Wordsworth, line: 156-159)Thus in his poem there can be seen a renewal of passionate emotions and affections to the nature.
In Samuel Taylor Coleridges The Rime of Ancient Mariner, there can also be seen the character who undertook a journey at an early age to know more about the world. The mariner in the poem sails out from his native land to the South Pole influenced by great adventure when he was a teenager. The voyage was highly enthusiastic and adventurous as he wished. Unfortunately, the mariner happened to kill an albatross and thereby faced a lot of disasters. From the very action he learned much and the rest of his life was in great regret and he wandered from land to land to find a person to tell his tale. The wanderings of the mariner indicate that he did not spend much time in his home. Thus the character in the poem was a wanderer who lived in his home only a short time and spent most of his life outside home. The mariner, through his cruel deed and the after-effects, learned the very lesson that all are equal in the world and it reveals through his words.
He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all. (Taylor Coleridge, 20).
Oscar Wildes Importance of Being Earnest is another example of literature which describes the tendency to leave the home mainly influenced by some motives. Jack often conducts a journey to London leaving his native country with the pretension of a brother named Earnest but the real motive is to get the love of a beautiful lady in that country, namely Gwendolen. The case of Algernon is the same as Jack as he too makes up a brother and set out from home frequently only to gain the love of Cecily, the niece of Jack. Both the main characters leave home influenced by their own motivations in Importance of Being Earnest . Thus the two heroes rarely stay at home but often set out home in order to get free from social obligations.
In every literary work, the character being away from home can be seen enormously. Even in the early ages, it can be seen in literary work, and even in medieval literature and romantic literature one can see this. A good example which one can point out is Tennysons Ulysses . In this, the protagonist leaves his home country in order to attain more knowledge. This itself is the theme of Marlowes drama; for power and more knowledge he travels the whole world. Every writer of different ages takes this as a major theme and they discuss it differently in their work. In the medieval work, one can see that the characters moved away from their home land and engaged in adventurous journeys. Even the theme Being away from home has been there in every writers work in every period. However, their depiction which the writers pictured in their work is different. But when one look towards the seventeenth and eighteenth century they can say that the writers of that period illustrate the theme being away from home as an adventurous one. They portrayed this theme in their work and the characters in their work make an adventurous journey. A best example which one can point out is in Ulysses . In this the hero Ulysses moves away from his kingdom and spends ten years at Troy and ten years coming back to his home. While reaching Wordsworths Tintern Abbey the attitude changes as the poet returns home for sublimity. Thus the whole analysis indicates that the attitude of leaving home changes during the passage of period and it can be seen in the literature of that time very clearly.
Matthew Frye Jacobson, in the Barbarian Virtues, examines how immigration and expansionist ambitions defined the American identity in the 19th Century and early 20th Century. Jacobson offers a compelling argument about Americas interest and commitment to expansion and territorial domination, which claimed regions like Samoa, the Philippines and Guam.
He argues that this approach, which involved using entire peoples as pawns underscored Americas heightened degree of imperialist vision in the twentieth century (7). The book identifies industrial revolution and expansion of foreign policies as the two developments that led to increased the interaction with non-Americans, which defined the attitudes and perceptions about Americanism .
How the Author did It
In his own words, Jacobson argues that the countrys trumpeted greatness during the Reconstruction and World War I periods was influenced by the dollars, the labor, and, not least, the very image, of the many people with whom Americans increasingly came into contact (8). The theme of American superiority is explored throughout the book with the author concluding that, during this time, the U.S. chose imperial power and non-populist policies as many Americans liked them (34).
Jacobson describes the dramatic post-Civil War events that transformed the social and political landscape and brought a new meaning to Americanism in the twentieth century. He articulates his thesis through three approaches. First, Jacobson traces the changing faces of Americanism from the 1876s Centennial International Exhibition to World War I, when America proclaimed its military might to the world.
An expansionist foreign policy and influx of immigrants were the two main developments that led to Americas tendency towards world domination in the 20th Century. But, according to Jacobson, the renewed sense of superiority that dominated the expansionist movement was meant to conceal a plaguing and the quieter sense of self-doubt (3).
The book uses political documents, treatises, travelogues and drawings as evidence for the strained racial relations during this period. The immigrant labor and overseas markets played a role in Americas industrialization and international trade.
Second, Jacobson describes the political rhetoric behind the foreign expansion and the influx of immigrants that dominated public discourses and helped shape the American identity. Jacobson describes immigration and expansion as two sides of the same coin (12), implying that the expansion led to a rapid influx of foreigners into America.
The entry of problematic aliens raised the question of their ability to govern themselves, which motivated the economic expansion efforts. The expansion policy was meant to protect Americas target markets in China. To cross the Pacific Ocean to China, America had to acquire Guam, the Philippines and Hawaiian Islands as temporary docking sites for its naval ships.
The colonization was justified on grounds that America was spreading civilization, a noble enterprise that characterized the Great White Burdens (104). The foreigners were perceived as primitives who should be civilized and therefore, the American intervention was necessary.
Third, Jacobson shows how the European migrants characterized the earlier immigrants as the nativists (9). Thus, cultural representations of foreigners and earlier immigrants combined with the changing attitudes towards the influx of immigrants defined Americanism at the start of the twentieth century.
What the author was trying to do
The nineteenth century and early twentieth century saw a rapid influx of immigrants to America. As the U.S. was expanding to far areas, people from other nations were migrating to America in large numbers. Jacobson attributes the warm receptions that the migrants received to the high demand of labor (barbarian virtues) to drive the rapidly growing economy. This led to the emergence of labor unions, which, however, were meant to protect the whites while excluding Asian immigrants.
The labor policies favored racial exclusion and inferiority, which, according to Jacobson, served to exclude the non-white immigrants from mainstream local political and economic development, and justified Americas invasion to overseas lands inhabited by the primitives (7). Jacobson excels in associating the domestic racial exclusion campaigns with the justification for the colonization of foreign lands.
The United States place in global economics and geopolitics in the 19th century is well described in this book. Jacobson points out how this position was misunderstood and this shaped the current racial relations. The illustrations and pictures in the book reinforce Jacobsons argument and convey the actual patterns of Americanism . It shows the barbarian virtues that the migrants had for America and the problems occasioned by the military expansion to foreign lands.
The broad range of evidence provided help to support the central argument of the book. Jacobson excels in describing how the American identity was developed through a domestic crucible of immigration and empire-building and domination of overseas lands.
Americas imperial power was achieved through racial differentiation and fueled by the dollar, the labor, and, not least, the very image, of the many people with whom Americans came into contact , who, however, they blithely identified as inferiors (85). Thus, Americas expansionist ambitions in the nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century were mired in racial differentiation at home and imperial civilization in overseas lands.
References
Jacobson, M. F. (2000). Barbarian Virtues: The United States Encounters Foreign Peoples at Home and Abroad, 1876-1917. New York: Hill and Wang.
Home care is a phenomenon that is fast gaining popularity in the health care sector. The main focus is usually to provide health care services to the aging population of clients who do not want to be hospitalized and prefer to recuperate from the comfort of their homes with a limited number of visits to the hospital.
Literature Review
Various people had written on the topic of health care addressing different issues. This section looks at what has been said by others about health care system in Canada.
Soroka (2007) did a research to establish how the Canadian people felt about their health care system after the recommendations that were made by Romanows Commission. In the end, it turned out that Canadians had varying thoughts about their health care system. Although the system is acceptable by a good percentage of the Canadian people, the research points out that some Canadians are totally unhappy with the health care system and would like to see changes (Soroka, 2007).
Botz, Bestard, Demaray and Molloy (1993), did a study to evaluate Resource Utilization Group (RUG) as a uniform way of categorizing different types of patients; residential, chronic care and rehabilitation patients at St. Josephs Health Center in Ontario and other places (Botz et. al, 1993). They also needed to make a comparison of the funding requirements for RUGs against other two classifications; Alberta Long Term Care Classification System and the Medicus Long Term Care System (Botz et. al, 1993).
Their study revealed a considerable difference in resource requirements among the three categories of clients with each of one having a bias towards a particular group of patients. Unlike the other two classifications, RUGs turned out to be inclined more towards the moderately severe type of medical conditions.
Masotti, McColl and Green (2010) did a study to help provide a better understanding of the adverse events associated with home care services. They managed to come up with eight different categories of adverse events that home care patients are subjected to. Their study also revealed that very few interventions existed to address home care patients problems and hence saw a need to create awareness through education.
They suggested that assessments improve and an aspect of monitoring and recording should be incorporated while considering home care services. They discovered a lack of understanding of what adverse events in home care are and recommended that clear definitions should be provided. Another suggestion was to come up with interventions that will help reduce the difficulties faced by patients being attended to under home care programs (Masotti, McColl & Green, 2010).
Although so much has been recorded and is known on the subject of patient safety in hospitals, very little has been documented regarding similar situations faced by patients receiving health care at home. This was identified by Doran, Hirdes, Poss, Jantzi, Blais, Baker & Pickard (2009) in their research.
A key focus of their study was to establish the safety requirements of home care patients in Canada and to discover how age and patient safety contribute to variations in adverse outcomes with a focus on emergency room visits (Doran et. al, 2009). Their study brought to the fore a need to change the health system policy as well as behaviour change among both health care givers and patients. A suggestion is made to develop policies that reinforce the need for best practices to mitigate client risk (Doran et. al, 2009).
Romanows Commission: Report Summary
The Romanow Commission was formed to evaluate Canadas health care system and come up with suggestions to make the system more sustainable. On completion of its work, the commission made 47 recommendations touching on various health care issues. In a study done by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, CUPE (2002), Romanows report is considered very critical to the advancement of Canadas health care system.
Romanow and his team made it clear that a publicly funded health care system should be sustained. This is a view shared by many other Canadians. The commission also noted that the health care system can be split into two broad categories; direct health care and secondary support services. Their recommendation was that direct patient care should be provided by public health care givers while auxiliary services can be sub-contracted (CUPE, 2002).
To ensure that private clinics offered services according to set standards, the team recommended that all diagnostic services should be made part of Canadas Health Act (CHA). However, when it comes to long term and chronic care, the commission makes no recommendations at all. According to experts, this is a serious oversight in the commissions report (CUPE, 2002). Another recommendation by the commission is to include the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of workers in the CHA.
Previously, this group of people had to seek treatment in private clinics. Some questions, however, arise regarding funding and what happens to employers who fail to comply with requirements as stated. Other recommendations as indicated by CUPE (2002) include; coming up with a new way of holding the CHA accountable, expanding CHA coverage to include home care and integrating Canada Health Transfer as part of CHA.
Another key recommendation of the report is to establish Health Council of Canada to be charged with the responsibility of gathering critical data and among other things, evaluate the performance of the health care system in Canada. This is seen by many as one of the most important foundations for effective restructuring of Canadas health care system. As far as home care is concerned, the Commissions proposal is to incorporate home care into Canadas Health Act (CUPE, 2002).
There are, however, certain aspects of the home care program that have been left out. Other recommendations have also been made in the area of drugs prescription so as to regulate prices and ensure that health care providers do not take advantage of patients. To ensure a smooth flow of information, the commission suggests that an electronic health records system be set up.
The Commissions report also identified a number of health issues faced by the Aborigines. One of the recommendations was to consolidate health funding for Aborigines into one single pool while the other one was to create Aboriginal Health Partnerships to work on improving health care services for the Aboriginal Canadians. According to CUPE (2002), more funding should be set aside for the Aborigines health care requirements.
Romanows commission further recommended that employment insurance programs be given the onus to manage caregivers needs to take leave. A general feeling though, is that the report did not make recommendations that favor women.
Outcome of the Accord on Health Care Renewal: Summary
Following the meeting by the First Ministers, several directives were issued to be implemented by Health Ministers. Specifically, the health ministers were required to address issues of patient safety, human resources in the health sector, use of technology, health of Canadians, innovation and research.
The First Ministers also came to a realization that problems faced by the Aboriginal Canadians demanded greater efforts and the government had to collaborate with other stakeholders to provide the necessary support. Regarding home care services, health ministers were given a task to establish the requisite minimum health care services (Health Canada, 2003).
First Ministers Meeting on the Future of Health in Canada
Considering the fact that hospitals are understaffed, and that there are fewer beds at hospitals than are required, home care services are certainly a welcome solution. Proper implementation of home care will lead to huge reductions in medical expenses. During this particular meeting, the First Ministers resolved to support some home care services as identified based on a needs analysis. These include; short-term acute home care, short-term acute community health home care and end-of-life care (Health Canada, 2004).
The Accords and Romanow Recommendations
The two accords have given a critical look at most recommendations made by Romanows commission. There is, however, an indication that Romanows recommendations were surpassed to some degree. The 2003 accord for example gives performance indicators to gauge the work done by health care providers (Health Canada, 2003).
In line with Romanows recommendations, both accords have looked at and given importance to the integration of home care into Canadas Health Act (Health Canada, 2003). They both made resolutions to expand funding to cater for certain home care demands but based on a needs analysis done (Health Canada, 2004).
Health care requirements of the Aboriginal Canadians was also considered in the 2003 accord and just as seen in Romanows recommendations, more funding was to be allocated to this area (Health Canada, 2003).
The 2004 accord also took time to reinforce the aspect of accountability as pointed out by Romanows Commission (Health Canada, 2004). Unlike in Romanows case where recommendations are made to extend the cover of employees to be incorporated into CHA, the plight of employees has been overlooked and is not addressed in any of the accords.
Ontario after Romanows Commission Report
A number of things have happened in Ontario as a result of the work done by Romanows Commission. Canadians have had different views on their health system following the recommendation of the commission and the accords. In his work, Soroka (2007) provides an analysis of opinions that have been aired by several people. The study indicates that Canadian people are very much concerned about their health care system.
In general, the health care system has received a good rating. However, the study also points out the fact that a good percentage of the population is yet to be convinced about the sustainability of Canadas health care system. Many are unsatisfied and certainly would like to see a change. The research also shows that support for home care services has gone up and many people now want to see more funding in that direction.
Romanows Commission: Success or Failure
Soroka (2007) established that the health care system is not appealing to all Canadians. There is an unhappy lot who want to see nothing but change. At the same time, there are those who are happy with what the government is doing to transform the health care system and hail their efforts.
A study by Health Canada (2004) shows that the federal government is highly committed to investing in the health care industry so as to ensure sustainability of the health care system. Growth is support for the home care services has also been realized as a result of the recommendations made by Romanows team (Soroka, 2007). To a great extent therefore, the recommendations by Romanows Commission have inspired improvements to Canadas health care system.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion, so much good has been seen coming from the work of Romanows Commission. There is, however, a need to perform even better. Provision of home care services is now a priority for the government unlike in the past. With renewed energy, the federal government is now more positive about working towards ensuring that a reliable health care system is in place to meet the needs of its people.
References
Botz, C.K., Bestard, S., Demaray, M, Molloy, G. (1993). Resource Utilization Groups (RUGS): Defining Chronic Care, Rehabilitation and Nursing Home Case Mix in Canada. Healthcare Management Forum, winter, 6 (4), p. 5-11. Web.
Doran, D. M., Hirdes, J., Poss, J., Jantzi, M., Blais, R., Baker, G. R. & Pickard, J. (2009). Identification of Safety Outcomes for Canadian Home Care Clients: Evidence from the Resident Assessment Instrument Home Care reporting system concerning emergency room visits. Healthcare Quarterly, Vol.12.
Health Canada. (2003). 2003 First Ministers Accord on Health Care Renewal. Web.
Health Canada. (2004). First Ministers Meeting on the Future of Health Care 2004. Web.
Masotti, P., McColl, M. A. & Green, M. (2010). Adverse Events Experienced by Homecare Patients: A Scoping Review of the Literature. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 22 (2):115-125.
Soroka, S. N. (2007). A report to the Health Council of Canada: Canadian Perceptions of the Health Care System. Web.
With 2.8% of children in the United States being homeschooled (Number of homeschoolers in US 2015-2016, 2016), the choice between a public school and home studies still remains an issue. Although homeschooling incorporates a range of positive features, such as the possibility to create a unique program addressing the learners needs, the lack of distraction, etc., homeschooling has a range of effects that can be viewed as negative through the lens of nursing. The lack of agreement on the subject matter requires that a solution should be suggested.
Dilemma
From the perspective of nursing, homeschooling is a rather ambiguous issue. On the one hand, the environment in question prevents instances of bullying, which remains a prime concern for school psychologists in the U.S. (Rolstad & Kesson, 2013). Moreover, homeschooling creates premises for a child to bond with the parents, who are most likely to be involved in the learning process directly, being either mentors or the learners support. Therefore, the student is likely to develop strong positive academic qualities that may prompt the further process of metacognition and lifelong learning (Kaplan, Silver, & LaVaque-Manty, 2013). On the other hand, homeschooling blocks the process of interpersonal communication between a child and their peers. As a result, a homeschooled student is likely to suffer from a lack of social skills in the future. Therefore, when facing the need to confront a specific conflict in a hostile environment, a learner is likely to fail to develop the required problem-solving patterns and communication skills.
Ethics
Much to the credit of both sides, one must admit that the proponents of homeschooling and the supporters of the traditional teaching approach act on behalf of the child and in the latters interests (Walker, 2014). In other words, the people supporting homeschooling and those against it adopt the principles of utilitarianism. Traditionally defined as the philosophy based on the evaluation of the possible consequences, the specified approach requires that both sides should weigh each others arguments with due diligence.
Resolution
To address the issue under analysis, one must consider what is in the childs best interests at present. There is no need to stress that homeschooling can be viewed as an option for children suffering from health issues that do not allow them to attend public schools. In the specified scenario, the choice of the alternate option is the only possible decision to make. In case the student is psychologically fit, though, one must consider the option of letting the learner attend the traditional school due to the need to socialize.
Thus, the environment that involves a combination of the factors that will help learners develop both academic and social skills has to be created. The cognitive process must be followed by the process of socializing with peers. Moreover, the students must be provided with an opportunity to resolve the emergent conflicts independently.
ANA
The solution provided above aligns with the foundations of the nursing ethics. Particularly, it complies with the ANA Code of Ethics, which says that it is the nurses duty to in the best interest of their patient (Lyons, 2013, par. 12). Once applied to practice, the strategy is bound to affect the quality of the learning process. Therefore, it is imperative to consider shaping the current approach toward public education so that students should feel comfortable in the educational setting.
Reference List
Kaplan, M., Silver, N., & LaVaque-Manty, D. D. (2013). Using reflection and metacognition to improve student learning: Across the disciplines, across the academy. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Lyons, J. A. (2013). Code of ethics for nurses. Web.
Rolstad, K., & Kesson, K., (2013). Unschooling, then and now. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning, 7(14), 2871.
Walker, B. J. (2014). Ethics and the autonomy of philosophy: Breaking ties with traditional Christian praxis and theory. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Ireland is among the nations that have a rapidly growing aging population as people live longer today. While walking down the streets in main cities of the country one can easily notice more elderly people in comparison with previous times. When the number of older people increases in an area, it brings challenges to the nursing homes, as there is a rise in demand for quality care. Working in nursing homes has its opportunities and challenges; therefore, the paper will cover the multidisciplinary teams working scenario, their interaction and diversity, communication in client care, and support accorded to clients considering their family, culture, and diversity.
Events and Interactions with Members of the Multidisciplinary Team
A multidisciplinary team (MDT) comprises a group of health care personnel belonging to different disciplines such as psychiatric nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, and occupational therapists, among many others. Each team member provides particular services to the patient, and they independently intervene in numerous issues a client may have (Health Service Executive, 2020). The teams actions are usually brought together using a care plan that coordinates services accorded to nursing home residents. In some instances, a patient has a key worker who manages all their needs and contacts.
Professionals from multidisciplinary teamwork in different areas of expertise combine their knowledge sets necessary to confront challenging and complex conditions. This team frequently meets to deliberate their work, so each patient has a befitting care plan according to their requirements. Some of the duties and roles performed by MDT include:
A social worker who offers support to patients by providing talking therapies
A psychiatrist who prescribes medication and examines physical illness
Psychiatric Nurse (PMHN), who administers drugs, monitors medication and examines challenges.
An occupational therapist whose main task is to formulate rehabilitation plans both for group or individual patients.
Review of the Interaction in Respecting Diversity and Individuality of Coworkers
Workplace diversity has become increasingly essential in the Ireland health care settings. As the nursing and other health workforce and demographics change, it is significant for the nursing home administrators to influence and understand personnel with multiple values. Globalization provides more cultural diversity between clients and staff in aged care settings, with a substantial number being born overseas. It is not only the nursing home residents who outline multiculturalism but even their employees due to inward and outward doctors and nurses migration (Wals, Matthews and Brugh, 2018). The experience calls for tolerance among different cultures.
Linguistic and cultural interaction between residents and home employees are viewed as enabling the building of relationships and a favorable working environment. Increased diversity in the nursing home workers has some implications for the facilities managers concerning managing the diversity and harnessing its opportunities. Furthermore, divergent employees may act differently as a result of their cultural beliefs.
Arising Conflicts and Challenges
Cultural, demographics, education, language, generation differences, race, and gender increase challenges and conflicts within nursing home teams. Some conflicts occur due to decreased job satisfaction and burnout among staff, which leads to misinterpretations, and misunderstanding linked to generational and cultural variances. In performing daily duties in a nursing home, people with different professional and personal backgrounds will mostly have diverse opinions on best care functioning. Misunderstanding, particularly in busy health, will always occur, adding stress inherent between professionals in their working stations (Trusted, 2019). In some instances, issues will just arise, while in other moments, it results from accumulated tensions.
Since disharmony and conflicts are not inevitable in the working place, the best strategies to de-escalate and deal with conflict situations include: being respectful to the coworkers and residents in the facility, staying in ones lane whereby the main role is helping clients, and honoring other peoples decision, being approachable and friendly to build relationships with clients and other team members, communicating openly, and assuming the best from coworkers.
Importance of Communication in Client Care
In most nursing homes, clients suffer from complicated conditions, including dementia, which makes proper communication in advance care planning (ACP) important. The key purpose of effecting ACP intervention and communication among facility workers, family, and patients is to allow the facilitys smooth running (Aasmul et al., 2018). A facility with robust communication strategies enriches their clients health and ensures the workflow and deliberations are smooth.
Health care institutions and personnel have a duty of revamping their communication policies for the best patient outcome. It is noteworthy that poor communication is responsible for several patients morbidity and mortality as important interventions are not communicated. Furthermore, malpractice resulting from ineffective communication costs billions of Euros in Ireland, which is detrimental for facilities, patients, and employees. The main focus of adequate communication in a nursing home is to improve patient safety; therefore, effective communication channels are paramount.
Supporting the Client Needs by Considering their Cultural, Family, and Individual Aspects
The number of culturally and ethnically diverse groups in Ireland is growing, and each has different cultural traits. Moreover, some ethnic groups show some unique health problems specific to them. From triage to discharge, health workers spend considerable time with a client, which calls for cultural competencies in the care. Courts in Ireland have recognized advance healthcare directives, thereby establishing that an individual with capacity has a constitutional right to refuse treatment (NMBI, 2021). As a worker in a nursing home, one needs to:
Respect every individual as a unique person
The dignity of every phase in life should be maintained and respected
Support clients who are in end-of-life care to dying in dignity while taking into account the family cultural values and norms
There should be promotion and protection of the patients autonomy: respecting their choices, beliefs, priorities, and values
The decisions to decline treatment or care should open up further debate and be appreciated in contexts of an individuals capacity.
Reflection on Professional and Personal Performance, Strengths, and Weaknesses
On the professional front, there is a need of possessing all the necessary education and skills needed to work as a social worker in a nursing home. Moreover, having a good communication skills and the capability to embrace people of all ages, gender, race, and ethnic group is essential. My strengths include being flexible while working in a dynamic organization and am a team player. On the other hand, my weakness is that I have too much compassion and empathy while assisting aged people nearing their end-of-life, to the extent of breaking down due to their plight. Working in a nursing home is also fulfilling, as it offers an opportunity to serve communities, especially the most vulnerable in society. When treated in dignity, order people feel respected, and they cooperate better.
Reference list
Aasmul, et al. (2018). Advance care planning in nursing homes improving the communication among patient, family, and staff: Results from a cluster randomized controlled trial (COSMOS). Frontiers in Psychology, 9.
Health Service Executive (HSE), 2020. Multi-disciplinary team HSE.ie. [online] HSE.ie. Web.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).NMBI, 2021. NMBI The Code Principle 1: Respect & dignity. [online] Nmbi.ie. Web.
Trusted, 2019. Conflict in Nursing: types, strategies, and resolutions Trusted Health. [online] Trustedhealth.com. Web.
Wals, A., Matthews, A. and Brugh, R., 2018. From brain drain to brain gain: Irelands nursing and midwifery workforce. [online] Healthworkforceireland.com. Web.
Targets adults and the aged in New Mexico and Arizona.
Aims to restore health and reduce adverse effects.
Services include Tele-health, go steady, speech therapy etc. Marketed through advertisement.
Services are provided occasionally and continuously.
Comprised of highly skilled registered practitioners (Heritage Home Healthcare and Hospice, 2013).
Heritage Home Healthcare Agency provides home based care to adults and the aged people in New Mexico and Arizona with the aim of restoring and reducing the adverse effects of diseases or disabilities. It offers services such as tele-health, go steady, speech therapy, physical therapy which is marketed through advertisement.
Strategic Plan
Help the organization meet its objectives:
To improve the quality of its services.
To expand its market share.
To improve the productivity of its employees.
To reduce the cost of its services.
To achieve the organizations financial stability.
The strategic plan of an organization is of vital significance in meeting its objectives. The HHHA strategic plan serves to improve service quality, employee productivity, expand market share, reduce service cost and to maintain its financial stability.
Vision
To be the leading regional provider of quality home health services, recognized for uncompromising dedication to the provision of comprehensive, professional, and compassionate care (Heritage Home Healthcare and Hospice, 2013).
Describes desired future of the organization.
Describes community expectation of the organization.
Specifies organizations long term objectives.
Inspires staff and community support to the organization.
The vision of an organization helps in formulating and implementing its strategic plan. This is because it specifies the long term objectives and the desired future of the organization. Additionally, it specifies the expectation of the community as well as inspires the community to support the organization.
Mission
To be creative, innovative, and a trendsetter in health care delivery, offering challenging and dynamic employment opportunities, encouraging and supporting the talents and energies of our staff and managing the company in a profitable manner (Heritage Home Healthcare and Hospice, 2013, p. 1).
Describes the purpose of an organization.
Indicates organizations stand to achieve its mandate.
Indicates organizations current operations in its mandate.
Specifies organizations activities necessary to achieve its vision.
Likewise the vision, the organizations mission is instrumental in coming up with its strategic plan. The HHHA mission elaborates organizations purpose, current operations and activities as well as its stand in achieving its mandate and vision.
Values
Core values: creativity, excellence, integrity, and respect
Describes organizations core ideology in its operations.
Guides execution process of the organizations mission.
Guides the organizations operational culture.
Core values of an organization are another relevant factor in creating the strategic plan. HHHA core values are creativity, excellence, integrity and respect. This helps to describe its operations ideology, guide the execution of its mission process and its operational culture at large.
Environmental scanning
Strengths:
Professionally skilled registered nurses.
Effective human resource management.
Effective information and communication technology.
Cost-effective and high quality services.
Opportunities:
Developed technology and ICT systems.
Threat:
Competition from other home based health care providers.
Furthermore, environment scanning can not be ignored in creating an organizations strategic plan. It stipulates the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of an organization. HHHA boosts of a professionally skilled workforce, effective human resource and ICT system, and quality and cost-effective services. The developed technology and ICT system opens its doors to expansion. Besides this, there is high competition in home-based care provision.
Strategy Plan Setting
Developed using alignment and Kotters 8-step change models (Sadler, 2003, p. 78).
Creating an agency for change.
Developing a vision for change.
Communicating the vision to members of the organization.
Eliminating obstacles and creating short-term wins.
Building on the change and incorporating the change in the organizational culture (Hill & Jones, 2009).
This slide elaborates the setting of HHHA strategic plan. The plan is developed using two models; alignment and Kotters 8-step change models. This aims to create an agency for change; develop a vision and communicate it to members; eliminate obstacles by creating short-term wins; and building on the change as well as incorporating it in HHHA.
Budget
Considerations:
Increase in the number of customers.
Changes in the regulatory charges.
The cost regime of the organization.
Elements:
Revenues sources mainly from services fees.
Cost inherent for staff salaries.
Miscellaneous and contingencies (Hansen, Mowen & Guan, 2007).
Budget is usually crucial in the strategic planning of an organization. The considerations which HHHA makes its budget planning is about the increase in customers, changes in regulatory charges and its cost regime. Moreover, the budget elements are also considered, that is, the revenue sources, staff salaries and the miscellaneous.
Feedback
The quality of products and services.
The billing for the services per visit.
The qualification of its staff.
Provision and monitoring of services.
Number of visitations.
The outcome of the care provided.
Finally, customer feedback is essential in strategic planning. The HHHA feedback is based on the quality of its services, billing of its services, qualification of its staff, provision, monitoring and delivery of its services, and ultimately its outcome.
Conclusion
Strategic planning is of vital importance.
It aligns the organizations objectives to its vision and mission.
HHHA extensively relied on strategic planning.
References
Hansen, D. Mowen, M. & Guan, L. (2007). Cost Management: Accounting & Control. New York: South-Western Pub.
Heritage Home Healthcare and Hospice. (2013). About Us. Web.
Hill, C. & Jones, G. (2009). Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Sadler, P. (2003). Strategic Management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
The process of controlling the intake of the required medications is especially challenging in outpatients. For numerous reasons, ranging from memory issues to the failure to understand the importance of regular medication intake multiple patients fail to adhere to the prescribed framework (Amico et al., 2018). Therefore, tools for monitoring compliance with the established and prescribed standards for drug use must be introduced. Among the frameworks that provide the best patient outcomes, one must mention the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). Due to the extensive understanding of psychological and physiological factors that shape patients ability and willingness to comply with the prescribed standards for medicine intake, MEMS should be incorporated into most clinical and nursing contexts to establish tighter control over the patients ability to meet the provided health management guidelines, thus, promoting self-care habits among the target audiences.
Mems and Key Factors
The concept of MEMS is fairly simple since it implies the presence of a cap on medication packages, which records the amount and time of medicine intake (Gast & Mathes, 2019). When dissecting the effectiveness of MEMS, one must examine how the data that MEMS collects and analyzes is defined by the presence of psychological and physiological factors. Thus, the mechanism of MEMS functioning becomes explicitly evident, and its ability to capture the psychological and physiological characteristics in question to produce the expected results turns apparent. To evaluate MEMS capacities and the extent of its efficacy with the target demographic, namely, outpatients with medicine intake issues, one must study both physiological and psychological drivers of the tools performance, as well as their connection to the relevant concepts and theories. For this purpose, the Health Belief Theory and the Medication Adherence Model have been used as the core theoretical foundations for the analysis (Amico et al., 2018).
Psychological Factors: Personal Beliefs
When examining the physiological factors that define the performance of MEMS, one must mention personal beliefs about medicine. Despite the active emphasis on the tremendous role that health literacy plays in the management of public health issues, multiple health-related myths, as well as the lack of essential health-related issues, persist in modern society (Gast & Mathes, 2019). Particularly, the ability to recognize the importance of proper medication dosage and align with the prescriptions appears to be a problem among a range of outpatients (Gast & Mathes, 2019). In turn, the MEMS system allows for mitigating the threat of a patient mismanaging the prescribed instructions by introducing a mechanism preventing a patient from consuming an unreasonably large amount of medication of using it excessively frequently. Remarkably, the absence of a mechanism that encourages a patient to take medications in case a patient rejects them represents a major flaw of the MEMS tool. Nevertheless, the designed approach still sheds important information on the number of attempts of drug misuse in patients, supplying the relevant information to nursing experts and, therefore, defining the further course of therapy and patient education.
Psychological Factors: Mental Health
The presence of mental health issues exacerbated by the presence of a severe health condition for which the medication is prescribed serves as another psychological factor that may encourage a patient to break the rules for consuming a specific medication. Specifically, studies have indicated that anxiety as a major mental health issue often encourages a patient to neglect the prescriptions regarding the dosage of medicine and consume the drug too frequently or in too large an amount (Gast & Mathes, 2019). The specified factor is also integrated into the MEMS system, which, while being quite simple, introduces rather accurate information concerning the number of attempts made by the patient to increase the dosage of the drug or the frequency of its use.
Psychological Factors: PTSD
Another issue related directly to a patients mental health, the presence of PTSD and the related issues that may impede the development of the necessary habits must be mentioned as one of the major drivers in the collection of the data in the MEMS tool. Namely, when being affected by the presence of PTSD, a patient is likely to develop anxiety-related issues that will encourage the misuse of medications. In turn, the MEMS design and framework allow controlling the specified issues, therefore, contributing to the patients well-being. As a result, the data collected by MEMS illustrates the number of instances when a patient attempted at using an overly large amount of the medicine or tried to increase the frequency of the drug consumption.
Depression
The phenomenon of depression also constitutes an important psychological concern that is likely to affect the accuracy of data collection with the help of MEMS. Namely, the increase in vital signs coupled with the increased intake of medications and the rise in the frequency of their use will cloud the data, therefore, delivering unsatisfactory results. For this reason, the necessity to address mental health issues along with the application of MEMS to the management of relevant health concerns must be viewed as necessary. With the help of the specified change, the opportunity to receive more accurate data or to analyze it more precisely based on the changes in a patients depression levels will rise exponentially.
Motivation
However, not all psychological factors taken into account when designing MEMS are conducive to the misuse of medications. In addition to the issues listed above, psychological factors such as the presence of responsibility and the willingness to overcome the barriers to the patients well-being should be mentioned as the primary drivers in the data collection facilitated by MEMS. Namely, the tool design informs the healthcare provider regarding the number of cases when a patient opened a bottle, as well as the frequency of the specified action. Consequently, the willingness to adhere to the prescribed schedule and, therefore, to follow the path to recovery informs the process of data collection, thus, providing a nurse with critical information about positive changes in the patients habits.
Finally, the data collected by the MEMS tool is heavily influenced by psychological factors such as the effects of the psychological therapy that a patient may be undergoing. Having been exposed to specific experiences that can be described as strenuous or mentally and emotionally exhausting, a patient may experience the desire to increase the dosage of the medication or the frequency of its intake. In turn, the MEMS tool allows signaling about the instances in question, therefore, providing a nurse with the illustration of a behavior pattern displayed by the patient. As a result, essential changes in the approach to therapy, as well as modifications to the existing framework of patient-nurse and patient-therapist communication can be applied. Therefore, the data collected with the help of MEMS is largely determined by the specified factor.
Physiological Factors: Physical Impairments
In addition to psychological factors shaping the process of data collection and, thus, providing the nurse with the required information, physiological contributors to the process of gathering patient-related information must be considered. Specifically, the presence of physical disorders that prevent patients from taking the actions necessary to consume the required amount of medicine needs to be taken into consideration. Factors such as the patients physical inability to open the pill box are most likely to affect the outcomes of data collection, therefore, shaping the process of the analysis and informing a nurse about the physical constraints that impede the administering of medicine. Therefore, understanding the physiological contributors to the data collection process, particularly, the threats of obtaining correct information needed for the further management of outpatients health, is nonetheless important and must be assessed accordingly.
Physical Strength
Similarly, the presence of excessive physical strength may influence the process of data collection. Specifically, in case a patient possesses the amount of physical strength needed to break the MEMS device installed on the medication box cap, the data collected in the process will complicate the analysis, while also establishing that the patient lacks the awareness required for using the medicine in question properly. Therefore, while the MEMS device as the tool for administering medicine to outpatients in their home setting is not perfect and could be prone to specific impacts, particularly, physical ones, it can also supply vital data concerning how a patient utilizes the device and consumes the medicine.
Mobility
The presence of musculoskeletal issues, namely, related disorders, also represents the main driver in data collection in MEMS. Specifically, the study by Hope et al. (2016) concludes that disorders such as inflammatory arthritis, which determine a patients inability to move and, therefore, perform carefully coordinated movements such as opening a box of medication, represent a major obstacle to administering the required drugs at home. In turn, the MEMS device allows capturing the specified data by collecting the information regarding the extent of force that a patient has applied to open the box, the number of times that the specified action was attempted, the frequency of the action, and the number of instances in which it was successful. Therefore, the collection of data that MEMS helps supply will be significantly affected by the presence of musculoskeletal issues in patients.
Comorbidities
Furthermore, the presence of previously unknown comorbidities and side effects that may arise after the medication intake may prevent the collection of accurate data with the help of the MEMS system since the specified factor is likely to cause the patient to fail to adhere to the prescribed dosage and frequency of the medicine consumption. In turn, the specified effect is likely to skew the outcomes of data collection performed by MEMS, which will suggest that the tool in question will not serve its function properly. Therefore, it is vital to introduce the tests required to identify the presence of negative responses toward a specific medication in a patient carefully to void scenarios in which a combination of severe side effects combined with possible mental health issues prevents an outpatient from reporting the issue of taking medication.
Vital Signs
The opportunity to monitor the physiological factors such as heart rate and respiration also serves to shape the process of data collection as the specified factors determine the accuracy of the data collection process and, therefore, inform the further management of the patients case for a nurse or a healthcare provider. While some MEMS gadgets do not provide the function of BP or heart rate monitoring, a range of the specified devices offers the described option as well (Gast & Mathes, 2019). Therefore, the data collection process facilitated by MEMS is determined significantly by the extent of the patients BP rates and the related parameters, including the extent of the patients respiration. Indeed, when having an increased aspiration rate or a significant drop in blood pressure, a patient is likely to have significant challenges opening the cap of a medication bottle. Similarly, MEMS devices placed on a patients hand as a bracelet also serve to determine the extent of heart rate and blood pressure, thus, supplying even more accurate data concerning the patients state and the relevant changes in the patients condition.
Memory Impairment
Finally, among the physiological factors that shape the process of MEMS data collection to a notable extent and, therefore, are often seen as the focus of MEMS design updates, one must mention the factor of impaired memory as a critical contributing factor to the process of gathering patient-related data with the help of the MEMS device. Specifically, without the tool that could serve as a reminder of the patient to comply with the set standards for medicine intake, the MEMS tool will be useless, with little to no data being supplied. Remarkably, the factor under analysis represents a unique issue in MEMS application since it requires the integration of additional techniques likely to be unrelated to the patients condition for which MEMS has been integrated. Specifically, the problem of poor memory can be handled by the inclusion of techniques and tools for memory training. Similarly, digital tools for setting reminders about the need to take medications will need to be included to counteract the specified obstacle to proper data collection within the MEMs framework (Gast & Mathes, 2019).
Conclusion
Due to its ability to capture the psychological and physiological factors that may shape a patients willingness or ability to adhere to the prescribed medication intake model, the MEMS tool can be considered an essential advancement in managing outpatients well-being. Furthermore, due to the ample focus on the factors in question, the MEMS tool allows the prevention of aggravation of a patients condition and identifying the signs of a possible health crisis. As a result, a relevant support framework can be implemented, and the necessary measures can be applied to manage a health issue and ensure a patients well-being. Due to its ability to encompass the data defined both by psychological and physiological factors in a patients decision-making concerning the intake of medications, the MEMS tool represents an excellent opportunity for effective health management.
References
Amico, K. R., Mugavero, M., Krousel-Wood, M. A., Bosworth, H. B., & Merlin, J. S. (2018). Advantages to using social-behavioral models of medication adherence in research and practice. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(2), 207-215. Web.
Gast, A., & Mathes, T. (2019). Medication adherence influencing factorsan (updated) overview of systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 8(1), 1-17. Web.
Hope, H. F., Bluett, J., Barton, A., Hyrich, K. L., Cordingley, L., & Verstappen, S. M. (2016). Psychological factors predict adherence to methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis; findings from a systematic review of rates, predictors and associations with patient-reported and clinical outcomes. RMD Open, 2(1),1-15. Web.
Smart Homes (SH) technology, as an example of ambient, assisted living technologies, is designed to aid house inhabitants in carrying out their everyday living tasks, resulting in a higher quality of life while maintaining their privacy. A SH system is often outfitted with a combination of interconnected software and hardware components to monitor the living area by capturing and interpreting the residents behavior. As a result, the system may notify the resident of potentially hazardous conditions and take steps on his behalf to ensure his pleasure. The current study will focus on healthcare gadgets in smart homes and how they are employed in telemedicine. In particular, the paper will investigate the benefits and significance of technology, as well as provide instances of how the technologies have been applied. It will rely on essential technological factors such as efficiency, equality, and safety. Finally, it will investigate the limitations and issues connected with data management, as well as future developments.
Summary
Connected technology has become less mysterious and more prevalent. According to Wang (2018), an average smart house will have roughly 500 smart gadgets by 2022, ranging from smart lighting and smart bins to integrated healthcare devices. Smart home health monitoring solutions, in particular, provide several options. Some say that nine-to-five health care may soon be obsolete. Individual smart health devices, such as smartwatches and activity trackers, are not yet capable of monitoring our health holistically (Thapliyal, Khalus & Labrado, 2017). New solutions are needed, and several are being developed right now. Experts believe that these solutions should be built on interoperability, which allows devices to interact with one another.
Benefits and Importance of Smart Home Devices in Telemedicine
The growth of the older part of the population has resulted in a massive increase in demand for home care, especially among those with chronic illnesses. As a result, healthcare costs continue to climb, putting financial strain on medical systems (Wimo et al., 2017). Shifting the focus from formal care in hospitals to informal care in private homes is a rather efficient way to reduce these expenditures. According to Skilbeck et al., 2018, the majority of persons in need of care choose less invasive informal care. The prevailing consensus is that informal home care is low-cost. However, statistics show that traditional informal care for many chronic diseases is not always less expensive than alternative forms of care offered in hospitals or care homes.
Smart Home (SH) technology seeks to improve peoples quality of life and guarantee that people can live comfortably and independently. SH technology is viewed as a means to lower living and care expenses while improving the quality of life for persons who require assistance. It has been used for a variety of applications, including energy conservation, security and safety, fall detection, light control, smoke and fire detection, and more, employing a variety of technologies, including video monitoring and smart planners (Malwade et al., 2018). SHs, which are outfitted with sensors, actuators, and ultimately cameras to capture various forms of data about the house and the people, can enable automatic systems or caregivers to regulate the environment on the residents behalf, forecast their activities, and follow their health state.
A Super Smart Home for the Aging Population
Aging in place is frequently considered in connection with smart homes. Technology can assist older persons in remaining independent and protected, therefore avoiding the arduous transition to formal care. Cox Communications launched its latest smart house in which every gadget is smart (Datta et al., 2018). A reliable internet connection is essential for their offering, and the firm also operates a network for other service providers. Not only is the equipment managed remotely, but also this Home Life has direct links to family members and health specialists. A person, for example, can do their therapy session remotely while receiving online live coaching from a physiotherapist (Malwade et al., 2018). Alternatively, the family who resides in another state can check in and out via their smartphone or tablet, ensuring that loved ones are always available if needed.
This super-smart home also includes a smart pill dispenser, a smart pot to water your plants, motion sensors for indoors and outdoors, and an automatic barcode scanner GeniCan that is attached to the trash can to scan discarded packaging and add the consumed items to the users shopping list. Many actions critical to independent living may be monitored in a contemporary smart home, and support is offered on an as-needed basis. If something is wrong, such as a person falling or failing to take their prescription, family members can be contacted right away. The individual living in the smart house, on the other hand, retains his or her liberty and sense of independence.
Chronic Disease Management at Home
New services are increasingly replacing the conventional healthcare paradigm, which depends on home visits by nurses, physicians, and therapists. Trapollo, a Cox Communications acquisition, has been exploring several remote healthcare solutions (Datta et al., 2018). The organization provides a variety of telehealth packages that use technology to link consumers with their healthcare team. If patients can manage their chronic diseases at home, there are several advantagesas long as it is done correctly. From a commercial standpoint, home care is far less expensive than hospital stays and relieves some of the strain on the United States already overburdened healthcare system.
Telemonitoring has greatly improved with the development of smart telehealth devices. The Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, California, reports on a 2017 study that found that telemonitoring of oxygen saturation, blood pressure, body temperature, and respiratory biometrics can considerably minimize re-admissions of persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Wimo et al., 2017). Telemonitoring of fragile patients with numerous illnesses, on the other hand, may be more difficult and will almost certainly necessitate the use of appropriate support systems and protocols (Baillargeon et al., 2019). So far, technology targeting specific chronic diseases has gotten better reviews and has greater scientific backing.
Home technology, for example, has proven effective in the care of patients suffering from dementia. It is used for dementia reminders and to aid persons suffering from dementia through their everyday tasks (Wimo et al., 2017). COACH, a computerized device, may autonomously lead an older person with dementia through actions (such as hand washing) using voice and/or audio-video cues, decreasing the need for help. COACH may assess the condition of the work and determine whether a person requires a reminder and, if so, which one.
Barriers and Data Management Challenges
Limitations in doing full physical tests, technical issues, security breaches, and legislative impediments are examples of barriers and management challenges. Some detractors of telehealth worry that it would harm the continuity of care, claiming that online interactions are impersonal and unsafe since the virtual physician lacks the advantage of a thorough history and physical examination to help in diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, it confronts several legal and regulatory challenges, including wide variances in laws, regulations, and practice norms.
Future Trends
According to Gurgu et al., 2019, the Smart Home Healthcare Market is estimated to grow at a 26.5 percent CAGR between 2020 and 2025. Because Internet of Things (IoT) devices are becoming more popular, smart home healthcare market companies are progressively releasing such goods. Along with this development is the possibility of providing healthcare services in a smart home. Improvements in AI and technology enable advances like videoconferencing physicians and online over-the-counter medicine shopping not only conceivable but also a realistic foundation for a self-care revolution. Smart homes will be primary care in the near future.
However, the ultimate promise of a smart home that provides care rests in detecting the specific health requirements of each resident in a house, from newborns to the elderly, and concurrently meeting those needs. Originally designed to warn homeowners of suspicious activities, linked home security technology has swiftly expanded to protect both family and professional caregivers connected to aging seniors from rising health risks.
References
Baillargeon, P., Fernandez-Vega, V., Sridharan, B. P., Brown, S., Griffin, P. R., Rosen, H.,& & Spicer, T. P. (2019). The Scripps molecular screening center and translational research institute. Slas Discovery: Advancing Life Sciences R&D, 24(3), 386-397.
Datta, T., Apthorpe, N., & Feamster, N. (2018, August). A developer-friendly library for smart home IoT privacy-preserving traffic obfuscation. In Proceedings of the 2018 Workshop on IoT Security and Privacy (pp. 43-48).
Gurgu, E., Andronie, M., Andronie, M., & Dijmarescu, I. (2019, November). Do the convergence of the Blockchain, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence changing our lives, education, and the known world of the Internet?! Some changes and perspectives for the international economy. International Conference On Economic Sciences and Business Administration (Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 69-88). Spiru Haret University.
Malware, S., Abdul, S. S., Uddin, M., Nursetyo, A. A., Fernandez-Luque, L., Zhu, X. K.,& & Li, Y. C. J. (2018). Mobile and wearable technologies in healthcare for the aging population. Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 161, 233-237.
Skilbeck, J. K., Arthur, A., & Seymour, J. (2018). Making sense of frailty: An ethnographic study of the experience of older people living with complex health problems. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 13(1), e12172.
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I completed an internship program at First Home Care in Portsmouth, Virginia. I worked in Day Support Treatment for Autism Adults. During the program, I trained to work with professional psychologists and participate in assessment processes. They guide people with autism and implement assessments. I participated in weekly seminars in which lectors presented theoretical, historical, and medical aspects of the disorder. The program gave me opportunities to put theoretical knowledge into practice and enhance my professional skills. The lectures were combined with the examination of different developmental abilities and focused on neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, and other fields.
Main body
The term autism has gotten more attention in recent years. However, this phenomenon has a long history. The term was used for the first time at the beginning of the twentieth century. At the time, psychiatrists believed that autism was a type of schizophrenia. Afterward, it was described as a separate disorder. In the 1950s, researchers conducted studies to find the underlying cause for this medical condition. Initially, they concluded that the problem might be caused by the childs mothers behaviors, though subsequently, this theory was refuted. In the 1960s and 1970s, medical specialists began to apply aversion therapy. The therapy was focused on behavioral patterns and trained people with autism to act appropriately by means of different punishments. Also, some other therapies involved the use of LSD as a treatment for the disorder. In the 1980s, autism became a completely separate disease and got its own category for diagnosis.
I also learned about characteristics that might be seen in people with autism while completing the internship program. The disorder is characterized by specific behavioral patterns, problems related to social interaction, and sensory sensitivities. Some characteristics are common among all artists, but others are seen less frequently. People on the spectrum have difficulties with responding to their environment, which manifests itself in socially odd behaviors. Such individuals cannot effectively communicate their feelings and handle problematic situations. One of the most effective methods to help autists is to occupy their time with routines so they can learn some repetitive behaviors. It reduces uncertainty and promotes the predictability of their environments. Another problem related to people on the spectrum is their inability to build and maintain relationships. The lectures brought to light a new insight that confirmed that people with autism cannot properly respond to different forms of communication, for example, facial expressions, gestures, or eye contact. This problem takes place because autists are unable to comprehend other peoples needs and wants. Therefore, they often cannot participate in various activities with others. That is why people on the spectrum might look unfriendly and avoid the interaction. In addition, some of the people with autism exhibit seriously impaired speech or are unable to speak at all. For this reason, they might repeat phrases after their communication partners or ask similar questions several times.
Conclusion
There are several core values that the program helped to develop. The theoretical basis that I acquired during the internship promoted personal development and excellence in caring for people on the spectrum. Also, I assisted in developing social skills in people with autism. For example, I taught them how to make a purchase at a store. This experience revealed the importance of such values as responsible stewardship, respect, and community. Finally, the program itself cultivated moral principles that enhanced integrity. Therefore, the internship was a highly important experience that helped me improve my personal and vocational skills.
